1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,000 on this scatological episode of Mythbusters. 2 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,000 Oh man. 3 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,000 It's all about idioms. 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,000 As the team takes on those phrases, we all take for granted. 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:26,000 Is it really best to hit the ground running? 6 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,000 Or to end with a bang? 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 And for the couda grass... 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,000 I know I shouldn't be surprised, but it smells terrible. 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:39,000 Adam and Jamie will attempt to polish the unpolishable. 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,000 Incredible. 11 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Who are the Mythbusters? 12 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Adam Savage. 13 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:48,000 I look good, right? 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,000 I look damn good. 15 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:51,000 And Jamie Heineman. 16 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,000 Oh great. We got a yeti outside. 17 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:57,000 Between them more than 30 years of special effects experience. 18 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,000 Joining them, 19 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,000 Grant Imahara. 20 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Oh my god! 21 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:03,000 Tori Galechi. 22 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,000 Say hello to my little friend. 23 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,000 And Carrie Byron. 24 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:08,000 You're better than a robot. 25 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:11,000 They don't just tell the Myths. 26 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,000 Bye bye. 27 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,000 They put them to the test. 28 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:34,000 So we're doing idioms. Do you have any? 29 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,000 I do actually. 30 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:40,000 At Industrial Light Magic, whenever we were working on a model that required a lot of detail, 31 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,000 and yet was still ugly, we referred to the process as... 32 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,000 polishing. 33 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,000 So the myth is, you can't polish it. 34 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:49,000 Exactly. 35 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,000 That one's been around forever. I've heard that all over the place. 36 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,000 I got a wrinkle though, because the network has instructed us 37 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,000 that we're not allowed to use the word... 38 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,000 Can we say? 39 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,000 Of course not. 40 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,000 Nope. 41 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,000 But to set your mind at ease, we can say... 42 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Fisi's manure, guano, dung waste, scat, doo doo, poopoo, and poop. 43 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,000 Patents that we are, we've put common idioms to the test before. 44 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:22,000 We've dared to question the culpability of bulls in china shops. 45 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,000 They're very careful of the break in china. 46 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,000 The trouble with finding needles in haystacks. 47 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,000 And the ease of shooting fish in a barrel. 48 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,000 I think he's still squirming. 49 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,000 But this just might be the toughest task of all. 50 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:43,000 So where are we going to start with this poop polishing? 51 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:49,000 Well, I think we're going to need the widest possible array of dung that we can find. 52 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,000 A veritable smorgasbord of fecal matter. 53 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:57,000 And then see if there's any specific kind we can get to take a high polish. 54 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,000 Okay, let's get at it. 55 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:08,000 From here, the best place to find a truly broad selection of dung is the San Francisco Zoo. 56 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,000 Well, we're just about to go into the barn containing a bunch of giraffes. 57 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:17,000 Or as we on Midbusters like to call them, the large herbivore savannah-based, 58 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,000 bee-sees production units. 59 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:23,000 And hopefully they're going to have some special packages just for us. 60 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,000 But you can't expect something for nothing. 61 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,000 So the boys come bearing fruit. 62 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,000 We've got some breakfast here. 63 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,000 This girl refuses to take Adam's banana. 64 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,000 No surprises there. 65 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,000 Jamie has better luck. 66 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,000 She's beautiful. 67 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,000 And breakfast begins its magical transformation into manure. 68 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,000 Okay, now you've eaten. 69 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,000 Let's see the other stuff. 70 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,000 They're a rare chance to frolic with the wildlife. 71 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:52,000 But Jamie knows they're here on business. 72 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,000 He's like, what the hell are you doing? 73 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,000 Hello, girl. 74 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,000 Is it okay? 75 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,000 Can I get some? 76 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:07,000 So it turns out the giraffes are really efficient at extracting the nutrients they need out of the food they eat. 77 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:15,000 Unlike things like elephants and other herbivores that live in the same environment that are basically like cows the way they process. 78 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,000 The giraffes extract every last little thing. 79 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,000 Hello, out of the out of the food. 80 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:29,000 And that's why you end up with this dense little nugget, which tells me that it might be better material for us to work with. 81 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:34,000 But giraffes aren't the only donors. 82 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Grizzly done. 83 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,000 Let's go get some. 84 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:44,000 Armed with scoops and buckets, they need to steal the scats of a bunch more species to give them the best possible chance of buying. 85 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,000 And they're going to be able to get a reasonable chance of busting this myth. 86 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,000 If one stool won't take a shine, another might. 87 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,000 So there's no bears around here I take it. 88 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,000 Hey, Jamie, over here. 89 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,000 Oh man, this stuff is soft. 90 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,000 It's kind of like meatloaf. 91 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,000 I know I shouldn't be surprised, but it smells terrible. 92 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,000 You know the worst part now? 93 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,000 I got a niche on my nose. 94 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,000 The grizzlies get set free. 95 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,000 They're going to be able to get some stink to stench. 96 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,000 Hort hogs. 97 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,000 Well, right out of the gate, I see we're in luck. 98 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,000 Look at that. 99 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,000 Holy s***, that's a lot of poo. 100 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,000 Oh, wait, look. 101 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:27,000 Oh, it's all in the spring. 102 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,000 It's like it could be a necklace. 103 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,000 We just have to polish it up. 104 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:40,000 They race to secure the manure from half a dozen more animals, including lions, rhinos, and koalas. 105 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,000 We've got everything we need here. 106 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,000 Oh, you're full of it. 107 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,000 Let's get back to the shop and start polishing. 