MythBusters (2006 season)
The cast of the television series "MythBusters" perform 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). Episode overview. <onlyinclude> </onlyinclude> Episode 44 – "Paper Crossbow". Paper Crossbow. This myth was the first entry among those listed as one of the twelve myths that would not be tested in "MythBusters: The Explosive Truth Behind 30 of the Most Perplexing Urban Legends of All  Time". In an interview for "Skeptic" magazine, the myth apparently was considered too controversial by Discovery Channel, which thought testing the myth could provoke prisoners to try similar things. Vodka Myths II. Kari, Tory, and Grant tested to see if vodka... Episode 45 – "Shredded Plane". Shredded Plane. One widely circulated photo showed a systematically and neatly sliced Piper PA-44 Seminole. The damage was caused by... Fire Without Matches. Fire can be started... This was the third episode where Myths from previous episodes were revisited, as well as the third episode to focus on just one experiment. Episode 46 – "Archimedes Death  Ray". This episode, referred to as the "MythBusters Mailbag Special: The Great Archimedes Burn-Off" from within the episode itself, saw a retest of the "Ancient Death Ray" myth after fans of the series contested their original decision. To this end, the MythBusters commissioned a contest, challenging viewers to prove the myth plausible. Candidates could enter in either of two categories: a smaller-scale version where the object was to ignite an object from away, or the full-scale version, where the object was to ignite a replica trireme from away (as per the original myth). For the smaller-scale  version, two finalists, the team of Kari Lukes and Jess Nelson, both from UCSB, and the team of Brenden Millstein (Harvard) and Stephen Marsh (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) were chosen to compete against the MythBusters' own entry in the retest (which was disqualified when it was found that the MythBusters had not followed the contest rules they had set out themselves). Only one entrant (Mike Bushroe, a NASA space scientist) entered a full-scale contest; however, the winning entry was destroyed "en route" for the retest. The MythBusters also invited a team from MIT, led by Professor David Wallace, who  had independently verified that a ship could be lit from afar using an array of mirrors, to retest the myth with Archimedean-era technology instead of the modern technology used in their own experiment. While it was shown extensively that it is, in fact, plausible that an array of mirrors (or a parabolic mirror) could set objects on fire, the MythBusters stood by their original Busted verdict because of many factors: The MythBusters also addressed fans' criticisms that suggested they try to light the ships' sails instead of the body of the ship, and showed the sails diffused the light  due to their composition and the wind blowing against them, thus could not be as easily set on fire compared to the body of the ship. The myth would be re-visited in 2010 in the President's Challenge only to be re-busted. Episode 47 – "Helium Football". Helium Football. Adam and Jamie took on a myth prevalent around football circles, made more prevalent during the time of prolific punter Ray Guy, whose kicks carried so much distance and had so much hangtime, some had suspected the footballs he used were filled with helium. Catching a Bullet in Your Teeth . The Build Team took on the bullet catch magic trick, and see whether it is possible to do the trick for real. Episode 48 – "Franklin's Kite". Franklin's Kite. The Build Team took on a piece of American folklore regarding Benjamin Franklin's discovery of lightning as electricity. The folklore description is not historically accurate (as mentioned by the Build Team), although it is a popular misconception. Facts About Flatulence. In this myth, Adam and Jamie tested some of the more prevalent myths based on flatulence. Throughout the myth, the MythBusters were careful to only use the scientific term  'flatus' as opposed to the more common 'fart', to prevent coming off as insensitive to the viewers (although 'fart' had been used and aired uncensored by the MythBusters before and since). Flatulence can be induced by consuming... Two additional myths were filmed but not aired as part of the broadcast episode. These have been shown in an outtakes reel at live appearances by the MythBusters. Lighting the Emission. This is also referred to as "Flatus Burning." Episode 50 – "Bullets Fired Up". Vodka Myths III. Vodka can... Episode 51 – "Myths