MythBusters (season 1)

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The cast/crew 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).

The myths the show has tested for accuracy in Season 1 include:

Contents 1 Episode 1 — "Ice Bullet, Exploding Toilet, Who Gets Wetter?" 1.1 Ice Bullet 1.2 Exploding Toilet 1.3 Who Gets Wetter? 2 Episode 2 — "Cell Phone Destruction, Silicone Breasts, CD-ROM Shattering" 2.1 Cell Phone Destruction 2.2 Silicone Breasts 2.3 CD-Rom Shattering 3 Episode 3 — "Barrel of Bricks, Urinating on the Third Rail, Eel Skin Wallet" 3.1 Barrel of Bricks 3.2 Peeing on the Third Rail 3.3 Eelskin Wallet 4 Episode 4 — "Penny Drop, Deadly Microwaves, Radio Tooth Fillings" 4.1 Penny Drop 4.2 Radio Tooth Fillings 4.3 Deadly Microwaves 5 Episode 5 — "Hammer Bridge Drop, Buried Alive, Cola" 5.1 Hammer Bridge Drop 5.2 Cola Myths 5.3 Buried Alive 6 Episode 6 — "Lightning Strikes Tongue Piercing, Tree Cannon, Beat the Breath Test" 6.1 Lightning Strikes Tongue Piercing 6.2 Tree Cannon 6.3 Beat the Breath Test 7 Episode 7 — "Stinky Car, Raccoon Rocket" 7.1 Stinky Car 7.2 Raccoon Rocket 8 Episode 8 — "Escape From Alcatraz, Duck Quack, Stud Finder" 8.1 Escape From Alcatraz 8.2 Does a Duck's Quack Echo? 8.3 Stud Finders & Mind Control Chips 9 Episode 9 — "Chicken Gun, Octopus Egg Pregnancy, Killer Washing Machine" 9.1 Chicken Gun 9.2 Killer Washing Machine 9.3 Octopus Egg Pregnancy 10 Episode 10 — "Explosive Decompression, Frog Giggin', Rear Axle" 10.1 Explosive Decompression 10.2 Frog Giggin' 10.3 Rear Axle 11 Episode 11 — "Sinking Titanic, Goldfish Memory, Trombone Explosion" 11.1 Goldfish Memory 11.2 The Mad Trombonist 11.3 Sinking Titanic 12 Episode 12 — "Break Step Bridge, Toothbrush Surprise, Rowing Water Skier" 12.1 Breakstep Bridge 12.2 Rowing Water Skier 12.3 Toothbrush Surprise 13 Episode 13 — "Buried in Concrete, Daddy Long-legs, Jet Taxi" 13.1 The Hunt for Hoffa 13.2 Daddy Long-Legs 13.3 Jet Taxi 14 External links

[edit] Episode 1 — "Ice Bullet, Exploding Toilet, Who Gets Wetter?"

• Original airdate: September 23, 2003

[edit] Ice Bullet

This myth tested the feasibility of magic bullets, thought by many conspiracy theorists to have been behind the John F. Kennedy assassination, and used as a plot device in many movies, such as Most Wanted.

This myth was retested in Myths Revisited.

Myth statement	Status	Notes
An assassin can fire an ice bullet to kill someone without leaving a trace.	Busted	The bullet was simply too brittle to be used.
An assassin can use a meat bullet to kill someone without leaving a trace.	Busted	The meat bullet fragmented on contact with the skin, causing only superficial damage.
An assassin can use a gelatin bullet to kill someone without leaving a trace.	Busted	The bullet did not cause fatal injury.
An assassin can use a poison capsule fired from an umbrella to kill someone without leaving a trace.	Confirmed	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.

[edit] Exploding Toilet

This experiment formally introduces Buster the crash test dummy.

Myth statement	Status	Notes
Pouring gasoline down a toilet and lighting it will cause the toilet to explode.	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.

[edit] Who Gets Wetter?

This myth was revisited in MythBusters Revisited.

Myth statement	Status	Notes
You end up drier running in the rain than walking.	Busted¹	When originally tested, the faster you run the wetter you get.

¹ Original result was later overturned. See MythBusters Revisited.

[edit] Episode 2 — "Cell Phone Destruction, Silicone Breasts, CD-ROM Shattering"

• Original airdate: October 3, 2003

[edit] Cell Phone Destruction

Myth statement	Status	Notes
Using ones cell phone while pumping gas/petrol can cause an explosion.	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.

[edit] Silicone Breasts

A spinoff of this myth was tested in Myths Revisited.

Myth statement	Status	Notes
Silicone breast implants may explode at high altitudes or low air pressure.	Busted	The implants are extremely flexible.

