Episode:  Vodka Myths

Original Air Date:  November 2, 2005

Myths:  Compact Compact, Vodka Myths

"Compact Compact"

The Myth:
Can a small car be squashed in between two semi's that have collided head-on into one another and be fused together?

Memorable Quotes:

"1500 feet...1500 feet...1500 feet...*kapwooschhhhh!*" - Grant

"Reinforce the heck out of everything...there can't be anything flimsy here. Lives are at stake" - Grant & Jamie

"PSHHHH! vroom! AOOGAH! AOOGAH!" - Adam

"...you guys are gonna make 'em go...*SMACK*..." - Jamie (to the tow truck operators)

"And there goes the tow rope. We have ourselves a runaway...well, RUN AWAY!" - Rob

“...we narrowly had a little bit of a disaster as far as automobiles getting crunched by a runaway semil...sebmi...semi trailer, but...you know...details!" - Jamie

"This is gonna be sooo cool! Don't you wish you were here?" - Adam

"I hope you enjoyed that little sequence of failure..." - Adam

"Some nice toggles...I'm saving those!" - Adam
"Dude...you're *salvaging*? In the middle of a..." - Grant
"Rescue operation? Yeah...why else do you think I got into this line of work?" - Adam

Setup:

Kari and Tory head to a local wrecking yard in search of two semi's and trailers that they can crash into each other. They find what they are looking for and have them hauled away.

Meanwhile, Grant's poking around at the abandoned Alameda Naval Air Station, on the former set of Matrix Reloaded, scouting out the area to find the longest stretch of 'freeway' to ram the trucks into the car. He finds what he's looking for...but there's a problem. Where are they going to find a car to squash? MythBusters Fan, Jack Friedman, has a car that's 'been sitting in the driveway for about five years'. He allows Kari to take the car for the test after expressing his appreciation for the show.

The initial plan for crashing the semis is to have both semi's pulled together by one tow truck so that they smash into each other (and the car) at the same time.

The next day, the trucks and car arrive at Alameda NAS. Kari drills a four-foot deep hole at ground zero for the anchor bar to attach the pulleys.

Grant and Tory attach guide bars to the semi's, much like they did in Killer Tissue Box with the Plymouth Fury. On inspection Jamie has Grant and Tory beef up the guide bars to avoid any potentially catastrophic situation. Jamie explains that he wants the trucks to be as safe as possible before they destroy them. They determine that the weight of the two semi's is too much for one tow truck to pull. So, the setup is modified to use two tow trucks.

Buster is loaded into the car as the cables are strung out and attached to the semi's, as the trailers are attached. Weight added to the trailers. Jamie explains to the tow truck operators what's about to happen, but first; they need to test their tow rig. As the truck starts rolling, the tow cable suddenly breaks, sending the truck off the runway. The cast and crew make a mad scramble to safety as the runaway semi rolls into the grass.

Looks like they overlooked one important detail...how to stop the bloody things when the cables break. Tory admits he never thought about that, as they reset the scene for the big crash. Adam explains the steering rig did what it was supposed to do, and comments about the noise the steel cable made as it was skittering down the runway at them. Jamie gets bit by the Mangled English bug yet again as he explains how the trucks' safety devices worked.

After getting the runaway truck reset, it's time to be certain the tow truck drivers can get off the blocks at the same time, and drive neck and neck until the trucks ram into the car and each other. The two heavy tow trucks can't quite keep up with each other, which could be a problem later on. Adam is literally giddy with anticipation, and asks the viewing audience, "Don't you wish you were here?"

Turns out, the tow trucks can't quite keep up with each other, which may be a problem, as Adam explains, one truck might hit just moments before the other. The crew decides to go ahead with the experiment, and loads the simulaids into the trucks. Adam gets into a chase car to monitor the carnage, should it go off without a hitch.

