Two Scenes Adam Refused to Film on MythBusters 

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really miss Mythbusters as a show, in hindsight it helped a generation think more critically about these "myths" and really encouraged kids like me to be more skeptical and curious and not accepting things at face value

"I don't want to get tased" is a perfectly good reason to not want to get tased.

My biomedical engineering design students built a bidet for spinal cord injured patients, and needed a way to test it. Somehow, they managed to contact your show, and Jamie shared his recipe with them. I consider that our brush with greatness.

The fact that Jamie wanted to eat fake poo on camera and was willing to argue this point for hours, tells me all I need to know about him.

I love how Adam has graduated from “lovable goofball” to “nutty professor.” Obviously, he has always been both…but he has really aged into the latter.

I just think it's funny that between you and Jamie, he wanted to eat fake poop on camera, and you were the one being the adult in the situation.🤣

I just lost my dad 6 days ago due to liver cancer. One of my fondest memories was back around 2004 -2010 watching mythbusters with him. Everytime the show was on mybdad would call me into the room and we would watch the show together and we both enjoyed every second of it. We didnt care about reruns or older episodes because we loved the humor and passion dedicated to the show. My dad was 73 when he passed on the 29th of august 2023 and i have found myself coming back to the old things we use to enjoy together and of course one of the first things i came back to was mythbusters.

My favorite myth was the barrel-pulse jet. I liked it because, unlike most myths, Adam and Jamie were willing to admit that they were defeated and called in a rocket scientist to finish the build off.

The discussion of what constitutes death reminds me of the idea that when hypothermia is involved you don't pronounce death until the bodies warm and dead because of the crazy stories of chilled bodies coming back from near total inactivity.

Former law enforcement here. The Taser was the most painful 5 seconds of my life. For those unfamiliar but willing to hear, the electricity travels through your body by completing a circuit between the two probes (the barbs on the ends of the wire that are shot into your skin). This is to say that you are electrocuted across a span of your body and not just at the barbs, as is a common misconception. The average spread at the average shooting distance is around 1-2 feet and should be to the subject's back. This, assuming a good connection, is generally enough to incapacitate an individual who is otherwise not responding to verbal direction and has escalated the encounter to such a point there is reasonable risk of bodily harm or death to them or to others. Taser exposure as officers in training was not mandatory but recommended, and we had a somewhat sadistic instructor. Our first cadet received the Taser via shot to the back. The rest of us (I was second) received our exposure via alligator clips, to save on shooting 50 Taser cartridges in one day (again, for those unfamiliar, you can deliver repeated shocks via already-deployed probes). I was given one alligator clip to my right shoulder and the other alligator clip to my left ankle. I still have the scars a decade later. To complete the circuit, the 50,000v (low amperage, as you observe, though there has been at least one confirmed death) had to travel across the entirety of my body to complete its circuit. It's the feeling of complete paralyzation combined with high-voltage electric shock. Every nerve between those connectors is on fire and non responsive. You are someone else's plaything until the five seconds are over. I wouldn't do it again, though many of my compatriots have since had repeat exposures. I give you the respect due for not caving to peer pressure to "get the shot" for TV. Finally, to answer the question of why cadets are often given a Taser (and CS gas/OC gas) exposure, there is an important justification: So that officers understand the pain they would inflict by deploying these non-lethal measures. Having experienced it helps instill empathy in an otherwise healthy psyche, which hopefully reduces the incidence of unnecessary deployments. Be Well and Be Kind to Each Other, - Chaz

I love hearing Adam talk about Mythbusters and some of the behind-the-scenes info about the various episodes. He is a gifted storyteller in addition to being an amazing builder/creator.

