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 either busted, plausible, or confirmed). The 2016 season premiered on January 2, in a Saturday time slot.
In October 2015, Hyneman and Savage confirmed that the season premiering in January 2016 would be their final season of MythBusters after over 13 years of the show.
Episode overview
Episode 237 – "MythBusters Revealed" Original air date: January 2, 2016
Adam and Jamie provide a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming season, from brainstorming sessions for episode themes to test planning and execution. Footage from past episodes is shown, along with clips of the following myths and episodes to be featured during this season.
Myth/Episode Description Drifting on Dirt Is the drift technique the best way to drive on a dirt road? Truck Wedge No description given Tank Car Crush Is it possible to collapse a railroad tank car by filling it with steam and cooling it quickly? "Reddit Special" Episode dedicated to testing myths suggested by fans who use Reddit Rocketmen Can unconventional fuels be used to power a rocket? Landmine Lunacy Can a person use a hovercraft to traverse a minefield safely? "Duct Tape: The Return" Unusual uses for duct tape, including a trebuchet "Explosion Special" Explosion-based myths, including one more scenario based on the television series MacGyver Car Lift Can a giant vacuum lift a car off the ground? What Is Bombproof? Can a person survive two identical, simultaneous explosions by standing exactly halfway between them? Pancake Car Can a powerful explosion completely flatten a car? Queue Theory What is the most efficient method for customers to line up at a store checkout counter? Axe vs. Gun Revisit A revisit of the "Axe vs. Gun" zombie myth from 2013 "MythBusters: The Reunion" A look back at the series’ history, with appearances by the Build Team of Tory Belleci, Kari Byron, and Grant Imahara
Episode 238 – "The Explosion Special" Original air date: January 9, 2016
In this episode, Adam and Jamie test two more explosion related myths.
MacGyver Cement Truck Myth Status Notes If a mail truck containing a bomb is filled with wet cement, the explosion will not injure bystanders or completely destroy the truck. Based on a scene from the television series MacGyver. Busted From analyzing the scene, Adam and Jamie determined that of dynamite had been used. They set up a mail truck with the explosive and positioned a police car at the same distance as the scene, with a plywood cutout to represent MacGyver standing behind it. To gauge shrapnel injuries, they surrounded the truck with more cutouts at a distance of ; they also placed sensors at distances up to to obtain pressure readings. A control test with an empty truck shredded the cutouts and broke the sensor cables, throwing shrapnel as far as .
For the second test, they secured the dynamite to a wood frame in the cargo compartment and began to load in of cement. When some of the dynamite came loose and began to float up, Adam cut a hole in the back wall of the driver's cab and climbed in to re-secure it. As cement began to leak out around the back doors, they set off the explosion and were amazed to see all the cutouts intact, with the truck's side and roof panels peeling away from the frame. However, they discovered that only a small quantity of the dynamite had exploded, due to the weight of the cement dislodging the primer cord intended to set it off.
For a final test, they put the dynamite in a sealed plywood box before loading the cement in order to ensure that it would all explode. The blast caused the cement to shoot upward in a jet, destroyed the truck, and left a shallow crater in the ground underneath. Debris was thrown to a maximum of , less than the control test, but the cutouts were knocked down and peppered with small shrapnel holes. Adam and Jamie classified the myth as busted, noting that although the cement redirected the shock wave of the blast, it did not protect the truck or bystanders.
Hovercraft Hijinks Myth Status Notes It is possible to cross a minefield safely using a hovercraft. Confirmed After taking hovercraft lessons for land and water maneuvering, Adam and Jamie built 20 pressure-sensitive landmines to deliver a blast of compressed air and debris when triggered. They then set up a minefield, by , with the mines laid out in an S-curve to ensure that a straight run down its length would cross most of them. Adam tested an anti-personnel trigger setting of by walking the field blindfolded, and Jamie tested an anti-vehicle setting of by driving a jeep through it. Each man hit and triggered several mines during his run.
Jamie then drove the hovercraft across the field and back, but did not set off any of the mines. When they were reset to anti-personnel mode, Adam was unable to set them off as well; Jamie then made one last run with the triggers at and completed it safely. With the hovercraft's weight distributed over a large enough area to avoid setting off the mines, they declared the myth confirmed.
Episode 239 – "Tanker Crush" Original air date: January 16, 2016
Adam and Jamie devote the entire episode to testing a single railroad disaster myth.
Tanker Crush Myth Status Notes A railroad tank car can collapse if filled with steam and sealed, due to a partial vacuum being generated inside as the steam condenses. Busted For a demonstration, Adam added a small amount of boiling water to a metal can, screwed on the cap, and allowed it to cool. The can slowly buckled, and he and Jamie repeated the test with a drum; after more than 20 minutes, the container's side walls suddenly collapsed. They performed a third test, fitting the drum with a vacuum gauge and temperature sensor, and recorded a time to failure of 8 minutes, a peak vacuum of , and a temperature drop from to . When another drum was steam-cleaned to heat it to , it took 16 minutes to fail; the peak vacuum was , and the buckling was more pronounced. Adam and Jamie then built a small-scale tank car from drums, steam cleaned it to , and observed a collapse at vacuum in a shorter time than the single-drum tests.
