25. JATO Rocket Car

Myth: Jet Assisted Chevy

This was the first myth tested on MythBusters.

24. Guns & Ammo

Myth: Tree Machine Gun

Demonstrated the frequent use of various firearms on the show.

23. Science is Golden

Myth: Bullets Fired Up

Demonstrated the use of scientific analysis to explore myths.

22. Failure is Always an Option

Myth: Supersize Rocket Car

Demonstrated experiments going wrong in unexpected ways.

21. World Firsts

Myth: Breaking Glass

Demonstrated unprecedented experimental results.

20. Mean Machines

Myth: Steam Powered Machine Gun

Demonstrated massive and intricate builds for testing myths.

19. MythBusters Dress Code

Showed the various safety gear and ridiculous costumes used by the cast.

18. Underwater Car

Myth: Underwater Car

17. Not So Steely Stomachs

Showed cast members getting sick due to gross experiments.

16. Surprise! Surprise!

Myth: Bull in a China Shop

Demonstrated unexpected results from an experiment.

15. Buster: Honorary MythBusters

Myth: Exploding Pants

Showed the trials and tribulations of Buster, the crash test dummy.

14. Duct Tapetastic

Myth: Duct Tape Sailboat

13. Weird & Wonderful

Myth: Vacuum Toilet

Showed the cast members’ most bizarre “what are we doing?” moments.

12. Lunar Lunacy

Myth: NASA Moon Landing

11. Shark Tales

Myth: Playing Dead

10. Flatus Burning

Myth: Igniting a Flatus

This segment had not previously aired on the show.

9. Human Guinea Pigs

Showed cast members taking part in stunts and physical testing.

8. Bring Out the Blimp

Myth: Hindenburg Mystery

7. One Line Wonders

Featured the cast members’ memorable lines and recurring themes.

6. Alcatraz Escape

Myth: Escape from Alcatraz

5. Car Drop

Myth: Racing Gravity

This was the Build Team’s favorite myth.

4. Accidents do Happen

A montage of Adam and Tory’s frequent mishaps on camera.

3. Rocketry in Motion

Myths: Compact Compact Supersized, Snowplow Rocket Replication

Showed the use of a rocket sled in revisiting a pair of myths.

2. Lead Balloon

Myth: Lead Balloon

Adam and Jamie’s favorite myth.

1. Explosive Fan Favorites

Myth: Cement Mix-Up

Showed a collection of favorite explosions, as chosen by fans and cast members.

Droplets from a sneeze can travel up to a distance of 30 ft (9.1 m).

busted

To get a visual indication of distance, Adam mixed cherry drink powder into the snuff and sneezed over a 30-foot-long strip of white paper. When this method failed to show any marks, he and Jamie tried drinking a small amount of food coloring just before sneezing. This idea worked, giving a maximum distance of 17 ft (5.2 m) for Adam and 13 ft (4.0 m) for Jamie.

Nasal secretions from a person with a cold can spread so far and so quickly that anyone in the vicinity can become contaminated.

confirmed

Adam and Jamie consulted with an otolaryngologist and learned that a person with a cold may secrete up to 60 milliliters of mucus per hour. Jamie built a rig from a syringe and tubing to match that drip rate with fluorescent dye, and Adam wore it by his nose as he did model-building work. After one hour, he and everything he had touched were stained with the dye.

They then set up a party for Adam to host, with three “germaphobe” guests (Kari, Grant, and Tory, who were briefed to try to avoid contact with Adam) and three unsuspecting ones. Thirty minutes later, Adam, the whole table, and every guest except Kari – who admitted that she actually was a germaphobe – were heavily contaminated. In a second experiment in which Adam consciously did his best to avoid physical contact, all six guests came up clean.

Adam and Jamie declared the myth confirmed at this point, commenting that a healthy person would find it very difficult to avoid being contaminated by a sick one who did not attempt to keep from spreading his/her germs.

Tornado-force winds can propel window glass with enough speed to decapitate a person.

confirmed

Kari and Tory obtained a pig spine with skin and muscle, trimmed it down to resemble an elongated neck, and attached a dummy head. The Build Team then obtained several 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) thick glass panes that conformed to building codes for houses in tornado-prone areas, and began throwing them at “Neck Man” by hand. They had difficulty reaching a suitable combination of speed and accuracy; none of their throws inflicted more than a minor wound.

Tory then built a frame to attach to a pickup truck, with a heavy 14.3 lb (6.5 kg) glass sheet loosely mounted to hit Neck Man edge-on but break loose just before impact. The first attempt, at 80 mph (129 km/h) – the equivalent kinetic energy of a light pane traveling 300 mph (483 km/h) in an F5 tornado – sliced the head off. A second test at 40 mph (64 km/h) (150 mph (241 km/h) for a light pane in a less powerful F2 tornado) also cut completely through the neck. However, the glass did not break out of its holder, indicating that the momentum of the truck may have affected the result.