The thing about "quantifying death" made me remember 2 things that happened when i was little, and these two events were really close together...one was after bathing while i was still damp i accidentally stuck my fingers into an open power socket that my dad had been working on and hadnt capped off yet (this caused the breakers in the house to all trip and a transformer to go boom just outside our house)...the other thing that i had happrn around the same time was after finishing up swimming lessons with my older brother, the two of us and the rest of our family went to a nearby lake and the whole way up to the lake we were arguing about who could swim to the boui (floating thing that was chained to the bottom of the lake so it stayed put), well that year it had rained a LOT and the boi was under water, and i wound up swimming past it while the rest of my family was doing other things and not paying attention to me...well a lot of people drive boats on that lake and i got rolled by the waves they made, i'd blink and see the bright light blue sky with a couple little fluffy clouds and the big bright sun and then i'd blink again and see the town that had been in the area before the damn was put in and the buildings were all flooded, so old roofs down in the dark...i was spotted by a person who was a lifeguard at the coast who was at the lake on holiday, they got me back to the shore, but i was out (not breathing) for well over 5min, and was told that they shouldnt have been able to bring me back, but here i am...so yeah i can attest to both that being shocked/electrocuted , and drowning are both NOT fun and very much are things i would suggest people avoiding.

Adam's comment about some things in James Bond just being too impossible reminds me of how badly I wanted a Harry Potter episode of Mythbusters when I was little, and then realizing that all the myths would be, "magic doesn't exist, so no, we can't do that." 😅

I'm surprised Adam didn't bring up the Ark of the Covenant shock prank as part of the reason for not wanting to get tazed. He knew from THAT experience what it's like to get a really painful, debilitating shock. Once bitten, twice shy! I wonder if there's still some bad blood there, and he doesn't like to bring it up...

The one thing I remember from the Deadliest Catch episode was when you guys tested the effectiveness of the power nap. If I remember correctly, you guys put yourselves to work on the boats with less than 10 minutes sleep between shifts. I always think of this whenever I'm very tired but have work to do, wondering if just a few minutes of sleep could be enough to reinvigorate me.

I enjoyed watching the personality changes between you and Jamie over time. In the beginning, the dislike between the two of you was palpable. As time progressed, you were able to get Jamie to laugh and loosen up. I watched every episode and loved your laughter and being okay with failures and loving the successes. Jamie become more likable and the relationship worked better over time. No matter what, your laugh was infectious, in a good way of course. 😂

The height of the curve for me were the years after Grant joined and you guys had two teams and tons of myths to do - brilliant television in every way and I still enjoy watching my old Mythbusters DVDs

Considering cross-promotion on Discovery, I wonder how much of Mythbusters today would be *debunking* other shows on Discovery and History - like _Ancient Aliens, A Haunting,_ and _NASA's unexplained files._

Adam, the dedication you, Jamie and the build crew and everyone else behind the scenes we didn't see that brought Mythbusters to life. Think how many future scientists and engineers you guys have helped get started or even get interested in science. My son started watching the show was he was 5 or so and watched it religiously until it ended and now that he's almost 14 he still watches it when it comes on. He still talks about different myths that were on the show, and has taken engineering classes, loves science and tech and loves to tinker and build and work with whatever he gets his hands on. Some days he starts rambling off with physics, energy, various things that I am glad I know a little bit about. I can tell you that desire and love of all that came from him first watching Mythbusters and now he's watching every science show coming his way on builds, engineering, even hours of "How it's Made" but it all started with Mythbusters, so thank you for all the effort and dedication and no small amount of bodily risk you all did getting that show out for so many years.

as someone who's accidentally walked into an electric cow fence in a dark field: solid choice.

I think the taser thing is extremely fair, especially with the heart condition involved. Police officers don't even get tased as part of their training unless they volunteer. Most people forget tasers are still legally considered a deadly weapon.

Adam is just the very best. His joy at the opportunity to point out that -40°F is equivalent to -40°C is just so great to see, especially because it's a very "know-it-all" kind of moment. Nine in ten people pointing that out would come off as know-it-alls, but not Adam. He's just delighted about that little quirk, and he wants to share it, period. There's not a condescending cell in that guy's body.

Adam seems like the kind of person that everyone is already best friends with. Such a magnetic and genuine personality…which I think is a big reason for the show’s success.

I'm soglad you talk about Mythbusters. That show was what got me really excited about the world around me. You and the crew have done some truly noble work. Thanks for being awesome!

