MythBusters (2009 season)


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.

Episode overview


No. in seriesNo. in seasonTitleOriginal air dateOverall episode No.

Episode 114 – "Demolition Derby"

This episode was an 87-minute-long special. The vehicles that were demolished during the episode all received an end credit in the form of an .

Need for Speed

Hollywood Crash Test

Based on numerous car chase scenes in films, the Build Team tested myths based on whether cars would be able to successfully drive through/into various obstructions. Two criteria were used to test each scenario: whether the real crash appeared similar to its Hollywood counterpart, and whether the car could be driven away afterward. They crashed into...
Myth statementStatusNotes
...a fruit stand.BustedThe car completely demolished the fruit stand, but was no longer drivable after sustaining heavy damage to its hood.
...a locked chain link gate.PlausibleThe car successfully crashed through the gate, but suffered some damage and triggered its airbags. However, the car was still drivable, prompting the Build Team to declare the myth plausible.
...a camper trailer.BustedThe impact completely demolished both the trailer and the car, rather than the car making a clean hole through the trailer as seen in movies.
...the cavity between the ground and a big rig trailer, tearing the roof off.PlausibleThe trailer tore the roof off of the car, but the car's brakes failed and it rolled past the end of the test course and fell off an earthen berm. Examining the recording, the team decided that the car looked drivable after passing under the trailer, prompting a plausible result.

Racing Gravity

Compact Compact Supersized

Episode 115 – "Alaska Special"

As part of Discovery Channel's Alaska Week 2009 series, the MythBusters returned to Alaska to test more cold weather myths.

Pykrete Peril

Based on Geoffrey Pyke's proposed project of building an aircraft carrier out of pykrete during World War II, the MythBusters decided to test the viability of making a pykrete boat.
Myth statementStatusNotes
Pykrete is bulletproof.ConfirmedThe MythBusters demonstrated that pykrete is bulletproof by subjecting a wastebasket-sized chunk of ice and another of pykrete to a close range impact by a.45 caliber round. The ice shattered upon impact and the bullet easily penetrated it. However, the pykrete chunk held together and successfully stopped and deflected the bullet while sustaining only a small impact crater.
Pykrete is stronger than ice.ConfirmedThe MythBusters subjected ice and pykrete to a mechanical stress test where lead blocks were placed onto a cantilevered slab of each material to determine its breaking strength. The ice quickly failed when the weight exceeded, while the pykrete had no problem supporting all of lead blocks the MythBusters had and took Jamie several additional hammer strikes to break. After this test, Jamie made a slab of "super pykrete". It held the lead blocks and Adam's weight combined, even holding strong against repeated hammer strikes.
A working boat can be completely constructed with pykrete.Plausible "but ludicrous"The MythBusters first tested how long ice, pykrete, and Jamie's special "super pykrete" could last in warm water before melting. The super pykrete proved to last significantly longer, prompting Adam and Jamie to use that as their main building material. The MythBusters then built a full-size boat out of the super pykrete, dubbing it Yesterday's News, and subjected it to real world conditions. Though the boat managed to float and stay intact at speeds of up to, it quickly began to spring leaks as the boat slowly melted. At twenty minutes in with the boat deteriorating, the experiment was pulled, and the boat lasted another ten minutes while being piloted back to shore. Though the boat worked, it was noted that it would be highly impractical for the original myth, which predicted that an entire aircraft carrier could be built out of pykrete. They agreed to settle on a "plausible but ludicrous" conclusion.

In additional footage shown on the MythBusters website, two additional tests were shown.

Episode 116 – "Banana Slip/Double-Dip"

Homemade Diamonds

The Build Team tested several myths that involve creating diamonds with household materials such as...
Myth statementStatusNotes
...several chemicals such as graphite and ferric nitrate by combining them in a pressure cooker. This myth was inspired from the episode "."BustedTory started by acquiring the required chemicals, as well as a diamond seed and put them all into a pressure cooker, leaving the mix cooking for three days. However, he failed to obtain any results.
...peanut butter by using it to cover charcoal and heating it in a microwave oven.BustedKari tried the method but failed to create any diamonds, despite managing to destroy two microwaves.
...molten graphite and iron by rapidly cooling it and soaking the iron in hydrochloric acid.BustedGrant performed the experiment but could not find any diamonds.

