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In this episode, struck by lightning.

2
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Where's your tongue? Let's see it.

3
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The Mythbusters tempt fate.

4
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This won't hurt you at all.

5
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Feels like I got a barbell stuck in my tongue.

6
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Will body jewelry get you struck by lightning?

7
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Testing a mini-voltry cannon.

8
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I need somebody with a whip and a drum.

9
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It's a blast from the past.

10
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And man versus machine.

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Adam, the police officer, said you need to drink more.

12
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In the battle of the breathalyzer.

13
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Who are the Mythbusters?

14
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Am I missing an eyebrow?

15
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Adam Savage.

16
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I always enjoyed seeing Adam in pain.

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Oh!

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And Jamie Heineman.

19
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Jamie wants a big bone.

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Between them, more than 30 years special effects experience.

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You're kind of sexy.

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They don't just tell the Myth.

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They're well cruel, well.

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They put them to the test.

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Come on, we'll...

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Sir, please help me out.

27
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Yes, we'll carry you.

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Hold on.

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I got struck by lightning.

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Yes.

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Help me.

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That's how I come through.

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Thank you.

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It's much.

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In August 2003, Matt Thompson was hit by lightning in the hills outside Keystone, Colorado.

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A bolt of lightning taken straight in the chest.

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It just came out of nowhere.

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The direct hit traveled all the way through Matt's body.

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I had no clue what happened.

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Matt's story was big news.

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On websites worldwide, the issue was raging.

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Matt, you almost died.

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It was Matt's metal tongue stud, the reason he was struck.

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I got some of my tongue ring.

45
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No, dude, you might have swallowed it.

46
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Let me see, where's your tongue?

47
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Let's see.

48
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Oh, it's broken off in there, it looks like.

49
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Let me see.

50
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Body jewelry attracting lightning strikes?

51
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This looks like a job for the Mythbusters.

52
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The myth is that wearing a tongue stud increases your chances of being struck by lightning.

53
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So what kind of cockamamie theory is this?

54
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Well, this cockamamie theory says that the lightning bolt is being attracted directly to it.

55
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Like a lightning rod.

56
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Yeah, exactly.

57
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It sounds kind of silly.

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Being loaded into an ambulance with a fried tongue, you can bet Matt Thompson didn't think it was a silly myth.

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Still, the boys are skeptical.

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It's obvious that jewelry does affect your body if you get struck by lightning, but the question still remains.

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Does it increase your chances of being struck by lightning?

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For the tongue stud lightning test, two heads made from ballistics gel will be mounted near a lightning generator.

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One of the heads will be pierced with metal studs.

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Adam and Jamie want to know which head the charge jumps to.

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That'll be fun.

66
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Well, that's definitely why we're doing this.

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The first job is to build a rig that will attract lightning.

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They need something big, metal and round.

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Here we are.

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That's them.

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What, these?

72
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Yeah.

73
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Oh, okay.

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Well, we're using walks because the round surface of a walk is a perfect thing to test in an electrical field around

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because it doesn't have any point that can gather the electricity to a single point.

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Seven, eight.

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It's like they knew we were coming.

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Imagine that.

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Normally, you'd probably put the heads on a spike, but that would not give us an accurate test as to the conductivity of the piercing as it relates to the whole head.

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Oh, hell, I'm not going to get those out of there.

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Back at the workshop, while Jamie grapples with removing the walk handles, Adam is going into reproduction mode.

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I am going to take this casting of my head, and it is me, I swear, and I'm going to fill it with some rigid foam so I can cut it in half and turn it into a vacuum form mold to make a bunch of ballistic gel heads.

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This is where things start to happen kind of fast.

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There's a point at which it gets clear again.

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There, see?

86
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Now it turns dark.

87
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Now it's just about to bubble.

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That's the trick.

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If you look in here, we can watch it.

90
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It's going to blow all the way up.

91
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Isn't that amazing?

92
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Oh, look at this.

93
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Here it comes.

94
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All right, so I mixed too much.

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Jamie, ahead of schedule, has found time for art.

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I don't know what it is, but it's pretty.

97
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It's like a big steel tulip.

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Adam, meanwhile, has a solid base for his mold.

99
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There is something strangely satisfying about that.

100
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But getting the plastic shell to form is proving to be a headache.

101
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No, no, come on.

102
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Adam is really hard on my tools.

103
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He'll tend to plow through things without thinking.

104
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I hate this frame.

105
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It's ripping my fingers to shreds.

106
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A little more comfort in your design.

107
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That's all I want.

108
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I'll toughen your fingers up.

109
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It's good for you.

110
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You, my fingers, don't need toughening.

111
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Here, let's see if it still fits.

112
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Ew.

113
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No, that doesn't fit.

114
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My head's gotten fatter in the intervening years.

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As if nobody knew that.

116
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All right, let's go do another nine.

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Jamie is attaching inverted walks to the tops of metal rods.

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A non-conductive plexiglass spike will protrude above each walk to hold the dummy's head.

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It has to be something that's not going to attract electricity on its own in any specific way.

120
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So this is a mount for the head.

121
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And when the electrical current, when the lightning bolt is attracted to the head,

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it'll go to wherever it wants to go on the head,

123
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not because of the configuration of this.

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Adam has finally created ten head molds.

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They need more than two in case the high-voltage strike blows them apart.

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They'll be filled with ballistic gel and will mimic the electrical conductivity of the human head.

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Smart work.

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But Adam's about to do something not so bright.

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To get into the spirit of this myth, he's volunteered to get his own tongue pierced.

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Hi, are you Joey?

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Yeah, hi.

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I'm Adam.

