List of MythBusters pilot episodes
| MythBusters (pilot episodes) | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Australia United States |
| No. of episodes | 3 specials |
| Release | |
| Original network | Discovery Channel |
| Original release | January 23 – March 7, 2003 |
| Season chronology | |
The cast of the television series MythBusters perform experiments to verify or debunk urban legends, old wives' tales, and the like. This is a list of the various myths tested on the show as well as the results of the experiments (the myth is either Busted, Plausible, or Confirmed).
Inspired by the Darwin Award-winning Arizona Dept. of Public Safety story about a former Air Force sergeant mounting a JATO rocket to a 1967 Chevrolet Impala and firing the rocket while at highway speed - 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) - on a deserted road. It was also alleged that when at 300 miles per hour (480 km/h), he had to make a turn with a slight upgrade, but burned out his brakes trying to stop, was launched into the air and hit the side of a mountain.
Adam and Jamie could not acquire real JATO rockets from the Air Force, and instead used three amateur rocket motors of equivalent power to one JATO rocket. The rockets increased the speed of the car (a 1967 Chevrolet Impala) considerably. Although no speed measurement was made, the speed was clearly nowhere near the 300 mph suggested in the myth. The car also did not become airborne. This myth was revisited in the Supersized Myths special and retested a third time in the 2013 season premiere celebrating 10 years on the air.
This myth was inspired by the alleged death of Mikey of Life Cereals commercial fame - allegedly due to gastric rupture caused by an excess of carbon dioxide from a six-pack of soda and six pouches of Pop Rocks.
Also, in a similar myth dealing with Diet Coke and Mentos, it was learned that the simple act of drinking the soda released most of the carbon dioxide in it, rendering the reaction between soda and Mentos (or Pop Rocks) much less powerful than normal.
Inspired by a BBC and Reuters story about an obese woman flying on a Scandinavian Airlines System flight from Europe and getting stuck on the lavatory toilet due to suction, forcing the crew to land the plane while she was still on the toilet.
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