1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,000 Music 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 On this episode of MythBusters, it's all about you, the viewers. 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,000 Is that a clean out the pipes? 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:21,000 We take four fan-fueled fables and apply the blowtorch of science. 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,000 Run, it's getting exposed! 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:28,000 First, can the fastest growing plant on the planet penetrate a person? 7 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Cemi is imagining himself to be a plant. 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,000 And will Brandi bring you back from the brink of hypothermia? 9 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,000 I'm going into delirium. 10 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:43,000 Then, if you mix alkaline metals and water, will it blow up your bath pump? 11 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:49,000 And finally, will burning a baby grand really cause it to explode? 12 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,000 Go, go, go, go! 13 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,000 So, sit back, drink up, and count backwards. 14 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,000 Three, two, one! 15 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:59,000 Because we're back to test more of your myths. 16 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,000 Music 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,000 Who are the MythBusters? 18 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Music 19 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:08,000 Adam Savage 20 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:09,000 Hey, hey, hey! 21 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,000 You need to bring some more power. 22 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,000 And Jamie Heineman. 23 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,000 I'm not so sure this is a good idea. 24 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,000 Between them more than 30 years of special effects experience. 25 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,000 Music 26 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,000 Joining them, Carrie Byron. 27 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Whose hairball idea is this? 28 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:26,000 Grant Imahara. 29 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:27,000 Watch out! 30 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,000 And Tori Belleggi. 31 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:30,000 This is going to be a free tea! 32 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,000 They don't just tell the myths. 33 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:33,000 If you say so, Junior. 34 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,000 They put them to the test. 35 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,000 Music 36 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,000 Music 37 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:49,000 Music 38 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,000 If you've got a myth for us to test, we'd love to hear about it. 39 00:01:52,000 --> 00:02:02,000 Here, off the icy waters of San Francisco Bay, we have a very rare opportunity to be able to view a very elusive television host in this natural habitat, the Heineman. 40 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Latin name, Hoosieris Televisualis. 41 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:10,000 And he seems to be communicating with his viewers, asking them for ideas. 42 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:11,000 And who knew? 43 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:17,000 Not only did you respond to the call, you opened the floodgates and sent us a gazillion myths. 44 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,000 So we selected a few of the best to test. 45 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:21,000 What's up first? 46 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,000 Bamboo torture. 47 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:29,000 Music 48 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,000 You had enough yet? 49 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,000 Cause I can keep singing all day long. 50 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,000 I can take whatever you can throw at me. 51 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,000 Alright then, well, how about that wise guy? 52 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,000 A tiny bamboo plant? 53 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,000 What are you going to do to me with that? 54 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,000 I'm going to plant it and then grow it right through you. 55 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,000 Really? 56 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:45,000 Does that work? 57 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:46,000 I don't know, but that's the myth. 58 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,000 And I've always wanted to try it. 59 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:50,000 Music 60 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,000 It's a far-fetched fable straight from the fan site. 61 00:02:53,000 --> 00:03:04,000 During World War II, captured POWs were supposedly stretched above and then penetrated by fast-growing bamboo shoots. 62 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,000 Music 63 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,000 So what's your plan for this one? 64 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:10,000 It's pretty straightforward, I think. 65 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,000 We get some kind of a human analog. 66 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:18,000 We get some fast-growing bamboo and we plant the bamboo under the analog and see if it grows through it. 67 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:24,000 Right, now normally I'd say we should use pig, but given the fact that this is going to take a few days, it's going to get way too smelly. 68 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:32,000 Well, I tell you what, why don't we measure how much force it takes to penetrate pig flesh and then we create a synthetic simulant that won't rot. 69 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,000 And then put the bamboo underneath that? 70 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,000 Exactly. 71 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,000 Music 72 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:47,000 And so crouching savage, hidden Heinemann, begin their long and arduous search for the legendary torture technique, 73 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:52,000 in the mystical bamboo groves of Santa Cruz. 74 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,000 Luckily enough, we live in California where bamboo grows beautifully. 75 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,000 And the purveyor of these potentially penetrating plants. 76 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,000 That's the thing right there. That'll get you talking. 77 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,000 Is Larry Gullman. 78 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,000 Is a bamboo shoot physically capable of pushing it its way through human flesh? 79 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:14,000 Bamboo shoots in the ground have to push through the dirt around rocks, through rotten logs. 80 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:20,000 I've seen bamboo shoots push up walkway pavers, so yes, they do push very hard when they're in the ground. 81 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000 If you're strapped down to this, oh, I can already feel it. 82 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,000 So the early signs are promising. 83 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,000 See, that's what we want. 84 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,000 And that's due to the unusual way in which bamboo grows. 85 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:42,000 The canes shoot out from an underground root system, and while underground, the shoot tips are extremely tough and sharp in order to push out through the soil. 86 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:47,000 So the question is, do they have enough force to push through a human body? 87 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,000 So let's say somebody owed you money. What kind of bamboo would you use? 88 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:53,000 I think you should use spectabulous. 89 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,000 It's shooting right now. It's about an inch in diameter and very sharp. Perfect. 90 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:02,000 With their potentially penetrating plants purchased, there's only one thing left to do. 91 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:06,000 Well, we've got our bamboo. It's time to go back to the shop and torture some dummies. 92 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:15,000 And now, Carrie Grant and Tori take the mystery out of chemistry. 93 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,000 Okay, so what's our next myth for the viewer special? 94 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:22,000 We're doing a myth about metal, and not just any metal, but my second favorite metal, alkaline metal. 95 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,000 Oh, you know what, Adam and I did some tests for that when we were doing the MacGyver episode, but why are we doing it again? 96 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,000 Because fans want to see more. They can't get enough. 97 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,000 Three, two, one. 98 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:40,000 When the team took on MacGyver, they busted the myth that a few grams of sodium in water can blast a hole in a wall. 99 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,000 That was an explosion, but this is not a high explosive. 100 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,000 But you, yes, you want more. 101 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,000 So what exactly did the fans want to see? 102 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,000 They want to see more reactive metals. 