Wow - I never knew Adam had a heart condition. That puts a whole new light on that time when Kari and Tori hooked up the Ark of the Covenant/ancient battery to deliver a shock to him when he touched it as a 'prank.' He was clearly upset with them, on camera - which I could understand even without knowing that context - but knowing it now, that makes it a lot worse!

"The closer you look, the blurrier thing get" This is deeper and more philosophical than I had realized on first listening. I legitimately had to stop and wrap my head around this. Words of wisdom from the Savage himself.

Adam: Don’t tase me bro

I always wanted to see you guys test whether a dryer would actually catch on fire if the lint was never removed.

I usually felt that the cross-promo shows were handled pretty well. It often came across that you (not Jamie so much) were communicating to us, "Yeah, we know this is contrived, but we've gotta keep the lights on and we're going to do our best to get you and us through this together and hopefully have a little fun along the way." Which is the best you can ask for in those situations!

Mythbusters was one of the finest shows I've had the privilege of watching and being a fan of. To me in many ways it was the grand finale of the Discovery channel I remember as a child, pure educational nerd fuel. I deeply appreciate all the years you guys put in. The Mythbusters squad will always be part of my TV Extended Family.

Stellar post! Love seeing you every time! Hello from Allentown, PA 💕🐝💕

keep up the great content I see you put down lots of happy energy into it!

Adam Savage, if you’re reading this, I can’t say how much I enjoyed watching you on the original Mythbusters. It was amazing to see you and Jamie bust, confirm, or prove a myth is plausible.

Adam I love how you speak so honestly and candidly about the show, but also so respectfully to the show. I hope you’re loving your best life! Watching MB as a kid really stimulated my interest in science.

Kudos to you Adam, love everything you do, awesome shows and are a great aspiration for so many people. 😊

OMG. Watching Adam is such a pleasure. So many interests, so much knowledge. No wonder he's just a ball of energy! I always say, "OMG, there's something bigger than Phil." What fun to go back to these after a hard week.

Adam is just what you want as a well rounded, curious, calibrated scientist. His excitement is infectious, & take on things - well reasoned. Always great to listen to.

1:50 Yep, been there done that 3 years ago. I'm told they did CPR for 40 minutes before they got me to a hospital where they got my heart beating again. I was told they shocked me 3 times before the ambulance left for the hospital, but I don't know how many times I got shocked total, but I kept going back into V-fib. I guess I wasn't completely without oxygen the whole time, due to the CPR, but they told my family to be prepared to make a tough decision the next day, e.g. pull the plug if I was brain dead. But, the EEG showed brain activity and I woke up the day after that. Other than some mild aphasia and some forgetfulness, I came back to normal for mid-40s.

I honestly had to stifle my laughter (cause of the time) on the Jamie and the 'hitting the fan' story. My maternal grandfather loved the movie Caddyshack, and his favourite scene that would make him laugh, without fail, was the entire 'Baby Ruth' sequence - so had he wandered in while watching and that aired - he probably would have started cracking up figuring it was fake (and possibly just melted 'Baby Ruth' bars.

Myth busters was epic moment in tv history. So basically Adam giving plethora of explanations and excuses, in implementing term Adam just turned cold feet coward … simple.

One of my most enduring memories from watching Mythbusters was seeing just how pissed off you were, Adam when Tori and Kari tricked you into touching the wings of the cherubim on their replica of the Ark of the Covenant...giving you a 10,000 volt shock...right across your heart!!! The restraint that you displayed for the cameras...as good as it was, nevertheless betrayed the true, inner rage you were feeling, which was plain to see in your face's expression. I am convinced that the scene was MUCH MORE INTENSE after the cameras stopped recording!

Thanks for being a formative part of my childhood, Adam! You, Jamie, Tori, Kari, and the late, great Grant Imahara were a driving force behind my love of science. "I reject your reality and substitute my own" is the best quote from the show

That first one reminded me of the 'Babylonian Battery' story, because of how upset Adam got over getting unexpectedly zapped. Now I don't know if he knew he had a heart condition back then, or the team simply didn't know it... but watching that it really felt like a line had been crossed.

