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
Episode 95 – "James Bond, Part 1" Original air date: January 16, 2008 The MythBusters test various myths inspired by scenes in several James Bond movies.
Electromagnetic Watch Myth statement Status Notes An electromagnet hidden in a wristwatch can deflect bullets (based on Bond's wristwatch in Live and Let Die). Busted Jamie built an electromagnet that could fit inside a wristwatch and mounted it near a target. The MythBusters then fired bullets at the target, making sure that the bullets passed close by the electromagnet. However, the wristwatch-sized electromagnet was not powerful enough to change the bullet's trajectory. The MythBusters then upgraded to a larger and more powerful electromagnet, but it still could not deflect the bullet. Finally, the MythBusters resorted to using a series of thirteen extremely powerful permanent rare-earth magnets, which only deflected the bullet enough to bounce off the magnets before hitting the target. The MythBusters explained that a magnet's energy decreased "exponentially" the farther away someone is from the magnet (the force actually follows an inverse square law). Plus, in order to be powerful enough to stop a bullet, an electromagnet would need an enormous amount of energy that could not possibly be contained within a wristwatch, which would make most of the magnet scenes in Bond films impossible (with the possible exception of the unzipping scene).
Propane Tank Peril Myth statement Status Notes A person can shoot a propane tank with a 9 mm pistol and make it explode (based on a scene in Casino Royale). Busted First, the Build Team decided to test whether it was possible to breach a propane tank with Bond's 9 mm handgun. They found that 9 mm rounds were not powerful enough to breach the tank, but shotgun shells and 7.62 NATO caliber rifle rounds were more than enough to pierce the tank. The Build Team then fired armor-piercing rifle rounds at a tank filled with propane, but they could not get the tank to explode. Not even tracer rounds were successful. Finally, the Build Team resorted to extreme measures in the form of high explosives and an 7.62mm Dillon Aero M134 minigun firing a mix of tracer and incendiary rounds at the same undisclosed location as "Shooting Fish in a Barrel". Both high explosives and the M134 were able to cause the propane tank to explode. The Build Team concluded that the myth was busted as small arms were unable to explode a propane tank as depicted in Casino Royale, and that Bond would not have been able to get hold of a gatling gun or incendiary rounds.
Four years later, when Will Hayden of Sons of Guns watched a rerun of this episode, he was compelled to lead a Red Jacket revisit of the myth, which was shown in "Red Jacket Challenges MythBusters". He devised a multi-projectile "Super Beehive" round that still needed only one pull of the trigger and invited Kari and Tory to Red Jacket to revisit the myth and try some weapons. After extensive testing, the myth remained busted—but in return, Kari issued a challenge to Will and invited him and Red Jacket to M5.
Speed Boat Survival Myth statement Status Notes A speedboat jumping off a ramp and flying through the air can survive the landing and continue driving (based on a scene in Live and Let Die). Plausible The MythBusters obtained a boat that was identical to the model Bond used in the movie. They then converted it so that it could be remote-controlled and built a makeshift ramp in Lake Yosemite. They even put a barge with a car under the ramp to simulate the exact scene from the movie. Adam drove the boat at the ramp at a speed of , but he lost control of the boat at the last second and hit the ramp at an angle. As a result, the boat managed to clear the car, but it flipped in the process. However, seeing that there was no visible damage to the boat, the MythBusters decided that the myth was plausible. It was also pointed out that the stunt team in Live and Let Die crashed 17 boats and made about 100 practice runs just to perfect the jump.
Episode 96 – "Lead Balloon" Original air date: January 23, 2008
Lead Balloon The MythBusters, having already put the concrete glider through its paces, test another flight idiom.
Myth statement Status Notes A lead balloon cannot fly (as per the idiom "going down like a lead balloon"). Busted Using lead foil, Adam and Jamie constructed a cube-shaped balloon with 10-foot (3 m) edges out of lead. Even without pure helium inside it (a mixture containing air was used to limit buoyancy and reduce the possibility of tearing), the balloon was buoyant enough to support a basket along with some ballast.
Explosive Surfing Myth statement Status Notes A person can surf on a wave generated by a few pounds of explosives, as shown in an Internet viral video (e.g., here). Busted The Build Team visited a quarry lake and detonated TNT at several depths. They found that the best waves are formed from an explosion at a depth of . They then used of TNT and a mechanical surfer (built by Grant) to see if it is possible to generate a wave large enough to surf. Even with 200 pounds of high explosives, the wave was not large enough for surfing. In addition, the consultant (Dr. Van Romero) stated that an explosion of that magnitude would likely cause death by internal bleeding within 24 hours if someone were submerged in the water at the time.