103 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:53,000 Oh, you mean like, rubidium and cesium? 104 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:58,000 Exactly. There's this internet video floating around where these guys throw cesium rubidium into a bathtub, 105 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,000 and they liken the explosion to a hand grenade. 106 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,000 Fans want to know if that's actually true. 107 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Okay, that's cool. But instead of bathtubs, why don't we do toilets? 108 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,000 You know, like we used to flush the cherry bombs down in high school. 109 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:14,000 You know, I wouldn't know anything about that. I was too busy studying chemistry, but, you know, if you want to do that, by all means, let's do it. 110 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,000 Is this opposite land? 111 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,000 And grenades and explosions, you say. 112 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Well, that could only mean a trip to the team's dream location, the Alameda County Sheriff's Bomb Disposal Range. 113 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,000 What are we blowing up today? Toilets, bathtubs. 114 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,000 Everything's got to catch and sink! 115 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:41,000 And the reason the bathroom furniture is on death row is the fan-fuehrer over a video clip that looks a little bit like this. 116 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:43,000 Anybody got anything to read? 117 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:55,000 After demonstrating that the reaction between water and the alkaline metals becomes more violent as you move down the periodic table, they get to rubidium. 118 00:06:55,000 --> 00:07:02,000 And with what looks to be about two grams, they claim to get a hand-grenade-sized explosion. 119 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:08,000 So to find out if this is film, fakery, or fact, we're going to need a control. 120 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:13,000 Now, on the internet video, they said that the reaction was equal to a hand-grenade explosion. 121 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,000 This ought to clean out the pipes. 122 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:21,000 So, we need to see what that looks like in order to have something to compare with. How great is this? We get to start off with the bang. 123 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,000 We're going to blow the crap out of that toilet. Get it? 124 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:33,000 Sure, but Grant and not Tori will explain how the team are going to safely explode the commode. 125 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:44,000 This is a grenade, but it's not a live grenade. In a live grenade, you'd have TNT in here, you pull the pin, the clip pops off, and this is what would set off the explosion. 126 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:50,000 But what we're going to do today is fill this with enough C4 to have the equivalent blasting power of the TNT. 127 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:58,000 Then, we're going to set it off with a blasting cap. That way, we can control exactly when it goes off, and it will be much, much safer. 128 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:02,000 Alright, well, we have an actual grenade wired, and it's sitting in the toilet, ready to blow. 129 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,000 And once we see that explode, we'll have something to compare the Acolyte metals to. 130 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,000 Okay. Let's blow this thing up. 131 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Fire in the bowl. 132 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,000 Three, two, one. 133 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:17,000 The toilet's gone. 134 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:19,000 Yep, now you see it. 135 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,000 Now you don't. 136 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,000 Oh, we've blown it up real good. 137 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:31,000 That's nice. 138 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,000 All that's left is the water take. 139 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,000 God, the bowl just shattered. 140 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:37,000 Yeah. 141 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:41,000 We destroyed this toilet, and now I know what a real grenade looks like when it goes off. 142 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:48,000 So now we've got a great reference for what it should look like when we put our Acolyte metals in a toilet, in water. 143 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:54,000 I just don't think that the Acolyte metals are going to have this kind of reaction, but I hope I'm wrong. 144 00:08:54,000 --> 00:09:04,000 Well, there's only one way to find out, and that's to match the myth by throwing the highly reactive rubidium and cesium down the pan. 145 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:22,000 Used in water wheels and weapons, construction and the culinary arts, as a raw material, bamboo's versatility is virtually limitless. 146 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,000 In the Philippines, they call this the dance of the bamboo pole. 147 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:34,000 But fans want to know if this flexible, fast growing grass could have been used as an instrument of torture. 148 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:43,000 And to find out, Adam and Jamie need a human guinea pig to pierce. 149 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,000 But which one? 150 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,000 So the whole point of this test is to come up with a human analogue. 151 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,000 And we've done this on the show before, but usually with ballistics. 152 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,000 I don't see any subcutaneous damage here. 153 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:04,000 And this is a very well-explored field, not the slow penetration of something sharp like a bamboo plant. 154 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,000 Nobody's done a lot of figuring on that, so we have to do it ourselves. 155 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:13,000 We've got to go to the butcher, get a big slab of meat, start pushing spikes into it, come up with readings, 156 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,000 and when we get those readings, it's how much pressure and resistance the meat provides. 157 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:21,000 We've got to imitate it with synthetic materials. 158 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:26,000 We have to make a fake torso with accurate flesh-like resistance to a growing bamboo shoot. 159 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,000 This has got to be the most gruesome thing I've ever made. 160 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,000 The guys need to know exactly what that resistance is. 161 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:41,000 You know, pushing through the meat very slowly, Jamie is imagining himself to be a plant. 162 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:42,000 What's our peak? 163 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:43,000 8 max. 164 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:49,000 Photosynthesizing, yearning for the sun, grabbing nutrients from the earth. 165 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:53,000 All these things are passing through his mind. 166 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:58,000 Several tests later, and the guys have a decent sample range. 167 00:10:58,000 --> 00:10:59,000 9.5 total. 168 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:02,000 And decide to round up for simplicity's sake. 169 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:06,000 Well, 10 pounds seems to be the magic number with this spike in penetrating flesh. 170 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:11,000 So all we've got to do is find and mix materials around here that makes a flesh that doesn't rot and stick. 171 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,000 Oh, there's some good stuff up here, Jamie. 172 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,000 Because rotting and sticking upsets Jamie. 173 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,000 It's kind of collapsing in on it, so... 174 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:20,000 Yeah, I know. 175 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,000 But after spending an hour looking for a synthetic flesh analog... 176 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,000 It skins a little too tough. 177 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:29,000 Jamie has a light bulb moment, and they return to square one. 178 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,000 Our ballistic material. 179 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:36,000 I think it's perfect. Let me see what the needle says. 180 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:37,000 10 pounds. 181 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:38,000 Wow. 182 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,000 That is close enough for my money. I love that. 183 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:42,000 And it's reusable. 184 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:46,000 So clear ballistics material is the raw material of choice. 185 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,000 He's on, let's get it. 186 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:53,000 And Adam goes to work casting a torso to torture. 187 00:11:53,000 --> 00:12:00,000 Dude, this is what a back rub looks like from the inside of your body. 188 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:01,000 Next. 189 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:03,000 Hello. 190 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:09,000 The guys whip up a rooftop greenhouse and then assemble it unsurprisingly... 