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Nice to meet you, Adam.

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Jamie.

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Hey, Jamie, how you doing?

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Good.

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I'm here to get a tongue piercing.

138
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Let's see your tongue.

139
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Yeah, we can put some jewelry in there for you.

140
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All right, have you ever heard any myths about tongue piercings?

141
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No, for some realities about tongue piercings.

142
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I don't know about any myths.

143
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What do you have in mind?

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Well, there's a story going around about a woman in Britain who apparently was struck by lightning.

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And she said it was because she had a tongue piercing.

146
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Never heard that one.

147
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You never heard that one?

148
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Never heard that one.

149
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You ever had any complaints of anyone struck by lightning?

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None of my clients have ever been struck by lightning.

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So these are some of the basic beads that I have for you to choose from.

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Probably the most comfortable size to start with this is this one right here.

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If you want to go with something a little fancier, it's possible to wear gemstones for it as well.

154
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So if you want to get really flash, you can wear something like that.

155
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What do you think, Jamie?

156
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Should I go flash or play?

157
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I think you should go for maximum conductivity, actually.

158
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Yeah, I suppose you're right.

159
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Do you have anything shaped like a little lightning rod?

160
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No lightning rods, and we don't have any copper.

161
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I think you're going to have to go with the stainless steel.

162
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All right, the stainless steel ball about the size is exactly what I was thinking about.

163
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Okay, that should be great.

164
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So why don't you come on in here.

165
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Have a seat on the dinosaur chair there.

166
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Do I get a lollipop when this is done?

167
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You do get a lollipop when this is done, but only if you earn it.

168
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He's just seen the needle.

169
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For once, atoms have a loss for words.

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All right, so you ready?

171
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It's very, very quick and very, very easy.

172
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You can set your glasses right there.

173
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What I want you to do is swallow one last time.

174
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Breathe easy.

175
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Give me your tongue.

176
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There you go.

177
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This won't hurt you at all.

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I'm not going to pull on you.

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I just want to make sure I got you right where I need you.

180
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Piercing is real quick.

181
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I'm just getting lined up.

182
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Here you go.

183
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Give me a breath in and out.

184
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You're done.

185
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The jewelry's in.

186
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I'm going to take the clamp off and screw the bead on the bottom,

187
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but it won't hurt you.

188
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You're absolutely done.

189
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Let me just make sure the beads are tight.

190
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You can have your tongue back.

191
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There you go.

192
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You're done.

193
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All right.

194
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That was not so bad.

195
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Oh, but now I'm talking all funny.

196
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It feels like I got a barbell stuck in my tongue, man.

197
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Ah, ah, how about that?

198
00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,960
Sea shells, seashells by the sea shore.

199
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In August 2003, Matt Thompson was struck by lightning in Colorado.

200
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It's my tongue ring.

201
00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:00,960
Oh, no, dude.

202
00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,960
Was the lightning attracted to his metal tongue piercing?

203
00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,960
Oh, it's broken off in there, it looks like.

204
00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,960
To test the myth that body jewelry increases your chance of being struck,

205
00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,960
Adam and Jamie have enlisted the help of Delta Star West.

206
00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:18,960
They manufacture industrial grade electrical machinery.

207
00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,960
They still feel nice and cool.

208
00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:25,960
Adam's freshly made gelatin heads are the focal points.

209
00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:28,960
He has to suffer as much as I have.

210
00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,960
A metal stud expertly fitted to one dummy's lower lip.

211
00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:35,960
I should have been a surgeon.

212
00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,960
All right, let's see how it does.

213
00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:43,960
We have this gigantic bank of capacitors,

214
00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:47,960
which creates over a million volts at something like a thousand amps.

215
00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:52,960
And it's sending electricity across this wire through this electrode.

216
00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:59,960
And these heads, which are grounded, will complete the circuit.

217
00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:04,960
Essentially, they're making mini lightning at the flick of a switch.

218
00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:09,960
A million volts stored in a capacitor will discharge down a wire

219
00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,960
jumping to the ground through one of the two heads.

220
00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:17,960
We're hoping to find that it shows a preference to go to one head or the other.

221
00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:21,960
And if it shows a preference to go to the one with the barbell,

222
00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,960
then we'll know that you're more likely to get struck by lightning.

223
00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:29,960
If it doesn't, if it goes for this head, then the myth is busted.

224
00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,960
Real lightning can be over a hundred million volts.

225
00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:37,960
It kills about 100 Americans a year.

226
00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:42,960
This million volt jolt would still turn you into toast.

227
00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:45,960
Everyone's keeping a safe distance.

228
00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:47,960
We're good.

229
00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:51,960
The lightning will discharge into one of the heads.

230
00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:54,960
It takes just a fraction of a second.

231
00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,960
It's hit the head on the right. You can see it in freeze frame.

232
00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,960
Here it is again on high-speed camera.

233
00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:11,960
Well, it went to the one without the barbell in it.

234
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It did.

235
00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:16,960
We learned a couple of really important things from the first test.

236
00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:21,960
And the first thing was that the lightning bolt went to the top of the head

237
00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:24,960
and there was no place else on the electrode,

238
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which tells us that our rig is nicely set up.

239
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It's pretty neutral.

240
00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,960
And we are getting current to go through the head itself and not through the steel.

241
00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,960
The second most important thing that we learned about this was that the discharge

242
00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:40,960
actually went to the head without the piercing.

243
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So this is not looking too good right now.

244
00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:47,960
But the testing has just started.

245
00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:52,960
With the interests of accuracy, they move each head to the opposite spike.