At a railroad depot in Boardman, Oregon, they set up a decommissioned tank car, long and in diameter with thick steel walls, for a full-scale trial. After Adam inspected the interior to verify that it was in good condition, they sealed the release valves and attached a vacuum gauge and temperature sensors. The car was steam-cleaned for 3 hours, reaching , after which the steam was shut off, the hatch was sealed, and a fire monitor nozzle began to spray water over the car as simulated rain. The vacuum readings peaked at as the car cooled to , but no collapse had occurred after 60 minutes and they ended the test at that point.
Theorizing that internal damage or corrosion could make collapse more likely, Adam and Jamie obtained a second, older car. For this test, instead of using steam and the water spray, they set up an industrial vacuum to pump the car down to the same level as in the first trial. Again, the car remained intact after 60 minutes, so they vented it to the atmosphere and dropped a concrete block on it from to investigate the effect of physical damage. When the car was pumped down again, it underwent total collapse at . Adam and Jamie declared the myth busted, saying that tank cars are designed to withstand severe conditions unless badly damaged.
Episode 240 – "Cooking Chaos" Original air date: January 23, 2016
Adam and Jamie put two food-related viral videos to the test.
Instant Shrimp Myth Status Notes It is possible to launch raw shrimp through clouds of flour, raw eggs, bread crumbs, and fire and have them land, perfectly cooked, on a plate. Busted Jamie chose a multi-barreled air cannon to propel the shrimp and built a pneumatic sprayer for the eggs, and Adam designed nozzles to launch and disperse the flour and bread crumbs. The final element was a rig designed to generate a burst of flame that would expose the shrimp to a temperature of . They set up their equipment in a hangar at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, spaced apart as in the source video and using a target of bubble wrap. The first several shrimp they launched disintegrated shortly after leaving the cannon barrel, but fitting them into a paper ketchup cup to act as a sabot allowed them to travel downrange intact.
Once they corrected their aim to hit the target consistently, they measured a flight time of 392 milliseconds and adjusted the timing on the other elements. The shrimp they launched hit each element as in the video, but none were properly coated or cooked. When they replaced the flame rig with a long sword forge running at and fired a fully prepared shrimp directly through it, they found that its temperature still had not increased significantly. The same result occurred with a long forge, prompting them to declare the myth busted as the shrimp did not have enough time to absorb the heat needed for cooking.
Smoothie Blast Myth Status Notes The shock wave of an underwater explosion can liquefy the interior of a piece of fruit without harming its skin or peel. Plausible At the bomb range, Adam and Jamie built a blast-proof box and filled it with water. They then positioned the fruit and explosive charge (a shrink-wrapped tomato and a blasting cap) as in the source video, apart. After they set it off, Jamie was able to insert a straw in the undamaged skin and suck out a mouthful of juice, while Adam was unable to draw any from an intact one. Further tests revealed that smaller gaps between the tomato and the cap increased the juice yield; a gap as small as left the skin intact, while a gap of destroyed it.
Before visiting the range, Adam and Jamie had run a tomato through an industrial juicer at the shop and obtained a 62% juice yield based on its original weight. They measured a 33% yield upon draining the juice out of the tomato at with a vacuum pump.
To investigate the use of larger quantities of explosive, they set up a new trial at a quarry pond, placing of TNT underwater at a depth of . They then placed mesh bags containing one each of oranges, cucumbers, tomatoes, and pineapples at distances from to , at a depth of . Any samples not scattered in the explosion were either ruptured or tenderized, but Adam and Jamie were unable to obtain any juice. They deemed the myth plausible, and Jamie noted that the use of the small box allowed the shock wave from the explosion to reflect back and forth from the walls, repeatedly striking the tomato and more effectively delivering energy to it.
Episode 241 – "Driven to Destruction" Original air date: January 30, 2016
Adam and Jamie test two myths intended to send cars in opposite directions.
Pancake Car Myth Status Notes It is possible to flatten a car using explosives. Busted In the workshop, Jamie built a rough car model by welding together empty steel cans and piping, to accurately reflect the scaled down thickness of steel body panels. At the bomb range, he and Adam set the model on the ground, sandwiched it between two steel plates, and placed a layer of detasheet explosive on the top plate to drive it downward. The explosion crushed the model to a height of approximately , or of its original height. Further testing with more plates and explosive both above and below the model either tore the model to pieces or melted portions of it. However, a repeat of the first test with 50% more explosive gave results that Jamie considered satisfactory.