You can’t polish poop.

busted

Adam and Jamie visited a zoo to obtain a variety of feces to try to polish. They tried to pick the most polishable candidates and baked them to remove the moisture. Adam tried to shine his poop with a buffing wheel, while Jamie reasoned that using a wax polish would result in a shine. Adam eventually sought the advice of an outside expert, who showed him that it was possible to apply a shine to dirt with a tedious technique. Applying this technique, Adam and Jamie were able to obtain very polished poop without using any foreign materials like polish.

It’s better to end with a bang.

up to the fans

To test this myth, Adam and Jamie tried different ways of ending the episode: first with a bang, then with a slow burn. For the bang, detonating cord was wrapped around Jamie’s moped, and Adam added bottles of gasoline. The explosion utterly destroyed the moped. For a burn, Jamie mixed over 1000 lbs of thermite, intending to use it to cut an SUV in half. While the SUV was not completely severed, the thermite burned through most of the vehicle, and both Adam and Jamie enjoyed the destruction. Adam preferred the bang, but Jamie liked the burn more. They decided to leave the verdict of the myth/idiom to the fans.

A police badge is bulletproof.

plausible

First, a silver star was tested, but the bullet easily penetrated it. A star on a copper shield was tested, but it also failed to stop the bullet. Finally, a star on a nickel shield was tested. It was heavily deformed, but it caught the bullet.

An MP3 player/iPod is bulletproof.

busted

Firing an AK-47, Adam’s second shot cleanly penetrated an iPod after his first shot only grazed it. The myth came from a story about a soldier in Iraq who survived when the iPod he was wearing was shot. However, he was also wearing body armor when he got shot.

3 pizza boxes in a warming bag are bulletproof.

plausible

Based on a story that a pizza delivery boy survived a shotgun blast by holding his warming bag in front of him, Adam and Jamie first fired birdshot at a warming bag containing three pizzas, and it stopped the all but six of the pellets. They then used buckshot which easily passed through the pizzas. To see how far the buckshot would penetrate, 5 warming bags, each containing 3 pizza boxes, were placed in front of the ballistics gel dummy. Buckshot was fired at it, and the shot made it all the way to pizza 14.

Human fat is bulletproof.

busted

Determining that the largest layer of fat around a human (Walter Hudson) would measure 16 inches, Adam and Jamie placed that amount of human-temperature cow fat in front of the dummy. The bullet made it all the way through the fat easily.

Human muscle is bulletproof.

busted

Using the measurements of a man with 3-inch pectorals and 11-inch biceps, Adam and Jamie placed 14 inches of cow muscle in front of the dummy (assuming the man placed his bicep over his pectoral and the bullet passed through them both). The muscle failed to stop the bullet.

A mixture of cornstarch and water is bulletproof.

busted

Adam reasoned that this mixture’s properties as a non-Newtonian liquid might allow it to stop a bullet. However, 6 thin bags full of the liquid failed to stop the bullet.

Bathroom tiles covered in a fiber-reinforced gypsum cement is bulletproof.

plausible

This material stopped rounds from a 9mm pistol, a .45 caliber handgun, and buckshot. It failed to halt deer slug or rounds from a M4 Carbine.

A belt buckle is bulletproof.

plausible

Although the bullet did pass through the belt buckle, a policeman who had been shot in the belt buckle and survived spoke with Jamie and Adam, saying that the bullet caused a large bruise but lodged in his shirt.

While escaping prison, you could climb down a wall using a rope made of toilet paper.

plausible

To compensate for toilet paper’s low tensile strength, Tory twisted it into multiple yarns to create rope. After creating the rope, Tory found that it was strong enough to support his weight. During a test climbing down a courthouse, Tory had difficulty keeping a firm grip on the rope. Nonetheless, the Build Team declared the myth plausible.

While escaping prison, you could climb down a wall using a rope made of bedsheets.

confirmed

Grant found that making his bedsheet rope was very easy and quick in comparison to the toilet paper and hair ropes. During the test, the rope held Grant’s weight and he successfully descended to the ground.

While escaping prison, you could climb down a wall using a rope made of hair.

plausible

In order to make a rope, Kari braided numerous ponytails together, with some difficulty. Despite initial doubts, she managed to successfully climb down the hair rope. The Build Team declared this myth plausible since getting the necessary amount of hair to create a rope would be extremely impractical.

Drinking black coffee will help a drunk person sober up.

busted

Adam and Jamie, the subjects, showed no improvement on a hand-eye coordination test.

Exercising vigorously will help a drunk person sober up.

plausible

After running for five minutes on a treadmill, Adam’s test had a remarkable improvement over the control test.

Dunking his head in ice water will help a drunk person sober up.

busted

Adam and Jamie, the subjects, showed no improvement on a hand-eye coordination test.

Getting slapped in the face will help a drunk person sober up.

plausible

The results showed a noticeable improvement after the subject was slapped.

A hwacha (ancient Korean weapon) can fire 200 arrows that will explode on impact at once at a range of 500 yards.

confirmed

For the first stage, the Build Team tested whether an ancient rocket powered arrow could travel 500 yards. They found an arrow could travel that far if enough powder is used. In the second stage, they tested whether an ancient arrow could be rigged to lethally explode. They found if packed right, an exploding arrow could inflict a mortal wound. They then moved to the third stage, where they actually built a hwacha to test if it could fire 200 arrows. During the test, the hwacha performed perfectly, firing 199 of the 200 arrows which all landed near the target army. With such conclusive results as well as historical record on their side, the Build Team declared the myth confirmed.

While charging their target, a ninja can use their sword to deflect an arrow and kill the archer before he can reload.

confirmed

Anthony declared that it was unlikely a ninja would be cornered by three archers and proposed a one-on-one battle. During the demonstrating, Adam fired an arrow at Anthony. Anthony deflected the arrow with his sword and was able to close the distance and “kill” Adam before he had time to fire his second shot.

A ninja hiding underwater can hit a target with a blowgun and use it as a breathing apparatus.

plausible

The Build Team first tested to see how long a ninja could last underwater before succumbing to hypothermia. Tory submerged himself in a cold water tank and managed to stay in the tank for an hour. Kari, being the most accurate shooter, tried firing her blowgun from underwater. Though she initially had problems due to refraction, Kari was able to hit the target with her third try. The Build Team then combined all of the elements of the myth. Unfortunately, when loading their darts, water entered the blowguns and weakened the shooting force. When they tried it with the darts pre-loaded and breathing with clenched teeth, they succeeded in “assassinating” their target. With all parts of the myth possible, the Build Team declared the myth plausible.

A ninja can knock out a person with a punch from one inch away.

plausible

The first had Jamie test a full force conventional punch and measure the force. Anthony, who was trained in the use of the one inch punch, performed it. The one inch punch had half the force of Jamie’s punch, and the three inch punch had two thirds the force. Anthony further demonstrated the power of the punch by using it to break only the last of three wooden boards, a feat that Jamie was unable to match. The Mythbusters concluded that with the right training, a person can use the one inch punch with enough power and expertise to knock down a person.

It is better to hit a golf ball straight through a tree than around it because it is 90% air anyway.

busted

Tory, having played golf since high school, hit 10 golf balls at a tree (the upper, foliaged portion), resulting in 6 going through, 2 bad shots, and 2 ricocheting off the trunk; Grant and Kari proved inept at driving. Grant then built a robot which only got 24 out of 100 golf balls through the tree. Tory also competed against the robot, getting 27 of 100 hits through the tree.

Metal cleated shoes attract lightning.

busted

Two identical ballistics gel dummies were constructed. One wore metal cleated shoes, and the other wore plastic cleated ones. Both were exposed to simulated lightning, and lightning actually struck the dummy with plastic cleats in 6 out of 10 trials.

The shock wave from a C4 explosion can knock a golf ball into the hole.

busted

This myth is based on the final scene of the 1980 film Caddysack. After recreating the circumstances in the movie, the C4 explosion failed to result in the huge fireball seen in the film, and the golf ball did not move as a result of the shock wave. For effect, Tory, Grant, and Kari later used gasoline to duplicate the fireball seen in the movie.

The act of walking over hot coals is purely a mind-over-matter act and cannot be explained by science.

busted

The Build Team theorized that feet don’t get burned when waling over coals because the ash on the coals forms an insulating layer and also because the foot does not stay in contact with the coals for a long period. When they tried coal walking themselves, they were able to easily crossed the coals. The team noted that they felt confident because of their faith in physics.

If thrown into a fire, a carbon fire extinguisher with a safety valve will explode and put out the fire.

busted

The carbon fire extinguisher did not explode due to the safety valve, and merely vented its contents over a span of fifteen minutes.

If thrown into a fire, a water fire extinguisher will explode and put out the fire.

busted

The water fire extinguisher did better than the carbon fire extinguisher, but didn’t manage to extinguish the flames entirely.

If thrown into a fire, a chemical foam extinguisher will explode and put out the fire.

plausible

The chemical foam extinguisher actually ruptured, but only put out the flames because the explosion scattered the fuel, rather than actually snuffing out the flame.

If thrown into a fire, a carbon fire extinguisher without a safety valve will explode and put out the fire.

plausible

Like the chemical extinguisher, the carbon fire extinguisher exploded, putting out the fire by scattering the fuel rather than actually extinguishing it.

Gunpowder can be set off by a car battery by using seawater to conduct the spark.

busted

The spark created by the car battery was did not conduct through seawater and ignite the gunpowder.

A harpoon gun is accurate up to 100 feet.

confirmed

Tory was able to accurately hit a replica shark with a harpoon gun from this distance.

Ten flares contain enough black powder to match two and a half sticks of dynamite.

busted

Grant first began by trying to take apart several tube flares, which took far longer than it did in the movie. After measuring the powder, the Build Team calculated that it would take at least 450 flares to provide the gunpowder equivalent two and a half sticks of dynamite, instead of the ten flares shown in the movie.

Two and a half sticks of dynamite will cause a tremendous explosion.

busted

The Build Team first tested this myth using a canister with the same dimensions as in the movie, which could only hold 28 grams of powder, which did not even disturb the surface of the water, and caused minimal damage to the replica shark. Two and a half sticks of dynamite (681 grams of powder), was enough to destroy the shark and cause a large explosion, but not anywhere as large as seen in the movie. The Build Team also concluded that the weight of a canister containing two and a half sticks of dynamite would make the harpoon too heavy to hit a target 100 feet away. Eventually, to create an explosion matching the movie explosion’s magnitude, 400 pounds of powder was used.

A person can survive a large underwater explosion at a distance of 50 feet.

busted

The Build Team tested this myth using rigs containing rupture discs that would burst if they were hit with a lethal pressure of 500 psi. They placed several in varying distances from the explosion, and determined that even being 100 feet from an explosion of the size seen in the movie would be fatal.

Goats can be startled into fainting.

confirmed

Tory and Kari went to a goat farm and attempted to scare some goats into fainting. They tried several attempts, from using an umbrella to hiding in food, and were able to demonstrate that goates can, indeed, be literally scared stiff. The attending goat handler explained that some goats, when startled, involuntarily stiffen their leg muscles, which can cause them to fall over and give the appearance of fainting. Tory and Kari warned that results may depend on the goats, but the myth is still very true.

A person can create a huge fireball by dispersing a cloud of sawdust and igniting it with a flare.

confirmed

The Build Team built the cannon according to the specifications shown in the video. After some failed attempts, the sawdust eventually ignited into a large fireball exactly as shown in the video. The Build Team then decided to scale up the sawdust experiment, using a larger more powerful cannon and extremely flammable powdered non-dairy creamer. This created a massive fireball that even startled the Build Team.

A pool of dense gas can make a tin foil boat appear to float in the air.

confirmed

The MythBusters proved this by using sulfur hexafluoride, a gas six times more dense than air. The gas was poured into a rectangular vessel, creating “invisible water” upon which a simple tin foil boat floated. Subsequently, pouring some of the sulfur hexafluoride into the boat caused it to sink.

You can charge an MP3 music player like an iPod by plugging a USB cable into an onion that has been soaked in electrolyte fluid for half an hour.

busted

Grant tested this myth according to the process shown in the video, but was unable to get the iPod to charge. In order to confirm whether or not any charge was moving across the onion, Grant plugged a voltmeter into the onion, which indicated that there was zero charge in the onion. Grant explained that the basic idea would be that the electrolytes could be used as a sort of “wet battery”, but the setup in the video lacked the vital anode and cathode, which would actually move the electrolytes. With this evidence, Grant declared the video a hoax.

One of the NASA photos is fake because the shadows of the rocks and lunar lander are not parallel.

busted

The Mythbusters built a small-scale replica of the lunar landing site based on the photograph, using reflective sand similar to that found on the Moon, and a single light to represent the Sun. Next, they took a photo which was exactly the same as the NASA photo, including the differing shadows. The Mythbusters explained that the shadows were not parallel because of the way the light falls on the Moon’s natural topography.

One of the NASA photos is fake because Neil Armstrong can be clearly seen while in the shadow of the lunar lander.

busted

To test this myth, the Mythbusters built a large-scale replica of the landing site, allowing them to take a photo which was nearly identical to the original NASA photo. The Mythbusters explained that Armstrong was visible because of ambient light being reflected off of the Moon’s surface.

A flag cannot flap in a vacuum.

busted

The Build Team placed a replica of the American flag planted on the moon into a vacuum chamber at the Marshall Space Flight Center. They first tested at normal pressure and manipulated the flag. The momentum moved the flag around but the motion quickly dissipated. In vacuum conditions, manipulating the flag caused it to flap vigorously as if it were being blown by a breeze. This demonstrated that a flag could appear to wave in a vacuum, as the Apollo flag did.

A clear footprint cannot be made in vacuum because there is no moisture to hold its shape.

busted

The Build Team first tested whether dry or wet sand made a more distinguishable footprint by stepping in them with an astronaut boot. It was clear that the wet footprint had more detail than the dry footprint. They then placed sand similar in composition to the Moon’s soil in a vacuum chamber and stepped on it with an astronaut boot, which made a clear print. The reason provided for this was that the unique composition of lunar soil allows it to behave differently than terrestrial soil.

The film of the astronauts moonwalking is actually film of the astronauts skipping in front of a high-framerate camera, slowing down the picture and giving the illusion they are on the Moon.

busted

Adam donned a replica NASA spacesuit and mimicked the astronauts’ motions while being filmed by a slow motion camera. They also attached Adam to wires in order to mimic the Moon’s lower gravity. While comparing their new footage with the original footage, the Mythbusters noted an initial similarity, but there were several small discrepancies attributable to filming in Earth’s gravity. In order to film in microgravity, the Mythbusters boarded a Reduced Gravity Aircraft and filmed the exact same movements. Adam noted that the movements were more comfortable and more logical in microgravity, and their footage from the plane looked exactly like the original NASA film. The Mythbusters concluded that the moon landing film is authentic.

The Apollo astronauts left behind special equipment on the Moon like reflectors that scientists can bounce lasers off of.

confirmed

The Mythbusters went to an observatory equipped with a high powered laser. They first fired at the bare lunar surface but did not detect the laser bouncing back. Then they pointed the laser at a reflector left behind by NASA and received a confirmed bounce.