For the readers who are wondering "WTF is this guy writing about?" I'm talking about the Discovery Channel's famous crusaders of truth (and mayhem), the MythBusters, and the "thorn" in question is in the form of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala with rockets attached.
Mythbusters 2013 season premiere
Its one of the most famous 20th century myths, next to watching TV too close to the set can cause damage to your eyes (which is true until 1968, when leaded glass was used to make CRTs, so its OK to do so now (especially if you got a flat-screen)) and that subliminal messaging works (The classic form of this (the split second flash of text on a screen) doesn't really please read my blog work as popular belief suggest.). It could only have come from the wide-open, car-loving, everything-is-better-with-rockets-attached country that is America. One day, an Air force man or a guy exploring a dump or military surplus retailer, got their hands on a JATO rocket and decided (for a bit of fun) attach it to the roof of his car. He floored his car down a straight road and let it rip! It allegedly reached over 300mph before the car hit a small bump on the road, which caused it to launch into the air for a huge distance, until it hit a rocky mountain face.
Since the 1980s, this story has circulated the internet (along with the concept of the Darwin Awards) and had a few mentions and references outside the WebSphere, including a paragraph in Craig Charles' The Log: A Dwarfer's Guide to Everything (1997) (where I first heard if this story (I didn't go online a lot then (too little accessible content due to my age then)).
It's such a great story that (years later) I even used it in a poster design during my time studying graphics design in Glasgow Metropolitan College (before it became part of the City of Glasgow College group). The class had a competition for a poster about the college's literacy help service. I made two full-size A3 posters for my portfolio and this is one of them. I only made it to show what kind of ideas I could come up with. It wasn't entered the competition (the other was and it got in the final three!). I wasn't as savvy with computer graphics as I am now, hence its quality (and the errors in the text).
It's such a great story that (years later) I even used it in a poster design during my time studying graphics design in Glasgow Metropolitan College (before it became part of the City of Glasgow College group). The class had a competition for a poster about the college's literacy help service. I made two full-size A3 posters for my portfolio and this is one of them. I only made it to show what kind of ideas I could come up with. It wasn't entered the competition (the other was and it got in the final three!). I wasn't as savvy with computer graphics as I am now, hence its quality (and the errors in the text).
Literacy poster made in college, featuring the JATO car myth (2006-7)
It's no surprise that this myth got chosen as the subject for the first ever episode of MythBusters. In fact, because they re-tried this myth twice with a four-five year gap in-between tries its possible to observe how the show as evolved just by examining how they tried to examine this myth.
Let's start from the very beginning.
No. Not THAT beginning. I mean, the first show in 2003.
The First Attempt
Believe it or not, MythBusters is an Australian invention. The producers of the show are Beyond Television Productions, which formed in 1985 to produce the science and tech mag show Beyond 2000, which was a commercial reworking of Towards 2000 which appeared from 1981-3 on ABC. The idea of MythBusters was devised by Aussie writer and producer Peter Rees in 2002. Initially, it was going to be another "this is what allegedly happened" show, but Discovery rejected it (as they already commissioned such a show at the time), so Rees turned the emphasis towards the experiments on the myth's aspects, which turned out to be a stroke of TV genius. Discovery agreed to develop and co-produce a three-episode pilot series. For a presenter(s), the obvious choice is a special effects artist, as they work in many disciplines (and try to make the impossible happen for a living). A number of these artist sent casing tapes to Discovery, but one of them had an added advantage, because Rees interviewed him on Beyond 2000 on the segment about Robot Wars. He got the role. The man in question was former pet shop owner, diving instructor, wilderness survival and Russian literature expert Jamie "I am the early-20th century walrus" Hyneman.
Before MythBusters, Jamie's biggest claim to fame was his combat robot Blendo, which was once classified as too dangerous for competition (which may be why he got the job). But Jamie felt he needed a co-host, thinking he was too "uninteresting" to host alone. Fortunately the perfect co-host was near him (as he did the wiring from Blendo). He had a lot of previous experience performing as a child actor, been a voice for animated characters on Sesame Street, a stock boy on a Charmin toilet roll commercial and a drowning boy in the music video for Billy Joel's You're Only Human (Second Wind). Then, abandoning acting in favor of activities that used his hands, he dazzled in model making, animation, carpentry, set design and worked as a film developer, a projectionist, and a gallery owner. The perfect co-host for an already "uninteresting" guy. That guy was Adam "I reject reality and substitute my own" Savage.