[edit] CD-Rom Shattering

Myth statement	Status	Notes
CDs can shatter if placed in a high-speed (i.e. 40X or faster) CD-Rom drive.	Partly Busted	It was proven that a high rotation (in excess of 8,000 RPMs) could shatter the CDs, but the MythBusters could not achieve this using an average CD-ROM drive. Possible physical damage to the CD made shattering more likely.

[edit] Episode 3 — "Barrel of Bricks, Urinating on the Third Rail, Eel Skin Wallet"

• Original airdate: October 10, 2003

[edit] Barrel of Bricks

This marks the first time Buster was broken in the course of an experiment.

Myth statement	Status	Notes
A bricklayer could be injured repeatedly while hoisting a barrel full of bricks from the top of a building.	Busted	Only by deliberately weakening the barrel and dropping it on a sharp edge were they able to get the barrel to drop its bricks.

[edit] Peeing on the Third Rail

In order to avoid appearing insensitive to viewers, no one refers to the male genital 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	Status	Notes
Urinating on the electric third rail of a train track can cause electrocution.	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.

• The MythBusters also tested the myth that a penny on a rail could derail a train (see "MythBusters Outtakes").

[edit] Eelskin Wallet

Myth statement	Status	Notes
Using an electric eel skin wallet will cause a static charge that will cause the magnetic strip on your credit cards to fail.	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 was not affected in any way.

[edit] Episode 4 — "Penny Drop, Deadly Microwaves, Radio Tooth Fillings"

• Original airdate: October 17, 2003

[edit] Penny Drop

Adam and Jamie explore a popular claim, likely to have originated from the Empire State Building.

Myth statement	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.	Busted	A penny's total mass is not sufficient to perforate human skin - let alone penetrate concrete or asphalt - even when fired from a rifle.

[edit] 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	Status	Notes
It is possible to pick up radio signals through a tooth filling.	Busted	The tooth filling did not act as an antenna.

[edit] Deadly Microwaves

Myth statement	Status	Notes
It is possible to cook one's insides by using a tanning booth too often.	Busted	Tanning booths work on UV radiation, which penetrates the body from the outside in, meaning that all one would get is a sunburn.
It is possible to blow up a microwave oven by microwaving metal.	Busted	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 ruin a microwave by arcing against the inner wall, sending electricity back to the magnetron and destroying it.
If a glass of water is microwaved, and then removed, it will explode due to superheating.	Confirmed	If the water had no impurities in it at the time of superheating — if one used distilled water — then any sort of additive placed within will make the water explode. A full explanation of the process can be found here.
If you put a poodle in the microwave, it will dry its fur.	Not tested	Adam and Jamie thought this myth was too cruel to test on a poodle, and did not carry it out.

[edit] Episode 5 — "Hammer Bridge Drop, Buried Alive, Cola"

• Original airdate: October 24, 2003

[edit] Hammer Bridge Drop

Myth statement	Status	Notes
A high fall over water can be survived by throwing a hammer ahead of oneself and breaking the surface tension.	Busted	Dropping a hammer in front of you cannot break the surface tension of the water enough to save your life if you fall from high up.

[edit] Cola Myths

Cola is able to...

Myth statement	Status	Notes
...remove bloodstains.	Confirmed	The cola was able to emulsify bloodstains.
...clean rust.	Busted	The cola was unable to break down rust deposits.
...act as a toilet cleaner.	Not in this episode	This chapter of the myth was not shown in this episode. See Special 4 — "MythBusters Outtakes".
...clean chrome.	Confirmed	It surprisingly cleaned the chrome better than the commercial chrome polish used for comparison.
...dissolve a tooth overnight.	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.	Busted	The cola just gave the steak a soft, pasty consistency.
...clean a penny.	Partly Confirmed	Results were good. The only part of the coin that was not cleaned was an area where a bubble had formed.
...clean battery terminals.	Plausible	It works, but it was hard to tell if plain water did not perform just as well. The cola did not do anything spectacular.
...remove greasy stains in your laundry.	Busted	No effect at all.
...degrease engines.	Busted	The cola did not remove any of the grease.
...kill sperm.	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.

[edit] Buried Alive

Myth statement	Status	Notes
It is possible to stay alive when you are buried alive.	Busted	Jamie risked his own life for this myth. While without the dirt Jamie stayed in the coffin for 50 minutes, he maintained just thirty 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.

[edit] Episode 6 — "Lightning Strikes Tongue Piercing, Tree Cannon, Beat the Breath Test"

• Original airdate: November 7, 2003

[edit] Lightning Strikes Tongue Piercing

Myth statement	Status	Notes
Metal body piercings increase one's chances of being hit by lightning.	Busted	The lightning does seem to strike a pierced body more, but not the piercings directly. It would take a piercing the size of a doorknob to attract lightning.

[edit] Tree Cannon

Myth statement	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.	Partly Confirmed	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 gun were sent way behind them.

