MythBusters (2003–…): Season 8, Episode 1 - Soda Cup Killer - full transcript

Do not try
any of the experiments

you are about to see
at home.

You heard him.
Don't do it.

On this episode
of "Mythbusters"...

One.

...duck, cover, and hang on,

because we've got a killer
cocktail of lethal littering...

My weapon of choice... a
potentially lethal slush drink.

...and high-flying
action-movie action.

Get to the chopper, Grant!

And first up...



Looks harmless enough,
doesn't it?

Could be deadly.

...can a soda cup
thrown from a car

really kill an oncoming driver?

Time to inspect the wound.

Then, from helicopter
heaves to fingertip grips,

can film fall-guys
really hang on Hollywood-style?

I would love to see
the action hero

that can hang on
to that!

Who are the Mythbusters?

...Adam Savage...
... Here comes chaos.

...and Jamie Hyneman.

Relax.
This won't hurt a bit.

Between them, more than 30 years
of special-effects experience.



Bye-bye.

Joining them...
Kari Byron...

High explosives and electricity.
Whoo!

...Tory Belleci...

Crashes and fires.
This is awesome.

...Grant Imahara...

Burn!

And featuring Jessi Combs.

That was awesome!

They don't just
tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

Close your eyes.

I'm gonna paint you a picture
with words.

Okay.

I'm driving down the highway
at highway speeds.

I'm just gone
to a drive-in,

and I've gotten a soda
in a styrofoam cup,

and it's the wrong soda.

Oh!
You hate that!

I know.

So, I hurl the soda
out the window, being a jerk,

and it hits a car
going the opposite direction,

also at highway speeds,
pierces the windshield

right in front of the driver
and kills her.

A styrofoam cup
does that?

I know!

That is crazy!

As if simply littering
wasn't bad enough,

the villain of this myth

allegedly killed the driver
of an oncoming car

with a styrofoam soda cup.

Whilst traveling
at highway speeds,

our trash-happy perpetrator

tossed his unfinished drink
out of the window,

which supposedly
pierced the windshield

of an innocent
drive-by bystander

with enough force
to take them out permanently.

Okay, now I want to paint you
a word picture.

I'm not gonna close my eyes,
though.

That's fine.
This is a quick one.

We make a cannon
that shoots a cup of soda, huh?

Really?

I somehow pictured
two cars

going at each other,
jousting-fashion,

tossing cups
out the window.

No, no, no... I figure
we'll get exactly to that place,

but first we need to know
what the cup is filled with.

Is it soda?
Is it soda and ice?

Is to ice alone?
Is it the slush drink?

We have to determine
what filling has the most power,

and what's better for that
than a cannon?

Well, all right, then.

I thought you'd like it.

So, before the highway
trash-jousting can begin...

I think that was a hit!

...the guys
are going to arm themselves

with an indoor air cannon

the size
of the Large Hadron Collider.

Well, almost.

I'd say
that ought to do it.

Their goal is to discover

which of the various possible
combinations of cup contents

will impart the most force
on impact.

And speaking of the Force,
here's the Yoda of soda.

So, there you have it...

our potentially deadly
styrofoam cup.

Now, for the purposes
of our experimentation,

I'm gonna want to know

exactly how much energy this cup
imparts to something it hits,

whether it's empty or filled
with different substances.

How am I gonna do that?
With this... a lode cell.

This little button here
can tell me,

when I hit it with something,

exactly how much energy
is transferred

from the object
to the lode cell.

But here we got an object
that's too big

and a lode cell
that's too small,

so I'm going to increase
the surface area of my lode cell

by placing it between these two
nice, heavy steel plates.

Now when this cup hits
this first steel plate,

that will transfer the energy
to the button

and tell me
exactly how much energy

this potentially lethal cup
might have.

It's ready.

With the force plate in place,

the guys will be able
to accurately compare

the impact of each cup
fired from the cannon.

Off at a rakish angle.
I like it.

So, this is how this works.

We've got our specially made
pressure tank

with a built-in
fast-acting valve.

Now, when we open that valve,

all that air comes out
at high speed,

heads straight down the barrel.

Our cup comes out the end,
hits this plate,

pushes on the lode cell...
Bob's your uncle.