191 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,000 Rise, my son. 192 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:12,000 ...on the rooftop. 193 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Dude, touchdown, oh man. 194 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:20,000 This may look nice and sunny, and it is, but it's also a torture chamber, or it will be soon. 195 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:26,000 So that's the greenhouse and bamboo in position, which leaves just one component. 196 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,000 Oh, you're mine now. 197 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:36,000 And the torso is carefully positioned above several shoots that have yet to fully break through the soil surface. 198 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:41,000 This version of Buster is our final stage of testing in the bamboo. 199 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,000 Will it grow through a person? 200 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,000 And after experimenting with a bunch of different flesh analogs, 201 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,000 ah, look at that. Those are the two growth points. They're beautiful. 202 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,000 This ballistics material is non-water-based. It won't rot. 203 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:56,000 It's the perfect material in terms of the amount of pressure it takes to push through. 204 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:03,000 So if the bamboo grows through this chest, we can definitively state that it would grow through you as well. 205 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,000 Is that it? 206 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,000 That ought to do it. 207 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,000 All right, well, let's get out of here and come back in a couple of days to see how it did. 208 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:14,000 The way I see it, if the bamboo shoot works its way two or three inches into the back of the dummy, 209 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:18,000 then it's an effective means of torturing. All we've got to do is wait. 210 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:24,000 And while we wait, let's take time out to find out where this torturous tale came from. 211 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,000 Since this is normally the portion of the show where we give some scientific background to the myth that we're tackling, 212 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,000 what have we got in bamboo as a torture device? 213 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,000 Absolutely nothing. 214 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:37,000 Nothing? No official reports, no first-hand accounts? 215 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:38,000 Nothing. Nunca. 216 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,000 Wow. All right. 217 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:14,000 With two grams of rubidium or cesium to water, it'll blow up your bathroom furniture. 218 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,000 With a hand grenade-sized explosion. 219 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,000 This ought to clean out the pipes. 220 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:23,000 To find out if it's actually true, we're doing a direct comparison. 221 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,000 This is the hand grenade. 222 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,000 Bring on the alkali metals. 223 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,000 But first, here's the sciencey bit. 224 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,000 This is cesium, and this is rubidium. 225 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:37,000 And they're part of a special class of elements called alkali metals. 226 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,000 Now, what makes them special is they have one electron. 227 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:46,000 Now, normally what they want to do is react with other things and give up that electron. 228 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:52,000 Now, what happens when the alkali metals react with water is they release a lot of heat, 229 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:58,000 and the other byproduct is hydrogen gas, and the heat tends to ignite the hydrogen gas. 230 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:03,000 It's a perfect storm of something that causes an explosion. 231 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:07,000 And to put these highly reactive metals in contact with water safely, 232 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,000 the team has a couple of safety precautions lined up. 233 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,000 Pretty simple. It's a little guillotine. 234 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:17,000 Weight drops down onto small glass vials which are holding the metals, 235 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,000 releasing it into the toilet, and we'll see what happens. 236 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,000 Now, normally Grant's a better shot when he's using the toilet. 237 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,000 But what he's doing right now is he's wetting down the ground, 238 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,000 so in case there's any excess alkali metals that fly out of the toilet, 239 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:31,000 they'll hit the water on the ground and react so we're not leaving any of the metals behind. 240 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,000 And the first metal to be flushed is rubidium. 241 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:41,000 Rubidium fun fact. This stuff, rubidium compounds are put in fireworks to make the color purple. 242 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:46,000 In the video, they said they used two grams, and they got an explosion the size of a hand grenade. 243 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:50,000 Now, we're going to use 25 grams. That's more than 10 times the amount. 244 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,000 So if it's true what they're saying, we're going to have a huge explosion. 245 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,000 It'll be the mayor of rubidium town. Ready? 246 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:57,000 Yep. 247 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,000 Three, two, one. 248 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,000 That was quick. Look at that cloud. 249 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:11,000 Well, it all went according to plan. The string was cut and the guillotine fell. 250 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:17,000 The rubidium was released into the water and cue the chemistry. 251 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:24,000 The sudden release of hydrogen gas and heat combines to give us a satisfying toilet bowl guiser. 252 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:25,000 Three. 253 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:31,000 But, and here's the key, it was nothing like the internet video and grenade-sized explosion. 254 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,000 So the chemistry predicts a big reaction. 255 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:40,000 I guess it's a big reaction on a chemical scale, but not on a grenade scale. 256 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:48,000 We got a huge cloud and a little spark, a little flash, but no explosion, no shattering of the toilet bowl. 257 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:50,000 So, rubidium doesn't do it. 258 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,000 Well, we may not have had hand grenades, but at least we still have good chemistry. 259 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,000 But we haven't given up yet. 260 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:00,000 Next up in an attempt to blow up the bowl is cesium. 261 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,000 So this is it. This is cesium. 262 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:08,000 This is the most reactive alkali metal that we can get our hands on that's not radioactive. 263 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:15,000 We're going to put this in the toilet bowl and see if it behaves when exposed to water like a grenade. 264 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:16,000 Okay. 265 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,000 In three, two, one. 266 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,000 Ah! 267 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:24,000 Cool. 268 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,000 There was a little bit more reaction, more popping, but it was just a big cloud of gas again. 269 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:33,000 More energy, more flame, but definitely no explosion. 270 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:39,000 Now, I feel like I've been lied to because what I saw on that internet video was an explosion. 271 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,000 What I saw here was a cloud of smoke. 272 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:47,000 Now, a cloud of smoke is not going to destroy a toilet like a hand grenade will. 273 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,000 So, Cary, what does that mean? 274 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,000 Which means they faked it and this is busted. 275 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:09,000 After all, they've already confirmed that Chinese water torture can send you around the bend. 276 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,000 I actually don't want to do this test right now. 277 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:18,000 But now, at your behest, they're testing the power of botany to bring you to the brink. 278 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:26,000 Are bamboo shoots sharp, tough and fast growing enough to pierce a human torso? 279 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:34,000 And with the ballistics material dummy suspended above the soon-to-shoot bamboo, the clock is ticking. 280 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:38,000 I'd imagine that torture is a pretty results-driven business. 