Re-Opened". This was the fourth episode in which myths were  retested (counting the "Archimedes Death Ray" revisit). Salami Rocket. The MythBusters revisited the "Confederate Rocket" myth with some new information from viewers. This was revisited in "More Myths Revisited". Splitting an Arrow. At the insistence of viewers, the team retested the popular arrow-splitting myth seen in the film "The Adventures of Robin Hood". Guns Fired Underwater. It has already been shown that, in some cases, bullets become non-lethal when fired into water, but what happens when "the whole gun" is fired under water? Episode 52 – "Mind Control". Painting With Explosives. This myth originated from the episode "Do-It -Yourself, Mr. Bean" of the British comedy series "Mr. Bean" starring Rowan Atkinson. Mind Control. Remote, non-consensual mind control can be achieved by... Episode 53 – "Exploding Pants". Exploding Pants. This myth came from New Zealand in the early 1930s, where an epidemic of exploding pants had rampaged, injuring and even killing farmers. The culprit was a then-unfamiliar chemical substance that farmers began using in large quantities at the time. The Great Gas Conspiracy. The "Great Gas Conspiracy" mentioned in the myth is the conspiracy theory that gasoline companies are secretly in league with the car manufacturers to produce  fuel-inefficient vehicles, to fatten their profits and split the difference. The myths tested were ways found on the Internet that one can supposedly beat this conglomerate and get cheap, easy, and spectacularly improved fuel efficiency for cars. The cars were a Toyota Camry and an Oldsmobile Toronado. Theories tested to see if cheap fuel efficiency can be achieved with... The MythBusters tested the validity of some Hollywood heist scenes, using a purpose-built "assault course" with Grant operating the security system as mission controller, while two "crack teams" (Adam and Jamie, plus Tory and Kari) attempted alternate myths. Episode  54 – "Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 1". Air Duct Climb. Though present in a number of movies, the myth came primarily from the movie "Firetrap", in which Max Hopper (Dean Cain) scales a duct silently using magnets. Adam and Jamie were tasked with the entry phase – scaling a 20-foot air duct stealthily. After each had devised his own system, they tested whether a person can surreptitiously scale an air duct by using a system of... Laser Beam Dodge. Before Grant started the myth, he stated that he found that the highly visible, brightly colored light beams seen in movies do  not exist in the real world, as not only would it defeat the purpose of making the laser system hard to get around, but real light moves far too quickly to be seen by the naked eye, thereby making such laser systems impossible to create in the first place. In its place, he fashioned a makeshift system using laser pointers that worked on the same principle (breaking the beam sets off the alarm.) Each part of the myth came from the movie "Entrapment" – specifically, the scene where Gin Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Mac MacDougal (Sean Connery) infiltrate Bedford Palace  to steal a priceless mask. Kari and Tory took this on as their first challenge and tested whether a person can successfully navigate a system of laser beam detectors by... Infrared Beam Dodge. After getting through the visible lasers, Kari and Tory faced the real-world equivalent: infrared photo-beam detectors. They tested the following methods: Glass Door Forced Entry. To access the jewelry room, Adam and Jamie tested whether glass doors can be breached silently (i.e. without setting off a sonar alarm trained to detect smashing). This was inspired by films often featuring scenes where cat burglars cut holes  in glass and remove them with suction cups. They tested the following techniques in an hour-long practice session and during the test itself... Fooling the Pressure Sensor. This myth also came from "Entrapment" and is the final act of the Bedford Palace mask heist. Tory and Kari faced this as their final challenge, attempting to retrieve a golden Buster idol while testing whether a person can successfully fool a pressure sensor under a glass case by... Safecracking. As their final challenge, Adam and Jamie were tasked with cracking a safe that turned out to contain a golden jeweled scepter . Adam took the lead and tested whether a safe can be quickly cracked by... Scaling a Building. In a final twist, Grant and Tory challenged Adam to scale a 23-story building using his suction cups as a cat burglar might in