So, Robert's
your mother's brother...

Every target needs a motivation.

Yeah!

...and Jamie is the
light at the end of the tunnel.

So, Fall Guys,

what are we, testing myths
about '80s TV shows?

Ooh,
can we do "A-Team" next?

Yes and no.

Yes, we can
get to the "A-Team,"

and, no, we are not testing
myths about '80s TV shows.

We're actually gonna test
the myths about falling,

or, more accurately,
not falling.

So, you're
talking about, like,

the classic
Hollywood scenario

where somebody's hanging
on to a high edge

using nothing
but their fingertips.

...Exactly.
... This sounds awesome!

To cling on by your fingertips

is a classic
silver-screen clich?.

Apparently, in any action movie,

the hero can hang on
indefinitely.

But are any of the many
variations really viable?

To find out, the team will
take on two of the most common.

First, can you really just
hang on until help comes along?

Then, hauling yourself
into a helicopter...

is it fact or film fiction?

You guys, I have
the perfect place to test this.

There's a fire-training tower
in Pleasanton.

It's got ledges all around,
easily accessible rooftop,

and it's pretty tall.

Well, as far as
the hang-time test goes,

there's one thing
I'd like to add,

and that's
edge thickness,

and see how that affects
how long you can hold onto.

What are we
waiting for?

So the team head on out
to hang out

at the perfect place
to, you know, hang out.

When we talked about this
in the blueprint room,

it seemed
pretty straightforward.

Whoa!
This is high!

I mean, we just
grab onto an edge

and see how long
we can hang on.

But now, standing on top
of this 75-foot building,

I'm wondering,
"Is this really necessary?"

I mean, can't we just test this
hanging off a doorframe?

With the team's nerves
suitably primed,

let's find out
what's on the agenda.

So, the first thing
we're gonna test

is how long
you can hang onto a ledge.

And to do that, I've built
this... the ledge-o-matic.

It's fully adjustable

so we can block off a controlled
amount of ledge each time.

And we'll get progressively
smaller and smaller

until we can no longer hang on.

Then we'll have a good idea
of how long

an average Joe
can hang onto a ledge.

But before the action begins,

let's meet the man who will be
pulling the pi?ata strings.

Anybody got a bat?

Aaron,
a professional climber,

is not only helping the team
with their safety protocols...

You're gonna
come over the edge,

and then what I want you to do
is say "tension. "

He's set up the belay system

so it won't support
the climber's weight,

at least until they fall.

Good?

Yeah,
it feels real good.

Tory,
you're the guinea pig.

Now, in the movies,

people hang off of
all shapes and sizes of ledges,

and we are gonna do the same.

The goal is
to come up with a set of data

that correlates ledge thickness
to hang time.

Hook me in.

And to start off with, we're
gonna use a nice, fat ledge.

I'm gonna double-check it,
just in case.

Yep, the ledge width
will be starting at 4 inches.

Which should be plenty of room,
even for "fat finger" Belleci.

Getting into position.

Good luck, buddy.

Man, this is kind of scary.
I'm not gonna lie.

Okay.

Okay.

So, this is Tory test, 4 inches.
Ready? Go.

Hanging.

How you feeling?

Good.

Don't let go.

But even with plenty of room
to get a comfortable grip,

after just 30 seconds,
the strain begins to show.

How you feeling?
Good?

Trying to concentrate.

Sorry?

And, as Adam once said...

Gravity, man.

It's not just a good idea...
it's the law.

So, unlike a Hollywood hero,
Tory will inevitably fall.

But exactly how that happens
is a painful surprise.

Uh-oh! Aah! Aah!

You all right?

I think you should be glad
that I was the guinea pig.

Oh

I'm bleeding all over
like

If you're squeamish, look away,

because when the damage
is inspected,

a deep gash is the result.

Uh-oh!

But looking at this,
it could have been much worse.

Tory fell a full story
before landing on a ledge,

his shin taking the full force
of the blow.

Yeah, when I saw blood
pouring out my pant legs,

I knew it might be bad.

Well, here's Adam
with some science-y stuff.

Now, I've already explained
that we're collecting the data

about how much force
our cups impart

on this little node cell
right here.