281 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,000 And so, we're looking for a couple of things here. 282 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:46,000 We're looking as to whether the shoot can actually grow through this flesh simulant 283 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,000 and also how much time it takes for it to do that. 284 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,000 And they're both really important because if it takes months to do it, 285 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,000 it's not really an effective means of torture. 286 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,000 If it does it in a couple of hours or a couple of days, though, 287 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:04,000 that starts to put it in the realm of possibility. 288 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:12,000 And Jamie's prediction is spot-on because after just three days, our tortured torso is surely ready to talk. 289 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:17,000 The bamboo shoot specifically evolved to push its way through the soil 290 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:23,000 and has no problem penetrating the flesh and along. 291 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,000 That looks painful. 292 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,000 I could see it from here, man. 293 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,000 The bamboo is growing into our poor dude. 294 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:33,000 The experiment could not be going better. 295 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:37,000 We have already gotten exactly what we came looking for, 296 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,000 which is at the point at which bamboo meets flesh. 297 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,000 Does it make a left-hand turn or does it just keep on going? 298 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,000 And it's pretty clear, but it just keeps on going. 299 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:52,000 Well, you know, I said earlier that if there was any penetration at all, then that's torture. 300 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,000 So I say this myth is... 301 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,000 Oh! Let's not call it just yet. I want to see how far we can take it. 302 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,000 Let's let it keep on growing. 303 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,000 Okay. 304 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,000 But over two weeks later, the news isn't good. 305 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,000 Despite several other shoots making their way into the dummy, 306 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:14,000 Adam's wish to see complete penetration comes to naught. 307 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:19,000 Look at that. They haven't grown an inch in two weeks. Those things are dead. 308 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:23,000 Yeah, and look at that. The ballistic gel is melted. 309 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,000 Unless it got so hot in here, that's what killed him. 310 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:31,000 We did prove that you could torture somebody with bamboo if you were determined. 311 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,000 Yeah, but we didn't see the bamboo grow all the way through the guy. 312 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,000 I mean, that was supposed to be the grand finale. 313 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,000 You know, we've got one more dummy. Let's check it up there and see what happens. 314 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,000 Okay. 315 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:48,000 So a second Ballistics Material torso, this time with attractive wig and facial features, 316 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,000 is taken to the roof, where the team has set up a second growing area, 317 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,000 one that's open to the elements. 318 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Well, our dude is set up, and this is our last chance to see bamboo grow through a person. 319 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,000 It's our last mannequin. It's our last viable bamboo shoot, 320 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:04,000 and it's pretty much the end of the growing season. 321 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,000 So if it's going to happen, it's got to happen here. 322 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,000 And what do you know? Adam's desperation is well rewarded. 323 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:18,000 Fast forward a couple of weeks, and this time the results are nothing short of astounding. 324 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,000 That's what I'd call it through and through. 325 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,000 Ha ha ha ha ha ha! 326 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,000 We wanted to know if the bamboo would grow all the way through you. 327 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,000 It turns out not only will it, but it actually thrives. 328 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:35,000 This is 12 feet of bamboo, and it's going right through this guy's chest. 329 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,000 It doesn't get any more definitive than that. 330 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:41,000 I feel like someone's almost playing an April Fool's joke. That's so perfect. 331 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:45,000 Obviously, bamboo can grow right through you, like it did over here. 332 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:51,000 But for this to be a reasonable method of torture, if you can consider a torture reasonable in any sense, 333 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,000 it needs to do it fairly quickly. 334 00:21:53,000 --> 00:22:00,000 And our time lapse shows that this penetrated that body in a matter of a couple of days or so. 335 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,000 It's possible, as gruesome as it is. 336 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:07,000 That is awesome. Plausible and awesome. Plausible. 337 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,000 So what's next in the conveyor belt of myths? 338 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,000 Well, for this one, I got to paint you a picture. 339 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,000 Imagine yourself on the frozen Arctic tundra. 340 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,000 You're sled dogs of a band and you've run out of all your equipment and food, 341 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:35,000 and slowly you are dying, your life ebbing away minute by minute. 342 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,000 Yeah, okay, I remember that. 343 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:44,000 And then, tear-soaked eyes, you see relief, salvation on the horizon in the form of a Saint Bernard, 344 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,000 trotting towards you with a barrel around his neck. That barrel is full of brandy. 345 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:54,000 You take a couple of snorts of that brandy, it warms you up just enough to keep you alive until the rescue team arrives. 346 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,000 Or this is like an aperitif before I eat the dog. 347 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,000 You can't say that. 348 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:20,000 The Saint Bernard and its barrel of life-saving brandy is a famously warm and fuzzy fable that you want answered. 349 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:25,000 Will the arrival of a keg on legs really keep you alive? 350 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:29,000 Or is it, when you knew this was coming, just a shaggy dog story? 351 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,000 Say, Junior, are you carrying brandy too? 352 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,000 Heck no, I bring the chaser. 353 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:41,000 I've actually heard that alcohol has the opposite effect and it cools you down, not warms you up. 354 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:45,000 It's strange because I swear it has a warming effect when I drink it. 355 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,000 Should be pretty straightforward to try. 356 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:53,000 I think so. I think all we need to do is find ourselves a nice, big freezer, a way of monitoring our body temperature, 357 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,000 drink a few shots of the heart stuff and see what kind of change occurs. 358 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:57,000 Works for me. 359 00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:59,000 My ears are starting to sting. 360 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:03,000 But before the guys get to test this frosty fable in the freezer, 361 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,000 I'm going into the delirium of thinking about what I'll do once I'm warm. 362 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:12,000 Adam's ensuring accurate info by ingesting a thermometer? 363 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:18,000 Since this whole test is about whether or not there's any change in our body temperature from the drinking of the alcohol, 364 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:21,000 we need to know exactly what our body temperature is. 365 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:25,000 And this isn't a thermometer under the tongue or one in the ear or one on the skin. 366 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:27,000 We need our core body temperature measured. 367 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:33,000 We've done this on the show before back when I got painted with gold paint and I had a rectal thermometer. 368 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:38,000 Oh, so, Jay, we respect me tomorrow. 369 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,000 Neither of us want to do that this time. 370 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:49,000 We're bringing in a brand new piece of technology called a core body temperature capsule. 