The cast of the television series ''

MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television series created by Peter Rees (producer), Peter Rees and produced by Beyond International in Australia. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast in ...

'' perform experiments to verify or debunk

urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...

old wives' tale An "old wives' tale" is a colloquial expression referring to spurious or superstitious claims. They can be said sometimes to be a type of urban legend, said to be passed down by older women to a younger generation. Such tales are considered super ...

s, 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 The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

movies.

Electromagnetic Watch

Propane Tank Peril

Speed Boat Survival

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.

Explosive Surfing

Episode 97 – "Airplane on a Conveyor Belt"

* Original air date: January 30, 2008

Airplane on a Conveyor Belt

Shaving Cream in a Car

Cockroaches and Radiation

Episode 98 – "James Bond, Part 2"

* Original air date: February 6, 2008

Exploding Pen

Killer Hat

Jaws of Steel

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 "Shaken, not stirred" is how Ian Fleming's fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond prefers his martini cocktail. The catchphrase first appears in the novel '' Diamonds Are Forever'' (1956), though Bond himself does not actually s ...

Episode 99 – "Viewers' Special 2"

* Original air date: February 13, 2008

Ancient Arrows

Tree Machine Gun

Eye Black

Jeans High Wire Escape

Leaking Powder Keg

On the MythBusters fansite, the Build Team tested another short myth.

Episode 100 – "
MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the MacGyver (1985 TV series), 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in Mac ...
Myths"

* Original air date: February 20, 2008

Sodium Jailbreak

Bamboo Ultralight

MacGyver Challenge

Adam and Jamie were put under a battery of tests to prove that they could match

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the MacGyver (1985 TV series), 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in Mac ...

's ingenuity. They were not necessarily testing these myths to bust or confirm them but to see whether they had the smarts and the ability to make them work without any preparation. In each test, Adam and Jamie had a one-hour time limit and could use only the materials that they were provided by Tory and Grant.

MacGyver Mini Myths

In the weeks before the broadcast of the MacGyver special, the MythBusters were advertising this special by using the following mini myths.

Episode 101 – "Alaska Special"

* Original air date: April 23, 2008 The MythBusters went to Alaska as part of the Discovery Channel's

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Week.

Dynamite Dog

Cabin Fever

Moose Mayhem

Episode 102 – "''Shark Week'' Special 2"

* Original air date: July 27, 2008 This was a double-length episode for

Shark Week Shark Week is an annual week-long programming block on the Discovery Channel focusing on shark-themed programming. It originally premiered on July 17, 1988. The block is featured annually in the summer, and was originally devoted to conservati ...

2008 in which seven myths were tested.

Eye Gouge

Playing Dead

The myth was said to be borne out of claims from several survivors of the sinking of the .

Animal Magnetism

Dog Bait

Spicy Salsa Shark Shield

Fatal Flashlight

Fish Flap

Shark-Prey Vision

This was a web-exclusive mini myth that Kari, Grant, and Tory tested.

Episode 103 – "Exploding Steak"

* Original air date: August 6, 2008

Exploding Meat

Don't Drive Angry

Episode 104 – "NASA Moon Landing"

* Original air date: August 27, 2008 This episode was announced by "This Week at NASA" on

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

TV on February 8, 2008.This Week at NASA audio. May be moved on March 10, 2008
/ref> "The

Marshall Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center (officially the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center; MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville postal address), is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government's ...

hosted the ''MythBusters'' television show. The MythBusters chose Marshall as one of several NASA locations for an episode to debunk the notion that NASA never landed on the Moon. The cast conducted tests involving a feather, a weight, a lunar soil boot print, and a flag in a vacuum. A team of Marshall scientists helped with the tests."

Faked Photos

Vacuum Myths

In order to test these myths, the Build Team made a trip to the

to use one of their specialized

vacuum chamber A vacuum chamber is a rigid enclosure from which air and other gases are removed by a vacuum pump. This results in a low-pressure environment within the chamber, commonly referred to as a vacuum. A vacuum environment allows researchers to c ...

s. The hammer and feather demonstration was not aired in the original episode due to time constraints, but it can be seen as a supplement on the MythBusters website.