But how does that work?

It works when a little
piezo element in here gets hit

and creates
a small amount of electricity,

which is then collected by...

This National Instruments bo x
right here.

This bo x then sends that data

over to David
and his computer...

Who then informs me and Jamie

of exactly how much force
each of our cups imparts

when it hits the target.

It's about to get really messy
in here,

so I'm gonna
take some precautions.

With the shop resembling
a scene from "Dexter,"

the wet work can begin.

But before the testing proper,
the guys want a muzzle velocity

that simulates two cars

approaching each other
at highway speeds...

a cumulative total
of 130 miles per hour.

So let's fire her up
and find out what she can do.

Firing in three...

Two...

One.

That was a lot
of force.

Yep... a lot of force...

And a lot of fast.

190 miles per hour.

And to dial that back,
Jamie has a neat idea

that accounts for the fact
that the cups will vary in mass.

For these tests to be valid,

all the cups have to hit their
target at about the same speed.

So, after
a lot of fussing around,

I figured out that
I can precisely tune the speed

by the placement of the cup
in the barrel.

Okay.

Full cup of ice...
3 feet, 8 inches.

And that's how
we're dialing it in.

Firing in three...

Two...

One.

The final speed
was 134 miles an hour.

It's perfect!

So, with their cannon
firing at a constant speed,

we'll soon find out who pulls
the hardest soda-cup punch.

Here's a little story
I like to call,

"Oh!
This soda's no good!

They didn't put any ice
in it!

I'm gonna throw it
out the window. "

One cupful of soda,
wrapped in plastic,

shot out of a cannon at 130
miles per hour, coming right up.

632 grams.

Firing in three...

Two...

One.

That's too much fun.

Well, your laminated face
is holding up quite well.

So I see.

I just love
looking at these like this.

Beautiful!

Can you imagine
what that would feel like

if that actually hit
your head?

Final speed...
132 miles an hour.

Awesome.

What was the force?

3,668.

That's the number to beat.

Weighing in at 632 grams,

a full cup of soda
traveling at 132 miles per hour

has 3,668 pounds of force.

What's next?

Here's a little story
I like to call,

"Oh!
I've ordered the soda,

and I thought
I got what I wanted,

but I didn't order cherry cola,
and this tastes like crap.

So I'm gonna throw it
all the way out the window. "

In the red corner,
weighing in at...

649 grams.

...is a mixed cup
of soda and ice.

Let's load her up.

That remind you of working
with cows on the farm?

It does, actually.

Okay, Bessie.
It's gonna be all right.

Firing soda and ice
in three...

Two...

One.

...That's not getting old.
... No.

Hah!

Wow!

Speed was
134 miles an hour.

...What was the force?
... 4,331.

4,331...
that's pretty significant.

Interesting... despite
a small difference in mass,

there was
a significant difference

in the force of the impact.

What's next
on the menu of mayhem?

Blue slush.

It's basically half ice, half
liquid, all ground up real fine.

Whether that translates
to a higher impact or not,

I don't know.

Personally, it think
it's all about the mass,

but that's what we're gonna test
to find out.

Jamie's correct.

Newtonian physics tells us,
in a perfect world,

providing they're all traveling
at the same speed,

the cup with the most mass
will have the largest impact.

And this puppy...
if only just...

is the heavyweight
of the litter.

Slush drink in three...

Two...

One.

That is intense!

That's what's
making your lips blue.

Awesome!

Well, the speed is perfect
at 134 miles an hour.

David,
what was our force?

4,386.

Dude!

I was hoping
that would be the case.

So, in the soda-cup showdown,

the slush
packed the biggest punch.

Why?

Well, it could be
the extra mass,

or it could be
that the slush mixture,

made up of fine slivers of ice
and liquid,

enables it to transfer

more of its kinetic energy
to the target

than the other contenders.

Either way, we have a winner.

The cup with the heaviest hit
and the prettiest splash

is the slush.

So while Tory takes a trip
to E.R.

to stitch up the leak
in his leg...

Talk about motivation
not to let go.

Aah!

Bleeding all over
like

...Grant and Jessi
are moving on.