Unable to produce any diamonds using household items, the Build Team went on to test whether...
Myth statementStatusNotes
...explosives can compress graphite into diamonds.ConfirmedThe Build Team was invited to New Mexico Tech to see the demonstration, which used of ANFO. This was the largest explosion to date on MythBusters, producing over twelve times the energy produced by the explosion that previously held the title. They then performed a smaller scale blast and examined the results in the lab after a chemical bath. However, the process only produces cheap quality industrial diamonds. While still chemically diamonds, the Build Team agreed that this process was too impractical to attempt at home and that any homemade diamond scheme was too implausible.

Double Dipping

Episode 117 – "YouTube Special"

Adam, Jamie, and the Build Team tested three myths drawn from videos seen on YouTube.

Match Bomb

LEGO Ball

Spinning Tire Fire

Homemade Surround Sound

This myth was not shown in the actual episode aired in the United States, but was featured in the version of the episode aired outside of North America and on the MythBusters website and included in the iTunes download as an extra scene. It was based on a video created by the YouTube user: Household Hacker.
Myth statementStatusNotes
A person can make a working speaker out of a paper plate, tin foil, a penny, and a minijack, for under a dollar. This myth was inspired by a video from the Household Hacker.BustedTory built the homemade speakers according to the Household Hacker's specifications and created his own surround sound setup, but when he turned on the music, the speakers didn't work. When Kari suggested that there might not be enough electricity to power all the speakers at once, Tory used only a single speaker but failed to get any sound again. The homemade speakers clearly did not work and Tory also pointed out that the boast that these homemade speakers cost less than one dollar each was not true. A single minijack alone costs around ten dollars and Tory's entire homemade surround sound set cost $150 to build.

Episode 118 – "Swimming in Syrup"

Adam and Jamie explored the physics of swimming in syrup, while the Build Team probed two "magic bullet" myths.

Swimming in Syrup

MacGyver's Magic Bullets

Davy Crockett's Magic Bullet

Episode 119 – "Exploding Bumper"

Medieval Mayhem

Episode 120 – "Seesaw Saga"

Adam, Jamie, and the Build Team joined forces to investigate a puzzling seesaw myth. This is the second myth in which the MythBusters and the Build Team tested a myth together.
Myth statementStatusNotes
A skydiver whose parachute fails to open can hit the high end of a playground seesaw, landing on his feet, and launch a child on the low end safely up to the roof of a 7-story building.BustedAdam and Jamie constructed a steel seesaw and placed a dummy on one end whose weight matched that of an average 6-year-old girl. To approximate the effect of a skydiver hitting the high end at terminal velocity, they calculated the proper combination of weight and height and dropped several water-filled barrels. The impact crushed the seesaw, ruptured the barrels, and launched the dummy to a height of.
The Build Team was brought in to determine the terminal velocity, based on one specific type of skydiving suit and the diver's body position. From several jumps, they determined that the diver could reach a maximum speed of in a vertical position.
Meanwhile, Adam and Jamie designed and built a seesaw that could effectively deliver the energy of the falling skydiver to the girl without buckling. Adam did some small-scale tests to correlate drop height and maximum launch height, and also to follow the girl's trajectory in the air.
Next, the Build Team did some bungee jumping to find a way to accelerate the diver to terminal velocity without having to drop him from several hundred feet up. Their solution: attach the ends of a heavy-duty bungee cord to the diver and the ground, haul the diver up using a crane, and release him so that the cord would snap him downward at high speed.
A wetsuit filled with an alginate/water mixture and dressed in a skydiving suit was used to represent the diver. The team set up the equipment at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, using the heavy-duty bungee cord and a pair of guide wires to make sure the diver dummy would hit the target accurately, and found that they could indeed reach 122 miles per hour. The girl dummy was outfitted with "shock watch" stickers to measure the forces exerted on it, and three drops were carried out. The results:
  • 1st: diver hit slightly off-center and burst on impact; girl flew up and laterally, but suffered enough force to kill her
  • 2nd: sand-filled inner tube used for diver; girl hit the guide wires
  • 3rd: girl flew up at an angle, but experienced a g-force of 42 g which would cause serious injury even before she hit the ground
Based on the need for a super-strong seesaw and the injuries inflicted on the girl, the team declared the myth busted.