246
00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:56,960
We're just doing a control by swapping the heads on the rig

247
00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:00,960
and making sure that the rig doesn't refer one direction or the other.

248
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,960
This time it hit the stud head.

249
00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:14,960
Well, you know, one, I think, really important thing that I just saw was,

250
00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:17,960
I guess I was focusing in the right place at the right time.

251
00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:23,960
I saw the lightning bolt travel down like this and it went right along this pathway.

252
00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:25,960
It did not go to that.

253
00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:30,960
So even in the head, if this wasn't a track thing for the lightning bolt,

254
00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:33,960
it would have gone there and down or something like that.

255
00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:34,960
It didn't.

256
00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:37,960
I clearly saw it take a pathway right down to the top of this.

257
00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:39,960
We're good to go in another shot.

258
00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:43,960
So the lightning hit the head, but not the stud.

259
00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:47,960
Same thing.

260
00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:49,960
Yeah, I saw that too.

261
00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:53,960
Interesting that it really doesn't do anything to the gelatin that we can see.

262
00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:55,960
Truly.

263
00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:00,960
So that's two strikes to the pierced head, one to the control head.

264
00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:03,960
We'll swapping them back make a difference.

265
00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:13,960
It's the pierced head again, but a confusing pattern is emerging.

266
00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:19,960
The charge often goes to the piercing side, but it never seems to touch the metal.

267
00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:24,960
The mythbusters won't be satisfied until they can see the lightning hit the stud directly.

268
00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,960
You know, Jamie, we've now run this a dozen times or more.

269
00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:29,960
The heads are working perfectly.

270
00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:30,960
The rig is working great.

271
00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,960
We're getting consistent strikes always to the top of the head.

272
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,960
Not once has the lightning gone right for the stud.

273
00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:42,960
Yeah, you know, I mean, all we've got left to do is put a bunch of studs in there.

274
00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,960
Really big ones, maybe see what happens, see if we can get something to react to them.

275
00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:48,960
Like nuts and bolts and knives and forks.

276
00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:50,960
Yeah.

277
00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:54,960
Adam has apparently read the Hannibal Lecter style guide.

278
00:14:57,960 --> 00:14:59,960
All right, I think that's a pretty good look there, Jamie.

279
00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:01,960
What do you think?

280
00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,960
Well, maybe more is better.

281
00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:06,960
Let's fire it up.

282
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:08,960
Okay.

283
00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:15,960
I mean, it went to the head with the studs in it.

284
00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:17,960
Still didn't touch the studs.

285
00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:19,960
Went right down through the metal.

286
00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:23,960
Maybe even more metal.

287
00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:29,960
Of course, if your tongue piercing is this big, lightning is the least of your worries.

288
00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,960
I saw it go into the top of the head and go out to the bolt and back in.

289
00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:44,960
It just goes to show, you know, don't put any really big bolts in your mouth throwing a thunderstorm.

290
00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:51,960
Finally, a test for the mother of all studs.

291
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:53,960
Oh, cheek piercing there.

292
00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:59,960
It's unlikely to catch on at many nightclubs, though it might just help you get in the door.

293
00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:04,960
Will it attract lightning?

294
00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:12,960
At last, a direct hit.

295
00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:18,960
Well, that knocked the doorknob right out of his face.

296
00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,960
The mythbusters are unconvinced that studs attract lightning.

297
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,960
While the zap did seem to prefer the head with the piercing,

298
00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:33,960
a lack of consistent direct hits suggests some other unknown factor was involved.

299
00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:39,960
We could have done this a thousand times and still not gotten that same result.

300
00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:42,960
You know, lightning is just really unpredictable.

301
00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:46,960
You know, that might be the case, Jimmy, but we do know that metal does have an effect,

302
00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:50,960
you know, depending on how much of it there is and where it is on the body.

303
00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:55,960
And we did get a strike right to the doorknob, but come on, who wears a doorknob?

304
00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:01,960
The only thing this myth has shown the guys for sure is that Adam's wild days are over.

305
00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,960
Ah.

306
00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:09,960
Ah.

307
00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,960
Heaven.

308
00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:14,960
Oh, God.

309
00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:16,960
That was horrible.

310
00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:18,960
Ah.

311
00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,960
There we go. My tongue is free.

312
00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,960
The mythbusters get medieval.

313
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:32,960
Can they turn a log into a lethal weapon?

314
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:35,960
Fire in the hole.

315
00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:54,960
This myth is from medieval times, actually, and it involves a Hungarian town called Pákš,

316
00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,960
that was being threatened by their neighbors.

317
00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:03,960
So the entire town got together and one night they apparently made a cannon out of a tree.

318
00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,960
And they put some gunpowder in there and they shoot off this cannon.

319
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:12,960
The entire body of the cannon exploded, killing half the town's people.

320
00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:16,960
And the mayor, in his infinite wisdom, looks up and said,

321
00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:21,960
if we have so many dead, how many left of the enemy can there be?

322
00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,960
That's the earliest known record of spin, I think.

323
00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:33,960
To test this myth, Jamie and Adam will try to build a tree cannon and see if it explodes when fired.

324
00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:39,960
To do it like the villagers, they need to drill a hole into a log using medieval-style tools.

325
00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,960
They'll have to fashion a cannonball and make some medieval gunpowder.

326
00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,960
John, have you ever heard of a tree cannon or a cannon made out of a tree?

327
00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:55,960
No, Adam, I frankly have not.

328
00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,960
If anyone can help with this myth, John Morris can.

329
00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:07,960
He lives safe and very secure in West Virginia, with his collection of more than 100 cannons.

330
00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:13,960
Wisely or not, he's agreed to show Adam and Jamie the safe way to fire one.