108 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,000 Okay. 109 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,000 Now to test a myth with momentum. 110 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,000 All right, so what's next? 111 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,000 Well, we've got another myth that will like a result in you getting hurt. 112 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:05,000 Great. 113 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Awesome, what is it? 114 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,000 Okay, you know the phrase, hit the ground running? 115 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,000 It's like a term when somebody is like already up to speed before they start a job. 116 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:12,000 Right. 117 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:17,000 Well, what we want to know is if you literally hit the ground running, do you get going any faster? 118 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:18,000 I like it. 119 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,000 Yeah, it sounds dangerous for you. 120 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:28,000 When the phrase surfaced in the 1890s, it was meant literally. 121 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,000 So all the more reason to put it to the test. 122 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:36,000 We'll move on to wheels in motion, but kick off with fast feet. 123 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,000 So how are we going to test this? 124 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:44,000 I think we need to start out with a harness to keep us suspended in the air so we can get our feet moving before we touch the ground. 125 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,000 We should probably also add some forward momentum to see if that has any difference on the experiment. 126 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Wait a minute, that sounds like we're all getting hurt, not just Tori. 127 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,000 Welcome to my world. 128 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,000 And welcome back to Trapeze Arts. 129 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:02,000 This is where our three thrill seekers once tried a 360 on a swing. 130 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,000 Oh my gosh, that's enough. 131 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,000 The teams commissioned an indoor zip line to help launch the legend. 132 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:14,000 Meantime, they'll need some baseline figures to see if this phrase has legs. 133 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:21,000 Well, I think we should start out with a control run from a standing start, let's say 30 feet, and then time it. 134 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,000 Alright, then we'll use our harness rig so that we're up off the ground. 135 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:30,000 We'll start our run, and then when we're dropped, we'll be in mid-stride and we'll see if our time is any shorter. 136 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:35,000 30 feet is a short sprint, but that's the best way to test this idiom. 137 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,000 It's 30 feet, right there. 138 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:44,000 Any difference between a standing and a rolling start is likely to be measured in fractions of a second. 139 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,000 Let's go, let's go, come on, get those shoes on, get those shoes on. 140 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Tori's the first to run his three standing start control sprints. 141 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,000 On your marks, get set, go. 142 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,000 Tori consistently clocks just over two seconds. 143 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,000 211. 144 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:07,000 But those tiny differentials might make all the difference. 145 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Alright, who's next? 146 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,000 Now, Carrie and Grant post their own times. 147 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:14,000 I'm ready. 148 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,000 On your marks, get set, go. 149 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:20,000 That was cute. 150 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,000 That was cute. 151 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,000 I like the way she hit the back. 152 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,000 Then, Grant steps up to the mark. 153 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,000 On your marks, get set, go. 154 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,000 Grant figures out the average time for each runner. 155 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,000 That's the mark they'll have to beat. 156 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,000 And now, for the fun stuff. 157 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,000 Hit the ground running test, go for the plan. 158 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:42,000 Alright, so the trapeze is set up. 159 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,000 Eric's going to lift us up so our feet aren't touching the ground. 160 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,000 We're going to start moving our feet. 161 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,000 As soon as we hear go, we drop down and start the run. 162 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,000 Tori takes flight, as Carrie takes fright. 163 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,000 Personally, I think hitting the ground running sounds great in your head 164 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,000 if you're thinking in cartoons. 165 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,000 But in real life, I have a feeling it's going to trip you up 166 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,000 and, well, we might see some face plans. 167 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,000 We live in hope. 168 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:14,000 Adam and Jamie have gathered the droppings from ten different animals 169 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,000 to see which, if any, buffs up the best. 170 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,000 Those babies would hurt coming out. 171 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,000 Back at M5, Jamie marks up some tinfoil trays 172 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,000 and finds a novel use for ear plugs. 173 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,000 They work for your ears. 174 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,000 Maybe they work for your nose, too. 175 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,000 Okay, here we go. 176 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,000 Once the poop is partitioned... 177 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,000 Oh, man. 178 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,000 ...every sample gets roasted. 179 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,000 The theory is that dried dung is more likely to take a polish. 180 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:51,000 The whole point of baking the scat at 300 degrees for six hours 181 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,000 is not just to bring out the flavor, 182 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,000 but also to get out the moisture to harden it. 183 00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:00,000 While it's regular poop, there's no way we can get a polish on it 184 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,000 because it's soft. 185 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,000 But if we bake it and get out the moisture, 186 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,000 then presumably it will harden, and then maybe it'll take a polish. 187 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,000 It has the added benefit of killing all the germs, 188 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,000 which our insurance company is very pleased about. 189 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,000 The stink is all I know. 190 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:20,000 This is like the most twisted lunch tray ever. 191 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,000 And their first job is to sort the chaff from the hay. 192 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,000 This is horse poop, and there's nothing left. 193 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,000 It's mostly like, you know, hay. 194 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,000 In fact, that looks like it. 195 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,000 That's all it was, but... 196 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,000 Now it's ash. 197 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:41,000 Baked horse manure looks way too flaky to take a polish. 198 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:45,000 And the same goes for elephant, rhino, and grizzly duck. 199 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,000 We've got five out of nine. 200 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,000 That's actually pretty good. 201 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,000 Let's see what we can do. 202 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,000 Where do you want to begin? 203 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:58,000 Adam's a stuttering mess, but this is uncharted territory. 204 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,000 They'll need good instincts and a strong stomach 205 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:05,000 to choose the right sample and the right method. 206 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,000 Jamie picks giraffe dung. 207 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,000 While Adam tries lion feces, 208 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,000 and I'm going at it with a bit of a tongue twister. 