MythBusters (2016 season)

For the second test, they secured the dynamite to a wood frame in the cargo compartment and began to load in 32,000 pounds (15,000 kg) of cement. When some of the dynamite came loose and began to float up, Adam cut a hole in the back wall of the driver's cab and climbed in to re-secure it. As cement began to leak out around the back doors, they set off the explosion and were amazed to see all the cutouts intact, with the truck's side and roof panels peeling away from the frame. However, they discovered that only a small quantity of the dynamite had exploded, due to the weight of the cement dislodging the primer cord intended to set it off.

For a final test, they put the dynamite in a sealed plywood box before loading the cement in order to ensure that it would all explode. The blast caused the cement to shoot upward in a jet, destroyed the truck, and left a shallow crater in the ground underneath. Debris was thrown to a maximum of 250 feet (76 m), less than the control test, but the cutouts were knocked down and peppered with small shrapnel holes. Adam and Jamie classified the myth as busted, noting that although the cement redirected the shock wave of the blast, it did not protect the truck or bystanders.

Jamie then drove the hovercraft across the field and back, but did not set off any of the mines. When they were reset to anti-personnel mode, Adam was unable to set them off as well; Jamie then made one last run with the triggers at 5 pounds (2.3 kg) and completed it safely. With the hovercraft's weight distributed over a large enough area to avoid setting off the mines, they declared the myth confirmed.

At a railroad depot in Boardman, Oregon, they set up a decommissioned tank car, 67 feet (20 m) long and 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter with 0.5-inch (13 mm) thick steel walls, for a full-scale trial. After Adam inspected the interior to verify that it was in good condition, they sealed the release valves and attached a vacuum gauge and temperature sensors. The car was steam-cleaned for 3 hours, reaching 209 °F (98 °C), after which the steam was shut off, the hatch was sealed, and a fire monitor nozzle began to spray water over the car as simulated rain. The vacuum readings peaked at 27 inches of mercury (91 kPa) as the car cooled to 100 °F (38 °C), but no collapse had occurred after 60 minutes and they ended the test at that point.

Theorizing that internal damage or corrosion could make collapse more likely, Adam and Jamie obtained a second, older car. For this test, instead of using steam and the water spray, they set up an industrial vacuum to pump the car down to the same level as in the first trial. Again, the car remained intact after 60 minutes, so they vented it to the atmosphere and dropped a 3,200-pound (1,500 kg) concrete block on it from 30 feet (9.1 m) to investigate the effect of physical damage. When the car was pumped down again, it underwent total collapse at 23 inches of mercury (78 kPa). Adam and Jamie declared the myth busted, saying that tank cars are designed to withstand severe conditions unless badly damaged.

Once they corrected their aim to hit the target consistently, they measured a flight time of 392 milliseconds and adjusted the timing on the other elements. The shrimp they launched hit each element as in the video, but none were properly coated or cooked. When they replaced the flame rig with a 3-foot (0.91 m) long sword forge running at 2,100 °F (1,150 °C) and fired a fully prepared shrimp directly through it, they found that its temperature still had not increased significantly. The same result occurred with a 12-foot (3.7 m) long forge, prompting them to declare the myth busted as the shrimp did not have enough time to absorb the heat needed for cooking.

Before visiting the range, Adam and Jamie had run a tomato through an industrial juicer at the shop and obtained a 62% juice yield based on its original weight. They measured a 33% yield upon draining the juice out of the tomato at 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) with a vacuum pump.

To investigate the use of larger quantities of explosive, they set up a new trial at a quarry pond, placing 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of TNT underwater at a depth of 10 feet (3.0 m). They then placed mesh bags containing one each of oranges, cucumbers, tomatoes, and pineapples at distances from 2 feet (0.61 m) to 40 feet (12 m), at a depth of 15 feet (4.6 m). Any samples not scattered in the explosion were either ruptured or tenderized, but Adam and Jamie were unable to obtain any juice. They deemed the myth plausible, and Jamie noted that the use of the small box allowed the shock wave from the explosion to reflect back and forth from the walls, repeatedly striking the tomato and more effectively delivering energy to it.