With the presenters (Who also had their own premises for experimentation called M5 Industries) found and ready, it was time to begin the business of busting myths. Eight myths were tested in the three original pilots, and from the beginning they tried to be ambitious, with these first myths including the Larry Walters lawn chair stunt of 1982 and the supposedly deadly Goldfinger body paint myth.
Jamie Hyneman bearing all for science.
But the most ambitious (and most crucially their first failure) was the very first one they tried to do - the JATO car. Just looking back at this myth alone shows how difficult those early years were for the MythBusters. Getting access to an actual JATO was impossible (despite phoning the military to get their involvement in it - PERMISSION DENIED) so they had to settle with off-the-shelf rockets, as used by professional rocket enthusiasts. Also, they had trouble finding the car. Despite the fourth generation Chevy Impala holding the record of annual sells of 1million when it was new, Adam and Jamie had massive trouble finding just one of them. Eventually, they found a 1966 Impala (with tripped suspension). The main reason why they had this trouble was that they were the guys on the scene. No reputation - let. Back then, Jamie and Adam were just two special effects guys who just got a job presenting a TV show.
Jamie and Adam with the first JATO Chevy (2002)
The first JATO Chevy (2002) and look at the size of that camera rig
A series of three hobby rockets (providing a bigger thrust than a JATO) were attached to the roof. The car was rigged to be remote controlled. It was taken to the Mojave Desert and let rip (Actually, the car had a fuel filter problem that prevented the car from initially going. They spent so much time on the rackets they neglected the car.). Because of the possible speeds it could reach, a fast helicopter was hired to take the controller to follow the rocketing fast car. When it did let rip the car went well pass the helicopter's top speed with spectacular spectacle (but no carnage). In their primitive set up of 2003, the remote controller only had his eyes on the car as it went along as reference and their was no speed measuring equipment to confirm the speed of the rocketing car, but the fact it went just beyond the top speed of their helicopter meant that it reached a speed was not the mythical 300mph the myth required, busting the original circumstances. They didn't try to "duplicate the results" then (only could afford one set of rockets as it was the pilot).
The first JATO Chevy cruising along very quickly. How quickly?
No one bothered to measure it, but you can tell it was beyond its original top speed.
It may have looked like another low-budget science show found on the cable networks then, but this proved to be the start of something big. Within a few years their quest to find the truth in the many "myths" most proper academic scientists ignore investigating (due to social pressure from other academics) gained Jamie and Adam recognizable fame with the populace. With such fame, they have received high praise from the academia and journal-writing elite in making science popular, with guest editings and writings in various magazines and some film and TV appearances, including CSI, The Simpsons and in the 2006 movie The Darwin Awards as the Army surplus vendors who sold the rockets to the guy who attached them to his car.
But, no one could have seen this back in 2003. Even Jamie sold the original Chevy, which turned out to be a bad decision as they needed a Chevy for the retake in 2007. Fortunately, by 2007, the show's popularity with the science community and the American public meant that many troubles they had obtaining hard-to-get stuff were a thing of the past. Fans (and junkyards) were willing to give the show vehicles for them to test their myths with. They gained contacts from many places, including one retired FBI officer with access to powerful explosives (who's became a regular guest on the show).
But the biggest changes to the show during the early seasons was the increase of man power. With lots of myths to examine, Adam and Jamie didn't have the time to do them all. That is why, for season two, a separate "build team" made from other members of staff of M5 Industries was set up to examine separate myths from the ones examined by the main duo. This dynamic trio was made up of artist Kari Byron (who managed to get an appearance on one of the pilots as a model for the large imitation backside needed for the fat lady sucked into the aeroplane toilet myth), former amateur pyrotechnican and resident fall guy Tory Belleci, and electronic whizz kid Grant Imahara (although, for the their first year, Grant disguised himself as a blonde female welder and called himself Scottie Chapman (JOKE)).
From left to right, Grant Imahara, Tory Belleci, and Kari Byron.
With additional support and experience, they decided on the "Super-size Myth" special to retry the rocket Chevy myth - with bigger rockets! They returned to the Mojave Desert, made a large ramp out of old shipping containers, rigged the car to be remote controlled (again) and fitted $20,000 worth of rockets on the back of the car (placing them on the roof like the last time wasn't ideal for stability). Of course some experts had to be there to prime the rockets. What could possibly go wrong....
The camera rig has shrunk since 2003.