209 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,000 I have 320-quit wet dry sandpaper, 210 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:23,000 and honestly, it seems to be going swimmingly. 211 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,000 Assuming this idiom ever gets close to being busted, 212 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,000 to call it, we'll need some kind of gloss rating. 213 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,000 Adam's arranged to rent a fancy machine 214 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,000 that actually measures the reflective properties we call a shine. 215 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,000 At this early stage, Jamie thinks we won't be wasting our money. 216 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:48,000 So I'm actually getting a nice little shine on this puppy. 217 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,000 I'm doing that just by adding a little bit of water to the table surface 218 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:56,000 and rubbing it around until it kind of flattens what material's already there 219 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:59,000 out into a nice surface. 220 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:03,000 Giraffe pellets do seem to have polished potential. 221 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:07,000 The finishing touch on this is going to be to add a little bit of oil, 222 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,000 just like you would put on your furniture that you've got nice and polished, 223 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,000 and that'll keep it shiny. 224 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,000 Meantime, Adam goes high-tech with a jeweler's wheel. 225 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:21,000 Terrible failure that is, right there. 226 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:24,000 Frustration turns to exasperation, 227 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,000 as Adam learns that Jamie's using furniture polish. 228 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:35,000 You are obstinately ignoring the spirit and the letter of the myth 229 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:38,000 by using a wax-based polish. 230 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,000 This is about polishing. There's polish. 231 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,000 I don't see the problem. 232 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,000 You're imparting an artificial shine. 233 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,000 You might as well just spray paint it. 234 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:50,000 You're adding the material, and the material is what's getting you your shine, 235 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,000 not the poop itself. 236 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,000 Proving you can polish a poop is a big ask. 237 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,000 So it's no surprise that the sh** hit the fan. 238 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,000 It's a wax. It helps get a shine on it. 239 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,000 You wax your floor. You polish your floor. You polish tables. 240 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,000 I'm gone. 241 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,000 Well, I guess we've left Tori hanging long enough. 242 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:21,000 He, Grant and Carrie are testing the literal truth of hit the ground running. 243 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:26,000 Just like the control sprints, they'll all try this running drop test three times. 244 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,000 And here's the highlights. 245 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:32,000 Go! 246 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,000 The way I was picturing it was really cool. 247 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,000 I probably looked really cool on the high speed. 248 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,000 Well, this one. 249 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,000 Hanging set. 250 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,000 I haven't reached maximum velocity yet. 251 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:47,000 Go. 252 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:49,000 Go. 253 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,000 I have to say that was pretty awkward. 254 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:58,000 It wasn't really like hitting the ground running so much as it was hitting the ground stumbling. 255 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,000 That was the most graceful thing I've ever seen in my life. 256 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,000 I have a tiger, Grant. I have a tiger. 257 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:07,000 Like I have a kitten. 258 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,000 You can't help notice that hitting the ground running looks a lot clumsier 259 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,000 and a whole lot slower than a standing start. 260 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 I'm under no illusion. That was probably a slower run. 261 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,000 I almost didn't see her pass. 262 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:27,000 Mostly from all the awkward flailing around that left me in a strange position by the time I hit the ground to run. 263 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:28,000 Go. 264 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,000 But the stopwatch never lies. 265 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,000 On average, the three of us were faster hitting the ground running. 266 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,000 There's no way. 267 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:40,000 We're going to hit the ground running by an eighth of a second. 268 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:41,000 Go. 269 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:46,000 Incredibly, these rough rolling starts did make for a slightly faster time. 270 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,000 But there's a good chance they can do even better. 271 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:53,000 Now we're going to do a test, hit the ground running, but with forward momentum. 272 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,000 I think this is going to be a much better test. 273 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:00,000 Sliding in on a zipline, they'll hit the start line at speed. 274 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:05,000 By any standards, this must be the ultimate way to hit the ground running. 275 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,000 But will it be faster? 276 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:13,000 Well, it's hard because it's like if your foot is not in the right place when you get off that trolley, you're going to go straight on your face. 277 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,000 Maybe that's why hit the ground running isn't actually a good thing. 278 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,000 In three, two, one. 279 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:24,000 As your legs are moving, you start swinging back and forth. 280 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,000 So you're pretty much out of control before you even get to the ground. 281 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:33,000 So once you get to the ground, you have to stabilize yourself, balance, make sure you don't fall over, and then run. 282 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:37,000 It is a very stupid thing to do. 283 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:41,000 So Cary follows in his floundering footsteps. 284 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:45,000 Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run. 285 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,000 Yeah! 286 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,000 That's not so easy. 287 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,000 Yeah, yeah. 288 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:55,000 Time for Grant to strut his stuff. 289 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,000 Come on, keep going, Binslaat! 290 00:15:58,000 --> 00:15:59,000 Get down! 291 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:03,000 When your legs go in the air, the trolley starts rocking. 292 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,000 Suddenly you can't tell where the floor is, and I hit the floor, 293 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,000 and things just went all wrong. 294 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:15,000 I just don't think that there's any way that this idiom works whatsoever. 295 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,000 I just don't think you're ever going to get a significantly better time 296 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:20,000 by running ahead of time. 297 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,000 I think it's just the idea of a good, good, good, good, 298 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,000 by running ahead of time. 299 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,000 I think it's just, it's crazy, and we should just stop saying it. 300 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:33,000 But Carrie and Tori finally did seem to hit that mark at high speed. 301 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,000 Still, it all comes down to those fractions of a second. 302 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:42,000 Running in the air with the forward momentum test is a quarter second slower 303 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:43,000 than planting and running. 304 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,000 Really? That's a surprise? 305 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,000 So the juries locked on the literal truth of this popular phrase. 