[edit] Beat the Breath Test

Myth statement	Status	Notes
Using various substances & tricks when drunk can beat the breathalyzer test.	Busted	None of the tested methods worked and a blood sample can always be requested by the police. In addition, mouthwash actually made the breathalyzer give a higher reading than usual.

[edit] Episode 7 — "Stinky Car, Raccoon Rocket"

• Original airdate: December 5, 2003

[edit] Stinky Car

A Corvette which has been fouled by a decomposing body...

Myth statement	Status	Notes
...can destroy the inside of the car	Confirmed	Pigs 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, 'raining' in the car, and the seats, doorpanels, and carpets were dirty and disintegrating.
...cannot be cleaned up enough to remove the smell completely.	Confirmed	Even with the aid of a professional cleaning company, the smell still lingered in the ventilation system. It could conceivably be done at the cost of completely replacing the ventilation system.
...cannot be cleaned up enough to be sold.	Busted	The MythBusters did find a buyer who was willing to purchase the car for spare parts.

[edit] Raccoon Rocket

Myth statement	Status	Notes
A hillbilly was blasted 200 feet (60 metres) out of a culvert when he tried to light gasoline in an attempt to chase down a raccoon which had wandered down the pipe.	Busted	The hillbilly (Buster, a 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.

[edit] Episode 8 — "Escape From Alcatraz, Duck Quack, Stud Finder"

• Original airdate: December 12, 2003

[edit] 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.	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.

[edit] Does a Duck's Quack Echo?

This myth originated in lists of "Random Facts" distributed over the internet.

Myth statement	Status	Notes
A duck's quack does not echo.	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. (This was also tested in the British show: Brainiac: Science Abuse)

[edit] Stud Finders & Mind Control Chips

Myth statement	Status	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.	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.

[edit] Episode 9 — "Chicken Gun, Octopus Egg Pregnancy, Killer Washing Machine"

• Original airdate: January 18, 2004

[edit] Chicken Gun

Myth statement	Status	Notes
A frozen chicken launched in a bird strike simulation can penetrate aircraft or train windshields better than a thawed chicken.	Busted¹	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.

¹ Original result later overturned. See Myths Revisited.

[edit] 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.	Busted	Not one part of this myth was confirmed 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.

[edit] Octopus Egg Pregnancy

Myth statement	Status	Notes
A woman, while swimming, accidentally swallows a fertilized octopus egg, which gestates in her stomach and caused symptoms similar to that of pregnancy.	Busted	The human stomach is too inhospitable an environment to sustain an octopus egg through its full gestation.

[edit] Episode 10 — "Explosive Decompression, Frog Giggin', Rear Axle"

• Original airdate: February 22, 2004

[edit] 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.

[edit] Frog Giggin'

Myth statement	Status	Notes
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.	Busted	The bullet did work as a replacement fuse, however when a short circuit was created, the wiring fried 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Episode 11 — "Sinking Titanic, Goldfish Memory, Trombone Explosion"

• Original airdate: January 25, 2004

[edit] Goldfish Memory

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.

[edit] 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 were used, he fell forwards 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. Being completely unable to duplicate even the first part of the myth, the rest could not have followed.

[edit] Sinking Titanic

Myth statement	Status	Notes
A sinking ship creates enough suction to pull you under, if you're too close, as was rumoured to occur when the RMS Titanic sank.	Busted	Though using a small ship, neither Adam nor Jamie were sucked under when it sank, even when they were riding directly on top of it.

[edit] Episode 12 — "Break Step Bridge, Toothbrush Surprise, Rowing Water Skier"

• Original airdate: January 25, 2004

[edit] 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. When revisited it was shown to be plausible.

[edit] Rowing Water Skier

Myth statement	Status	Notes
A rowing eight can pull a water skier at sufficient speed for him/her 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.

[edit] Toothbrush Surprise

Myth statement	Status	Notes
Fecal coliforms bacteria can grow in toothbrush bristles.	Partly 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.

[edit] Episode 13 — "Buried in Concrete, Daddy Long-legs, Jet Taxi"

• Original airdate: February 15, 2004

[edit] The Hunt for Hoffa

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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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. [2]

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 turn over; they couldn't bust the myth because they were unable to acquire proper jet engines for insurance reasons, and had to settle for smaller ones. However, they were able to confirm that a taxi in Brazil was blown off the road by an airliner which was taking off. But that a car will pass behind a jet is very improbable.

[edit] External links

• MythBusters Official site
• A MythBusters Fan Club
• Episode guide
• MythBusters at the Internet Movie Database

MythBusters
Main crew
Jamie Hyneman - Adam Savage
Build Team
Kari Byron - Tory Belleci - Grant Imahara
Related articles
Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4 - Pilots, Specials and Mini-myths
Additional cast - M5 Industries