331
00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,960
That hurts just thinking about it.

332
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:22,960
So we'll use a pre-measured charge of powder in aluminum foil.

333
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:24,960
We'll make up a small cartridge.

334
00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:27,960
Cannon firing 101.

335
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:29,960
Are we ready to load?

336
00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:31,960
I think we're ready to load. Are you ready?

337
00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:33,960
I'm ready.

338
00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:37,960
John's neighbors have learned to love the sound of cannons in the morning.

339
00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:41,960
It's only a blank, but this is still dangerous business.

340
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,960
From now on, it's going to be loaded and nobody gets in front of the model.

341
00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:47,960
Is that okay? We're going to load.

342
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,960
Then we'll take the fuse and hopefully it'll touch the powder inside.

343
00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:57,960
Ready to proceed?

344
00:19:57,960 --> 00:19:59,960
You bet.

345
00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:09,960
I knew that was going to happen.

346
00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:11,960
You did.

347
00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:17,960
They've seen how it's done. Now it's the guy's turn.

348
00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:20,960
Is it possible to put too much powder in a cannon?

349
00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,960
Certainly. What will happen?

350
00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:28,960
Well, it will overstress the cannon and the cannon could blow up.

351
00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:30,960
You shouldn't be in front of the piece.

352
00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:32,960
Exploding cannons.

353
00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,960
Food for thought for two first-time fireers.

354
00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:37,960
Fire in the hole.

355
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:43,960
Excellent.

356
00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,960
Very good. You're not qualified.

357
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:49,960
That's very exciting. Thank you so much.

358
00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,960
Yes, sir. That was really cool.

359
00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:03,960
Tree cannons were used in 14th century England and just a hundred years ago in Eastern Europe.

360
00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:09,960
To make theirs, Adam and Jamie need a European hardwood lawn, a big lawn.

361
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,960
This is a piece of English Elm here that we took out.

362
00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:15,960
It's a tree that actually died from Dutch Elm disease.

363
00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:17,960
This weighs several hundred pounds.

364
00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:19,960
This piece here.

365
00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,960
If I can do that with it, we can get it on the truck.

366
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:25,960
Jamie, you're doing such a good job.

367
00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:27,960
Get it on my wife.

368
00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:40,960
This was done in medieval Hungary. They didn't have power tools.

369
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,960
There would have been a lot of things that would be different about what we're doing.

370
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:51,960
They learned how differently by examining pictures of a thousand-year-old toolbox found in Sweden.

371
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,960
For authenticity, they want to make similar equipment.

372
00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,960
Jamie's starting with an axe to strip the log.

373
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:08,960
Getting a little workout this morning.

374
00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:15,960
Adam's having a workout of his own.

375
00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:19,960
He's making a medieval saw out of a forklift pallet.

376
00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:28,960
Come on.

377
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,960
Now there's some medieval workmanship.

378
00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:37,960
I'm going to heat this piece of metal up until it gets red hot.

379
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:44,960
Hopefully I'll make something that resembles a spoon drill, which is one of the first drills that they used.

380
00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:51,960
It's the best medieval drill Jamie's made all day.

381
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:56,960
Now there's just one more job before they get started on the barrel.

382
00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:02,960
San Francisco has a community art center that specializes in old-style forging.

383
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:06,960
Instructor Chris Neamer specializes in keeping his cool.

384
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:08,960
Chris, you're doing great.

385
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:10,960
I'm going to get you a new one.

386
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,960
Neamer specializes in keeping his cool.

387
00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,960
Chris, we need some iron bands around this light.

388
00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:19,960
Okay.

389
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,960
We're making a cannon.

390
00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:24,960
But if you don't hear from us again, you'll know why.

391
00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:26,960
You'll know what happened.

392
00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,960
The steel bands around the log will help it absorb the blast.

393
00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,960
They'll be heated in a furnace, then hammered into place.

394
00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:39,960
When we start wrapping this, I think I'm probably going to have one of you two with a hammer.

395
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,960
I'm trying to tap in behind me.

396
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,960
Test run number one.

397
00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:51,960
They've got to pull the band tight while it's red hot, then rivet it in place.

398
00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,960
That's the ticket.

399
00:23:57,960 --> 00:23:59,960
Oh, it's so close.

400
00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:01,960
Oh, it's good.

401
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:03,960
Rimmits.

402
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:10,960
The band is cooling and shrinking before they can hammer the rivets home.

403
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:13,960
Somebody else grab this one up here. You got it.

404
00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:15,960
Come on.

405
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:17,960
Wait, wait, wait.

406
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,960
Yeah, it's beautiful.

407
00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:27,960
Yeah, that's it.

408
00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:29,960
That's it.

409
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:31,960
We got it.

410
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,960
With water, the band will shrink tighter onto the log.

411
00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:37,960
Just four more to go.

412
00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:43,960
You know, it's funny how ye old techniques take ye old sweet time to get done.

413
00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:49,960
Medieval techniques take some mastering, but each band is going on easier than the last.

414
00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:52,960
Oh, but the vibration feels really good.

415
00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:56,960
Beautiful.

416
00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:58,960
Yeah, good job guys.

417
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:00,960
Very nice.

418
00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:02,960
Excellent.

419
00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:10,960
It's looking more like a cannon, but there's still no barrel.

420
00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,960
Will Jamie's medieval drill do the job?

421
00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:21,960
Drill's nice and sharp, and I flatten this out so that I can grab this like that to crank it.

422
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:29,960
Remember, according to the myth, the tribe made their cannon overnight, but this is slow work.