306 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:55,000 Surprisingly, falling was faster, and swinging was slower. 307 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:59,000 So what say we replace legs with wheels? 308 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,000 Hey, how about a bike? I like bikes. 309 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,000 Well, we know your track record with those. 310 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:21,000 I can tell you're trying to send a message, but I can't figure out what it is. 311 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:25,000 It's an idiom we've been exploiting since the very beginning of the show. 312 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,000 Really? An idiom? 313 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,000 I can't figure out what you got to tell me. 314 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,000 Better to end with a bang. 315 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:38,000 So you're suggesting that we end the idiom special with a bang? 316 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:39,000 Exactly. 317 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:43,000 That's brilliant! Let's get out of here. 318 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:53,000 Sure, we always assume it's better to end with a bang, especially on mythbusters. 319 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:59,000 Today we'll put the predictable big bang up against a spectacular slow burn. 320 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:04,000 But first, we'll have to blow something into tiny, tiny pieces. 321 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,000 So, ending with a bang, what are we going to blow up? 322 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,000 Normally we blow up really big spectacular stuff. 323 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,000 I was thinking, what if we blow up something small and piddling, 324 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:18,000 but in a spectacular way, like your little moped there? 325 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:19,000 But this thing? 326 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,000 Yeah. I love it. 327 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,000 Let's do it. 328 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:32,000 Ensuring no one goes home with nine fingers or one eyebrow, Frank Doyle and JD Nelson. 329 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:37,000 So the goal is to make Jamie's moped go away. 330 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,000 Debt cord. 331 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:45,000 Debt cord. Alias, Prima cord, a.k.a. linear explosive. 332 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:52,000 It might look like a clothesline, but the core of this flexible tubing is compressed, powdered explosive. 333 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,000 Does it have to be pretty? 334 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,000 Hey, nothing on this show needs to be pretty. 335 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:58,000 It just needs to be thorough. 336 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:03,000 I don't know what this moped ever did to me, but for some reason I'm really enjoying the idea of watching it go away. 337 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:07,000 Okay, let's replace the word thorough with stragulation. 338 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:15,000 Yes, for today's bang, we have Joe Zan a vintage mobile or moped, 339 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:20,000 which we have wrapped carefully with an aged Prima cord, 340 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:25,000 700 feet held together with duct tape and ignited with the blasting cap. 341 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,000 I trust it will be fabulous. 342 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,000 All right, it's beautiful. 343 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:33,000 But beauty sometimes needs a helping hand. 344 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:38,000 Well, I'm not one to let well enough alone, and the task we have is to go out with the bang. 345 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,000 So I'm going to add some gasoline. 346 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,000 This is a technique we learned when we were doing the Hollywood explosion, 347 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:48,000 and if you take a look at this footage of me pretending to be my own action hero, 348 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,000 you'll see what kind of explosion we can expect from this. 349 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:55,000 Three, two, one. 350 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:08,000 So Adam adds even more fuel to the fireball. 351 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:13,000 When a demolition expert laughs like that, it's time to run for cover. 352 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,000 At least the boys have a bunker to hide in. 353 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,000 Okay, everybody ready? 354 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:19,000 We are. 355 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:20,000 All right. 356 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:26,000 Ends with a bang, firing in three, two, one. 357 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,000 Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 358 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:32,000 I just realized this is ending with a bang, and we're still in the middle of the episode. 359 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,000 We can't do this at this point. 360 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,000 We've got to go take care of a whole bunch of other stuff and then come back here. 361 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:37,000 Really? 362 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:38,000 Yeah. 363 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,000 Okay, let's go. 364 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:49,000 Carrie, Tori and Grant have been testing the truth of the idiom, 365 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:54,000 hit the ground running, to see if it really is faster than a standing start. 366 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:00,000 The results were surprising and inconsistent, 367 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:04,000 but where feet fail does, wheels might provide the answer. 368 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:08,000 We'll end with a car, but start with a bicycle. 369 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:14,000 You may remember this bike from Driveshap Pull Vault. 370 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,000 We have a very interesting relationship, me and this bike. 371 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:26,000 I'm okay? 372 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:30,000 I need to be able to get this bike up to speed without it touching the ground. 373 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,000 So I'm going to build a rig that will hold up the back wheel. 374 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:38,000 The hit the ground part of this phrase means the bike needs to start suspended. 375 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,000 What I need to do next is make the release system. 376 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,000 So that way once the bike is up to speed, we can quickly release the back wheels, 377 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:51,000 it'll hit the ground, and we'll see what happens when we hit the ground running. 378 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:58,000 Adding extender foot pegs to the back axle, Tori modifies the mechanism to drop on demand. 379 00:21:58,000 --> 00:21:59,000 Go ahead. 380 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,000 Three, two, one. 381 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:05,000 Yeah! 382 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,000 It's going to work! 383 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:14,000 Out on the test track, Tori sprays the start, while Grant marks the finish line, 384 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,000 a hundred feet up the tarmac. 385 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:21,000 Then we'll stop the timer once we hit the finish line, and we'll do it three times. 386 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,000 That way we get an average time from our standing start. 387 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:30,000 These first sprints wouldn't scare a retired mailman. 388 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:34,000 Excellent. 389 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:41,000 But for the sake of consistency, Tori needs to wear a safety suit for each and every test. 390 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,000 Just riding a bike. I mean, how dangerous could that be? 391 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,000 Yeah, but this is not the dangerous one. 392 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:54,000 When you're suspended in the air pedaling as fast as you can, then it gets dangerous. 393 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,000 Ready, set, go! 394 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:01,000 As with the running tests, they average the times from three standing starts. 395 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,000 Go! 396 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:05,000 How long time? 397 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,000 Six, sixty-eight. 398 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,000 Go! 399 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,000 And the tour to Tori passes without incident. 400 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,000 Six thirty-four! 401 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,000 I've got a better time! 402 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:20,000 But we all know that once you learn how to fall off a bike, you never forget. 