The cast of the television series MythBusters performs experiments to verify or debunk urban legends, old wives' tales, and the like. This is a list of the various myths tested on the show as well as the results of the experiments (the myth is Busted, Plausible, or Confirmed).
Note: The show's first season used "True" instead of "Confirmed"; for the sake of consistency, "Confirmed" will be used on this page.
Visit the Mythbusters episode guide for complete list of episodes.
The myths the show has tested for accuracy include:
Episode 1 — "Ice Bullet, Exploding Toilet, Who Gets Wetter?"
Ice Bullet
This myth tested the feasibility of magic bullets, used as a plot device or otherwise mentioned in many movies, such as Most Wanted or Three Days of the Condor.
This myth was retested in Myths Revisited.
| Myth statement
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Status
|
Notes
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| An assassin can fire an ice bullet to kill someone without leaving a trace.
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Busted
|
The ice bullet evaporated before it could leave the barrel.
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| An assassin can use a meat bullet to kill someone without leaving a trace.
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Busted
|
The meat bullet fragmented on contact with the skin, causing only superficial damage.
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| An assassin can use a gelatin bullet to kill someone without leaving a trace.
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Busted
|
The bullet did not cause fatal injury.
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| An assassin can use a poison capsule fired from an umbrella to kill someone without leaving a trace.
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Confirmed
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It was found to have been the cause of death for a notable Bulgarian dignitary, Georgi Markov. The catch is that the umbrella must be fired from point-blank range for it to work (see Bulgarian umbrella).
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Exploding Toilet
This experiment formally introduces Buster the crash test dummy.
| Myth statement
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Status
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Notes
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| Pouring gasoline down a toilet and lighting it will cause the toilet to explode.
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Busted
|
The gasoline simply burned without exploding. Not even a tin of gunpowder in the toilet bowl was able to eject Buster from the seat. Was first myth that the test dummy Buster was used.
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Who Gets Wetter?
This myth was revisited in MythBusters Revisited.
| Myth statement
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Status
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Notes
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| A person will end up drier running in the rain rather than walking.
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Busted
|
The original test showed that running faster results in getting wetter.
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¹ Original result was later overturned. See MythBusters Revisited.
Episode 2 — "Cell Phone Destruction, Silicone Breasts, CD-ROM Shattering"
Cell Phone Destruction
| Myth statement
|
Status
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Notes
|
| Using one's cell phone while pumping gas/petrol can cause an explosion.
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Busted
|
A properly-working cell phone poses almost no danger of igniting gasoline, even when surrounded by gasoline vapor with the optimum fuel-air mix for ignition. The actual risk comes from an electrostatic discharge between a charged driver and the car, often a result of continually getting into and out of the vehicle.
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Silicone Breasts
A spinoff of this myth was tested in Myths Revisited. Interestingly, the DVD version includes another version of the spinoff.
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
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| Silicone breast implants may explode at high altitudes or low air pressure.
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Busted
|
The implants expanded, but at too high an altitude for the person to live and not enough to explode.
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CD-ROM Shattering
| Myth statement
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Status
|
Notes
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| CDs can shatter if placed in a high-speed (i.e. 40X or faster) CD-ROM drive.
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Busted/ Plausible
|
It was proven that a high rotation (in excess of 23,000 RPM) could shatter the CDs, but the MythBusters could not achieve this using an average CD-ROM drive (though it was possible that the computer used, a budget model, simply could not keep up with the drive). Physical damage to the CD made shattering more likely. In addition, there was testimony by at least one person (the salesperson who sold the computer) that seemed to verify the myth. The MythBusters concluded that while this event was possible, it was very unlikely to happen. (The myth was called "Busted" in a future episode, but was not "Busted" in the episode where it actually appeared.)
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Episode 3 — "Barrel of Bricks, Peeing on the Third Rail, Eel Skin Wallet"
Barrel of Bricks
This marks the first time Buster was broken in the course of an experiment.