423
00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:36,960
We're about half an inch in.

424
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,960
I need somebody with a whip and a drum.

425
00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,960
They've got to drill through about five feet.

426
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,960
You know, we're just moving more, I guess.

427
00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:52,960
Let's see.

428
00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:56,960
Medieval tools just weren't built with myth-busting in mind.

429
00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:02,960
Based on what I'm seeing here now, I'm thinking it'd probably take a couple of days to get through it.

430
00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:09,960
The myth says that overnight they'd be able to drill a cannon, and I would say that that is unlikely.

431
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,960
I would say that the myth is busted because of that.

432
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,960
They've come too far to stop now.

433
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:22,960
Adam and Jamie resolve to test the rest of this explosive myth, and that means building the cannon their way.

434
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:26,960
I'm not doing anything that the package wouldn't have done if they had had a chance.

435
00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:45,960
While Adam is bowing to the 21st century, Jamie is staying well in the Middle Ages.

436
00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:51,960
I'm making a cannonball out of granite, or a mess.

437
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,960
He plans to hand-chisel a perfectly round cannonball.

438
00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,960
It's precision versus power.

439
00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,960
That is a tree cannon.

440
00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:29,960
Jamie hasn't done a bad job himself.

441
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:34,960
It's so far beyond anybody's experience that we're all kind of blown away.

442
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:36,960
And don't think he didn't know it.

443
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:43,960
So they've made the tree cannon, made the cannonball, now they need to make medieval gunpowder.

444
00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:49,960
They've called an expert in the field, and they've made a cannonball out of granite.

445
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:55,960
They've called an expert pyrotechnician, Jack Morocco, to help.

446
00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:02,960
What we need to do here is something a little bit different in mimicking a medieval gunpowder formula.

447
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:09,960
Jack knows what ingredients existed around the time of the myth, so they can make up a crude gunpowder.

448
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:13,960
But how well will it work?

449
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:18,960
For safety reasons, they'll light the fuse electronically from a distance.

450
00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:20,960
Ready?

451
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:29,960
Go, wow!

452
00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:30,960
Nicely done.

453
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:32,960
I think that's very respectable.

454
00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:33,960
Okay.

455
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:35,960
I think that'll do.

456
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:37,960
I think that's gonna work quite well, yes.

457
00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:42,960
I personally don't think we'll be able to blow this thing up.

458
00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:45,960
I think you could put a stick of dynamite in it and it still might not blow up.

459
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,960
Of course we're gonna try to blow it up. That's what we do.

460
00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:58,960
Once more, in the name of myth-busting, Jamie and Adam head into the world, armed, dangerous, and set on destruction.

461
00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:08,960
It's a normal day out for the myth-busters.

462
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:14,960
They're driving through San Francisco with a medieval tree cannon in the back of their pickup.

463
00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:21,960
Their destination? The abandoned runway at the Alameda Naval Base.

464
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:31,960
The cannon is a replica of one built by medieval Hungarian villagers. Which myth has it blew up when fired?

465
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:42,960
With expert pyrotechnician Jack Morocco, they've made up a load of medieval-style gunpowder.

466
00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:44,960
We don't want to drop this, do we?

467
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:46,960
No, we definitely don't.

468
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,960
You ready to load some powder there, Jamie?

469
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:52,960
Yeah, let's do it.

470
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:57,960
They're starting with two three-ounce cartridges of gunpowder.

471
00:29:57,960 --> 00:29:58,960
All right.

472
00:29:59,960 --> 00:30:06,960
The cartridges are forced to the bottom of the barrel and a hole poked in the side for the fuse.

473
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:10,960
Ah, we are in the load.

474
00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:11,960
To this ball?

475
00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:12,960
Okay.

476
00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:17,960
Well, did you bring your tennis racket?

477
00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:21,960
I could stand out there with this, you know, and try to get a good hit on it.

478
00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:29,960
The tennis ball will squeeze down on the blast, increasing the pressure in the barrel.

479
00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:35,960
An electric igniter is taped into place. They're ready to go.

480
00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:38,960
There he's standing by.

481
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:43,960
For safety, the myth-busters are behind lexan blast screens.

482
00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:45,960
Ready?

483
00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:49,960
Fire in the hole!

484
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:53,960
Three, two, one, out set!

485
00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:55,960
Ooh!

486
00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:58,960
Wow, it's still going.

487
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:02,960
Is that a flaming tennis ball?

488
00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:03,960
I don't think so.

489
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:05,960
That was a good bang.

490
00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:06,960
Yeah.

491
00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:08,960
Did anyone see the ball?

492
00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:10,960
I'm going to take the bicycle out there.

493
00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:13,960
Is that where the paper cup lighted?

494
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:14,960
Yep.

495
00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:17,960
It seems their tree cannon has quite a serve.

496
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:28,960
A little singed.

497
00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:29,960
You found it?

498
00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:31,960
Wow, that looks great.

499
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:33,960
Doesn't look very much the worst for wear.

500
00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:35,960
No, just lost some fuzz.

501
00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:41,960
Well, the tennis ball went a little more than a football field in length, which for a tennis ball is a lot.

502
00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:45,960
And I think that, you know, when we put the stone in there, it's really going to take off.

503
00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:48,960
Next up, the real thing.

504
00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,960
Jamie's hand-carved cannonball.

505
00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:56,960
We're debating whether or not to put a single or double load, either three or six ounces of powder behind it.

506
00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:03,960
The extra weight of the cannonball will further compress the blast, increasing the force up the barrel.

507
00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:08,960
The guys know the safe way to go is a single three-ounce load.

508
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:11,960
You comfortable with six ounces, Jack?