My prediction is I will hang on
for 10 minutes, at least,

and then you'll see
the traces of my fingernails

going down the wall.

With the adrenaline pumping
and the ledge narrowing...

That's 3 inches.

..."Iron Grip" Imahara
is hooked in...

And out on a limb.

Okay. Climbing.

You hanging?
... Go.

And with the 3-inch ledge

not even close
to cramping his style,

his time is similar to Tory's.

Okay.
Here I go.

Ow.

1:03.

Really?
Fairly consistent.

Consistent times... sure.

But bear in mind the myth is
about hanging on indefinitely...

Does this harness
make me look heavy?

...and our average Joes
are consistently falling.

All right.
You ready for 2 inches?

My fingers aren't even
2 inches long.

Of course I'm ready
for 2 inches.

Hanging.

Timer is started.

Despite the further narrowing,

Jessi has plenty of room
to work with,

and once again, her time
is in that one-minute slot.

1:06.

Heck yeah.

Yeah,
they're starting to slip.

...Yeah?
... Yeah.

Here I go.

Aah!

Nice!

1:17.

Whoo-hoo!

So, we are halfway done
with our testing,

and so far, we've established

an average hang time
for the average Joe

of 60 seconds.

Uh-oh! Aah!

Now, the 2 inches
wasn't that bad.

I mean, I was able to hang on
for over a minute,

but now we're gonna
work our way down to 1 inch.

And this is where it's really
gonna start getting challenging,

see what happens.

At one inch, the guys really are
down to a fingertip grip.

Jessi is about to find out

if hanging on
to that slimmest of margins

is movie make-believe
or a real-life possibility.

Dude, this hurts
way much more.

Hang on, there, Jessi.

All right,
here I go.

Whoo!

33 seconds.

That is much,
much more difficult.

...Really?
... Yeah.

Yep, really.

It was less than half the
hang time of the previous test,

when ledge width
wasn't a factor,

which doesn't bode well
for Grant,

because he's up next
and he's running out of room.

That, my friends,
is 1/2 of 1 inch.

And that is about how much
I can hang on.

I'm predicting a lot of pain,
but not for very long.

Let's do this.

Okay.

But he can't turn
that steely determination

into an iron grip...

Oh, my God.

This is crazy.

...because he simply
can't get a grip...

You ready?

I'm so ready.

Aah!

Nothing!

Not even a second.

Ow.

...and his time reflects that.

I would love to see
the action hero

that can hang on
to that!

You know, you try and get
yourself in the mind-set, like,

"I have got to hang onto this,
or I'm gonna fall or die. "

Aah!

But it's not really a choice
with a half-inch ledge.

I mean, the second
I put my weight on there, "pow!"

All my fingers exploded, and
then I'm flying through the air.

And it was just that quick.
No way. Impossible.

So, in direct
contradiction to the movies,

if you find yourself
hanging on by your fingernails,

you're not hanging on
for very long.

Nothing!

And even with room to work with,
it's a tough task.

In a real-life situation,

you'd better hope help arrives
Hollywood-style...

fast and in the nick of time.

But this is
an action-movie myth.

How would a
Hollywood hero cope?

So, move over,
average Joe and average Jessi

and step up, action man Aaron.

That's why I'm here.

First up,
Aaron tackles the 1-inch ledge.

Okay, start.

And we're up and running.

And he significantly improves
on Jessi's time.

You're shaking. Ohhhh!

Whoo!

48 seconds.

Nice.

But what's really impressive

is Aaron's
half-inch performance.

...Yeah, it's tiny, isn't it?
... It's tiny.

Remember... Grant couldn't
hold on for a single second.

...Okay.
Okay.

He's hanging in there.

Whoo!

You're doing awesome.

I can't believe
you're still hanging on.

Aah!

Aah! Ho ho ho!
Nice!

14 seconds!

That was great!

All right, so, even if
you're a super-strong climber,

you only got
about 14 seconds

before you fall off
a super-skinny ledge.

Yeah, I mean,
this whole idea

that you can hang on
indefinitely in action movies...

Totally busted.

Yeah. Busted.

I think your face is holding up
surprisingly well.

Yeah, I don't usually react
when I get hit in the face.

And so far, they've seen

that the slush drink
is the heaviest hitter.