I very much enjoy these videos. It’s great to have some behind-the-scenes insight to one of my favorite shows when I was younger and in school. One quick story I was working on a project for my science class and the newest episode that came out at the time was on the same subject as my project and I use some of your fax to help me get an A ;) 11:28

Longtime Mythbusters fan here, happy memories of my daughter and I watching you guys (she's a Science Teacher now). I don't blame you one bit for passing on getting tasered, even without the entire 'What Is Death?' thing. Actually, given all the weird stuff that you guys subjected yourselves to over the years, I am rather amazed that nobody ever developed full-on superpowers of some kind.

I cried real tears of defeat as a 22 year old man when mythbusters stoped. For all of my middle school and high school years my one and only true dream was to be on the myth busters team. I still have not found anything close to a passion for work. That being said, I love you Adam. You were an integral part to the molding of my mind. ❤

I loved mythbusters. My dad and i used to sit and watch it together. Some great memories with him laughing about the show. Thanks Adam!!!

I definitely miss Mythbusters as well. I learned a lot. It was both funny and entertaining. I feel for you when you mentioned -40 in Alaska. Coming from California and being dropped into that must have been horrific. I lived in northern Alberta and spent a week at -65, it was excruciating.

When I need to feel better about how my day is going, I look for Adam Savage. The positivity is infectious- in a non-viral kind of way.

As someone who has been through all the training classes for these types of things, I can absolutely say that they are not considered, even by the manufacturers and trainers, to be Non-Lethal. They are classified, in class and by both departments I have worked with, to be Less-Lethal. They are less likely to cause death, but they might. As far as what constitutes death? If you wake back up and you are still legally married, you werent dead.

I just watched this...AGAIN! Still can't stop LMAO about the "POO" hitting the fan story!!🤣🤣🤣🤣

I always loved your show. I watched from the first series one episode to the very last I wish you guys were still on the remake didn’t go over so well. Hope you guys are doing well. Thank you.

Man Mythbusters was like a core part of my childhood. I’d watch it with my brother and our grandpa for hours. So it’s really fun to listen to Adam talk about the behind the scenes of it

The Q&A vids with Adam are always great. He‘s just such a good story teller

With all the B.S. constantly spewed on Social Media, I just enjoy hearing a fellow educated and intelligent man speak 🤷

I never expected I would admire you and Jamie to the level I do when I watched the first couple episodes of Mythbusters but here we are....I love your work

Can’t believe Adam and Jamie had an argument for hours about fake poo coloration. XD

I just wanted to say how much I loved this format of answering questions and just chatting to the camera. You come across as the king of person I could spend hours just chatting with you and never get bored Thank you for this and please do more.

I'm a writer, and I write a lot of short stories, and whenever I need someone to be watching "something interesting" on TV but exactly what doesn't matter, I almost ALWAYS have them watch Myth Busters. It's fun, you don't have to worry about continuity, just about everyone is familiar with it conceptually, even if they haven't watched it. It's safe for the audience and the character. It's just an automatic winner. Right up there with cat videos. Everyone likes it.

Thanks for all the insider info, appreciate it.

I loved the original show with Adam and Jamie and certainly welcomed Grant (RIP) into the fold. You guys gave my science nerd son many ‘ideas’ and busy hours…. good thing that neighbors got used to the explosions in my backyard instead of calling the Police. They just shrugged and said ‘that must be so-and-so doing his experiments’. 😊

Adam, your candidness, your humility and your wonderful handle on the english language is always a pleasure to tune in to.

Always love/d your work Adam! Keep it up mate! (Yeah, as an engineer I used to shout at the screen hoping that you would hear me. But i still tuned in every week... the whole family did.)

I deeply appreciate the dedication from the mythbusters team in making learning about science, physics, and engineering fun for me as a child. I owe you so much !!

I expected "didn't want to do, but did it anyway" to include things like "pyramid power". I remember one of those episodes ending with Adam asking "Can we not do things like this again?"