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
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| A bricklayer could be injured repeatedly while hoisting a barrel full of bricks from the top of a three-story building.
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Plausible
|
Only by deliberately weakening the barrel and dropping it on a sharp edge were they able to get the barrel to drop its bricks. But there was no evidence of the myth happening; the source of the myth appears to be a joke book.
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Peeing on the Third Rail
In order to avoid appearing insensitive to viewers, no one refers to or shows the male genitalia at any time during the experiment - instead talking solely about the urination process.
A spinoff of this myth was tested in Myths Revisited.
| Myth statement
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Status
|
Notes
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| Urinating on the electric third rail of a train track can cause electrocution.
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Busted
|
Although it is possible to electrocute yourself by urinating on a third rail, you would have to stand unrealistically close to the rail to do it. In most instances, a urine stream would break into droplets before making contact with the rail.
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- The MythBusters also tested the myth that a penny on a rail could derail a train (see "MythBusters Outtakes"). This test can also be seen in the DVD version of this episode.
Eelskin Wallet
| Myth statement
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Status
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Notes
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| Using an electric eel-skin wallet will cause a static charge that will cause the magnetic strips on credit cards to fail.
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Busted
|
Most eel-skin wallets are not made from electric eels, but rather from a fish called a hagfish which does not produce an electric charge. Data written to a set of test cards were not affected in any way.
In addition, further tests were conducted to see how much magnetism would it take to 'wipe' a card, and was found to be far above what the average person may encounter.
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Episode 4 — "Penny Drop, Microwave Madness, Radio Tooth Fillings"
Penny Drop
Adam and Jamie explore a popular claim, likely to have originated from the Empire State Building.
| Myth statement
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Status
|
Notes
|
| A penny dropped from a skyscraper lands with enough force to either kill a pedestrian on the sidewalk below or embed itself into the sidewalk.
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Busted
|
A penny's terminal velocity is too low and its mass too small for it to penetrate human skin - let alone penetrate concrete or asphalt. Even when fired from a rifle, the penny was unable to penetrate concrete. It did, however, decimate the ballistics gel dummy.
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Radio Tooth Fillings
Adam and Jamie test whether radio signals can be picked up from tooth fillings, as claimed by Lucille Ball in an interview on The Dick Cavett Show.
| Myth statement
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Status
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Notes
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| It is possible to pick up radio signals through a tooth filling.
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Busted
|
The tooth filling did not act as an antenna. Explanations for the supposed Morse code pickup included a galvanic reaction between two teeth fillings and saliva.
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Microwave Madness
| Myth statement
|
Status
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Notes
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| It is possible to cook one's insides by using a tanning booth too often.
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Busted
|
Tanning booths work on UV radiation, which penetrates the body from the outside in, meaning that all one would get is a sunburn.
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| It is possible to blow up a microwave oven by microwaving metal.
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Busted (with caveats)
|
Neither a spoon nor a fork had any effect. Tinfoil scrunched into balls caused a light-show with electric charges, but the microwave did not explode. Microwaving metal can possibly ruin a microwave by arcing against the inner wall, sending electricity back to the magnetron, and either destroying it or shortening its lifespan.
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| If a glass of water is microwaved, removed, and an additive placed in it, it will explode due to superheating.
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Confirmed
|
If the water had no impurities in it at the time of superheating (for instance, distilled water), then any sort of additive placed within will make the water explode. A full explanation of the process can be found here.
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| It is possible to build a super-microwave by aligning four magnetrons around a metal box.
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Busted (unofficially)
|
If there is a proper method to build one, the method used in the show is not it. After a glass of water was exposed to the "super microwave"'s magnetrons for thirty seconds, a thermometer found that the temperature of the water had actually dropped by two degrees Fahrenheit.
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Episode 5 — "Hammer Bridge Drop, Buried Alive, Cola"
Hammer Bridge Drop
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
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| A high fall over water can be survived by throwing a hammer ahead of oneself and breaking the surface tension.