509
00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:12,960
Yeah.

510
00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:13,960
All right.

511
00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:15,960
Loading the cartridge.

512
00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:16,960
It's double or nothing.

513
00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:19,960
Twice the powder, twice the danger.

514
00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:25,960
At this point, no one crosses the front.

515
00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:29,960
And be careful with that, because that's going to roll down there fairly quickly.

516
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:30,960
Yeah, so I gather.

517
00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:31,960
I shock it.

518
00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:35,960
Jamie's great creation is headed for a great adventure.

519
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,960
Satisfying a little funk.

520
00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:41,960
You think we'll be able to find it?

521
00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:49,960
You know, I'm feeling pretty certain that it's going to launch that thing a fair ways, but I don't have a clue how far.

522
00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:51,960
Are we ready, Jack?

523
00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:53,960
Fire in the hole.

524
00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:05,960
I don't have a clue where that went.

525
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:07,960
I didn't see a darn thing.

526
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:09,960
Did you see anything?

527
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:10,960
Wow.

528
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:15,960
What everyone did see was a remarkably successful tree cannon.

529
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:25,960
They proved you can make a cannon out of a tree.

530
00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:27,960
Long way.

531
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:28,960
Really?

532
00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:29,960
Yeah.

533
00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,960
Jamie's cannon ball is long gone.

534
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,960
A little bummed out not to find the ball, you know.

535
00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:37,960
I put a lot of work into that thing.

536
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,960
It's a rough thing trying to find it.

537
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:43,960
We've got a runway that's a mile and a quarter deep.

538
00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:48,960
I didn't think we were going to find it, and I don't think it's unreasonable that we didn't find it.

539
00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:52,960
The ball might be gone, but the myth-busting continues.

540
00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:57,960
Remember, the cannon in the story is said to have exploded.

541
00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:03,960
We're going to take all the powder we have left, which is about 12 ounces, 14 ounces of powder left.

542
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:07,960
We're going to dump it all in here to see what happens.

543
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:13,960
Remember, children, myth-busters is hired a licensed pyrotechnician to help us blow stuff up.

544
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:18,960
You should never try anything like this unless you have your own television show.

545
00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:20,960
I wish I had my rock back.

546
00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:24,960
This is twice the amount of powder they've tried before.

547
00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:31,960
They're jamming everything they can find down the barrel to clog it up and increase the chance of exploding.

548
00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:33,960
Do you have one other thing you want to add to this, Jamie?

549
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:35,960
I want to see this thing blow up.

550
00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:39,960
You know, it keeps working. What are you going to do?

551
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:42,960
So I'm going to jam a can of soda down this.

552
00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:46,960
It's a tight fit, maybe too tight.

553
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:50,960
Oh, ladies and gentlemen.

554
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,960
That's not good.

555
00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:56,960
I just squirted out of the hole.

556
00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:58,960
The water squirted out of the hole?

557
00:34:58,960 --> 00:34:59,960
Uh-huh.

558
00:34:59,960 --> 00:35:01,960
Whoops.

559
00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:06,960
You could have done something worse, but I can't for the life of me think of what that might have been.

560
00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:13,960
Okay, here comes the golf ball.

561
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:15,960
Oh, there's a lot of soda.

562
00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:19,960
Oh, it's definitely been contaminated by the powder.

563
00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:24,960
Their chances of blowing up the cannon seem to have been washed away in a flood of soda,

564
00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:28,960
but the mythbusters won't take a setback lying down.

565
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:32,960
Undeterred, they re-rig, calling in another pyrotechnician.

566
00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:38,960
He's got a jumbo-sized bag of gunpowder, and he's not afraid to use it.

567
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:42,960
Well, we put six ounces of powder in last time. What are we going to put in this time?

568
00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:43,960
Five pounds.

569
00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:44,960
Whoa.

570
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:45,960
Yeah.

571
00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,960
Five pounds of gunpowder.

572
00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:58,960
On a danger scale of one to ten, this rate's about nine.

573
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:00,960
Now, it's a ten.

574
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,960
They're sealing the end with an aluminum plug.

575
00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,960
If this isn't blown up this cannon, I don't know what will.

576
00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:12,960
This is basically going to be a bomb, and there's going to be splinters going everywhere.

577
00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:14,960
So it's not a question just of hard hats.

578
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:19,960
It's a question of you have to have something like a shield or an automobile

579
00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:23,960
or something like that between you and the cannon.

580
00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:28,960
I'm going to get back about probably 150 feet on the field there, just in case.

581
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,960
The rest of the team is even further back.

582
00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:34,960
They're hoping that'll be far enough.

583
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:46,960
Oh, my God.

584
00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:56,960
Oh, my God.

585
00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:58,960
Everybody all right?

586
00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:02,960
I mean, like, the heaviest parts go farther than the fence.

587
00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:04,960
There's a piece of log way back there, really.

588
00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:06,960
Oh, my God.

589
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:12,960
It seems tree cannons can explode with even more force than anyone imagined.

590
00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:16,960
The cannon went away.

591
00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:23,960
There's a little black on the ground around where the cannon was, and that's all that's left.

592
00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:27,960
I'd say it's a very efficient way to split wood.

593
00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:30,960
No, we don't have to lug that damn thing around anymore.

594
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:32,960
My God.

595
00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:38,960
Adam and Jamie have busted a cannon, but proved two myths.

596
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,960
80 pounds or something like that.

597
00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:44,960
They've proved you can make a cannon out of a tree,

598
00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:50,960
and they've also shown the Hungarian townsfolk could have been wiped out when it exploded.