For full-scale testing, they traveled to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and placed a car on a steel plate, with a second plate suspended directly above it. This plate weighed 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) and was loaded with 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of ANFO. The resulting explosion tore the car to pieces, threw pieces of the support frame up to 500 feet (150 m) in the air, and cracked or broke windows of cars that were well away from the site. Adam and Jamie found that the blast had punched through the upper plate, generating shrapnel that destroyed the car. They deemed the myth busted, with Jamie commenting that a plate thick enough to withstand the blast would be heavy enough to crush the car simply by being dropped on it.

They set up their equipment on Treasure Island, placing the cups (total area 1,880 square inches (1.21 m²)) on the hood, roof, and trunk of a 2,800-pound (1,300 kg) car. When they started the vacuum and began to lift the frame, the car fell off due to excessive buckling of the hood that caused its cups to pop loose. A second test with a different arrangement of the cups also failed; after replacing the hood with a flat piece of sheet steel to eliminate the buckling, they were able to lift the car 1 inch (2.5 cm) off the ground before it fell.

Returning to the shop, they decided to replace the suction cups with three large plywood boxes, contoured to match the car's shape and fitted with rubber gaskets for a tight seal. The three boxes had a combined area of 4,000 square inches (2.6 m²) and were equipped with vacuum gauges, which registered readings higher than 6 inches of mercury (20 kPa) when a new test was started at Treasure Island. This time, the car remained attached to the boxes even while being lifted to the crane's maximum height, after which Adam and Jamie shut off the vacuum cleaner's power. The car crashed to the ground, demonstrating that the crane was not directly attached to the car and had thus played no part in keeping it aloft, and they declared the myth confirmed.

They set up their battleground as before, with a "human zone" circle 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter and 190 volunteers coming in from all sides as a zombie horde. The defender could not engage the zombies until they had entered the circle. Using the axe, Adam registered 8 kills before being overrun as opposed to 14 in the first test. Jamie scored 7 kills with a semiautomatic paintball pistol, the same result he had previously achieved using a pump-action shotgun. They then investigated a scenario in which all of the zombies were attacking from one direction – initially through a single gap in a fence, but with a larger gap being opened after a set period of time. Adam killed 67 zombies in this test, while Jamie (using multiple paintball weapons that occasionally jammed or misfired) scored 57 kills.

Declaring the myth confirmed at this point, they decided to investigate the effectiveness of a chainsaw against the zombies. Adam created an appropriately-weighted safe mockup for testing, with a switch on the blade to measure total contact time (with 0.75 seconds taken as the minimum needed for a kill). With the zombies again coming through the fence, he was able to kill all 190 of them.

When all 120 shoppers entered the store for a trial run, the lines became unmanageably long after 10 minutes. A second trial run, with only 90 shoppers in the store at any given time, gave more reasonable lines. Each of the actual tests lasted 30 minutes, but the start was delayed until shoppers had been inside the store for at least 5 minutes, in order to allow for lines to build up and obtain realistic times. The standard test gave averages of 5:39 and 3.48 for the wait times and satisfaction scores, respectively, while the serpentine test yielded averages of 6:56 and 3.80. However, the spread of individual times was much narrower for the serpentine than the standard test. Adam said that the variations in speed of the individual lines were averaged out for the serpentine, resulting in fewer shoppers being dissatisfied due to long waits in slow lines. He and Jamie judged the myth as busted based on average time, but noted that the serpentine had advantages in other respects.

Thinking that a ricochet might affect the results, they set up a concrete paving stone to bounce the bullet into a cardboard target and shot at it from different angles (45, 25, and 15 degrees). The 45-degree shot missed the target, the 25-degree shot broke into fragments before striking, and the 15-degree shot both remained intact and hit the target. With the dummy in place and the lighter positioned at the impact point from this last shot, they fired again and hit the lighter. However, the bullet only dented the housing and ricocheted away, prompting them to classify the myth as plausible.