403 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,000 Now we're going to move on to our suspended test. 404 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:27,000 Tori's going to be on the bike, suspended above the ground, 405 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,000 he's going to pedal as fast as he can, 406 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,000 and then we're going to release him and see if he's any faster. 407 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:38,000 My prediction for the next test? Three words. Crash and burn. 408 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,000 All right, I'm ready! 409 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:46,000 But is he? If history is any guide, Grant should have 9-1-1 on speed dial. 410 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,000 Set, go! 411 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,000 Keep going, keep going! 412 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:02,000 8.72. Not very good. 413 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,000 As soon as you hit the ground, you lose balance. 414 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:10,000 So then you have to regain your balance and at the same time, start your pedaling. 415 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,000 So it's such a hard task that it really makes getting off the line slow. 416 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:18,000 So as far as hitting the ground, running goes for a bike? Not a great idea. 417 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:24,000 And here at Mythbusters, a bad idea is always worth repeating. 418 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,000 Ready, set, go! 419 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:34,000 Try as he might. Tori just can't, well, hit the ground running. 420 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:40,000 Once he hits the ground, there's so much friction, there's so much weight there that it just immediately stops. 421 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:43,000 And he is basically at a standstill. 422 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,000 All right! 423 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,000 You're hitting the ground running, suck! 424 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:55,000 This was just like when we were at Trapeze Arts and we were trying to catch with our feet. 425 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:59,000 It's just, it's really hard to, well, hit the ground running. 426 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:02,000 10.09 seconds. 427 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:08,000 Just to remind everyone, Tori's control run was just under 6.5 seconds. 428 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:15,000 Clearly, the friction between the road and the falling rear tire stopped the wheel dead and unbalanced the bike. 429 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:20,000 So far from proving an advantage, this test is going backwards. 430 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:27,000 Your average hitting the ground running was 9.27 seconds, 2.8 seconds longer than the control. 431 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,000 That's not good. 432 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,000 It's not looking so good for hitting the ground running on a bike. 433 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,000 We can't stop there. We still have a car. 434 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,000 Yeah, let's ramp it up. 435 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,000 All right. 436 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:47,000 Adam and Jamie are testing the truth of that delightful idiom you can't polish a, you know what? 437 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:54,000 Adding to the unpleasantness, Jamie's use of furniture polish provoked a scat spat. 438 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:56,000 I mean, it's ridiculous. I just don't believe it. 439 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:03,000 You can be as literal as you want, but you know, you polish your floor using wax like this. 440 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:11,000 You polish tables. Nobody accuses you of cheating when you polish your living room furniture with polish. 441 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:20,000 So I think Adam's just kind of like a off because he he's not getting any results and I am. 442 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:28,000 I'm interested as to whether or not these things are actually polishable, not as to whether or not I can add something to them to achieve a shine. 443 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,000 But he'd sooner strike a light than curse the darkness. 444 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,000 Hello, sir. 445 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:45,000 Adam's enlisted Jason Arnold to explain the Japanese art of Dorodango, shaping shiny balls from common dirt using only your hands, tap water and patience. 446 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:49,000 This was made out of just some soil found in my dad's backyard. 447 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,000 Then I wanted something nicer. 448 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,000 So I went and got a just a nice dirt mix that didn't have a bunch of junk in it. 449 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,000 Wow, these are great. 450 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,000 Can you teach me how to do this? 451 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,000 Absolutely. Yes. I love to teach people how to do this. 452 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:03,000 Let's do it. All right. 453 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,000 The boys dish the dirt side by side. 454 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:11,000 It's a proof of concept cooking lesson that hopefully works just as well with manure. 455 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:15,000 You know, usually on the show, I'm connecting to my 14 year old self, the pyromaniac. 456 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:17,000 Now I'm connecting to my four year old self. 457 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:18,000 You're looking pretty good there. 458 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,000 I think you could start to pick that up and get your hands dirty. 459 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,000 All right. 460 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:29,000 They need a good balance of dirt and water to shape a sphere the size of a pool ball. 461 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:33,000 And remember, this is nothing more than a ball of mud. 462 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:36,000 Now I feel like I want to add just like a little tiny bit of water. 463 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,000 I really want to try and get water out of it. 464 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,000 Okay. 465 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:44,000 If you feel that it's too dry, maybe it's like crumbling, then yeah, you may want to add some water to it. 466 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,000 No, I feel like I'm right on the edge. 467 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,000 Adam soon adapts to the rolling rhythm. 468 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,000 This is so much fun. 469 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,000 And the frequent trips to the fridge to speed up the condensation. 470 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:00,000 So 25 minutes, we pull them out. 471 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:01,000 Sounds great. 472 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,000 It all takes time, but it could be worse. 473 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:12,000 If you're doing this the old fashioned way with no refrigerator outside, it'll take more like a week or longer as you leave it outside. 474 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,000 Now Adam has a surprise for Jason. 475 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,000 So Jason, I know I haven't told you what the whole purpose of this is. 476 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:24,000 I'm wondering how well this process would translate to poop. 477 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,000 To polishing poop. 478 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:32,000 It could be done, I think. 479 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:35,000 That's all I needed to know. 480 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:40,000 I'm starting to feel like this is definitely applicable to poop. 481 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,000 And I guess you would definitely call that Dorodongo. 482 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,000 Well, I suppose we should talk about where this came from. 483 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,000 Well, in this case we have better than a citation. 484 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:58,000 We've got actor, director and comedian Jerry Lewis who claims he coined the phrase. 485 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,000 Yeah, it was in the late 60s. 486 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:07,000 He was in his editing suite working on his latest film and Stanley Kubrick walks in asking if he can watch. 487 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:13,000 Well, Lewis responds implying that the film was no good, that you can't polish. 488 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,000 And it's been in the popular culture ever since. 489 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:19,000 Check it out! 490 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:23,000 Time to amend some fences with a method we hope they both agree on. 491 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:24,000 Look at that. 492 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:29,000 That is dirt, water and this little elbow grease. 493 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:31,000 Does it bounce? 