599
00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:56,960
Sometimes myth-busting is dangerous work.

600
00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:05,960
One for the road, as they say.

601
00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:08,960
But they bit off more than they could chew.

602
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:10,960
Cheers.

603
00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:12,960
The breath test.

604
00:38:12,960 --> 00:38:15,960
This is definitely going to be a strange day.

605
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:26,960
Here we are at the San Francisco Police Department crime lab,

606
00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:32,960
and we've got the breath tester, and we're going to get drunk today, I think,

607
00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:36,960
and see whether we can get around the breath test.

608
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:39,960
Well, there's a lot of myths out there that are really kind of strange

609
00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:43,960
about all these substances you can use to potentially beat the breath test.

610
00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:46,960
You know, Adam, I don't think any of this stuff is going to work.

611
00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:48,960
I don't think any of things are going to work either,

612
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:55,960
but it's up to us to imbibe and then further imbibe all of these things to show this.

613
00:38:56,960 --> 00:39:01,960
So the idea is to get drunk, then put different products in their mouth

614
00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:05,960
to try to fool the breath test machine into giving a lower reading.

615
00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:11,960
The San Francisco Police Department generously offered its crime lab for the day.

616
00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:16,960
Officer Bruce Gendron will be watching over Adam and Jamie.

617
00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,960
Adam's drink of choice is Scotch, neat.

618
00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:23,960
Jamie's mixing vodka with cranberry juice.

619
00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:28,960
I don't know if I've ever had a drink this early in the day.

620
00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:33,960
The Strovya Campany Prost.

621
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:36,960
Right there with you, buddy.

622
00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:39,960
In California, you're considered legally intoxicated

623
00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:43,960
with a blood alcohol concentration of .08.

624
00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:46,960
Spirits are about 40% alcohol.

625
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:51,960
How many the guys need to reach the limit depends largely on their weight

626
00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:53,960
and how fast they drink.

627
00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:55,960
A little bit of food to cut the alcohol.

628
00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:00,960
I'm lit. It's like one in the afternoon and I'm lit.

629
00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:04,960
Food does slow alcohol's absorption into the bloodstream,

630
00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:07,960
but their livers can only metabolize one drink an hour,

631
00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:11,960
and just 5% of alcohol is expelled through urine.

632
00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:14,960
But simply, their bodies can't keep up.

633
00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:18,960
So I've had four drinks, right?

634
00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:20,960
Yes, this is number five.

635
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:23,960
Let's try control.

636
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:24,960
There you go.

637
00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:27,960
You want to try one?

638
00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:29,960
Yeah, let's try one.

639
00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:31,960
Go ahead.

640
00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:33,960
Very good. That's very good. Thank you.

641
00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:35,960
He's an O3.

642
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:38,960
That's an O3.

643
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:41,960
It's an O3.

644
00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:42,960
Wow.

645
00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:45,960
I swear, I'm a cheap date.

646
00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:50,960
Adam, the police officer said you need to drink more.

647
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:55,960
You know, my doctor was also telling me that I'm not getting enough tar,

648
00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:57,960
so I need to start smoking again.

649
00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:00,960
Making it double.

650
00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:06,960
The guys have to drink up for science far more than either would normally imbibe.

651
00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:20,960
So we've had 13 drinks over three hours.

652
00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:23,960
I know I'm drunk, but I can't even remotely tell that you're drunk.

653
00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:25,960
It's kind of annoying.

654
00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:28,960
I want to see you like lampshade on your head or something.

655
00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:29,960
Sorry, Bob.

656
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:32,960
All right, let's go.

657
00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:34,960
I feel totally fine.

658
00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,960
Allow me to place this on your breath-testing machine, and I'll be happy to be tested.

659
00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:42,960
You are pretty smelly.

660
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:44,960
That's it. Keep it up.

661
00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:48,960
Listen to the music, and that's what we're trying to do, is keep that sound going.

662
00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:52,960
Very, very good.

663
00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:55,960
That's good.

664
00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:56,960
That's good.

665
00:41:57,960 --> 00:41:58,960
One-one.

666
00:41:58,960 --> 00:41:59,960
All right, finally.

667
00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:02,960
We're at one-one. We're over the limit.

668
00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:04,960
I'm guessing Jamie goes to point nine.

669
00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:11,960
I think the extreme difference in muscle mass will make Jamie process alcohol a lot more efficiently than I do, apparently.

670
00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:12,960
He's doing fine.

671
00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:14,960
You just sit over there and be quiet.

672
00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:18,960
It's rough enough having one of you here, but having two.

673
00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:20,960
Of course I'm causing trouble.

674
00:42:20,960 --> 00:42:22,960
Yep, O-Nite.

675
00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:24,960
O-Nite, legally drunk.

676
00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:29,960
Legally drunk and illegal behind the wheel.

677
00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:36,960
Strangely enough, the first refuge of a driver pulled over in this condition seems to be breath mints.

678
00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:45,960
Right after you get stopped, and we're making it up to the vehicle, and you can see them rushing around in the car trying to find mints or trying to find anything to put in their mouth.

679
00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:51,960
In America, if it looks like a rose and it smells like a rose, it's a rose.

680
00:42:51,960 --> 00:43:00,960
And if you have your certs and your mouth is fresh and you feel fresh, then perhaps you just aren't drunk anymore.

681
00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:02,960
Unfortunately, you are.

682
00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:06,960
A roadside sobriety test quickly reveals that.

683
00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:08,960
Okay, now stop.

684
00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:13,960
I want you to turn around just on the balls of your feet.

685
00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:16,960
With your right index finger, touch your nose.