I still can't get over how The B team made you touch the Baghdad battery, then Kari asking, "Did you feel god?" It was a horrible prank towards you by the B team.

10:45 Wasn't expecting a deep Carl Reiner/Mel Brooks reference. But, then again, hearing it from you makes so much sense in hindsight.

Thank you Adam, for preventing Mythbusters from having a "Pink Flamingoes" moment!

Adam, you and Jamie are my heroes. You were with me when I decided to make a career in science and you were there for me through the entire beautifully agonizing journey of getting my PhD. Now my son watches you and I can see the same sparkle in his eye that you gifted me. Thank you !

On the topic of tazers, there is a reason they are referred to as less lethal tools.

2:03 The moment of True Death is the moment it becomes impossible for "Revival"

Watching adams videos brings me so much nostalgia, back when I was young I used to sit with my mom and we’d watch NCIS, her favorite show, at 6 then my favorite show, mythbusters, at 8. It was like clockwork every Thursday and I really miss Adam and Jamie acting like hooligans for an hour in the name of science.

Ive learned two significant lesson on life. 1. Just because it won't hurt most people, doesn't mean it won't hurt you. 2. Listen to that gut feeling telling you no. I've seen too many friends and colleagues badly injured by things that shouldn't have gone wrong and often right after ignoring that "I shouldn't do this" gut feeling. Also, am I the only one now wondering what the blue fake poo tastes like?

I am an RN and have attended over 1500 deaths. I can tell you what dead is. The problem is determining the moment of death. You are correct about Tasers, they can be Lethal if the charge goes through the heart.

The one episode/myth I saw that made me want to immediately go out and try it myself was the Knight Rider trailer one. It was so cool to see that it works to drive a car up into a moving trailer.

The fragility of the human body is really something. My mom was an avid horseback rider when she was young. There was a girl in the area whose horse spooked and accidentally bodyslammed her into the barn. It turned out that it was just the wrong timing, and her heart stopped instantly. She'd fallen many times before, been kicked, all the accidents that other riders experience. But this time was just perfect, terrible timing. I was just reminded of this by the part of the video where you were discussing how there was literally just one millisecond, and a tiny fraction of electricity between a taser (a weapon used every day) and what is considered potentially fatal.

Now I'd love to hear about the other crossover episodes. The Storm chasers episodes where always a favorite of mine. Putting their modified cars behind a plane maybe wasn't a myth, but it felt like an important test anyway, to test just how safe they where

I thank you for all of your work, on and off screen. I'm amazed at all the things you tried to do, and now, hearing the stories about it, just make them that much better because these questions are like the "bloopers and outtakes" from some of my favorite episodes. I also am happy that you still do new stuff, it's a good way to keep learning and enjoying the experimentations!

My favorite episode was the one where they either coated or lined a shed with spray on automotive bed liner. They were then going to set off an explosion in the shed to see if it would hold up. I thought that there was NO WAY the shed would hold up, but it did. I was shocked!

Can you imagine walking past M5 one day and just hearing “YOU CAN’T EAT THE POO, JAMIE” Drifting out from within?

I always thought it was interesting that TV commercials for diapers and feminine hygiene products always use blue liquids. I imagined aliens from outer space watching our TV commercials, coming to earth to infiltrate us looking like ordinary humans and the way we are able to detect the alien invaders are that they pee and menstruate blue. 🙂

I wanted to thank you for all your work you and Jamie did on MythBusters I really enjoyed that show along with the supporting calves and I really miss the marathons but I enjoyed this little segment you did especially since it's my birthday I used to enjoy going home this time of year and watching the marathons on Discovery Channel thank you again for everything you did with Busters you made science so fun to learn

Although both can have severe consequences, shocking yourself through mains AC and a lower current device can be deadly. However the lower currently device more so as it's closer to the hearts natural rhythmic pulse signals and the heart gets confused. So could go into a weird unnatural rhythm. Its quite interesting getting back stories to Mythbuster episodes when re-watching the show.