Episode 121 – "Thermite vs. Ice"

Woofer Weaponry

Handgun Horror

Episode 122 – "Prison Escape"

Adam and Jamie tested whether or not a person could...
Myth statementStatusNotes
...hold on to the roof of a car with the windows down while the car is zig-zagging.ConfirmedA safety rig was constructed in case Jamie couldn't hold on, but he was easily able to hold on to a car going.
...hold on to the roof of a car with the windows up while the car was zig-zagging.BustedJamie could not hold on when the car was going. The windows were up for all tests after this.
...hold on to the roof of a car while the car is making a big turn.BustedJamie fell off when the car was going at just.
...hold on to the roof of a car when it makes a sudden stop.BustedJamie lost his grip and almost blacked out after a stop.
...hold on to the hood of a car while the car is zig-zagging.BustedAdam fell off after the first swerve at just.
...hold on to the hood of a car while the car is making a big turn.BustedAdam fell off immediately at only.
...hold on to the hood of a car when it makes a sudden stop.ConfirmedAdam was able to hold on to the hood at both stops.
...shake someone off the roof of a car by going through a car wash.BustedThe car wash had no effect on Jamie except for the chilly water.
...shake someone off the hood of a car by going through a car wash.BustedAdam easily held on to the hood.

Floss to Freedom

Cannonball Escape

Episode 123 – "Curving Bullet"

To help test this myth, the MythBusters enlisted the aid of the Blue Angels and their F/A-18 Hornets.
Myth statementStatusNotes
A supersonic bullet can break any kind of glass just by the sonic boom it generates.BustedThe MythBusters got their hands on an Armalite AR-50.50 caliber sniper rifle, one of the most powerful rifles available. They then lined up two rows of glass objects, such as windows, wine glasses, cups, and lightbulbs and fired the rifle so that the bullet would pass between both rows. However, the bullet's sonic boom failed to break any of the glass, no matter how close it passed by.
A supersonic jet will break any kind of glass by the sonic boom it generates.BustedJamie set up a test area filled with various glass items and products while Adam performed a flyby in an F/A-18 going supersonic. However, at flybys of 8,000, 2,000, and 500 feet, the jet failed to break any of the glass. They then performed a series of low altitude flybys at, but only managed to break a single window. Since the majority of the glass was still intact, the MythBusters declared the myth busted.

Bend a Bullet

This myth was inspired by scenes from the film version of Wanted.
Myth statementStatusNotes
It is possible to curve a bullet around an obstacle by quickly flicking the gun upon firing.BustedThe Build Team first tested the myth by imitating the actions seen in the movie by swinging their arms and flicking their wrists as they fired. However, they failed to hit their target and the high-speed footage revealed that the bullets were still flying straight. In order to simulate the superhuman speed and precision that the characters in the movie possessed, the Build Team used a robotic arm. However, neither human nor superhuman speeds could curve the bullet. The Build Team then tried firing bullets that had their balance and aerodynamics purposely altered from a smoothbore barrel. While the bullets were highly unstable, they still travelled in a straight path due to their massive forward momentum. The Build Team declared the myth busted since the myth defied the laws of physics. Once the bullet leaves the gun, there are no lateral forces applied to the bullet, so by Newton's laws the bullet will follow a straight path.