But is that power enough
to penetrate a windshield

and give the driver
a severe case of dead?

Moving on...

I don't see why not.

We have already determined
the awesome power

of non-trademark
blue slush drink.

Well, what's next, then?

Well, I think it's exactly what
you stated at the beginning.

We line two cars up
facing each other,

race towards each other,
jousting-style,

at highway speeds,

and I hurl a cup of blue slush
drink right at your windshield.

I don't think
that would be a good idea.

What's say we hang a windshield
off to the side of my car

and we aim the soda
at that?

Done!
Let's do it.

With his handy home delivery of
windshields, Adam goes to work.

By hanging them
off the side of the truck

and placing Buster
in the hot seat...

Our crash-test dummy will sit...

...here.

...they'll be able
to test the myth in safety.

Well, safe for some.

You know it's gonna be a bad day

when you're painted
bull's-eye red.

This may sting a little.

And out on location,
it's time to paint a picture.

Here's how this whole thing's
gonna play out.

I'm gonna play the role
of the passenger

careening down the freeway
at 60 miles an hour,

sucking on a slush drink
I just got

at, let's say,
the drive-through.

"Hey! That's not
the one I ordered," I'll say.

And, cavalierly,
I will throw it out the window!

It flies
through the air.

And, "smack!"
It hits our windshield.

If our cup happens to make it
through our windshield

and hit into Buster,
well, we're going to have

strategically placed
shockwatch stickers

on both his chest
and his head.

And that way, we'll know
whether he got hurt.

So, Buster's ready.
The course is ready.

And after
a couple of dry drive-bys,

our drivers are ready.

Beautiful.

Looks harmless enough,
doesn't it?

Could be deadly.

With blue slush in hand, let the
lethal litter-jousting begin.

Jamie,
Are you ready to go?

I'm in position
and ready to go.

40-mile-per-hour run
with a real slush drink

in three...

Two...

One... go!

In the next test,
they'll be facing off

at a more realistic highway
speed of 60 miles an hour.

But for the moment,
Adam's just getting his eye in.

A little bit closer.

I think
I might have hit it!

Dude!
That's a hit! Look at that!

Wow, and that's only
40 miles an hour.

At 40 miles per hour, that
is spooky-promising for this.

That was just a test run, and I didn't
fully hit the windshield,

and you're seeing a kind of
shocking amount of damage

from our 40-mile-per-hour run.

That's awesome!

I think we can tighten
a lot of this up.

I think Jamie could drive a
little bit closer to the cones,

I think my aim will get better
as we do this,

but right now I feel pretty good
about this one.

Controlled mayhem... check.
Chance of science... high.

Happy Mythbusters... confirmed.
Forecast... ramping it up.

My vehicle... experimental.

My weapon of choice... a
potentially lethal slush drink.

This is 60 miles an hour,

styrofoam cup
with slush drink in three...

Two...

One...

Go! Aah!

Ooh-hoo-hoo!

It's very exciting.

Looking really good.

Yeah!

I think
that was a perfect hit!

I don't know about you,
but that'd kind of bum me out.

That's a bull's-eye
of bull's-eyes.

Nicely done.

A perfect hit.

The cup was aimed
straight at Buster.

So, how did he do?

Checking Buster's vitals.

I can see them.
They're all clean.

Yeah, he didn't take
any lethal damage, but...

Hell, if that happened
to your car,

you'd be a very unhappy,
probably unsafe driver.

Well, not to mention
the fact

that you might well
have a crash afterwards

because
you can't see anything.

Exactly.

There's no doubt the impact
would have caused a crash,

but incredibly, Buster seems
to have escaped direct injury.

And check out the big brain on
Jamie, because he knows why.

This windshield,
like all windshields these days,

is made out of laminated glass.

What's that mean?

Well, what they do is,
they take two sheets of glass

and bond it together with
a rubbery plastic in between.

And that way, even though
the glass goes all blotto

like it does here, that membrane
holds everything together.

In fact, you can see
on our high-speed camera

how it ballooned out in the back
when it got hit.

But it didn't get a hole in it.

Of course, sooner or later,
we're gonna put a hole in it.

So, there's one more thing
I want to test.