Back at the workshop, the team built a rig to throw 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) thick panes (twice as heavy as the original ones) at 70 mph (113 km/h). After several tries, they were able to score a hit that completely and cleanly severed the head, leading them to declare the myth confirmed.

A man can attach 400 fireworks to himself, launch off a ramp, fly over 150 ft (45.7 m), and land safely in a lake.

busted

The Build Team first tested various high powered fireworks to see which ones could generate the most thrust. However, they discovered that none of the fireworks commercially available in the United States could lift a person in the numbers stated in the myth. To solve this problem, the Build Team decided to duplicate more powerful European made fireworks and found them suitable for their needs. During the full scale test, Buster managed to successfully launch off the ramp, but quickly lost control and fell into the lake well short of 150 feet. Although Buster would have survived the launch, the fact that the rig didn’t work and that any amateur’s attempt would not meet the same quality led the Build Team to reluctantly bust the myth.

Driving a route taking only right turns instead of left turns is more fuel efficient than driving normally, because the vehicle uses up more gas idling while waiting for traffic to clear on a left turn than taking three right turns.

confirmed

For their first test, the Build Team drove a regular size car on a controlled course. On the first run, they drove the car around a block using a left hand turn, but had to wait for a turn signal. In the second run, they instead took three right turns to bypass the signal, but the route was longer. The results showed that by taking only right hand turns, the car managed to cover more distance in less time while only consuming about 1% more fuel. For a more realistic result, the Build Team obtained a full size delivery truck and delivered packages to several locations throughout San Francisco. After driving a route that included some left hand turns, they repeated the exact same route, but replaced all of the left turns with right turns. After reviewing their results, the Build Team discovered that the right turn route was more fuel efficient by 3%, despite having to driver a longer distance. Kari then pointed out that this would be an ideal strategy for delivery trucks in urban environments, but would not work as well with regular cars.

Duct tape can be used to hold a completely dismantled car together so that it can be safely driven at high speed.

confirmed

Kari tore apart a car’s body and frame with the help of a squad of San Francisco firefighters. Grant and Tory then reassembled it with tape, and the Build Team took it to Naval Air Station Alameda, where they set up an obstacle course on the runway to put as much stress on the car as possible. With Kari driving 40-60 miles per hour, the car held together through 10 laps. Next they did some off-road driving in the rain; the engine stalled after several minutes, but the tape did not fail.

Duct tape can be used to hold a car in place.

confirmed

The Build Team hooked a force meter between a car’s rear bumper and a telephone pole, and found that the car could pull with a force of 1300 pounds. Based on the breaking strength data from the bridge testing, they wrapped five rolls of tape around the car and pole to bind the two together. When Grant stepped on the gas, the car stayed in place even as the tires began to smoke, with only one strip of tape breaking.

Duct tape can be used to stop a car which is traveling at 60 miles per hour (95 km/hr).

busted

The Build Team placed two concrete barricades on the Alameda runway and used one roll of tape to make a single thick strand strung between them. Driving at 40 miles per hour, Tory was able to break through easily. For further tests, the team used 100 rolls of tape to make a 3-inch-thick wall, which they hung between the barricades, and towed the car into it while Grant steered remotely. On the first test, a problem with the tow cable caused the car to hit one of the barricades; the tape took a glancing blow, but did not break. The second test ended with one of the wall’s anchor points breaking loose, while the wall itself remained intact. In the third and final test, the car hit the wall dead center and broke through, but not before the tape had stretched nearly 6 feet. Based on the amount of time and material that would be needed to construct a workable car stopper, the team declared the myth busted.

It is possible to literally knock someone’s socks off. (Revisited from Knock Your Socks Off)

partly confirmed

The Build Team tested various types of socks on both hairy and hairless legs to see which sock could be pulled off the easiest. The Build Team then concluded that a non-elastic woven wool sock on a hairless leg would be the best possible combination. They then built ballistic gel legs covered in lamb skin to simulate human legs. The Build Team tested several punches: the uppercut, the right hook, and the body blow. However, none of the punches managed to remove the socks, even with superhuman strength. In order to see what it would take to knock a person’s socks off, they hit Buster with a girder mounted on a moving truck. While the truck failed to knock Buster’s socks off at 40 mph (64 km/h), they saw on reviewed footage that the socks were sliding off; a second run at 65 mph (105 km/h) finally sent the socks flying off Buster’s feet. While the myth was confirmed, the Build Team pointed out that they had to use an astronomical amount of force in order to achieve it.

Women have a higher pain tolerance than men.

confirmed

Twenty-five members of each gender took part. The women lasted an average of 100.4 seconds in the ice, while the average for the men was 84.3 seconds.

Natural redheads have a lower pain tolerance than people of other hair colors.

busted

Two dozen people of each group (redheads and non-redheads) took part. The average time for the redheads was 132.2 seconds, while that for the non-redheads was 79.1 seconds.

