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BEHIND THE SCENESHow do the Mythbusters decipher fact from fiction?
Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage are experts in special effects, constructing machinery and complicated robots. Oh, and solving myths, obviously. The show is dedicated to combining elements of science and technology to determine if certain popular beliefs are true or false.
This includes fun myths from throwing a frozen chicken against a metal plate to see if a bird in flight can break the windshield of an airplane, to recreating the "Solar Death Ray", a weapon supposedly created by the Greek Archimedes and designed to set a Roman fleet on fire using only mirrors and sunlight.
In another of the shows, Jamie and Adam decided to prove if it was true that it is difficult to extract the odour of a putrid animal from a car. They decided to try the theory on a Chevy. Weeks passed, and they still couldn’t get into the Chevy because the odour was unbearable.
No less amusing was the image of the duo when they decided to get sprayed by a skunk to see if it was true that tomato sauce would fight the smell.
There are multiple questions and many different methods to decipher whether the belief is fact or fiction. If the experiment involves risk, Buster is called to the scene to help solve myths. The mannequin is equipped with sensors, gathers information from the collisions it faces and allows the technical team in the programme to evaluate the possible damages that would have been suffered if there were human beings in the same situation. No challenge is too big for the Mythbusters!
RELATED LINKS
- Take a tour of the Mythbusters laboratory
- Read our interview with Myth Busters Adam and Jamie
- See the list of Adam's favourite toys
- Find out what Kari thinks are the worst Mythbuster smells!