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Busted
|
Dropping a hammer in front of oneself cannot break the surface tension of the water enough to save one's life if one falls from high up.
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101 Uses For Cola
Cola is able to…
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| …remove bloodstains.
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Confirmed
|
The cola was able to emulsify bloodstains.
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| …clean rust.
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Busted
|
The cola was unable to break down rust deposits.
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| …act as a toilet cleaner.
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Busted
|
This chapter of the myth was shown in Mythbusters Outtakes.
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| …clean chrome.
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Confirmed
|
It surprisingly cleaned the chrome better than the commercial chrome polish used for comparison.
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| …dissolve a tooth overnight.
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Busted
|
The tooth did start to dissolve, indicating that with enough time it could be completely dissolved. However, the acidic solution used for comparison was much more effective in dissolving the tooth.
|
| …dissolve a steak.
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Busted
|
The cola just gave the steak a soft, pasty consistency.
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| …clean a penny.
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Confirmed
|
Results were good. The only part of the coin that was not cleaned was an area where a bubble had formed.
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| …clean battery terminals.
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Plausible
|
The cola worked, but it was hard to tell if plain water did not perform just as well. The cola did not do anything spectacular. As Adam noted, it probably only worked because it is a liquid.
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| …remove greasy stains in laundry.
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Busted
|
No effect at all to the grease, but turned the material brown.
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| …degrease engines.
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Busted
|
The cola did not remove any of the grease.
|
| …kill sperm.
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Busted
|
The MythBusters added cola to some slides and saline solution to others. They counted the number of live sperm they could see through a microscope camera in one minute, and found that the number of live sperm in both saline and cola was relatively the same. With the help of Dr. Turek, they determined that cola doesn't do much more than dilute the sperm.
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Buried Alive
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| It is possible to stay alive over 1 day when one is buried alive in a coffin.
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Busted
|
Jamie risked his own life for this myth. Without the dirt, Jamie stayed in the coffin for 50 minutes; he maintained just 30 minutes when the dirt was factored in. Suffocation from the lack of outside air would have claimed the life of anyone buried alive. There is also the possibility of the coffin being crushed by the weight of the dirt pressing down on it. The risk of sudden collapse was the main reason the test was aborted after only 30 minutes. After the coffin was uncovered, it was found to have buckled significantly.
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Episode 6 — "Lightning Strikes Tongue Piercing, Tree Cannon, Beat the Breath Test"
Lightning Strikes Tongue Piercing
| Myth statement
|
Status
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Notes
|
| Metal body piercings increase one's chances of being hit by lightning.
|
Busted
|
The lightning did seem to strike a pierced body more, but not the piercings directly, which was the actual myth (see stock footage). It would take a piercing the size of a doorknob to attract lightning. So, technically, it was busted. Adam was also shown having his tongue pierced, but he did not keep the piercing for any significant length of time.
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Tree Cannon
| Myth statement
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Status
|
Notes
|
| Under siege from a neighboring clan, a Medieval Hungarian town (Paks) built a cannon out of a tree overnight, but wiped out a great deal of itself when the cannon exploded during a test-fire.
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Plausible
|
It is impossible to bore a barrel out of a log in a single night using the technology available at that time. The cannon made of a log, loaded with 6 ounces of gunpowder, successfully fired a 1-pound granite cannonball a significant distance (exact measurement unavailable since the cannonball was not found). Loaded with 5 pounds of gunpowder, and with its barrel plugged, the tree cannon exploded violently enough to feasibly destroy part of a small medieval town like Paks. During the test, several blast shields and a tractor were placed between the cannon and the MythBusters crew for protection - large pieces of the log were sent way behind them.
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Beat the Breath Test
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| Using various substances and tricks when intoxicated can beat the breathalyzer test (for instance, eating an onion, eating breath mints, drinking mouthwash, placing a penny in the mouth, etc.).