Cursing aloud will allow a person to tolerate more pain than using mild language.

confirmed

Adam, Jamie, Grant, Tory, and Kari subjected themselves to the ice bath while saying a list of innocuous words to cope with the pain. Jamie and Tory had to disqualify themselves because they lasted the maximum time of 3 minutes (enforced for safety). They were replaced by two staff members. In the second trial, the five subjects were allowed to say a list of curse words, resulting in an average 30% increase in the time that they could keep their hands in the ice.

If the propane tank on a barbecue grill is exposed to fire, it can rupture explosively and propel itself 150 feet (46 m) into the air.

plausible

The Build Team constructed a shed to California building code, placed a grill (with a full tank) inside, and stocked it with wood and charcoal to ensure a long and hot fire. When they ignited the shed, the pressure relief valve on the propane tank eventually opened and vented the gas. For all subsequent trials, Grant disabled the valve on every tank. The second trial involved a tank placed directly on a propane-fired burner; this time, the tank exploded and threw shrapnel up to 300 feet (91 m) in all directions. In a third test, the team bored a hole partway through the tank’s base to simulate an old tank that had partially rusted through, and saw it peel itself apart from the bottom up. Reasoning that the tank might need to have some vapor space in order to launch, they repeated the test with a partially filled tank and got it to fly 60 feet (18 m) into the air.

The team declared the myth plausible at this point, then continued working in an attempt to get a higher flight. Tory built a launch guide and set up a 9 mm pistol to fire upward into the base of the tank as it sat on the burner, creating an instant nozzle. With the fire going and the tank about to burst, the team triggered the pistol and the resulting blast sent the tank into a high, spinning trajectory – enough to convince them that a propane tank could become a rocket under the right conditions.

Ancient armies may have built fully functional cannons completely out of leather.

busted

For comparison, the Build Team fired a Civil War parrot gun of similar size to the cannons described in the myth to measure its muzzle velocity, which was 389 miles per hour. Because there are two separate versions of the myth, originating from Sweden and Ireland, the Build Team decided to test both designs. The Swedish cannon consisted of a copper core wrapped in leather and iron bands, while the Irish cannon was built completely out of leather. The Swedish cannon managed to fire its cannonball at a speed of 450 miles per hour, but blew out its breech in the process. The Irish cannon failed spectacularly, with the breech blowing out, the cannonball moving only two feet, and the barrel completely unravelling, making a second shot impossible. They then built a third leather cannon and reinforced it with significantly more leather. They also lubricated the barrel to make it easier for the cannonball to fire. The cannon managed to fire successfully, but the cannonball could only achieve a speed of 52 miles per hour. While the cannon was still structurally intact, the barrel was too damaged for a second shot.

During a car chase, the pursuing car can be stopped or eluded using a smokescreen deployed from the fleeing car.

confirmed

During the first run, Jamie attached several smoke grenades to the rear of his car to create a makeshift smokescreen. While intially successful, the smokescreen quickly backfired when the smoke was sucked into Jamie’s car as well, blinding and choking him and forcing him to stop the chase. They modified the rig to keep the smoke grenades outside of the car, and Adam became the driver while wearing a oxygen mask. The second test was more successful, with Adam being able to use the smokescreen to elude the pursuit car.

During a car chase, the pursuing car can be stopped or eluded using an oil slick deployed from the fleeing car.

plausible

The pursuit car was slowed down signficantly by the oil slick, allowing Jamie to elude it. However, the pursuit car did not instantly spin out as is popularly shown in movies.

During a car chase, the pursuing car can be stopped or eluded using Adam’s parachute rig.

busted

As part of the Mythbuster Challenge, Adam designed a rig that would deploy a parachute and release it in hopes of blinding the pursuit car. While the parachute successfully deployed, the pursuit car was able to avoid it and chase down Adam.

During a car chase, the pursuing car can be stopped or eluded using Jamie’s specialized car stopping devices.

plausible

As part of the Mythbuster Challenge, Jamie designed specialized carstoppers meant to get caught in the pursuit car’s undercarriage and slow it down. While they deployed successfully, the pursuit car managed to stay on Jamie’s tail, despite taking serious damage from the carstoppers. While it did not work in the short run, the Mythbusters pointed out that they would have been successful if the chase had gone on any longer.

An object thrown backwards from a moving vehicle – at the same speed as the vehicle – will simply fall straight to the ground.

confirmed

For their first test, the Build Team used a treadmill running at 10 miles per hour to launch a weight off the back of a parked truck. The weight was propelled 6 feet away. Next, the Build Team repeated the experiment with the truck driving at 10 miles per hour, and the weight seemed to drop straight down. Next, they repeated the experiment at 60 miles per hour using an air cannon to fire a soccer ball. However, they couldn’t get the ball to drop straight down and decided to change their method of firing the ball. They tested a soccer ball pitching machine and Grant’s ball kicking robot against the air cannon. However, they decided to stay with the air cannon after finding out it performed the most consistently among all three machines. The Build Team attempted the experiment again, and after a number of tries, finally managed to get the ball to drop straight down.