494 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:36,000 No, I think it's actually pretty darn delicate, but I think this is our process. 495 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,000 That's beautiful. 496 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:43,000 I think we just need to choose the most dirt-like of the scat and start with that. 497 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:44,000 Okay. 498 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,000 Adam adopts the ostrich droppings. 499 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,000 And Jamie decides on the lion leftovers. 500 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:56,000 I need to take this and make a shiny mud ball out of it. 501 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:06,000 Now this is lion poop and the reason I want to use it is because these guys are almost exclusively carnivores 502 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:13,000 and their poop is going to be, you know, have a certain characteristic because of that. 503 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:20,000 I'm holding on to a ball of wet dung and I have a hard time imagining that it's going to be shiny when I'm all done. 504 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:27,000 At the same time, I'm so jazzed from my shiny mud ball that I'm optimistic that this is going to work. 505 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:33,000 I'm actually really impressed how this lion poop is working. 506 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:38,000 It has a really fine dust that comes out of it when you start to work it. 507 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:45,000 Since the perimeter of any perfect ring will meet a perfect sphere all the way around, 508 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:51,000 this kind of helps me just test and see that I'm reasonably close to a perfectly spherical. 509 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,000 These are so simple. 510 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:59,000 They're just, you know, there's nothing more pure than a sphere. 511 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:03,000 Unless the sphere needs a shave, Jamie resists yelling, 512 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,000 waiter, there's a hair in my poop. 513 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,000 He just takes care of business. 514 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,000 That's working. 515 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:28,000 Carrie Grant and Tori have risked life and limb to see if it really is faster to hit the ground running. 516 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,000 Flailing feet prove nothing. 517 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,000 And the hover bike was a total bust. 518 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:49,000 But with much more weight and maybe more grip, this stunt sedan just might do the trick. 519 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,000 I like driving. 520 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,000 Driving and hopefully braking is Carrie Byron. 521 00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:00,000 My strategy to keep consistency is I am just going to floor it for the start of each one of these tests. 522 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,000 Grant sets the mark at 300 feet. 523 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:07,000 Now Carrie sets some times from a standing start. 524 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:11,000 Here we go in three, two, one, go. 525 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:16,000 7.97. 526 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:23,000 As before, they'll average these control runs to compare against hitting the ground running. 527 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:33,000 Now that we have our data, the next step is to raise up the drive wheels, which are the front wheels, off the ground. 528 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:36,000 I think this has a good chance of being faster. 529 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:43,000 The car is more stable, it's got better traction, and the wheels are unlikely to stop when they hit the ground. 530 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:45,000 But there could be a few problems. 531 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,000 We could blop the tires. 532 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:49,000 The car could swerve out of control. 533 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,000 Or we could destroy the transmission. 534 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,000 We're interested to see what happens. 535 00:32:55,000 --> 00:33:03,000 With the engine at full revs, this 4,000 pound car is rigged with a quick release to smash into the road at top speed. 536 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,000 We've never done anything like this before. 537 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:10,000 So I guess we just have to cross our fingers and hope everything goes really well. 538 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:16,000 And if things don't go well, well, there's no way anyone here can help her. 539 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:24,000 Unlike the bike, the car wheels don't stop dead, but they do seem to struggle for traction. 540 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,000 The front end is up off the ground. 541 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,000 The wheels are spinning as fast as they can go. 542 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:35,000 I pull the release and it bounces off the pavement, skids out and takes off. 543 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,000 Tires didn't pop, so I think we're good. 544 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:42,000 We'll be able to do another test. 545 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,000 That's a green light for a second run. 546 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,000 This is the craziest thing ever. 547 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:54,000 You're standing down here at the end of the line and you see once the car hits the ground, huge cloud of smoke. 548 00:33:55,000 --> 00:34:01,000 And I'm not quite sure actually if the car is moving towards me until it breaks through the smoke and I can see it accelerating. 549 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,000 Incredibly, nothing's broken. 550 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:08,000 So Carrie hooks up for her third and final drop drag. 551 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:24,000 That was so awesome. 552 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,000 The redneck and me screaming the whole way. 553 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:29,000 I love a good burnout. 554 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,000 I'm sure the test went well too. 555 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:39,000 At the end of a day charged by hormones and horsepower, it all comes down to timing. 556 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:43,000 It was hitting the ground running faster than a standing start. 557 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:46,000 Now as cool as that was, I don't know if it made it any faster. 558 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:49,000 You know, I was concentrating so hard on just going straight at it. 559 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:51,000 It just all went slow motion for me. 560 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,000 All right, well the results are in and it was very close. 561 00:34:54,000 --> 00:35:00,000 Now the average for the control test for the whole 300 feet, 7.88 seconds. 562 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,000 What was hitting the ground running? 563 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:06,000 The average of hitting the ground running, 8.04 seconds. 564 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,000 Yes, we busted this one! 565 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,000 And we busted the car so we gotta push it home. 566 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:15,000 We've tried it running, cycling and now motoring. 567 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:20,000 This is one idiom that works better in theory than in practice. 568 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,000 Push harder! 569 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,000 Wait, who's steering? 570 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:38,000 For Adam and Jamie, it's been three long days of shaping and buffing. 571 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:43,000 But thanks to the ancient art of Dorodango, they've got a real chance 572 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,000 of actually imparting a polish to poop. 573 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:49,000 You know, the casual viewer might look at this and say, 574 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,000 pardon the pun, what a load of crap. 575 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:55,000 Who needs to know this? This is disgusting. 576 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,000 But I'm actually really fascinated by this. 577 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,000 Even if it is a disgusting material, it's totally unlikely. 578 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:05,000 And yet by really thinking carefully about it 579 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:10,000 and by polishing and working it, we've actually got a lovely shine on this. 580 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:13,000 Of course, it's not all smiles and sunshine. 581 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:16,000 The balls still stink to high heaven. 582 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:17,000 They're unsanitary. 583 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:21,000 And Adam's made a mess of the pants he was going to wear to the Emmys. 