What's that?

It is a movie classic.

The hero is rescued
by a helicopter.

However, the helicopter
does not have time to land.

Right.

He has to grab
onto the skid,

pull himself up and over
and into the cabin,

despite the downdraft
from the blades

and the onrushing air as
the helicopter flies away.

That's a great myth,

but nobody's gonna let us hang
from a real helicopter.

You're right,
and that is why

we are gonna build
our own helicopter.

And then
what we'll do is,

we'll measure the downdraft
created by a helicopter,

and that will transfer
into a weight

that we'll wear
while we're experimenting.

Perfect.

Let's not hover around here
anymore.

So, to get a head-start on
the myth of the chopper climb...

This-a how
we make-a the Grant-a head.

...Tory once again
makes a new head for Grant.

"Hey, he's got a robot!"

That's enough out of you.

So, what I have here is
Grant's head and shoulders.

This is gonna give us
the same surface area

as somebody holding on
to the helicopter's skid.

Now, I have attached Grant
to this scale,

so that way if there's
any change in the downforce,

we'll be able to measure it.

It works.

Now, obviously, the most
direct way to test this myth

would be to try to hang from
a helicopter while it's flying.

But unfortunately, the insurers
tell us it's too dangerous.

But don't worry,
because we have a cunning plan,

which still involves
a real helicopter.

And we've enlisted the help
of Makin Air Helicopters

to test this myth.

So they're about to find out
how much downdraft there is

by hovering
directly overhead the head.

And in close, the downforce
is surprisingly small.

So, it's roughly
around 50 to 80 grams

when he's just hovering...

Which is
fairly insignificant.

And even a sudden takeoff
doesn't make much difference.

So, it got up to a little over
100 grams on that one.

100 grams
is nothing.

Your clothes weigh
more than 100 grams.

So, we just finished testing
the downforce of the helicopter,

and the results
were very consistent.

We had him hover
above our scale.

As he came down,
the weight increased.

However, it only got
to 50 grams, which is nothing.

I mean, your clothes
weigh more than that.

And at one point,
we had him punch it

as if he was taking off,

and it peaked
at about 130 grams,

which is still
not that much weight.

So it looks like
the downforce of the helicopter

really isn't gonna affect your
ability to hang onto the skid.

So, in summary,
and somewhat unexpectedly,

the team can ignore
the downdraft

from the chopper blades...

And go to work
at the next location.

Best commute ever!

No signs prohibiting heavy
machinery or mythbusting...

perfect, because at the pool,

they've got
everything they need,

including a cool chopper mock-up
Jessi knocked up at the shop.

All right, so it may not be
a real helicopter

and a lot of it
is made from plywood,

but I'd have to say it's
a pretty darn good helicopter

for the amount of time I had.

Where's Rick
and T.C., man?

Most importantly,
everything is to spec.

These struts are 45 degrees,

and the skids
are 3-inch-diameter tubing,

just like a real helicopter.

Now, how many times have
you watched, in an action film,

somebody jump onto a helicopter
and climb up as it's taking off?

Now we get to try it.

I mean, we're living out
our action-hero fantasies.

The idea is that we will be
suspended over a pool.

Mythbuster P.I.,
ready for takeoff.

That way, if we fall,
we won't fall to our death.

We'll just fall in the pool.

We have liftoff.
We have liftoff here.

The goal is to hang on
to the skid,

pull yourself up and over
and into the cockpit to safety.

Aah!
Oh, look! Turbulence!

Hang on, everybody!
Hang on!

But a set of realistic
skids on a fake chopper

is not the only obstacle
the guys will encounter

on their climb to safety.

Based on our test
with the real helicopter,

we know that the downward force
at hover is minimal.

But let's face it...
this is an action movie.

They have to fly away.

How do you simulate flight
at a swimming pool?

With this.

This is a 6-foot-diameter
fan blade

connected to a 350-horsepower
big-block engine.

It's capable
of generating wind speeds

of up to 95 miles per hour.

That's enough to simulate the
cruising speed of our helicopter

and more than enough
to test this myth.

Buster and I hope this
provides a lesson in caution

to anyone who would mishandle
a slush drink.