Episode 124 – "Car vs. Rain"

Popcorn Pandemonium

The Build Team tested various myths involving popcorn.
Myth statementStatusNotes
Popcorn can be made by detonating a propane tank with high explosive.BustedThe explosion failed to cook or pop any of the popcorn kernels since the blast blew the kernels away before they could absorb any heat.
Popcorn can be made by igniting sawdust and dairy creamer.BustedThe Build Team loaded popcorn kernels into a can filled with flammable dairy creamer and ignited it, but failed to pop any of the kernels. Like the explosives, the ignited creamer did not meet the specific requirements needed to cook popcorn.
A plane-mounted 5-megawatt laser can be used to cook popcorn and enough popcorn can expand to the point where it can break open a house. This myth was based on the final scene from the film Real Genius.BustedSince a 5-megawatt laser doesn't currently exist, the Build Team used a 10-watt laser and still successfully popped a kernel. Even though this proved lasers could pop popcorn, there currently isn't a laser powerful enough to cook such a large amount, so the Build Team resorted to using a large pan to cook popcorn through induction. They then placed a panel representing the wall and window of a house over the pan to see if the popcorn could break through it. However, the popcorn lacked the power to push through the window because it cannot pop when pressure is exerted on it. They then decided to test the expansion potential of popcorn by loading prepopped popcorn into a small model house. They then used a piston to exert pressure on the floor of the house at, but nothing happened. They then used the piston at maximum power to destroy the house. To end on a bang, the Build Team used high explosive to destroy a house filled with popcorn.

Episode 125 – "Knock Your Socks Off"

Knock Your Socks Off

Episode 126 – "Duct Tape Hour"

The MythBusters tackle various myths relating to the "handyman's secret weapon". They tested whether or not duct tape can...
Myth statementStatusNotes
...lift a car.ConfirmedThrough small-scale tests, the MythBusters discovered that a single length of duct tape can support up to. They then attached the car to a crane with duct tape. The car was lifted successfully, and was left suspended until the tape failed. The MythBusters were quick to point out that the tape itself failed by breaking, not by its adhesive properties.
...be used instead of standard adhesives when building a potato cannon.ConfirmedThe Build Team constructed two potato cannons, one held together with polymer cement and the other with duct tape. They fired both cannons repeatedly to compare their range and velocity, and found that they gave essentially identical performance.
...be used to build a fully functional cannon.ConfirmedThe Build Team used tiles of duct tape to measure how much strength it could tolerate. Using a small-scale test cannon equipped with a strength gauge, they discovered that the duct tape tile was indeed strong enough to withstand a cannon blast. They then built a duct tape cannon with a barrel and compared its performance to that of a conventional steel cannon. Although the range and speed of the duct tape cannon were inferior to the steel one, it successfully fired a cannonball and remained intact.
...be used to seal leaks in a boat.PlausibleThe MythBusters patched a damaged boat with duct tape and floated it out into San Francisco Bay. The tape managed to keep the boat afloat, with only minor signs of damage after 40 minutes of exposure. Adam then decided to test whether duct tape can seal an existing leak while the boat is still in the water. He noted that it was more difficult to get the duct tape to stick underwater, but successfully patched the leak. However, the "emergency" fix was not nearly as effective, and the duct tape quickly failed. The MythBusters concluded that duct tape was a viable temporary repair method when applied in dry conditions.
...be used to construct an entire boat.ConfirmedThe MythBusters built an entire sailboat using of duct tape for the hull and sail. They then took the boat, dubbed the Stuck on You, into San Francisco Bay. The duct tape boat turned out to be fully functional with no sign of failure and, as stated by Adam Savage, "adequately seaworthy", confirming the myth.

Episode 127 – "Clean Car vs. Dirty Car"

Adam and Jamie test whether a dirty car gets better gas mileage than an equivalent clean car, while the Build Team test an old adage concerning beer, liquor, and hangovers.

Dirty Car Cash

The Morning After

Episode 128 – "Greased Lightning"

The MythBusters test two potential kitchen disasters, as well as whether cheese can be used with a cannon.

Grease Fire Fiasco

Microwave Mayhem

Cheese Cannon

Episode 129 – "Hurricane Windows"

Adam and Jamie tested whether windows should be open or closed during a hurricane, while the Build Team took on two myths involving liquid nitrogen.