The second JATO Chevy (2007)
The Chevy never got to be airborne.
What happened.
The rockets were too tightly packed. As the car approached the ramp, when they were meant to ignite (providing thrust) the rockets blew up, taking the Chevy with it (although, the car still kept going up the ramp and over the edge). With such a failure, the experts who provided the rockets said that the MythBusters could get free rockets off them if they plan to redo this myth.
Here goes 20 grand!
Despite this setback, the MythBusters continued on strongly. The myths got bigger (and the viewers got to see them been "busted" in HD). The myths got so big in fact sometimes the two teams had to join forces to deal with it. In fact, one myth so so big the President of the United States had to summon them.
The MythBusters been summoned to the President
So what was the myth in question that go Obama involved? It was the Archimedes Death Ray myth (again). The MythBusters celebrity status was growing. The number of resources available to them was growing...
Cloning facilities, like on The 6th Day?
A time machine?
Magic?
(OK that is a joke. They are masters of SFX so they can fake it.)
But it was becoming more difficult to film due to the presence of fans and the press (especially for Kari).
The press intrude on the MythBusters (especially Kari).
In fact, it got so bad they had take the law in their own hands.
And that's just the conventional weapons. With years of special effects experience the weapons got more elaborate (and unusual).
The photographer of this photo was later hospitalized for multiple stab wounds
from projectile plastic cutlery.
Two conspiracy theorists (who thought Jamie was an alien and tried to capture him on motorbikes) were hospitalized for concision from this soda cup air gun.
And that was just in the real world. The inclusion also went virtual. Fortunately, M5 Industries had resident hacker Grant to deal with this.
Grant hacking away in a battle against cyber spies (with his actions recorded on video just in case).
However, like all hackers, Grant has had brushings with the law (and the Chinese).
Grant trying to explain himself to the Chinese.
Despite the press inclusion (and the cyber attacks), the business of busting myths continued.
It's now 2013. Ten years had passed since that day in the Mojave Desert. Fro their tenth anniversary the MythBusters decide to return and redo "the myth that got away" - the rocket Chevy. And this time, all their resources were put into it. An entire episode was dedicated to it and build team got involved, providing a blast-proof dumper truck with blast shields that are lifted and lowered over the cab by the same mechanism that lifted the bucket (now that's ingenuity!).
JATO Chevy 3.0 (2013)
In the first test, the car was driven over a line of sand bags to simulate hitting a bump on the road (As the original myth suggested).
The first run, with sand bags to create a small bump
(as the original myth suggest)
The first test was a success (and they had proper carnage in the end as well). As suspected, the Chevy never got airborne (as the myth said it did) so the original myth was BUSTED. With the circumstances replicated, it was now time to "replicate the results." Another Chevy (painted red) was set up and a large ramp was built to make it airborne. Only pictures describe this test.
Not even Mr Magoo can miss this ramp!
The Chevy hits the ramp at full thrust (battering the ramp)
IT FLIES! (sort of)
They did it! After ten years of experience (and contacts) they rocket Chevy had finally got the treatment it deserved - been a busted massive pile of twisted scrap metal.
The full team with Jamie triumphantly "owning" the myth
What a way to celebrate a birthday. And speaking of birthdays, it was my 25th just recently, so its fitting that this blog entry got loaded on the blog-sphere just after my birthday (a lot things at my end delayed it).
MythBusters is one of the best shows ever created in this century. And thanks to them we now know that putting metal in a microwave does not break it or make it explode (a myth that once made Adam fetch the cost of a new microwave, became a roommate thought he broke their microwave because he left a spoon in a mug he put in it) and we can see the proof! I know they are other science shows out there, such as Brainiac: Science Abuse on UK Sky TV, but a lot of them has little proper experimentation method (they don't set up control experiments) and are just mayhem for mayhem's sake (and for the case of Brainiac, an excuse to destroy caravans in as many creative ways as possible). That is why, of all the science shows that have been made since TV began, MythBusters is the one I most recommend. Not only because it deals with things in the proper scientific method, it also does the experiments we all wanted to do but can't, due to lack of know-how, access to facilities and resources (and cash to fund them). Admit it, we all always wanted to attach rockets to our cars, put metal in microwaves and use a cellphone while on a jet plane to see what happens. Admit it! We all curious, and those warning signs are just adverts insisting it (its unintentional reverse physiology).
And now a tribute final sketch... (IN COLOUR!)
KEEP ON BUSTING MYTHBUSTERS