order to get to a helicopter on the roof. Episode 55 – "Steam Cannon". Cereal Nutrition. A popular saying states that sugary cereal is less nutritious than its box. Steam Cannon. A diagram by Leonardo da Vinci blueprints a steam-powered cannon that Archimedes supposedly built. The MythBusters Teeth Challenge. This is also referred to as "Which has the  whitest teeth." This myth was less a challenge than an inside joke. The MythBusters received many emails from fans complaining about Adam's brown teeth. It was not aired in the US. However, on the Discovery Europe version, it is included in the episode. Episode 56 – "Whirlpool/Snowplow". Whirlpool of Death. Whirlpools are an ancient maritime fear. According to the myth, a tidal whirlpool can sink... Snowplow Flips Car. A fan claims that he saw a car capsize when a snowplow passed by in the opposite direction at high speed. Episode 57 – "Mentos and Soda". Diet Coke and Mentos. This  is the first segment not to be assigned a "Busted", "Plausible" or "Confirmed" rating, as there was no myth to be proved or disproved. Adam and Jamie did the tests simply to dissect the process and determine what actually makes a so-called Diet Coke and Mentos eruption, such as the ones seen on Kari's "FHM" shoot and on EepyBird.com. However, they did compare their results to the many differing theories given by experts as to how the geyser works, "busting" all of them. (None of the theories had the full list of contributing factors for the geyser, only  partial explanations.) The MythBusters also set a new record for the cola geyser at just over by using a nozzle, beating the previous record of , set by the person who popularized the phenomenon, Steve Spangler. They extended the geyser to by using rock salt, which is more porous and hence provides even more nucleation sites per area than Mentos. In this episode, Adam and Jamie also created homemade pyrotechnics using water, liquid soap, and methane, and smoke bombs from saltpeter and sugar; demonstrated a way to blow the canister off a stack of Pringles chips by using hydrogen gas, leaving  the chips intact; and assembled a dry ice bomb. Adam also implies that more improvised explosives may be tested for a future episode. Despite the "do not try this at home" disclaimers, the MythBusters concluded that Diet Coke and Mentos geysers are safe enough for people to try, even for children (with the exception of getting in trouble by their parents). Episode 58 – "Shattering Subwoofer". Rough Road Driving. A spinoff myth was tested in "More Myths Revisited" Episode 59 – "Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 2". As opposed to the earlier "Crimes and Myth-Demeanors", which focused on security systems as seen  in movies, the MythBusters attempted to break real-world security systems, which were all installed in the original assault course. Fingerprint Lock. Fingerprint readers take a sample of a fingerprint and match it with an approved-person database. The particular door-mounted scanner tested optically samples the fingerprint, and had some extra "liveness-sensing" features that supposedly looks for pulse, body heat, and sweat (though, in the end, the door-scanner ended up being fooled much easier than the low-tech fingerprint scanner on Jamie's laptop). The process was twofold – first, obtaining the thumbprint for the lock (which Kari  did by tricking Grant into copying a stack of CDs, thus giving them a copy of the master print) and then devising a method of successfully transcribing the fingerprint to the point that it could be used to bypass the lock. Adam and Jamie used various techniques before finding a technique involving copper-coated circuit boards, acetate, acid washing, and manually amplifying the lines in the fingerprint to their original quality. After that, the two of them transcribed Grant's thumbprint onto various mediums and then tested whether the biometric fingerprint lock could be cracked by... Thermal Motion Sensor. Thermographic  cameras note any changes in the temperature gradient within its field of view (as seen in the 1992 film "Sneakers"). Kari, Tory and Grant tested whether a thermal motion sensor can be fooled by... Ultrasonic Motion Sensor. Ultrasonic motion detectors note any Doppler shifts caused by a moving intruder. Kari, Tory and Grant tested whether an ultrasonic motion detector can be fooled by... Water Safe. This myth was based on a scene from the movie "The Score" where Nick Wells (Robert De Niro) uses this technique to break into a safe containing a glass relocker. Episode 60 – "Earthquake Machine". Miniature  