Hurricane Windows

Liquid Nitrogen Myths

Episode 130 – "Crash and Burn"

Adam and Jamie tested whether a car would explode when driven off a cliff.
Myth statementStatusNotes
A car that goes over the side of a cliff will always explode in a fireball, just like in the movies.BustedAdam and Jamie took a car out to a quarry and set it up on chocks. But before Adam could put a weight on the gas pedal, the car started rolling over the edge. It only made it past the first few ledges of the cliff, and didn't explode. The second car was raised by a forklift so they could get it up to speed, and then set it on the ground. Despite crashing like it did in the movies, this car didn't explode either. Adam and Jamie discovered why: the gas tank is put on the underside of the car and between the wheels, intentionally out of harm's way. The MythBusters dropped a weight directly on the gas tank to simulate the car landing on a rock and flattening the gas tank. The result was the kind of fireball seen in the movies. Adam and Jamie attached the gas tank to the front of a car, drove it over the cliff, and caught the car on fire. It still wasn't the kind of fireball from the movies, though. The car crept towards the edge because Jamie had left the parking brake on. So, with Frank Doyle's help, Adam and Jamie loaded another car up with explosives, drove it off a ramp and over a cliff, and watched it crash perfectly like in the movies. Frank's method was the one mostly used by filmmakers. Adam then stated that, for once, Hollywood didn't exactly bend the laws of physics; they just turned a one-in-a-million shot into a one-in-one shot.

Rocket Man

The Build Team saw if a rocket could launch a cage containing a human.
Myth statementStatusNotes
In 1633, an Ottoman Turk named Lagari Hassan launched himself 1,000 feet into the air using a rocket, flew down to Earth with a wing-like device, and survived.BustedSince the myth is a legend retold over the years, definitive records of neither the rocket's design nor the wing device exist. Kari found two illustrations of the story, one showing a multi-engine rocket, and the other showing a single-engine rocket. Tory and Grant each built a small scale version of one of the rockets. Tory's small scale multi-engine rocket was relatively stable, while Grant's small scale single-engine, half-cage design flew erratically and almost crashed into the crew. For the full-scale test, they decided to use Tory's rocket shape, but with only one engine for safety reasons. The next part to test was the wing-device. After doing some hang-gliding, Grant and Tory realized that a safe wing design would be too huge to store and deploy at the right time. They decided on using a parachute, since definitive records of the wing-device do not exist. Kari built a spring-loaded mechanism to fire the parachute at the right time, and attached it to the simulaid. The team set the rocket off at an actual missile launch site, but the results were not good. The rocket shot up to around, then tumbled around in the air and caught on fire, burning the simulaid, dubbed "Rocket Man," to a crisp. Like the Ming Dynasty Astronaut myth before, this ancient rocket legend was busted.

Episode 131 – "Myth Evolution"

The MythBusters test new tangents from five previous myths.

Exploding Water Heater

Corner Shot

The Build Team tested various Hollywood methods for shooting around corners, beginning with an offshoot of the "Bend a Bullet" myth from episode 123.
Myth statementStatusNotes
A device that shoots bullets around right angles exists. Based on the film Wanted.ConfirmedThe device - aptly named the "CornerShot" - does exist, though it is considerably larger than its film counterpart. While standing outside the doorway to a room, Kari successfully used the device to shoot a target inside.

Grant and Tory also tested other techniques of shooting around a corner in Hollywood movies. Starting from Kari's position at the doorway, they tried to hit the target in the room by...
Myth statementStatusNotes
...firing with only the gun exposed to the target while still hidden.BustedBecause Grant could not see the target, all of his shots missed.
...jumping out of the corner and shooting at the target.PlausibleTory hit the target using this technique and landed on a mattress that had been placed to break his fall. However, chances of doing this in a real-world setting are slim.

According to Tory, this "complete set" appears to have set a first on MythBusters, where three myths were tested simultaneously with one Confirmed, one Plausible, and the other Busted.

Car Cling (Cardboard Box Wall Crash)

Taking off from the original Car Cling myth, Adam and Jamie tested whether or not someone could...
Myth statementStatusNotes
...hold on to the roof of a car with the windows up while the car crashes through a wall of cardboard boxes.ConfirmedJamie stayed on the top of the car, even though he let go seconds before the car crashed through the wall. Some boxes were hit by the front end of the rig and only one box directly hit him.
...hold on to the hood of a car while the car crashes through a wall of cardboard boxes.ConfirmedAdam stayed on the car despite feeling what he described was a force acting on his feet from the boxes. Upon closer inspection of the high speed footage, Adam actually let go of his grip on the hood and slid up the windshield. He then regained his grip on the hood just as he was about to fall off the car. Since the loss of his grip happened so fast for anyone to notice, this myth was deemed confirmed.