When the test begins, as cautioned, one tow truck can't keep up, which results in the tow cable breaking again, sending one truck out of control. The second truck crashes into the compact and drags it down the runway. Despite a bent anchor point, a crushed car, a bent guide bar, and some smoking pulleys, they quickly get things fixed and reset for a second run.

In just under two hours, they have both trucks, and the car, ready for destruction. Despite their best efforts, one tow truck simply can't keep up with the other, however the tow cable does not snap a second time. The trucks rumble down the runway, and  one truck hits the car just a microsecond ahead of the other. The force of the impact shoves the car out of the way, but not before both trucks totally demolish it and each other.

After everything stops moving (and Kari does the obligatory 'happy dance'), the Mythbusters rush in to assess the damage. Total destruction! However, neither the car nor the trucks are 'fused' together in the sense of 'hot steel melting and welding together'...in fact, they're easily pulled apart by the tow trucks.

Adam comments on how the car couldn't have gotten totally lost in the impact, as it's easily visible...sitting a few yards from the two trucks, completely smashed. The trucks, however, didn't fare so well, as they're completely destroyed. He also confirms that this myth would be revisited at a later date.

The Mythbusters swarm over the carnage and retrieve Buster and the simulaids, the obligatory discussion of the circumstances on the results, but the myth itself was deemed:

Myth: Busted.  "Boy, is it busted" - Jamie

=====

"Vodka Myths"

The Myth:

Vodka can be used as a foot deodorizer and a breath freshener.

Memorable Quotes:

"I have to say...there's a lot of jealous fans out there..." - Adam (with Kari washing his feet)

"There is no dignity in television" - Adam

"GRANT IMAHARA! I NEED YOUR NOSE!" - Kari

"Oh, absolutely...from 'liquid death' to 'cinnamon toast'..." - Grant

"'Stinky foot' cheese...reloading...*gag*...Can I go home??" - Adam

Test #1: Foot Deodorizer
Kari compares commercially available foot soap and vodka to see which one is better at removing foot odor. Grant "the nose" Imahara has the unenviable task of determining which is better at removing foot odor, the foot soap, or the vodka?

To begin the testing, Adam removes his shoes and socks and Grant conducts a test-smell of Adam's feet pre-wash. To test the products, Kari begins by pouring the soap powder into one bowl, the vodka in another, and has Adam put his feet into each bowl. Grant is blindfolded so that he has no advanced knowledge of which product was used.

After Kari scrubs Adam's feet, Grant is led back out to test-sniff Adam's feet again. Amazingly, the vodka does a comparably good job at killing the foot odor as the commercial foot soap.

It would appear that vodka could be used as an effective foot cleanser.

Myth: CONFIRMED.

Test #2: Mouthwash:

Kari has found yet another vodka myth that states: adding cinnamon powder to vodka and letting that sit for a couple of weeks will make a good mouthwash. Is it possible?

Kari makes the cinnamon concoction and lets it 'brew', for the required amount of time. Mr. Adam Savage is once again chosen to be the test subject…and Grant drew the short straw again for the test sniff.

Kari gives Adam some Limburger cheese, garlic, and cigarettes to make sure his breath is as bad as possible. One can see Adam literally gagging down the Limburger and struggling just as hard to keep it from returning via the express route. Grant returns to the shop and braces again as Adam's 'dragon breath' is exhausted. The sniff-test result...as bad as before.

Adam rinses with the cinnamon/vodka brew, comments on the 'burning sensation' in his mouth, and then breathes on Grant again.

Grant can detect the cinnamon on Adam's breath, but he can also smell the cigarettes. He determines that the cinnamon/vodka mix was quite effective at removing most, if not all, of the odor from Adam's breath.

Kari then has Adam 'reload'. Grant does another 'test sniff' to establish baseline. Adam then rinses with commercial-brand mouthwash. Grant does another sniff and determines that the commercial brand is just as effective as the cinnamon/vodka mix.

Myth: CONFIRMED.