584 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:24,000 I swear that is as shiny as I'm going to get it. 585 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,000 It's pretty good. 586 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,000 Now, here's the rub. 587 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:32,000 What exactly defines a polish and how do you measure it? 588 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:34,000 Adam's left nothing to chance. 589 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:38,000 Because the whole point of this exercise is to polish a poop to question remains. 590 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:40,000 How do we know when we get there? 591 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,000 What is shiny? What is polished? 592 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:46,000 Well, we've got a gloss meter here, which measures shininess in gloss units. 593 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:50,000 And we know that anything above a gloss unit measurement of 70 594 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,000 is considered high gloss or polished. 595 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,000 And I submit that that is our target. 596 00:36:55,000 --> 00:37:00,000 First, I'm going to run it through its paces with this shiny chrome ball, 597 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:05,000 which no one would dispute is a very polished ball. 598 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:09,000 The gloss reading on polish chrome should give us some idea 599 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,000 of whether or not Adam's dung ball will make the grade. 600 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:14,000 Okay. 601 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:17,000 The results are in shiny chrome ball. 602 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,000 275 gloss units. 603 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:24,000 Now I'd like to measure my donna dungo. 604 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:28,000 They've cramped their fingers, lost time with loved ones, 605 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:33,000 and infused M5 with a stink that might just last forever. 606 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:38,000 But if they can bust this myth, well, it's almost worth it. 607 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,000 106. 608 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:50,000 Remember anything above a gloss units of 70 is high gloss and I got 106. 609 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:53,000 So I succeeded in polishing a poop. 610 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:55,000 Let's go get Jamie's. 611 00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:01,000 Dude, I achieved high gloss according to our gloss meter. 612 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:06,000 Not bad for like a lot of grass and other things in there. 613 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:07,000 Yeah, I got 106. 614 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:08,000 Wow. 615 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,000 I can just about see myself in it. 616 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:12,000 Oh, we got to test yours. 617 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:13,000 Come on, let's go. 618 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:14,000 Okay. 619 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:17,000 Jamie, you'll recall, chose the lion dung. 620 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:21,000 So in this bizarre quest for the best and brightest, 621 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:23,000 it's carnivore versus herbivore. 622 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:27,000 Nicely done, 183 gloss units. 623 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,000 So you should know anything above 70 gloss units is considered high gloss 624 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:32,000 and you knocked it out of the park. 625 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,000 So I guess I succeeded. 626 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:38,000 This is nothing but poop. 627 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:39,000 Yeah. 628 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,000 And like, what was it? 629 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,000 Three or four days of constant polishing in my off time? 630 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:46,000 Who knew? 631 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:50,000 Well, 106 gloss units for ostrich. 632 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:53,000 183 for lion. 633 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:54,000 They're shiny. 634 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:55,000 They are. 635 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,000 I'd say we've handily busted this man. 636 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,000 You can in fact polish a poop. 637 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:00,000 Yes, you can. 638 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:01,000 It's busted. 639 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:13,000 I hope you accept my apologies for the early explode us in deruptus. 640 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:17,000 Firing in three, two, one. 641 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:18,000 Wait, wait, wait, hold on, hold on. 642 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,000 It's now the end of the show and now we can proceed with ending with the bang. 643 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:28,000 In case you didn't remember, we've got a moped up there wrapped with a couple of hundred feet of debt cord. 644 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:30,000 It's like a spider caught it really. 645 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,000 And about a gallon of gasoline. 646 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:38,000 We're just about to light that puppy up and it should be pretty spectacular. 647 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,000 Ends with a bang? Are you ready? 648 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:44,000 I'm ready. 649 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:45,000 You sure? 650 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:46,000 Just do it. 651 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:50,000 Firing in three, two, one. 652 00:39:57,000 --> 00:39:59,000 That was suitably spectacular. 653 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,000 And suitably devastating. 654 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:15,000 They've turned a moped into a no-ped, but this idiom is only halfway tested. 655 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:17,000 Think I can still ride it? 656 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,000 Well, that was a heck of a bang. 657 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:23,000 That was one really good bang. 658 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:25,000 Let's check the high speed. 659 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:26,000 All right. 660 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:30,000 We got our bang and it was a peach. 661 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:36,000 But now Jamie's got this idea of destroying SUVs with thermite, 662 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:39,000 which is awesome because it probably doesn't mean a bang. 663 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:44,000 Now we get two things to compare against each other 664 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:48,000 to see if it really is best to end with a bang. 665 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:54,000 What's the earliest reference we have for ending with a bang? 666 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:56,000 The researchers had some trouble with this one, 667 00:40:56,000 --> 00:41:02,000 but they cleverly pulled up a 1925 poem by T.S. Eliot titled The Hollow Man, 668 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,000 which ends with the stanza, 669 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:09,000 This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper. 670 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:13,000 So does that imply that it's better to end with a bang? 671 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:14,000 I think that's what he's saying, 672 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:19,000 and I think that idea hit the popular culture and came all the way around to us. 673 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:26,000 But just what is Jamie's diabolical alternative? 674 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,000 Let's ask the man himself. 675 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:30,000 We're going to make some thermite. 676 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,000 That means I'm going to take this and mix it with this in that, 677 00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:37,000 and we're going to cut that in half. 678 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:42,000 Okay, that's nice and brief, but we'll need a bit more detail. 679 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:47,000 Thermite is a mix of iron oxide and finely powdered aluminum 680 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:49,000 that burns at super hot temperatures. 681 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:52,000 We used it previously during the Hindenburg episode 682 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,000 to a pretty spectacular effect, as you can see. 683 00:41:55,000 --> 00:42:00,000 The Hindenburg had a paint job partly based on the key components of thermite, 684 00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:04,000 which at least contributed to this historic fireball. 685 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:09,000 Thermites also used to build bombs and in commercial demolition, 686 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:12,000 so it's not the kind of thing you buy pre-packaged. 687 00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:18,000 So Jamie has to mix his own, very, very carefully. 688 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:22,000 The only people that we could find that are used to working with this kind of quantity of thermite 689 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,000 normally make solid rocket boosters. 