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Busted
|
None of the tested methods worked. In addition, mouthwash actually made the breathalyzer give a higher reading than usual because of the inherent alcohol content.
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Episode 7 — "Stinky Car, Raccoon Rocket"
Stinky Car
A Corvette which has been fouled by a decomposing body…
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| …can destroy the inside of the car.
|
Confirmed
|
Pig corpses were placed in the car. The car was sealed with tape and placed in a container. Two months later the car was full of condensation, and the seats, door panels, and carpets were dirty and disintegrating.
|
| …cannot be cleaned up enough to remove the smell completely.
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Plausible
|
With the aid of a professional cleaning company, the car was cleaned, but it is impractical to disassemble the car, clean every small piece, and then re-assemble it. Some parts, like the seats, proved to be uncleanable.
|
| …cannot be cleaned up enough to be sold.
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Busted
|
The MythBusters did find a buyer who was willing to purchase the car for spare parts.
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Raccoon Rocket
| Myth statement
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Status
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Notes
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| A hillbilly was blasted 200 feet (60 meters) out of a culvert when he tried to light gasoline in an attempt to chase down a raccoon which had wandered down the pipe.
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Busted
|
The hillbilly (Buster, the crash test dummy) was simply lit on fire when the gasoline was ignited. The only way the alleged result of the myth was duplicated was by encasing Buster in a foam sabot and propelling him out of the culvert using gunpowder. Even then, Buster only managed about 100 feet, half the distance of their goal.
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Episode 8 — "Escape From Alcatraz, Duck Quack, Stud Finder"
Escape From Alcatraz
Jamie said that this was one myth they just had to test, since it is probably the most famous myth of San Francisco, where the show is based.
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| Prisoners successfully escaped Alcatraz prison using an inflatable raft made from rain ponchos.
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Plausible
|
The makeshift raft crafted by the MythBusters team did indeed reach the shore. Listed as "Plausible" because no evidence has ever been found suggesting the prisoners survived the actual incident, and personal effects washed up later on shore, indicating that the men probably failed to navigate correctly and drowned in San Francisco Bay. However, a portion of the scale tests (cut for time but later shown in "MythBusters Outtakes") did show that these belongings could have been released by the successfully escaped prisoners and washed up where they were found through strategic use of the Bay's tides to throw the authorities off their trail, and a paddle like the one described in the myth washed up later, on Angel Island.
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Does a Duck's Quack Echo?
This myth originated in lists of "Random Facts" distributed over the Internet.
| Myth statement
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Status
|
Notes
|
| A duck's quack does not echo.
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Busted
|
When examined by an audio-expert, it was found that the echo was "swallowed" by the original quack, due to the very similar acoustic structure between the quack and the echo. Because of this, it may be difficult to tell where the quack ends and the echo begins. Normally, a sound and its own echo have very different waveforms on an oscilloscope. As it turns out, a duck's quack and its echo have a very similar waveform. Oscilloscope analysis of a duck's quack/echo could lead someone to not "see" the echo waveform on the display, only the source waveform. In the same way, human hearing may not perceive the difference between a duck's quack and its echo due to the similarities.
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Stud Finders & Mind Control Chips
| Myth statement
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Status
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Notes
|
| When you go to get blood drawn at the Red Cross, you are actually secretly having mind controlling microchips implanted into your bloodstream that can be detected with a stud finder.
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Busted
|
While a stud finder can find microchips (like those used to track pets) embedded in flesh, none were found after a trip to the Red Cross.
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Episode 9 — "Chicken Gun, Octopus Egg Pregnancy, Killer Washing Machine"
Chicken Gun
The original myth involved the Americans borrowing the titular gun for testing train windshields, but were shocked and confused at the amount of carnage the gun did. When they asked the British what they were doing wrong, they were told to thaw the chickens before firing, thus sparking the controversy.