Earthquake Machine. The MythBusters tested one of Nikola Tesla's publications. Exploding Lava Lamp. Kari, Tory and Grant began by examining the news story that 24-year-old Philip Quinn had been killed two years beforehand in his trailer home in Kent, Washington after he heated a lava lamp on his stove, only for it to blow up and send a glass shard into his chest. This earned them the moniker of "MSI: Myth Scene Investigation", an homage to "". They eventually tested whether the following can potentially blow up with lethal consequences if heated on a stove by heating the  material in question on a stove and placing a ballistic gel torso with an actual human ribcage and a fake heart near the stove so that they could examine potential injuries: Episode 61 – "Deadly Straw". Primary Perception. The Build Team tested world-renowned polygrapher Cleve Backster's theory of primary perception. Adam, Jamie, Buster, and the Build Team are watching movie myths they have done in the past, and decide to dedicate a whole episode to them. This episode is a two-hour special. Episode 63 – "Air Cylinder Rocket". Air Cylinder of Death. A compressed air cylinder can... Episode 64  – "More Myths Revisited". This was the fifth episode where myths from previous episodes were revisited. Salami Rocket. This marked the first time a Confirmed myth was disputed. In this case, the claim was that the rocket launched not due to the two-part hybrid reaction, but simply due to the release of the pressurized nitrous oxide. Episode 65 – "Exploding Lighter". Exploding Lighter. The MythBusters tested the following myths concerning standard disposable butane lighters. Gunslinger Myths. Using a Colt Peacemaker and a Navy revolver, the MythBusters tested whether an Old West gunslinger could... Episode 66 – "Concrete Glider". Concrete Glider. This myth  was part of a well-known engineering cliché: "Like a lead balloon, you cannot make a concrete glider fly." See also "Lead Balloon". This is the last episode to use the original opening sequence and the last before filming started in high-definition. Episode 67 – "Firearms Folklore". Firearms Folklore. A portion of this myth was revisited in "More Myths Reopened". Hammer vs. Hammer. This myth was brought up by concerned viewers, who feared that Jamie was in risk of suffering from the myth each time he banged two hammers together as part of a build. This myth was revisited  in "More Myths Reopened". This was the first episode to feature the new opening sequence and be filmed in high-definition. Episode 68 – "Anti-Gravity Device". Anti-gravity. Anti-gravity is a hypothetical force that eliminates the effects of gravity on an object (as opposed to counteracting it). The MythBusters tested various devices that claimed to produce anti-gravity. Christmas Lights. Christmas tree fires are common during the winter holidays, and cause millions of dollars in damage annually in America alone. The MythBusters tested one hypothesis on the cause of a Christmas tree fire. Vodka Myths IV. Vodka can... The  MythBusters test various holiday myths. Episode SP10 – "Holiday Special". If a frozen turkey falls, it can... The following myths state that a turkey can be cooked with... The MythBusters tried several household methods in an attempt to prevent a freshly cut Christmas tree from shedding its needles over six weeks. One can keep needles from falling off the Christmas tree by adding... The MythBusters created a Rube Goldberg machine using Diet Coke and mentos. Episode 69 – "22,000-Foot Fall". 22,000 Foot Fall. During World War II, an Allied airman, Alan Magee, fell out of the underside ball turret of his  B-17 at and survived. The MythBusters test one version of this story. According to the explosives expert used for the episode, this was the largest explosion executed for MythBusters up to that time with of dynamite and detcord and was ignited with 2 blasting caps as Adam mentions in the dialog, one for the detcord, and other for the balloons. The resulting explosion travelled at a velocity of per second, destroying the train station and killing the airman proving that it was impossible for a bomb shockwave and human body to equalize pressure. Lights On/Off. Throughout the series, Jamie  had always pressured his M5 Industries employees and "MythBusters" production staff to turn the lights off whenever they leave a room to save electricity. The Build Team tested whether Jamie was correct in his assertion. During this myth, Grant and Kari visited the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department in California to see the Centennial Light.