371 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,000 There we go. 372 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:57,000 It's basically a passive radio. 373 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,000 It goes into our stomach, keeps track of our core body temperature, 374 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,000 and we check in on it with this. 375 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:06,000 We hold this up to our bodies and boop, it tells us what our core body temperature is. 376 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,000 And a couple days later, we pass it. 377 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,000 They're disposable. 378 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,000 I ate a radio for science. 379 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,000 That super accurate body temperature thermometer is not all they'll be using. 380 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,000 The guys are going for data overload. 381 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:24,000 We're going to be doing some standardized tests at regular intervals throughout the day. 382 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,000 The first one is the core body temperature. 383 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,000 Go ahead and swallow that puppy. 384 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,000 I know. 385 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,000 The second one is we're going to check in on how we actually feel. 386 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:42,000 On a coldness scale, one being the coldest and ten being not cold at all, where do you stand? 387 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,000 Eight. 388 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,000 Eight? You're just a little bit cold. 389 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:53,000 The third one is we're going to be using a thermal imaging camera to check our heat signatures on the exterior of our bodies. 390 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,000 Wow, you look funny. 391 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,000 I can see you breathing. 392 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,000 Basic temperature of your left hand, 94.1. 393 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:06,000 And so armed with their battery of data gathering equipment and a warm weather baseline. 394 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,000 Tip of the nose, 96 degrees. 395 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:12,000 The boys are ready for the big freeze. 396 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,000 Alright, that's the baseline. Let's get cold. 397 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:27,000 Carrie Grant and Tori have already busted the myth that a few grams of cesium or rubidium can cause a hand grenade-sized explosion. 398 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,000 The internet is lying again. 399 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:33,000 So now it's time for the patented mythbusters ramping up. 400 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:45,000 We're flushing the toilet and to blow up the bathtub, we're stretching the budget and moving into the realm of ridiculous by using a massive two and a half kilograms of sodium. 401 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,000 You ready to do this, Grant? 402 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,000 I'm ready to do it. 403 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:57,000 And to accommodate the two and a half kilograms of sodium, Carrie has adapted her guillotine. 404 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:02,000 She's added a sledgehammer, which means there's only one thing left to do. 405 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:07,000 Find out for the fans if super-sizing the sodium will blast the bathtub. 406 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,000 Alright, this is sodium. 407 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,000 In three, two, one. 408 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:21,000 Wait, wait, wait. 409 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:22,000 Oh my gosh. 410 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:23,000 The gas. 411 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:24,000 Poisonous gas. 412 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:31,000 While the team holds its breath, let's check out the replay. 413 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:39,000 That was crazy. 414 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:42,000 We dropped the sodium into the water and we got a huge explosion. 415 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,000 It actually cracked the bathtub. 416 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:48,000 The best part about it is two of the blocks didn't even react with the water. 417 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,000 They were thrown out. 418 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:52,000 That was incredible. 419 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,000 Yep, spectacular. 420 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,000 But it only caused a crack. 421 00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,000 The tub didn't disintegrate. 422 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,000 So, how about taking it up a notch? 423 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,000 But Christmas, that was amazing. 424 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:09,000 But up next is potassium, which is even more reactive. 425 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,000 And yep, same amount. 426 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:15,000 Uh-huh, two and a half kilograms of potassium. 427 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,000 Take it away. 428 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:20,000 School lab chemistry like you've never seen it before. 429 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:21,000 Okay, we're good. 430 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:22,000 Let's go. 431 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:27,000 But will it provide the big boom we and you have been waiting for? 432 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,000 Two, one. 433 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:37,000 That was like fireworks. 434 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,000 Wow, that was the 4th of July in there. 435 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:44,000 You know what? 436 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:45,000 It didn't explode. 437 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,000 Like, it was like a bunch of little pops. 438 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,000 It wasn't one big boom. 439 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,000 Yes, once again, it's an exciting chemical reaction. 440 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:58,000 But it's still not high explosives. 441 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:07,000 So, in conclusion, you can use ridiculous amounts of sodium and potassium. 442 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:11,000 You can use the more reactive elements in the alkali metal family. 443 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:14,000 But you won't get a hand grenade-sized explosion 444 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:19,000 and blow up a bathtub unless you use C4, like this. 445 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,000 Fire in the hole! 446 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:24,000 All right, JD, in three, two, one. 447 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:25,000 Yeah! 448 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:28,000 Did you see how high it shot that water? 449 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,000 Yes, the shock wave emanating from a C4 detonation 450 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,000 is approximately 8,000 meters per second, 451 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:40,000 which is in a different league to alkali metals and water. 452 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:46,000 Proving that that internet video is nothing but science fiction. 453 00:29:55,000 --> 00:30:01,000 Adam and Jamie are about to chill out to find out if a shot of brandy... 454 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:02,000 Good boy. 455 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,000 ...will actually stave off hypothermia. 456 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,000 Or is it simply a furry fable? 457 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:11,000 Since we always want to be authentic on MythBusters, 458 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:15,000 Bob here, a St. Bernard, is going to be delivering the brandy to us. 459 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,000 Isn't that right, Bob? 460 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,000 We are at the very perfect place to test this myth 461 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:22,000 at a company called Deans Services, 462 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:27,000 and they've got 125,000 square feet of freezer-cold rooms 463 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,000 at zero degrees Fahrenheit, 464 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,000 which is the temperature we're going to be working at. 465 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,000 Oh, what's your core body temperature? 466 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,000 Let's get a baseline before we get into the cold. 467 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,000 98.29. 468 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,000 98.24. 469 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:41,000 Are you ready? 470 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:43,000 Ready as I'll ever be. 471 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,000 Remember, Adam and Jamie, 472 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:49,000 with their core body temperature capsules already in their stomachs... 473 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:50,000 It's cold! 474 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:51,000 I know! 475 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:54,000 ...are literally walking thermometers. 