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| A frozen chicken launched in a bird strike simulation can penetrate aircraft or train windshields better than a thawed chicken.
|
Busted
|
Originally, impact time or force transferred was the same for both frozen and thawed chickens, but this test was not conducted using airline-qualified glass, which has a thicker consistency than normal pane glass. This myth was later revisited in season 2.
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¹ Original result later overturned. See Myths Revisited.
Killer Washing Machine
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| While overstuffing his washing machine with laundry, a man accidentally wedged himself into the machine and tripped the spin cycle, flailing him around, spilling laundry detergent and bleach as he was bludgeoned to death against the shelves. Afterwards, the man's dog urinated on the detergent and bleach, causing an explosion that set the room on fire.
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Busted
|
Not one part of this myth was found to be even plausible. A normal washing machine drum can be halted in its spin cycle simply by grabbing on to it. In addition, most machines have a safety feature that prevents the machine from running if the door is open. Finally, dog urine does not react with bleach or detergent in a way that would cause an explosion.
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Octopus Egg Pregnancy
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| A woman, while swimming, accidentally swallowed a fertilized octopus egg, which gestated in her stomach and caused symptoms similar to that of pregnancy.
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Busted
|
The human stomach is too inhospitable an environment to sustain an octopus egg through its full gestation.
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Episode 10 — "Explosive Decompression, Frog Giggin', Rear Axle"
Explosive Decompression
This myth was revisited in MythBusters Revisited.
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| Explosive decompression can occur when a bullet is fired through the fuselage of a pressurized airplane, causing the hole to grow dramatically and possibly cause the plane to break up as seen in movies.
|
Busted
|
The pressure is not high enough and the hole is too small. Explosive decompression only occurred when a hole the size of a window was made with explosives. Even then, the rush of air could not suck Buster completely out of the hole. Lastly, there are proven instances of explosive decompression where the plane was still able to maintain control and land.
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Frog Giggin'
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
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| A group of hillbillies use a live .22LR cartridge as a makeshift replacement for a burned-out fuse in their truck, but while the truck is driving, the bullet heats up enough to discharge, hitting driver in the groin and causing enough damage to require surgery.
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Busted/ Plausible
|
The bullet did work as a replacement fuse, however when a short circuit was created, the wiring burnt up and the bullet did not fire. When the wiring was upgraded to a higher gauge, the bullet did fire out of the fusebox, but not with enough velocity to cause any serious injury. Though both Adam and Jamie admitted that the myth was plausible from their tests, they had to call it busted due to a lack of conclusive evidence, and the fact that they didn't have a "plausible" verdict during the first season.
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Rear Axle
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| A steel cable, attached to both a street light post and the rear axle of a police car, will be able to yank the rear axle clear out from under the car when it tries to drive off, as seen in American Graffiti.
|
Busted
|
The rear axle was able to be pulled loose, but only after several bolts securing it were removed. Additionally the axle was caught along the underside of the police car and could not clear the trunk. Adam and Jamie theorized that, in the movie, a ramp was used to give the car and axle enough of a boost to wrench the axle completely free.
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Episode 11 — "Sinking Titanic, Goldfish Memory, Trombone Explosion"
Goldfish Memory
This myth is widely passed around, even making it into Time Magazine's "numbers" section at one point.
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| A goldfish's memory lasts only three seconds.
|
Busted
|
Jamie trained his goldfish to recognize color patterns and complete an obstacle course under water. They remembered what Jamie had taught them over a month later and easily completed the same course without Jamie's prompting. However, Adam's fish suffered from a filter malfunction and they were not getting enough food.