With the help of a rocketry club, Adam and Jamie set up their rockets at a testing range and attempted to launch them. None of the three engines resulted in liftoff, and the hand-packed gummy bears melted and fell out of the fuel grain. A second test with the boiled fuel, adding a charge of gunpowder to promote ignition, also failed to lift off. When they used a fuel grain loaded with standard paraffin-based rocket fuel, they did achieve liftoff but recorded a maximum height of 675 feet (206 m), well short of the expected 20,000 feet (6,100 m). This result led them to believe that their rocket design was faulty, and they returned to the shop to devise a new one.

They abandoned the hybrid rocket in favor of one with a solid-fuel engine and a total length of 8 feet (2.4 m). Adam boiled the gummy bears, ground the residue to powder, and sent it to a rocketry expert to be incorporated into an engine. At the range, they performed two launches with standard fuel as a control test, achieving maximum altitudes of 4,133 feet (1,260 m) feet with wind and 4,491 feet (1,369 m) without it. A launch with the boiled gummy bears was successful and gave an altitude of 3,691 feet (1,125 m). They classified the fuel as plausible, with Adam noting that although the fuel was usable, it would not be as efficient as standard ones in transporting payloads into space.

Adam and Jamie then loaded Buster into the ball and suspended him from the helicopter by a tether with a quick-release catch. When Adam dropped Buster from the same height in this trial, his impact velocity was reduced to 56 miles per hour (90 km/h), but all the stickers were tripped again. A final attempt, with several bundles of bubble wrap inside the ball to cushion Buster, gave the same results; in addition, some of the bundles were dislodged and Buster sank to the bottom of the ball's internal cavity. Adam and Jamie called the myth busted, since none of the impacts were survivable.

After taking lessons on punching techniques at a boxing gym, Adam was able to deliver a maximum of 593 pounds-force (2,640 N) with his punch. The giant bag was placed upside down over him, and he made three attempts to punch his way out as quickly as possible while wearing boxing gloves. He recorded times of 1:22, 1:04, and 1:14; during each trial, the paper repeatedly crumpled and wrinkled under his strikes until it had fatigued enough to let him break through. A fourth trial without the gloves gave a time of 2 seconds, due to the force of his punches being concentrated over the smaller area of his bare knuckles. This last result led him and Jamie to declare the myth confirmed.

With Jamie watching, Adam drove a test run parallel to the course to verify that the truck and wedge could operate safely at high speeds. He then ran the course, reaching a speed of 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) before hitting the first obstacle of 20 cars arranged in two parallel rows. He reached the end successfully, noting that the wedge threw debris to either side and kept him from getting bogged down.

A test shot with a watermelon as the projectile achieved a range of 171 feet (52 m). Except for a failure of one of the ropes holding up the counterweight, the structure remained intact. To confirm the feasibility of using their trebuchet in combat, they then launched a lit Molotov cocktail to a distance of over 100 feet (30 m), and finally hit and ignited a giant inflatable shark set up at that same distance.

As Adam watched from overhead in a boom lift, Jamie towed the car into the target at a speed of 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). The passenger experienced forces of 30 g (head) and 51 g (body), indicating survival with some injuries. Buster's belt snapped at the shoulder, causing him to hit the steering wheel with forces of 136 g (head) and 133 g (body), high enough to be fatal. Declaring the myth busted, they taped Buster to the seat, frame, and body of the car with multiple wrappings and repeated the test. The passenger results were similar to the first trial (34 g head, 45 g body); however, Buster's readings decreased to survivable levels of 41 g and 55 g, and he remained in his seat even though most of the wrappings broke in different places.

For the third and final test, Adam used 40 layers of tape to hold Buster in place, and the crash occurred at 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). The tape did not break, but Buster sustained lethal forces of 85 g (head) and 311 g (body). The passenger's belt proved to be faulty, and the head of that dummy hit the windshield with 475 g of force, indicating death. Adam and Jamie noted that the tape around Buster held him so firmly in place that he experienced the same deceleration as the entire car, leading to his fatal result.