476 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,000 But they'll also be monitoring their mood, 477 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,000 as well as the surface temperature of their extremities. 478 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,000 It's weird having a job where our only task today 479 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,000 is to get cold and then drunk. 480 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,000 Yup, stage one of the test is to simulate a situation 481 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,000 in which the guys will need rescuing 482 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,000 by a brandy-carrying St. Bernard. 483 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,000 I'm starting to get uncomfortable. 484 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,000 And that means getting very cold, very fast. 485 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,000 Right now, I don't feel so bad, 486 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:24,000 but it's changing rapidly. 487 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:27,000 Stage two, once they've completely chilled out... 488 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:28,000 Calamari! 489 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,000 Get the brandy! 490 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,000 ...the drinking commences. 491 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,000 But just ten minutes into the test, 492 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,000 and the guys get the first piece of relevant information. 493 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,000 And it's not what you'd expect. 494 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,000 My temperature's been steadily going up. 495 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,000 It's now at 98.56. 496 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:46,000 What does yours say? 497 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:47,000 Yeah, I'm going up, too. 498 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,000 I'm at 98.9. 499 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,000 I haven't read up on this, 500 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:54,000 but the fact that my internal body temperature is rising 501 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,000 while I'm feeling like I'm getting colder 502 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:00,000 says to me something like my vascular system 503 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,000 has clamped down on my extremities 504 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:05,000 and keeping the heat inside. 505 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,000 Check out the big brain on Jamie! 506 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:11,000 Because he's nailed one of the key responses 507 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,000 of all endothermic animals to the cold. 508 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:18,000 The superficial blood vessels constrict preventing heat loss 509 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:22,000 through the skin and directing blood to critical internal organs. 510 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:26,000 With such amazing evolutionary adaptations, 511 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:29,000 it could take a while before the guys need rescuing. 512 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,000 So to hurry things along, 513 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,000 they decide on some drastic action. 514 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:36,000 I don't think we're getting cold enough fast enough. 515 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:40,000 I think we should take off our hats and unzip our coats. 516 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,000 Really, I have to take my hat off? 517 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:43,000 Yes, you do. 518 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,000 And with significant heat loss taking place through the head... 519 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,000 This sucks, man. 520 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:53,000 It's just what you don't want to do when caught out in the cold. 521 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:57,000 And I feel like I just dunked my head in a bucket of ice water. 522 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:01,000 I was happy before that. 523 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:05,000 As they approach the hour mark, my hands are starting to hurt. 524 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:08,000 The guys finally reach the point where they need rescuing. 525 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,000 They've reached the limits of their endurance, 526 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:14,000 at least for a voluntary, safely monitored situation like this. 527 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:15,000 Cold. 528 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:19,000 So it's time for the crucial round of pre-brandy data collection. 529 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,000 I'm 98.49. 530 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:25,000 Their ingested thermometers are showing stable internal temperatures. 531 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,000 Subjective testing. 532 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:30,000 Coldness scale, 1 to 10. 533 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,000 I'm saying I'm at least about a 2. 534 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,000 Yeah, I agree with that assessment. 535 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,000 Extremedies? 536 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,000 Extremedies are painful. 537 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:43,000 My hands are hurting my head, especially. 538 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:47,000 And the thermal camera, as well as providing Adam with entertainment... 539 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:48,000 Wow, man. 540 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:52,000 I gotta tell you, with your hat off, you're looking a Bond villain in this shot. 541 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:55,000 ...seems to confirm Jamie's earlier theory. 542 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,000 Despite their stable core body temperature, 543 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:02,000 their extremities have plummeted by over 20 degrees. 544 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,000 My fingers hurt. 545 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:07,000 Okay, your face is 65 degrees. 546 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,000 The number noted is just one thing left to do. 547 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:12,000 My ears are starting to sting. 548 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,000 Help me, Bob, I'm freezing. 549 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,000 Bring on the brandy. 550 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:20,000 At this point, I'm in the rare position of hoping that the myth is true. 551 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,000 We've got a really weird myth for the viewer special. 552 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:35,000 Have you ever heard that a piano can explode in a fire? 553 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:39,000 No, I have not, but it does make sense because the strings are under a lot of tension. 554 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,000 Who cares if it makes sense? We might get to see a piano explode. 555 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:49,000 Ah, the humble piano. Tickle its ivories and you get beautiful music. 556 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:56,000 But in a fire, could it turn from innocent keyboard into an instrument of mass destruction? 557 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:00,000 Well, this sounds pretty straightforward. 558 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:03,000 All we need to do is get a piano, build a fire under it, and see if it explodes. 559 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:08,000 Well, hang on. I think before we do that, we need to find out how much tension the strings are under. 560 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,000 Actually, I know the perfect people for that. 561 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,000 And that perfect piano place... 562 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:15,000 Ready to get your tune on... 563 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,000 is owned by John Callahan, the piano man. 564 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:27,000 So, the myth that we're working on is that if you put a piano in a fire, it will explode. 565 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:31,000 Wow, I've actually heard people talk about that before. 566 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:36,000 Having never burned a piano myself, I don't know if that's true, but I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen. 567 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:42,000 To me, it sounds relatively plausible because, you know, I understand there's a lot of tension on the strings. 568 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,000 Well, there sure is a lot of tension on the strings. 569 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:53,000 In a piano, the steel wire is stretched across the cast iron plate, and there's about 200 pounds of tension on each wire average. 570 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:57,000 We have about 230 wires in the piano. 571 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:01,000 So there's a total of over 20 tons of force trying to collapse the piano. 572 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:03,000 Now that sounds promising. 573 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:09,000 The strings stretched across the cast iron plate hold 40,000 pounds of pressure. 574 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:15,000 And if the flames cause them to fail, hey presto, exploding piano. 