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The Mad Trombonist
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| A trombonist had put a firecracker into his mute, and at the final note of the 1812 Overture, launched the mute, striking the conductor and knocking him back into the audience. In addition, the bell of the trombone was blown wide open and the slide was launched.
|
Busted
|
Using a firecracker, the mute hit the conductor (Buster), but did not knock him over. When the equivalent of six model rocket engines was used, he fell forward after being hit. When even more was used, the trombone was practically destroyed, but the bell still did not peel back, nor did the slide launch. Since not even the first part of the myth could be duplicated, the rest could not have followed.
|
This myth was later tested on "Myths Redux"
Sinking Titanic
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| A sinking ship creates enough suction to pull a person under if that person is too close (as was rumored to occur when the RMS Titanic sank).
|
Busted
|
Though using a small ship, neither Adam nor Jamie were sucked under when it sank, not even when they were riding directly on top of it. The use of a vessel with a large displacement was not practical.
|
Later, while preparing for the Ping Pong Salvage myth, the Sinking Titanic myth was re-tested and re-busted as Adam pointed out.
Episode 12 — "Break Step Bridge, Toothbrush Surprise, Rowing Water Skier"
Breakstep Bridge
The myth was retested for Myths Revisited, but was ultimately cut out of the episode. [1]
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| Soldiers marching in unison can cause harmonic oscillation in a bridge and cause it to collapse.
|
Busted/Plausible
|
There were some difficulties in testing this myth conclusively. During the first test, Jamie made 12 air-powered marching soldiers, but they moved too slowly. During the second and third tests, the soldiers stomped too hard on the bridge, causing the bridge to collapse without any harmonic vibration. When this myth was revisited, it was proven plausible.
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Rowing Water Skier
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| A rowing eight can pull a water skier at sufficient speed for them to stay upright.
|
Confirmed
|
After several tries Jamie was able to stay upright for over 40 seconds, with only a few hours experience in waterskiing.
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Toothbrush Surprise
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| Fecal coliforms bacteria can grow in toothbrush bristles.
|
Confirmed
|
Fecal coliforms were indeed found on all the test brushes, including the control ones. However, none were of a level high enough to be dangerous, and experts confirm that such coliforms were impossible to completely avoid.
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Episode 13 — "Buried in Concrete, Daddy Long-legs, Jet Taxi"
Buried in Concrete
The myth revolved around Jimmy Hoffa, a union leader who unexpectedly disappeared, and the rumors that surrounded his disappearance. Among one of the myths was that he was buried under the infamous ten-yard bump in Giants Stadium, a rumor that persisted in various forms of media.
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| Jimmy Hoffa was buried in Giants Stadium.
|
Busted
|
Adam and Jamie tested several areas on the field held by rumor to be Hoffa's final resting place. No readings were found consistent with a cavity left by a body which had rotted away.
|
Daddy Long-Legs
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| A Daddy long-legs spider has the most potent venom of all spiders, but is unable to pierce human skin.
|
Busted
|
A Daddy long-legs was able to bite through the skin of Adam's arm. He reported nothing more than a very mild, short-lived burning sensation. Analysis of the venom proves it does not approach the potency of the Black widow spider.
|
Jet Taxi
This was the first myth in which the MythBusters were neither able to confirm nor bust the results due to logistics reasons. According to the episode, upon arrival at Mojave Spaceport, the insurance company responsible for the aircraft backed out at the last minute, citing possible foreign object damage to the plane. However, BBC's Top Gear was able to independently verify this myth. [1]
| Myth statement
|
Status
|
Notes
|
| Jet wash from an airliner can overturn a taxi if the vehicle passes behind the jet as it goes to full throttle.
|
Partly Plausible
|
Adam and Jamie tried overturning a used taxi they had purchased, but were unable to get the car to flip. They couldn't Bust the myth for two reasons. For one, they were unable to acquire proper jet engines for insurance reasons, and had to settle for a huffer, which is used to start the turbines of jumbo jets. For another, a news article confirmed that a taxi in Brazil was blown off the road by a Boeing 737 which was taking off. While it is unlikely a car will pass so closely behind a jet taking off, it may flip over in the jet wash if it does pass that close.
|
This myth was re-tested and Confirmed in the Supersized Special.
References
- ^ Top Gear Series 4 Episode 8 (18 July 2004)
External links