Episode 97 – "Airplane on a Conveyor Belt" Original air date: January 30, 2008
Airplane on a Conveyor Belt Myth statement Status Notes A plane cannot take off while sitting on a conveyor belt moving at the same speed in the opposite direction. Busted The MythBusters first performed a small-scale test with a model airplane and a small conveyor belt and were not able to get the model plane to take off from the belt. It merely fell off the front of the conveyor belt. They then tested a remote-controlled model plane on a moving length of paper. The plane moved forward from its starting position and took off. Finally, they upgraded to full scale using an actual crewed plane and a runway-sized tarp as a makeshift conveyor belt. Like in the small-scale test, the plane moved forward from its starting position and was able to take off from the conveyor belt. The MythBusters explained that this was possible because, unlike with cars, an airplane's means of propulsion are through its propeller or jet engine, not its wheels. A car's engine mechanically moves its wheels, which use their contact with the road and the traction it provides to generate forward movement, while the plane's wheels are free-moving and independent of the propeller, which uses air displacement for forward thrust. Therefore, the conveyor belt has no bearing on the forward momentum of the plane.
Shaving Cream in a Car Myth statement Status Notes Freezing a can of shaving cream, cutting it out of the can, and then leaving it to thaw inside a car will cause the shaving cream to expand and fill the car interior. Busted The Build Team obtained some shaving cream, froze it, and then placed the contents into a car, but the results were disappointing as the shaving cream did not expand very much. They then put over fifty cans of frozen shaving cream inside, but that strategy failed to produce any results as well. Finally, the Build Team decided to fill the car with industrial strength foam, which would expand much more than shaving cream. The industrial strength foam expanded significantly and was able to fill the entire car. However, the myth was busted since the subject of the myth was shaving cream, which does not expand very much.
Cockroaches and Radiation Myth statement Status Notes Cockroaches can survive the radiation of a nuclear holocaust and then inherit the Earth. Busted To test the myth thoroughly, the Build Team obtained three different kinds of insects—cockroaches, flour beetles, and fruit flies—and exposed them to varying amounts radiation produced by cobalt-60. They then observed the insects for the next thirty days to see how many would survive after exposure. Surprisingly, the flies and beetles performed much better than the cockroaches, with the beetles being the only insects able to survive the most lethal dose of radiation the Build Team used. Cockroaches could survive a flood much longer than humans. Confirmed In an experiment shown only on the website, the Build Team placed five German cockroaches in separate containers, which were each filled with water, and let sit for 30 minutes. When released, the cockroaches were not moving. However, after waiting a day, the cockroaches had revived. This was explained by the fact that the insects do not need as much oxygen as humans so that they can survive underwater longer.
Episode 98 – "James Bond, Part 2" Original air date: February 6, 2008
Exploding Pen Myth statement Status Notes A ballpoint pen bomb can be used to completely destroy the top of a mannequin (based on the gadget from GoldenEye). Busted Using normal-sized pens filled with explosives, the MythBusters demonstrated that a pen bomb could be fatal. However, they needed an unrealistically large pen to completely destroy the top half of the foam dummy they used.
Killer Hat Myth statement Status Notes A metal-brimmed bowler hat can be thrown hard enough to knock the head off a stone statue (based on a scene in Goldfinger). Busted The Build Team made two duplicates of the hat worn by Oddjob, built a hat-throwing robot, and acquired a few statues as test targets. The difference between the two hats was that one had a dull steel edge, while the other had a sharp steel edge. The bonded marble statue they first tested was decapitated by the robot, but it was discovered to have been hollow and the test was declared invalid. They next tested a concrete statue on the premise that it would be a good match for the hardness of natural stone, even though it was weaker than solid marble. It was chipped several times but not badly damaged, meaning that there is no way for a thrown hat to decapitate a solid stone statue. The Build Team did, however, prove that it was possible to decapitate a plaster statue with a bowler hat, since plaster is significantly more fragile than stone.
Jaws of Steel Myth statement Status Notes A person can use a set of metal teeth to bite through a cable car's cable (based on a scene in Moonraker). Busted Adam and Jamie created two versions of the teeth shown in the movies. One was a set of steel teeth set in a normal bone jaw, and the other set was a jaw and teeth made out of hardened steel. However, neither jaw was able to cut through the one-inch cable they used with normal human bite strength. Not even 10 tons' worth of force was able to force the teeth through the cable, with the hydraulic press applying the pressure actually bending itself out of shape. In order to replicate the results seen in the film, Jamie had to use a hydraulic cutter to sever the cable.
Martinis: Shaken vs. Stirred Though this is not actually a myth, the Build Team decided to test why James Bond prefers his martinis "shaken, not stirred."