Slowed Film Fakery

Moon Laser

Episode 105 – "Viral Hour"

* Original air date: September 3, 2008 Despite the fact that most of the myths tested in this episode were confirmed, the MythBusters warned that not all viral videos are what they appear. They posted their version of the hoax Rubik's Cube viral videos online that showed Adam solving a Rubik's Cube with his feet while Jamie solved one blindfolded. In reality, they started with solved cubes and just manipulated them randomly. They then ran the footage ''backwards'' in order to give the illusion that they solved the puzzles. The illusion was partially achieved by having a crewmember walk backwards in the background so he would appear to walk normally in the final video.

Fireman's Lift

Fainting Goats

Sawdust Cannon

Invisible Water

iOnion

This was a myth based on a video posted on the

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

website (it wa
this video
created by the user Household Hacker). This myth was cut for time, which was why it was not shown in the actual episode. It was instead posted as a supplement on the MythBusters website.

Episode 106 – "Phone Book Friction"

* Original air date: September 10, 2008

Phone Book Friction

Black Powder Shark

The Build Team received a request to test whether the final scene in the film '' Deep Blue Sea'', where the protagonists destroy the last shark with a harpoon gun, some

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

, and a car battery, was possible. To test these myths, Tory built a replica shark named Hugo out of foam.

Episode 107 – "Water Stun Gun"

* Original air date: September 17, 2008

Water Stun Gun

Fire Fables

Extinguisher Explosion

The Build Team tested whether the following

fire extinguisher A fire extinguisher is a handheld active fire protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergencies. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which ha ...

s, if thrown into a fire, will explode and put out the fire.

Fire Walking

Episode 108 – "Blind Driving"

* Original air date: October 8, 2008

Blind Driving

Golf Galore

90% Air

Lightning Cleats

Gopher Goner

Episode 109 – "Ninjas 2"

* Original air date: October 15, 2008

Catching an Arrow

This myth was revisited due to fan complaints that the bow was too close to the arrow-catching rig, so the arrow was traveling faster than it would at a farther distance. Fans also pointed out many people who could catch an arrow on camera and wanted the MythBusters to bring one on the show.

Special Forces Ninja's Revenge

Underwater Blow Dart

The One-inch Punch

Episode 110 – "Alcohol Myths"

* Original air date: October 22, 2008

Beer Goggles

Stone Cold Sober

Adam and Jamie tested several alleged methods for sobering up quickly. For each test, one of the co-hosts subjected himself to the remedy while the other did not, and both then traced a line pattern as quickly and accurately as possible. The difference in their performances was taken as the effectiveness of the remedy, although Adam also mentioned at the end of the experiment that their BAC measurements agreed with the differences in their performances as well. They tried to sober up by...

Hwacha

The

hwacha The ''hwacha'' or ''hwach'a'' () was a multiple rocket launcher and an organ gun of similar design which were developed in fifteenth century Korea. It resembled a wooden cart with a launch pad attached, and it had up to 200 tiny Sin'gijŏn, sing ...

is an ancient

rocket launcher A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile. History The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few i ...

built in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

based on earlier designs of ancient Chinese firearms

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

such as the

fire arrows Fire arrows were one of the earliest forms of weaponized gunpowder, being used from the 9th century onward. Not to be confused with earlier incendiary arrow projectiles, the fire arrow was a gunpowder weapon which receives its name from the tra ...

that shoots in rapid-fire sequence hundreds of

rockets A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

at once. The Build Team tested this weapon in 3 parts.

Episode 111 – "Motorcycle Flip"

* Original air date: October 29, 2008

Motor Bike Flip

This is a movie myth based on a scene in ''

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Jeffrey Boam, based on a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jone ...

''.

Prison Break

The Build Team tested whether or not a person can escape prison (in this case, climbing down the face of the Alameda County Courthouse) by using a rope made out of...

Episode 112 – "Coffin Punch"

* Original air date: November 5, 2008

What is Bulletproof? 2

Adam and Jamie take fan requests and determine if the following objects are bulletproof.

Coffin Punch

Episode 113 – "End With a Bang"

* Original air date: November 12, 2008

Hit the Ground Running

You Can't Polish Poop

Better to End with a Bang

Episode SP12 – "Viewer Special Threequel"

* Original air date: November 19, 2008

Bamboo Torture

Alkali Metal Mayhem

Brandy Warmer

Exploding Piano

Notes

References

External links

MythBusters Official site
* {{MythBusters 2008 American television seasons

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...