575 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,000 Oh, wait a minute. I forgot something. I'll be right back. 576 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:33,000 Come on, Grant. The jig is up. 577 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:41,000 Back to work, and that means back to the bomb range for some piano pyromania. 578 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:45,000 It's always a good day when you started at the bomb range. 579 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:49,000 Callahans have kindly given the team a baby grand to ignite. 580 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:54,000 Now all they have to do is get it off the truck. 581 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:55,000 Only piano sucks. 582 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,000 And into position. 583 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,000 I'm just going to do a little tension music. 584 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:04,000 Is the piano going to fall at the fork lift? 585 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:12,000 While Carrie does some, you know, actual work, Torey and Grant serenade her the only way they know how. 586 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,000 Badly. 587 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:17,000 Here's the organ grinder. 588 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:21,000 Grinding organ's only a knife. 589 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:27,000 With the piano standing at its own legs, there's just one thing left to do. Tune it. 590 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:32,000 All right, John, I know the tuning of piano at a bomb range is probably a pretty strange working condition for you, 591 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:36,000 but we need to give this myth the best possible chance of working. 592 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:39,000 So we need to get each one of these strings at the proper tension. 593 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,000 I'll do my best. 594 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:47,000 And as John brings the piano to a perfect pitch, the guys pitch in to build the bonfire. 595 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:50,000 So to all the piano aficionados out there, just want to let you know, 596 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,000 we love pianos. 597 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,000 We're not enjoying this in the least. 598 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:56,000 Let it all fire. 599 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:59,000 Let it all fire. 600 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:00,000 Okay, just a little bit. 601 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:04,000 But this piano was destined for the dump. It's not salvageable. 602 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:07,000 Unfortunately, it's beyond repair. 603 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:09,000 So somebody had to do it. 604 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:10,000 Might as well be us. 605 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:14,000 Yep, this old piano has no more tickle in its ivories. 606 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:16,000 But the end can't come soon enough for Carrie. 607 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:21,000 Now you think I would be sad to have this lovely piano burned into nothing. 608 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:26,000 But quite honestly, if I have to hear another verse of Tory singing and Grant playing the piano... 609 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:31,000 Blue milk, blue milk. 610 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:34,000 I'm going to jump in the fire. 611 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:37,000 I guess all there is left to do then is throw some kerosene on the wood. 612 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,000 All right, let's light it. 613 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:43,000 Light it on fire. Find out if we have a bomb fire. 614 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:46,000 Well, if there's truth to this myth, this thing could explode. 615 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:48,000 So we better get out of here because this could be very dangerous. 616 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:51,000 And I'm totally okay with that. 617 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,000 So it's this baby grand's finale. 618 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:56,000 But will the meltdown be a let down? 619 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:58,000 Run, it's gonna explode. 620 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:01,000 Or will it be a musical mushroom cloud? 621 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,000 The piano is definitely on fire. 622 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,000 Wow. 623 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:07,000 That is a nice fire. 624 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:12,000 Adam and Jamie are chilling out. 625 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:13,000 Literally. 626 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:15,000 My ears are starting to sting. 627 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:16,000 Yeah. 628 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:21,000 And at the limit of their cold weather endurance, they need rescuing. 629 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,000 Get the brandy out. 630 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,000 But is the mythical shot of Brandy the right way to go? 631 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:27,000 There we go. 632 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,000 Seriously. 633 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:35,000 That's good, Brandy. 634 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:39,000 The immediate signs, at least on a subjective level, seem to back up the myth. 635 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:41,000 Yeah, the brandy sort of helped a little bit. 636 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:47,000 There's definitely a feeling, a distinct feeling of a warm glow happening down here. 637 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:50,000 But really, it's still painfully cold. 638 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:55,000 But honestly, if you gave me the choice, I'd pour it on my hands and set it on fire at this point. 639 00:39:55,000 --> 00:40:02,000 A few minutes after downing the supposedly life-saving shots, the guys rustle up another set of data. 640 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:05,000 And although their body temperature remains stable. 641 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,000 99.15. 642 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,000 Mine's 98.6. 643 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,000 The numbers for skin temperature are very interesting. 644 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:15,000 Face is 74 degrees. 645 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:20,000 Which is an increase of 9 degrees from their pre-brandy temperatures. 646 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,000 Alright, Jamie, your face. 647 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,000 78 degrees. 648 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:28,000 But again, the science backs up the numbers. 649 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:35,000 Alcohol does in fact dilate your blood vessels, leading to flushed cheeks and more blood flow to your skin. 650 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:36,000 There we go. 651 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:40,000 And to find out if this effect is really helping fight off the cold. 652 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:41,000 Cheers! 653 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:44,000 Another shot is called for and Dooley drunk. 654 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:49,000 I got a hair. 655 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:54,000 And once again, the immediate signs are that the alcohol has a positive subjective effect. 656 00:40:54,000 --> 00:41:01,000 I'm picturing big steaming pans of warm food and dunking my hands into them. 657 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:07,000 I'm going into the delirium of thinking about what I'll do once I'm warm. 658 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:14,000 But assuming this is a life or death situation, maybe improving your mood isn't a priority. 659 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:18,000 I can already tell that my mental faculties are impaired. 660 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:19,000 What we're supposed to do? 661 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:20,000 Left hand. 662 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,000 Oh, I'm getting them wrong, aren't I? 663 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:29,000 I don't think, just from a subjective point of view, that I'd want to further impair them with alcohol. 664 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:33,000 Although, you know, caring less about the cold certainly has its merits. 665 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:39,000 Yeah, you might do better by trying to, you know, light a small fire or something like that. 666 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:40,000 Get shelter. 667 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:44,000 And with that pearl of wisdom, it's time to gather the last set of data. 668 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:47,000 Okay, face 72 degrees. 669 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:55,000 Again, the thermal camera shows the guy's skin temperature to be higher than or equal to pre-brandy numbers. 670 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:59,000 Dude, I just can't get over how funny looking you look on a thermal camera. 671 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:03,000 But critically, the same can't be said for their core body temperature. 672 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,000 97.37. 673 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:10,000 Which is a sudden and worrying drop of a whole degree. 