The MythBusters pointed out that the tests were done with empty cardboard boxes, as they seemingly are in many Hollywood movies. A different result may suffice if they contained any shipment, especially heavy ones like electronics or "anvils."

Liquid Lock Pick

Fans requested having this myth tested after the original Liquid Nitrogen myths were shown in the Hurricane Windows episode.
Myth statementStatusNotes
A padlock soaked in liquid nitrogen is easier to break.ConfirmedIt took Tory four seconds using a hammer and crowbar to break a padlock at room temperature. After a second lock was sprayed with liquid nitrogen for five minutes, he was able to break it in one hit. The Build Team then tested a door locked with a deadbolt; Tory required over five minutes to smash it at room temperature, but less than two minutes after it had been frozen. Grant pointed out that the method would require so many people, and so much time and specialized equipment, that it would not be a practical or stealthy way of breaking into a building. Nevertheless, the team declared the myth confirmed.
In a test shown only in the MythBusters website, a second padlock test was done using a large heavy-duty padlock. There, Tory was unsuccessful in breaking the room-temperature lock after four minutes; he only broke part of the bunker's lock hasp. When a second lock was dipped into liquid nitrogen, it took Tory only five hits and 14 seconds to smash it.

Snowplow Rocket Replication

The original Snowplow Split tests shown in the second Alaska Special focused only on the circumstances of the myth. This new, supersized test presented below looked onto the results.
Myth statementStatusNotes
A V-shaped snowplow is capable of perfectly bifurcating a car front to rear in a head-on collision, while the driver and the passenger both escape unharmed.BustedA wedge entirely made of steel was made and then installed onto a rocket sled to represent the snowplow. The surrogate snowplow travelled a total distance of and struck the car at a speed of, completely splitting it along its length with a thrust of. Afterwards, the wedge disintegrated when the rocket sled slammed into a concrete barrier behind the car. The Build Team still regarded the myth as busted because an average motorist is highly unlikely to encounter a snowplow traveling with enough speed to destroy a car in this manner.

Episode 132 – "Dumpster Diving"

Adam and Jamie test a Hollywood chase scene jump, while the Build Team probes a gruesome diving disaster. Kari departs to begin her maternity leave, and Jessi Combs joins the build team in her absence.

Dumpster Diving

The Squeeze

Episode 133 – "Antacid Jail Break"

Adam and Jamie put a story of a prisoner's escape to the test, while the Build Team investigates a supposedly foolproof method for smugglers to avoid detection.

Antacid Jail Break

Driving in the Dark

Episode 134 – "Unarmed and Unharmed"

Adam and Jamie test the Hollywood cowboy's ability to shoot a gun out of a villain's hand, while the Build Team tries to re-create a big-budget bus jump.

Unarmed & Unharmed

''Speed'' Bus Jump

Episode 135 – "Hidden Nasties"

Adam and Jamie tackle two health-hazard myths, while the Build Team tries to skip a car like a stone.

Rat Pee Soda

Car Skip

Hidden Nasties

Episode 136 – "Mini-Myth Mayhem"

The MythBusters examine six small, bizarre tales. A notice appears after the end credits honoring rocketry expert Erik Gates, who contributed materials and expertise for several segments. He died in a construction accident on December 20, 2009.
Myth statementStatusNotes
A whole coconut can be sent by mail without any packaging.ConfirmedAdam and Jamie addressed a coconut to themselves, stamped it, and put it in the mail. It later came back to the M5 workshop with no visible damage.
A strike-anywhere match can be lit if grazed by a bullet fired from a gun.ConfirmedAdam and Jamie set up a.45 caliber pistol and aimed it at a match head. After several shots that either missed the match or destroyed the head entirely, they were able to get a bullet to graze the head and ignite it. They commented on the high degree of accuracy needed to make this shot.

Ear Wax Candle

Camp Prank

Gorn Cannon

Lead Plunge