Not only is the primary damage
to the windshield

absolutely shocking,
but the secondary damage,

the effect of the driver
not being able to see

through the spider webbing
on the windshield,

would very likely
cause a really bad accident.

I would not have called
that much damage.

That is shocking.

It doesn't get
much worse.

Well, if your name is
Buster, it does get much worse,

because they're going again.

This time, we made sure

our windshield
stays firmly in place.

Now, on our last test,

the whole windshield collapsed
and fell out,

so, in a sense,

it was absorbing a lot
of the shock by doing that.

And if we secure the windshield

and make sure
it stays firmly in place,

what I'm hoping for

is that the projectile,
when it hits it,

will concentrate all its energy
in one spot.

And it might just make it
all the way through it.

All right!
I see them up ahead!

I want a bull's-eye!

I think that was a bull's-eye!

Time to inspect the wound.

Wow!

Look at that!
I am blown away!

That is penetration.

Did we trip
anything on the guy?

It doesn't look
like it.

So, despite the
promising-looking penetration,

the windshield once again

successfully dissipated
the energy of the impact.

Buster got wet, not dead.

Looks to me like
the windshield's actually

taking
a lot of the load.

It's absorbing it.

Yeah.

Liquid makes it through,

but it's more of a splash than
some kind of a cohesive lump.

Look, I have no doubt

that if you took a hit
from just the cup

hitting you in the head
at 120 miles an hour,

it would kill you.

I think this windshield
is protecting him sufficiently.

I do, too.

Well,
several destroyed windshields

and several delicious
slush drinks later,

I'm pretty satisfied

that a slush drink does not
create a primary lethal hazard

on the freeway.

It's not going to penetrate
your windshield and kill you.

Make no mistake, though...

it creates a very serious set
of secondary lethal hazards.

One, it totally obliterates

your ability
to see through the windshield.

Two, it covers you
with sticky slush drink.

Three, splinters of glass
are covering your body

and your face.

All three of these things
would be enough

to cause
a very, very serious accident.

But as for the slush drink
itself being lethal

through a windshield, I say no.

I say it's busted.

Busted, but the fun's not done.

We have liftoff here.

Jessi, Grant, and Tory

are about to live out
their action-movie dreams.

They want to know,

a la Hollywood,
can you hop into a helicopter?

All right, so, this is what I think
should happen, guys.

We hang on, but we can't
start doing any climbing

until we actually
hit the airstream.

Well, then, the goal here
is to climb up onto the skid,

get yourself
safely inside the helicopter

without falling
into the water.

All right.
So, who goes first?

...Not it.
... Not it.

I guess I'll go first!
... Ha ha!

Don't tell her
about the piranhas.

I think
I'm gonna do just fine.

I got a good technique, and
it's gonna get me up and over.

It's just those winds
that I'm quite curious about.

Yep, and it's
those 80-mile-an-hour winds,

simulating
a helicopter's cruising speed,

and the accurate undercarriage
and skid structure

that gives this test
the seal of authenticity.

But none of that stops
stunt girl Jessi.

Yeah!

She was slick, quick,
and her technique looked like

it was straight
out of the stunt-girl manual.

This is pretty large tubing,
so if you have little hands,

it's gonna be difficult
to hang onto

'cause I could feel myself
starting to kind of slide off.

And then,
once you got into the wind,

I was like,
"The winds are insane!"

My ponytail was sideways,
my pant leg has come undone,

my shirt almost flew off.

And, then,
standing up on the skid...

it's a little bit more difficult
than you thought it would be,

'cause you do have
those pressing winds.

But once you're in, you're in.
You're safe.

The key
to Jessi's success was speed.

And if you throw in the fact

that this test is all about
strength-to-body-weight ratio,

being a lot lighter, she's got
a big advantage over the guys.

So, will they be able
to match her?

All right. You ready?

That was nuts!

I was hanging onto the skid,

and as I was going out, I was
like, "Yeah, this is fine. "

And all of a sudden,
I hit that wind,

and I was like,
"I'm not gonna make it.

I'm gonna fall into the water. "

That was crazy!

Crazy? Sure.
But also very achievable.

Yeah!

And with Grant scrambling
for safety

with just a wardrobe malfunction
to worry about...