674 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:14,000 Although, by this point, Adam's having too much fun to care. 675 00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:21,000 In a few minutes, I feel like the creature that's running the Jamie engine's going to run away, you know, because it's too cold. 676 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:23,000 It's got to find a warmer hose. 677 00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:30,000 And with that last observation, it's time to pull the plug, get warm, and draw some conclusions. 678 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:32,000 Go now. 679 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:36,000 It turns out that St. Bernard's carrying brandy is a myth. 680 00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:41,000 Now, if these guys actually saved anybody's lives, it'd be due to their body warmth, 681 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:46,000 because like Bob here, they're big brutes, they're really furry, and he's actually keeping them quite warm. 682 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:52,000 Yep, a shaggy dog cuddle is the solution to this shaggy dog story. 683 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:59,000 In summary, alcohol dilates your vascular system, which sends blood to your extremities where it loses its warmth. 684 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:03,000 And as a result, your core body temperature quickly cools. 685 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,000 You don't mind if I have a little nip, huh? 686 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:15,000 I gotta tell you, right after that second brandy, I was thinking, I understand what this myth is all about, because I was feeling pretty fine. 687 00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:18,000 It's probably because you just didn't care about the cold so much anymore. 688 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:25,000 Well, no alcohol also has a diluting effect. My blood was thinning and moving more towards my extremities, making me feel more comfortable. 689 00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:28,000 But right after that, your core body temperature started to drop like a stone. 690 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:34,000 Right, which is precisely the opposite of what you want to happen in a freezing cold situation. 691 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:39,000 So, in the short term, it might make you feel good, but ultimately, it's the last thing you want to do. 692 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:41,000 Absolutely. This one's busted. 693 00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:46,000 Busted. Saved the brandy for when you're curled up in front of the fireplace back in the lodge. 694 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:54,000 Carrie Grant and Tori love a good explosive bonfire. 695 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:04,000 In fact, any fiery fable ignites their inner pyromania and Adam's feet. 696 00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:09,000 So when viewers suggested that burning a baby grand might make it explode, 697 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:15,000 They couldn't wait to fire up and find out if it was true. 698 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:18,000 Oh my God, that fire is awesome. 699 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:21,000 Fire department gave me a pyrometer so I can check how hot it is. 700 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:23,000 Wait, I've got the marmarine here. 701 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:24,000 Okay, careful. 702 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:30,000 With the pyrometer maxed out, their instrument, Inferno, is burning at more than a thousand degrees, 703 00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:35,000 which makes short work of the wooden frame, lid, and legs. 704 00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:37,000 Sure, hope we hear boing boing boing. 705 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:39,000 I want to hear you boing. 706 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:46,000 Remember, if there's any truth to this myth, the 20 tons of tension in the strings has to be suddenly and explosively released. 707 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:48,000 Seeing a little caving in. 708 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:51,000 Maybe it'll collapse on itself. 709 00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:56,000 That's the theory, but as the baby grand slowly but surely burns down to the ground, 710 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:59,000 the myth of the explosion is still there. 711 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:01,000 Well, no explosion. 712 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:08,000 In fact, all we see that's left of the piano is a smoking hole with a skeleton of the cast iron piece. 713 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:12,000 You can still see some of the strings, which is not what I expected. 714 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:19,000 I thought in all the heat, strings which are very thin compared to the cast iron, we're going to go boing boing boing boing. 715 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:22,000 But, I don't know what I'm going to do with the strings. 716 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:28,000 We see the eight strings which are very thin compared to the cast iron, we're going to go boing boing boing boing. 717 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:30,000 But, we didn't hear anything. 718 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:32,000 There's no way this thing will ever explode. 719 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:35,000 And I'm so confident that that's why I'm this close to the piano. 720 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:40,000 No matter how much tension is put on these wires, they're never going to explode and pop. 721 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:44,000 Because as the wires heat up, the metal is just going to expand. 722 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:45,000 It's just going to stretch. 723 00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:50,000 So you're never going to get this boing boing, you know, snapping wires, and you're not going to get the exploding piano. 724 00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:51,000 It's just not physically possible. 725 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:59,000 And that's the key. Yes, the tension will be released, but it happens slowly as the metal strings expand in the fire. 726 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:00,000 And so... 727 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:01,000 This is definitively busted. 728 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:02,000 Busted. 729 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:03,000 Busted. 730 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:05,000 But hold on, aren't they forgetting something? 731 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:10,000 The myth that a piano will explode in a fire is completely busted. 732 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,000 But now we want to replicate the results. 733 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:14,000 So we're going to blow a piano up anyway. 734 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:17,000 So JD, the Rayleigh piano in the fire, kind of sucked. 735 00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:18,000 Didn't explode. 736 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:22,000 But we do have a backup piano that we can't explode. 737 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:23,000 What do you have for us? 738 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:27,000 What I think you need is the Mythbusters Concerto in C4. 739 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:30,000 Alright JD, this one's for you. 740 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:35,000 Go JD, go JD, fill this piano with some TNT. 741 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:38,000 Go JD, go JD. 742 00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:39,000 Everybody now, come on! 743 00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:44,000 Go JD, go JD, fill this piano with some TNT. 744 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,000 It's a catchy tune. 745 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:52,000 And JD hums along as he tunes the piano for the Mythbusters Concerto in C4. 746 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:53,000 Alright, you guys ready? 747 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:54,000 I'm ready. 748 00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:55,000 Are you ready? 749 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:56,000 Ready. 750 00:46:56,000 --> 00:46:57,000 This is it. 751 00:46:57,000 --> 00:46:59,000 In three, two, one... 752 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:07,000 Invented in Italy in 1698 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, brought to popularity by Mozart and Beethoven 753 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:13,000 in the 18th century, and now, 2008, exploded by the Mythbusters. 754 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:21,000 Now that's what I call an exploding piano! 755 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:22,000 Nice! 756 00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:36,000 Man, when the second it was there, the next second it was gone. 757 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:40,000 Look at it's all over the place. 758 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:46,000 And because it's the viewer's special, especially for you, here's the high speed encore of the 759 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:49,000 Mythbusters Concerto in C4. 760 00:48:01,000 --> 00:48:03,000 Rest in pieces! 761 00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:06,000 Direct that piano! 762 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:08,000 This is my 80s rock band. 763 00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:11,000 They all had these, and did this move. 764 00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:14,000 Now that was cool, but the Myth is still busted. 765 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:16,000 If your piano is on fire, it's not going to explode. 766 00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:19,000 If it's filled with C4, well, that's another story.