It'd be really cool if Mythbusters wasn't locked onto Discovery channel. Imagine if Mythbusters re-runs were on Netflix, so many people could access such an awesome show.

Whenever I see an interview with one of the cast members from Friends, it turns to questions about Friends, and I think, "I bet they wish they didn't have to always answer questions about Friends." I mean, they loved their time on the show, but they have other work, and I bet they'd like to talk about that. Watching Adam talk about Mythbusters is kind of like that. He has an endless supply of stories he can tell us all, but I wonder, what is it that Adam wants us to ask him about?

Sadly, I didn't see The Mythbusters all the way through the series end because my dad would fall short on bills and had to cancel our cable subscription. I remember crying because I would never see Mythbusters again. I was never bored watching you guys!

At 10:45 - Adam, you owe me a new monitor!!! GREAT obscure reference!

My dad was a deckhand on a charter fishing boat for a company that runs off the Washington State coast. Sig and his family actully went on a fishing trip through the same company. I worked for this same company years after that had happened and I can tell you two things for certain: 1) If the guys on the boat (or in the company at all, really) think you're a jerk, they will let you know.....and they will let everyone they come in contact with (that is willing to listen) their feelings about you too. 2) Not one person there had a negative thing to say about Sig or his family! Nothing but praise. 👍 that tells me that he must really be a great person

I know you and Jamie never got along the best personally, but do you ever keep tabs on him? Like call him on the phone every once in a while or something like that?

I don't blame you for getting tazed. Tori was willing to do most anything, I loved Mythbusters, especially the Hot Water Tank thing, now that was wonderful.

The one time that you seemed angry a bit involved a tasing of a sort. It was during the Ark Of The Covenant box that you got the shock from after the build team had told you that it wasn't going to produce any shocks. A friend I was watching with said with the set up of a scene you'd have known and did it as a gag.

I do enjoy these glimpses behind the scenes of one of my favorite television shows. The only problem is I keep getting distracted by all the cool stuff in Adam's shop. Today, I noticed a "Scaled Composites" sticker on a drill press (or was it a bandsaw?). That set off several minutes of free association thinking about Burt Rutan and the airplanes he's designed. Good mental exercise, though. Thanks!

I remember the episode where a foil covered Ark of the Covenant was constructed and Adam got zapped. I do believe this is as close as he's ever came to going nuclear on Tory, Kari & Grant. Damn he was mad.

I worked as a facilities supervisor at a large resort for several years. On two separate occasions, disgruntled guests threw poop in their ceiling fans. The aftermath was horrific, and one might be surprised how far poop can be flung by a fan, and how costly the damage is.

If you have ever eaten a chocolate candy bar a fudge brownie or a chocolate cake you have eaten what resembles fake poo.

Good call Adam on the Taser. I was tased several years ago against my will, and it was the most horrible experience I’ve ever had. The person doing it had the extended barbs (which are meant to be used in the winter to go through the clothing) and this was summertime. One barb hit my chest the other barb hit within a millimeter or so of my carotid artery. I had to be taken to the hospital and held for observation after the doctor removed the barb from my neck. Don’t let people who have been tasered in a controlled environment (like police officers undergoing training), tell you any different. They get it very lightly and they know that it’s coming. I did not. I can tell you it’s like being held between life and death, and you’re hoping for death to make it stop. There’s a reason why Amnesty International has declared them to be instruments of torture because they are. They are given to police officers who use them haphazardly, in situation’s from them just being yelled at (because they feel “threatened”) and less. I still have nightmares of the situation , even as I write this I feel my anxiety going up and my heartbeat racing. Those doing the Tasering, have no idea the long lasting effects that it has on their victims. And before anybody starts lecturing me on, “you don’t know what police officers go through etc.”… save it, because I was a police officer for 2 decades. Pepper spray (which I had in sprayed with training) was enough(the few times I used it) to subdue an arrestee.

Non lethal is a marketing term. Its true name is less lethal, which is even scarier.

love the awkward sound you make at 4:08 lol

Love your shows… your so interesting and entertaining.