Get to the chopper, Grant!

...the myth and the boys'
deluded silver-screen dreams

are looking good.

Yeah!

Man! He wanted to live!

Yeah!

I'm alive!

I made it
to the chopper!

Did you see
his shirt come up?!

Damn! Thank God
his pants didn't come off!

Take that, action heroes.

That was
such a fun test!

And it's possible
to climb into a helicopter

as it's taking off.

Yeah, but it's definitely
not as easy

as it looks
in the action movies.

Well, so far,

all of these fall-guys' myths
are looking pretty good.

You know what?

I think we did pretty good
for a couple of average Joes.

Whoo!

What's this aluminum soda
can full of soda gonna do

when it hits this windshield?

Well, I think
we're all in agreement

that it's gonna go through.

All right,
James Franklin Hyneman,

are you ready?

I'm ready.

Let's go!

The question is,
what will it do to Buster?

And I'll tell you...

I'd be terrified to have this
go through my windshield.

Another
in a long series of things...

what the hell am I doing?

"Missing" is the short answer...
missing several times.

And even the occasional hit
is a mis-hit.

But, nothing, if not persistent,
our Yodas of soda are.

It's all down to this one.

Will I make it?
Will I have the accuracy?

Crap, I hope so.

I think I hit it!
A palpable hit!

Finally,
a hit on the windshield.

But, Adam, using the sporting
prowess he was born with...

as in, none...
was wayward once again.

A hit in the corner,
near the frame,

damaged the glass,
but didn't threaten Buster.

And with the team
running out of windshields,

they need a more accurate
litter-launching method.

Well, it's not
a perfectly centered hit,

but Jamie has, I think,
a solution that he says

is gonna be more accurate
than me throwing and hoping.

I can't wait to see what it is.

Back at the shop, while Adam was
preparing the windshield rig,

it looked and sounded
like Jamie was having fun.

Did you hear that?

That's the sound
of Mr. Hyneman having fun.

It's now clear
what he was working on.

And it's a clear case
of "don't try this at home. "

It's pretty simple.

We've got an air tank here,

which is
a modified fire extinguisher,

a fast-acting valve,
an elbow, and a tube.

And you put the soda in here
and you press the switch.

Out comes the soda.

Wow!

I call it
my little "pop" gun.

That is awesome!

Let's give it a shot.

All right.

Yep, in a strange mix
of "Mad Max" and "MacGyver,"

Jamie shoots at Buster
with a can of soda

from a shoulder-mounted
air cannon...

...all in aid of accurately
hitting the target,

which doesn't happen
on the first go.

Ho-ho!

Well, that's a neat hole,
but I need to hit the dude.

Yeah,
you want to go again?

Again, they go.
But again, no dice.

A direct hit, but still
didn't hit the dude.

Once again, Buster sees soda
and shrapnel fly past his ears.

And as this is
the team's last piece of glass,

it's back to basics.

Looks like the only thing
left to do

is just shoot the sucker
point-blank.

I'm actually kind of curious
how this is gonna turn out.

Yeah, me too.

Little pop gun
in three...

Two...

One.

Wow!

"Wow?" yeah.
Not to mention "Ow. "

It killed him.

It tripped all the shockwatch
stickers in his chest.

Is this awesome or what?

We tripped all three
of Buster's shockwatch stickers,

which tells us something
that we often learn

at the end of an episode
of "Mythbusters. "

Everyday objects can, in fact,
be made lethal

if Jamie builds a gun
to shoot them.

Obviously,
if somebody makes a cannon

and fires a soda at you
point-blank, like I just did,

you're gonna die.

But a soda thrown out
of another car into your car?

Well, unless you crash the car
because of it...

Not so much.

Well, where does that
leave us?

Well, we were able to create
a lethal beverage.

Yeah, but it was a can,
not a cup,

and we did that
at point-blank range.

Good point.

But I have to say
that the styrofoam-cup beverage,

while it would do a lot
of damage to your windshield,

it's not, at a primary level,
lethal.

That one
is totally busted.

Yeah.
It's busted.

Our work here is done.

Okay.

Nice gun, but you got
some accuracy problems.

Yeah,
I need to practice.