690 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:28,000 And they told me that I need to be really careful with this 691 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:31,000 because even mixing it in a mixer like this 692 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:35,000 can generate enough heat from the friction that it could auto-ignite. 693 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:39,000 And once this stuff goes off, you don't want to be around it, 694 00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:41,000 so we're keeping a close eye on it. 695 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:45,000 Cue the sacrificial SUV. 696 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:49,000 It's Adam's job to prep the patient. 697 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:55,000 I have to remove the tires because they don't want the tires to burn out here. 698 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:57,000 So of all the things we're going to destroy, 699 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:01,000 we're going to leave the burning molten rubber out of the equation 700 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:04,000 and just set the car down on its frame. 701 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:11,000 The first batch of bathtub thermite is bagged and distributed. 702 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:16,000 So I figure we stuff these in around the engine 703 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:20,000 and when it starts to run through the hood, it'll set them off. 704 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:25,000 Now Adam's method gives an insight into Jamie's madness. 705 00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:30,000 He's landscaping the car with house bricks to form a flaming gutter. 706 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:33,000 My vision is that we're going to create a river of thermite 707 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:38,000 that's going to rain down on the inside of this SUV and cut it right in half. 708 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:41,000 Now, is it going to do that? 709 00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:45,000 We don't have a clue. It hasn't been done before, but it's going to be cool. 710 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:47,000 Something's just occurring to me. 711 00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:48,000 What's that? 712 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:50,000 This is a freaking lot of thermite. 713 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:53,000 Have you found anyone who's ever set off this much? 714 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,000 Nowhere close. 715 00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:57,000 Cool. 716 00:43:57,000 --> 00:43:59,000 Maybe somebody has, but I couldn't find him. 717 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:03,000 If he could, they probably wouldn't approve of this. 718 00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:08,000 By the time he's finished, Jamie's used more than a thousand pounds of thermite. 719 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:10,000 I don't know, but I think that ought to do it. 720 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:12,000 I ought to do something. 721 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:17,000 It's like repeatedly trying to do things that only happen in cartoons. 722 00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:20,000 Well, if we don't, who will? 723 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:24,000 The aim here is to stage a spectacle that's better than a bag. 724 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:26,000 So, what are the odds? 725 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:28,000 It burns at 4,500 degrees. 726 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:32,000 It's self-oxidizing, meaning that you can't really put it out 727 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:34,000 because it doesn't care what you do to it. 728 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:39,000 And as far as we know, nobody's used this much before. 729 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:41,000 It's going to be amazing. 730 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:46,000 If this works the way we're planning, if we actually achieve just splitting this SUV down the middle, 731 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,000 then absolutely it's going to be better than a bang. 732 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:53,000 But I really, if anybody guesses to whether or not it's going to work. 733 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:56,000 Okay, I'm going to light her up. 734 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:57,000 Over. 735 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:02,000 Don't you just love seeing history in the making? 736 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:05,000 Jamie sets the slow burn fuses. 737 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,000 Then Moses on back to safety. 738 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:19,000 Personally, I'd take this over bang any day because this is something special. 739 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:23,000 Once this stuff goes off, it's going to be nuts. 740 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:27,000 I think something's starting to happen towards the rear of the car. 741 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:32,000 Oh, cascading. 742 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:33,000 Yeah. 743 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:38,000 Oh, yeah. 744 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:42,000 That's what I'm talking about. 745 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:45,000 Oh, it's coming out the windows. 746 00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:48,000 It's definitely gotten into the cab. 747 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:52,000 Burning thermite is three times hotter than molten lava. 748 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:58,000 And the UV rays are so intense, you can't view it up close without a welder's mask. 749 00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:02,000 No wonder Jamie thought this might be better than a bang. 750 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:06,000 Oh, my God, it's gorgeous. 751 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,000 This is like the gift that keeps on giving. 752 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:15,000 Look at the size of the cloud that's putting out. 753 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:21,000 Wow. 754 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:27,000 Oh, there it is. The river's running down. 755 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:30,000 Yeah, you can see it dripping off the front of the car. 756 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:32,000 Exactly. Oh, that's great. 757 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:41,000 As the fire peaks then sputters, it looks like the thermite strip hasn't quite cleaved the roof. 758 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,000 Looks like it's peering out. 759 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:47,000 JD decides it's safe enough to venture forth. 760 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:51,000 While it didn't really cleanly cut it right down the middle like I was hoping, 761 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:54,000 there's not going to be a whole lot left of that car. 762 00:46:55,000 --> 00:47:00,000 You can't actually see where the two separate halves of the roof have dropped down. 763 00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:01,000 Oh, yeah. 764 00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:04,000 It cleanly sliced the whole roof where the main line was. 765 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:08,000 But for some reason it didn't get all the way to the windshield and it didn't cut through the hood. 766 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:09,000 No. 767 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:12,000 But rending the roof wasn't the main aim. 768 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:15,000 They just want to know one thing. 769 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:17,000 Was this better than a bang? 770 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:22,000 I'm sort of biased towards saying yes, because, I mean, 771 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:26,000 the amount of energy that was released here was just enormous. 772 00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:32,000 This was something that you just never see a thousand pounds of thermite going off. 773 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:34,000 This was fantastic. 774 00:47:34,000 --> 00:47:36,000 I loved it. 775 00:47:36,000 --> 00:47:40,000 Well, for ends with a bang, we've got two beautiful points of comparison. 776 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:44,000 On one hand, we've got the non-bang, and on the other hand, the bang. 777 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:46,000 I like the non-bang. 778 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:49,000 Yeah, and I like the bang, which means we're deadlocked. 779 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:51,000 We can't call this one. 780 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:54,000 Let's do something a little different and put it to the viewers. 781 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:55,000 Let them decide. 782 00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:05,000 Well, we got our bang and we got our non-bang. 783 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:09,000 But just in case you feel like ending this very episode with the bang, 784 00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:13,000 here's a few of my favorites starting off with a good old water heater explosion. 785 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:24,000 Bang! 786 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:26,000 Bang! 787 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:53,000 Bang!