686
00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:24,960
I think he just fell asleep.

687
00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:27,960
40% of American road deaths involve alcohol.

688
00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:31,960
Nearly 17,000 people killed each year.

689
00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:36,960
To prove a driver was drunk, police usually rely on a breath test.

690
00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:42,960
This man had already had five single whiskies, which he took some little time ago.

691
00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:50,960
The breathalyzer was invented back in the 50s, where drinking whiskey often happened while wearing a nice suit.

692
00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:56,960
Right, that's enough. He is at about point one three.

693
00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:03,960
Breath tests work because alcohol is carried by the blood into the lungs and exhaled.

694
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:09,960
The amount of alcohol on the person's breath is proportional to the amount in their bloodstream.

695
00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:18,960
Over the limit, the guys will now try to beat the breath test using products that urban legend has it will confuse the machine.

696
00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:28,960
First up, those mints. Will getting rid of the smell get rid of the alcohol?

697
00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:38,960
Okay, that's minty.

698
00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:43,960
One-O.

699
00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:44,960
One-O.

700
00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:47,960
Fat lot of good that did me.

701
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:53,960
He's still blowing over O8. Maybe something with a stronger smell.

702
00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:59,960
Your best bet is probably to hold your nose, literally, and just take a big bite out of this onion.

703
00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:06,960
My eyes are watering here.

704
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:11,960
Let's try and see if you were able to fool us.

705
00:45:12,960 --> 00:45:15,960
Nice and steady. Keep going.

706
00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:17,960
Keep going.

707
00:45:17,960 --> 00:45:19,960
That's good.

708
00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:25,960
Jamie, that was an O8. The onion didn't do anything.

709
00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:34,960
Some breath testing machines act like a fuel cell. The more alcohol blown in, the higher the electrical current produced.

710
00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:39,960
That could well have sparked the myth keeping a battery in your mouth would beat the test.

711
00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:41,960
You want to suck on the battery now?

712
00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:42,960
You get the battery.

713
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:44,960
Yeah, I'm letting you off easy, baby.

714
00:45:46,960 --> 00:45:55,960
Being able to put a battery in your mouth and keeping it there without me knowing that it's there would be very, very difficult.

715
00:45:55,960 --> 00:46:01,960
I would agree with him that it was difficult to talk with a battery in my mouth.

716
00:46:06,960 --> 00:46:08,960
I'd say you're charged.

717
00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:13,960
It's a one-O.

718
00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:21,960
Another kind of tester relies on a chemical reaction. Perhaps throwing a little extra copper into the mix will fool it.

719
00:46:21,960 --> 00:46:22,960
You ready?

720
00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:28,960
Nice, steady blow. That's it.

721
00:46:29,960 --> 00:46:30,960
Very good, thank you.

722
00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:32,960
.09.

723
00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:33,960
Pennies don't work.

724
00:46:35,960 --> 00:46:37,960
Oh, ladies and gentlemen.

725
00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:45,960
A third kind of machine uses infrared light to find alcohol molecules. Adam's going to throw in some denture cream, too.

726
00:46:45,960 --> 00:46:46,960
Okay.

727
00:46:52,960 --> 00:46:53,960
Adam, you did a great job.

728
00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:55,960
Oh, that was nothing, baby.

729
00:46:57,960 --> 00:46:58,960
.11.

730
00:46:58,960 --> 00:46:59,960
.11.

731
00:46:59,960 --> 00:47:02,960
So, denture cream, a no-go.

732
00:47:03,960 --> 00:47:04,960
.11.

733
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:05,960
.11.

734
00:47:05,960 --> 00:47:06,960
.11.

735
00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:15,960
Another pseudo-scientific mythology suggests hyperventilating might cleanse the lungs of alcohol for just long enough to pass.

736
00:47:15,960 --> 00:47:16,960
All right.

737
00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:18,960
.11.

738
00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:21,960
That doesn't work either.

739
00:47:24,960 --> 00:47:30,960
In fact, the myths are running dry. One last contender. Mouthwash.

740
00:47:30,960 --> 00:47:36,960
One wonders where you do this in a car while the police are like coming around to your window, but nonetheless, we'll try it.

741
00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:39,960
Just nice to stare at you.

742
00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:42,960
.43.

743
00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:43,960
.43.

744
00:47:43,960 --> 00:47:44,960
Really?

745
00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:45,960
Yeah.

746
00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:48,960
Oh, .43. Yeah, that's way, way, way, way, way gone.

747
00:47:49,960 --> 00:47:59,960
Some things causing a false reading. A little higher at .5 is lethal. To iron out glitches like that, police always test you twice.

748
00:47:59,960 --> 00:48:00,960
Very good.

749
00:48:09,960 --> 00:48:22,960
So, it would have been sure that mouthwash doesn't work at all. I mean, even if they got two readings that were grossly out of sync, all they do is take your blood test, and your blood test would tell them exactly how much alcohol you have in your system.

750
00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:24,960
It would seem that nothing works.

751
00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:39,960
On MythBusters, they do what it takes. 13 drinks, a mouthful of onion, and batteries, and pennies, and denture cream. It appears to be a sobering warning for any potential drunk driver.

752
00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:41,960
Using the machine, you will be busted.

753
00:48:41,960 --> 00:48:43,960
So, what do you think? Is this myth busted?

754
00:48:44,960 --> 00:48:46,960
I'd say it's pretty fairly busted.

755
00:48:46,960 --> 00:48:52,960
Pretty fairly busted? I'd say it's definitively busted. You can't beat the breath test.

756
00:48:54,960 --> 00:48:55,960
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

757
00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:30,430
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha