Can a motorcycle pull a tablecloth out from under a setting for a banquet? Do humans really only use 10% of their brain?
If one bullet is fired and the other is dropped simultaneously from the same height, which will hit the ground first? Or will they hit at the same time, owing to gravity? Meanwhile, Kari, Grant and Tory test an old saying: can you really knock someone out of their socks? In true MYTHBUSTERS fashion, their tests involve Buster, a boxing ring, a nitrogen cannon, a battering ram and, of course, explosives.
The MythBusters bust out guns blazing to take aim at eight Hollywood firearms fables including never ending ammo, leathal nail guns, and deadly silver bullets.
Adam and Jamie test a myth that C4 can be used as a cooking fuel, but if you drop something on it while it's burning, it will explode. Tory, Kari, and Grant attempt to re-create a mythical flying guillotine.
This reverential episode of MythBusters pays tribute to the man who made something really useful from out of almost anything-MacGyver!
On this episode of Mythbusters, we're testing two shaggy-dog tales that both put our crime-fighting canines to the ultimate test.
Adam and Jamie find out if a car out of control crashes and burns when it falls out of a cliff like in the movies. And Kari, Tory and Grant check the story of a man who rocketed himself into the sky and survived.
Karl Pilkington finally returns home after travelling around the world to see the Seven Wonders of the World. Back in Britain he's quizzed about his travels abroad by his friends Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who want to find out if he's actually learned anything from his experiences.
Karl, now back in Britain after his "seven wonders" trips, sits down with Ricky and Stephen to discuss the experience. Stephen is confused by Karl's seemingly contradictory statements about not wanting to miss the many sights and sounds on his travels, but also being overly annoyed by them. Many of those sights center on food. Many of the situations Karl experienced he classifies as false fun, which he does not like in principle. They talk about the people Karl met. Karl tells them about what he thinks he's learned from these travels. They discuss the fact that many viewers believe Karl is an actor playing a buffoon and that the show is scripted, or that Stephen and especially Ricky are bullies to Karl. Stephen and Ricky talk about their favorite moment: the Israeli terrorist training, which Karl did not know was going to occur. Beyond that situation, Karl talks about what was perhaps his most difficult experience. Despite Karl's assertions that he won't do another, they talk concepts...
Mythbusters takes myths, tall tales and urban legends and gives them the scientific treatment to determine their validity. Myths are proved true, probable, possible, improbable or busted. Often after the real-world practical tests have proved or debunked a Myth, the team will take the experiment to the extreme, many times using more modern technology than the myth could have used or upping the black powder for impressive explosions.
Great show!
Mythbusters is one of my 'don't miss it' programs.
I don't think I've ever seen quite the talent for destruction that Adam & Jamie share. Nearly every episode has to feature a myth involving things blowing up, or shattering into thousands of pieces. And I LOVE it!
Their enjoyment for what they do, whether seen in Adam's nearly boundless enthusiasm, or in Jamies much more controlled attitude, along with the well-known & lesser-known myths that are proved or 'busted' each week make Mythbusters a winner.
Highly entertaining, and educational.
'The Square' is an intimate observational documentary that tells the real story of the ongoing struggle of the Egyptian Revolution through the eyes of six very different protesters. Starting in the tents of Tahrir in the days leading up to the fall of Mubarak, we follow our characters on a life-changing journey through the euphoria of victory into the uncertainties and dangers of the current 'transitional period' under military rule, where everything they fought for is now under threat or in balance.
Politics is not the same as revolution, and we are not good at this at all.
The Square is a powerful movie with its focus on the quest for freedom and the desire to escape the prisons of oppression, violence, and evil leaders animated by merciless power and total disregard for human rights.
On and off between late 2010 and 2013, thousands of protesters against "injustice, corruption, poverty, ignorance" filled Tahrir Square in Cairo,
But it was not over when Mubarak was ousted as the military took control. The people once again marched to the square demanding civilian rule.
We see incredible footage of the people's occupation of Tahrir Square, the violent attacks on the protesters, and heated political arguments in the street as secular Muslims express their embarrassment at the religious-based oppression by the newly powerful Brotherhood.
This is a sharp warning to the powerful not to mess with the people that will resonate with anyone anywhere.
Ricky and Stephen send Karl on his first trip to perhaps Karl's worst nightmare: China. The reason that Karl is so afraid of this locale is that what he is exposed to of Chinese culture - that being solely his local Chinatown - he does not understand at all, and he is afraid that if he gets a taste for some exotic Chinese food, such as toad, he won't be able to find it when he gets back home. On his itinerary is Beijing, the Great Wall of China (which he ends up believing is not great but a sham), and Shanhaiguan. Stephen also surprises him with some excursions, namely to a fortune teller (the thoughts from who Karl takes to heart despite not wanting to experience it since he does not want to know bad news in advance), on an extended trip to lesser section of the Great Wall, to a kung fu school where he is not only a spectator but also a student, and for a traditional hot massage, which is a little hotter than he would like. Karl has perhaps the most issue with the public restrooms, ...
Karl and Warwick arrive in Mumbai, India, the country which Karl hated on his last visit. Warwick, who is immediately taken by the sights and sounds, hopes Karl will appreciate it this second time around, while Karl wants to expose Warwick to the down and dirty side of life in India. They partake in the morning activity of laughing yoga. Ricky manages to get both Warwick and Karl parts in a Bollywood movie, which is right up Warwick's alley, but in which Karl wants to do his own improvisation. Next, Ricky gets them on a train to Varanasi, specifically so that they can watch the sun rise over the Ganges after they camp overnight by the riverside. That once in a lifetime activity is jeopardized specifically by Karl's reaction to some neighbors and on the sun in general. It is the life and death daily activity that fascinates both Karl and Warwick. They hop back on a train to head to West Bengal for the next activity chosen by Warwick, performing in the Olympic Circus, which is ...
Karl travels to Africa to see wild gorillas. Prior to visiting the gorillas, Ricky and Steve send Karl to teach at a school, rebuild a hut, go bungee jumping, visit a domesticated hippo, cook for a king, and go animal tracking.
Karl travels U.S. Route 66. Along the way, he participates in a high school production, a "snuggle party", gold mining, monster truck driving, Amish farming, and wing walking.
Great adventure!
This may be my favorite episode in the series so far. Well-crafted and interesting journey by a common English bloke across America. It illuminated different cultures of America brilliantly.
After all the previous adventures this seems rather tame at first, and jarringly familiar to me as an American. To previously have had so many other cultures and adventures portrayed through Karl, Ricky and Steve's perspectives, I was curious to see how my part of the world was experienced and portrayed.
This episode exceeded my expectations and offered me a new and particularly interesting perspective on a country I felt I knew so well. But then I'm an American who would drive the freeway instead of Route 66 and not arrange to meet such interesting people along the way. More's the pity.
Interesting portrait of America. A bit jarring after seeing places I'd never been to see my own country portrayed. Made me realize how good the whole series really is. That was already clear of course, but this one hit home.
You'll be in stitches by end of this one. Those boys know how to have a laugh.
Thank you to everyone working on this excellent episode and series. Hope to see more!
Karl isn't overly concerned about going to Mexico beyond Ricky and Stephen's assertion that it probably is the most dangerous place from a personal safety perspective than anywhere he's traveled thus far. As he travels there during the Easter season, Karl is exposed to two religious celebrations, the first which recreates the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, and the second which is on the surface less religious and which the authorities would like to shut down if only because of its explosive and thus potentially dangerous nature. Interspersed between these two, Stephen and Ricky send Karl into training for what has become a Mexican cultural phenomenon: professional wrestling. He makes two stops on his way to the raison d'etre for the trip to Mexico, Chichén Itzá: the first to experience the life of a churro (a Mexican cowboy), and the second to spend some time with a Mayan family who are descendants of the builders of Chichén Itzá. The latter stop exposes him to more unusual ...
Compiled from what they consider universally standard lists, Ricky and Stephen provide Karl with a 100 item bucket list from which he can choose a handful for his next travel adventures. Karl has no desire to do anything he considers dangerous or stupid such as bungee jumping, and the list in general is comprised of things he wouldn't normally choose, but he does choose one night on a deserted island as his first bucket list travel adventure. Ricky and Stephen find a deserted island in Vanuatu in the South Pacific for him, but they figure he may as well have some adventures while he's traveling to get there. First stop: bungee jumping in New Zealand! They also send him to do such South Pacific activities as land diving and arseboarding. He also spends a night with a native tribe that worships Prince Philip. He finally makes it to a tribe that is one step away from his ultimate destination, they who provide him with his "Man Friday" who will help him with some basics before he leaves ...
When Karl is told that his next trip will be to Rio de Janeiro to see Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado, his first reaction is that it is akin to a pylon: something that is there everyday that people probably get tired of seeing. What Ricky and Stephen don't tell him until he arrives in Rio is that they want him to be more social on his trips. As such, they place him in a dorm room in a hostel. They do tell him that Carnival will be happening while he's there. He's not too excited about it as he hates crowds and he presupposes it's a gay event, which makes him feel uncomfortable. But he is thrown into the festivities, whether he likes it or not. His anxiety at crowds is heightened when he is told he is also to attend a block party. He remarks at the dichotomy between the Catholic nature of the statue towering over the city, versus the overt sexuality displayed by the people, especially at the beach. His discomfort increases with interactions with his guide, Celso, which includes ...
Karl is somewhat excited about his trip to Petra, Jordan, if only because of its association with the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), although he does mention that he would rather live in a cave across from the palace rather than live in the palace to be able to see the beautiful instead of seeing the squalor from the beautiful. His excitement is tempered when Stephen and Ricky suggest that since he is in the Middle East, that he take advantage of the situation by visiting Israel as well. This suggestion scares him because all news stories out of Israel are generally grim. Karl is amazed by the dichotomy of religion, which should be peaceful, versus the presence of armed military everywhere. Ricky and Stephen further surprise him with some training apropos to being in a war torn region of the world. Crossing the border into Bethlehem, which is in the Palestinian side, strengthens that dichotomy in his mind. On his way to Jordan, Karl stops off at the Dead Sea, which ...
For Karl's trip to Egypt, Ricky and Stephen believe it's time for him to experience budget travel by flying economy and staying in the seediest of hotels, about which Karl is not too happy. Karl's first experiences wandering the streets of Cairo makes him wonder how anyone gets anything done, as he is bombarded by street hawkers at every turn. Unlike his other travels, Karl ends up traveling almost immediately via camel-back to see the main site, the Great Pyramids, due to their close proximity, which ends up being underwhelming if only because of the weather. As he waits for the weather to clear to make another attempt to see the Pyramids, Karl is provided a guide, Achmed, who gives him a lesson in bartering, and takes him to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, in which Karl has no interest. So Karl ditches his guide to find some comfort food, which ends up also being an experience to which he is unaccustomed. Stephen and Ricky then send him on a Nile cruise, which does not lift his ...
Upon Karl's arrival in Delhi, his senses are overwhelmed, and not in a good way, which is not helped by his sleeping arrangements. He trusts on day two of his trip, he will feel better if only because things can't get worse. He is scheduled for an eight hour overnight bus ride to the Kumbh Mela Festival, the largest religious festival in the world, which he is not looking forward to since he is not a religious person and doesn't understand the attraction of religion. But the day ends up being a "colorful" one in an unexpected way, which in part is the reason for him not feeling too well. As if the festival was not enough, his next stop is to visit with a living saint in his ashram for some spiritual guidance. Next, he is sent to a cow sanctuary, where he comes up close and personal with many aspects of the sacred animal, including its famous patties. And finally, he goes to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, which he believes was built out of guilt.
Karl is relieved that this trip is his last, but is worried that Ricky and Stephen will do something monumentally outrageous to end the series on a high note. Karl has never heard of the monument he is to visit next: Machu Picchu. He is also not aware of the potential of altitude sickness due to lack of oxygen. But he is not concerned about the eleven hour trek to get to Machu Picchu, as he likes camping, and even makes preparations for a makeshift toilet. When he gets to his Peruvian lakeside location to start his trek, he learns that Ricky and Stephen are making him trek through the jungle along the Amazon instead. Of his Amazon accommodations, Karl is unsure of what's worse: the first couple of nights staying deep in the jungle in a tent among all the nocturnal creatures, many which are deadly, or the last few nights staying with a native tribe who used to be cannibals. When he reaches his destination of Machu Picchu, where he does feel the effects of lack of oxygen, Karl makes a ...
Karl sets off to Alaska to go on a whale-watching cruise. Before heading out to sea, he journeys across a frozen landscape on foot, by snowmobile, and by dog sled. The cruise aboard a working deep-sea fishing boat proves difficult for Karl.
Karl visits Japan where he trains to be a sumo wrestler, stays in a capsule hotel, decides to invent something, eats fermented Japanese fish, studies with a Zen Buddhist master, participates in a Japanese tea ceremony, and climbs Mt. Fuji.
For the latest proposed travel adventure of Marco Polo's route from Venice to China, Karl wants to take along a mate for support and companionship. Who Ricky assigns is Warwick Davis, who Karl believes will be more of a hindrance than an asset if only because of his dwarf stature. But as their stay in their first locale - Venice - progresses, Karl realizes that the biggest problem with Warwick as an adventure travel partner is their total incompatibility in terms of what they want to do and experience. Their first Warwick chosen event is to attend a masquerade ball, which is a ritual of the area dating back centuries. Their choice of costumes reflects what they want to portray of themselves, although Karl feels less inclined to partake in the masquerade portion of the costume selection. This Warwick chosen activity is balanced by a Karl chosen activity: using a jet pack to fly over the canals. This activity ends up being a little less fun than Karl had anticipated. They then take a ...
