09x03 - Running on Water

[bunniefuu]

On this episode of "MythBusters",

Adam and Jamie risk
drowning and dysentery...

This water's disgusting!

...by testing the voracity

of this multi-million-hit viral video.

That was very light-footed!

Can man, woman, or a sporting superstar

actually manage to briefly run on water?

I'm more nervous of this
than I was at the olympics.

Meantime, Kari, Tory, and Grant

try blasting a supposedly survivable

action-movie stunt.

- Well, that was definitely a death zone.
- Oh, my gosh.

When you're desperately diving for cover,

just what is and what isn't bombproof?

You'd probably be bleeding from your ears,

but it is bombproof.

Who are the MythBusters?

Adam Savage...

That's 100% wacky right there.

...and Jamie Hyneman.

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

Joining them,

Tory Belleci...

Let's torch this thing!

...Grant Imahara...

It's lethal, people!

...and Kari Byron.

I'm starting to get the idea

that this shouldn't be done inside.

They don't just tell the myths,

they put them to the test.

MythBusters 9x03 - Running on Water
Original air date April 20, 2011

Sync by YYeTs.net, corrected by atrn97g
www.addic7ed.com

First up, a myth that seems
to defy the laws of physics.

Jamie, there's a viral video
we absolutely have to test.

Double rainbow?

No. This is some dudes
by the side of a lake

wearing shoes they say are water-repellant,

and then they proceed to run on the water.

They actually run across
the surface of the water

in these shoes.

I'm dubious.

And that's why we're interested in this.

Let's roll the videotape!

This is the clip that's got more
than 7 million online viewers

rethinking what they thought

they knew about, well, sinking.

There's not a whole lot to it.

Strap on a pair of waterproof shoes,

run on a curve to enhance
the skimming effect,

and keep the faith for a dozen
adrenaline-fueled strides.

I think if you don't actually believe

that you're gonna walk on that water,

it's not gonna happen for you.

They call it "liquid mountaineering".

But is this approach to
temporarily walking on water

a myth or a miracle?

What do you think?
Should we just go for it?

I think so. Let's find ourselves a lake

and replicate exactly what we
see them doing in that clip.

- Works for me.
- Okay.

Finding a lake that looks
much like the one in the clip

is the easy part.

Now it's time to run on the water.

Adam's optimism should be infectious.

But over the years, Jamie's
built up a natural resistance.

According to the clip, this
is all about the shoe.

They're hydrophobic, which
means they repel water.

We've got the same type of shoe,

and they do seem to repel water.

Whether that translates

to me being able to run
across a lake or something...?

Let's just say I think
I'm going for a swim.

According to the viral video,

Jamie needs to hit the water at speed.

And the turf should ensure traction

right down to the lake's edge.

You know, in the clip,
they talk significantly

about the curve that you
enter the water in,

like on a long arc, and about believing.

You believe? You believe you can do it?

I'm right there. You know me.

All right.

All right, here we go.

So much for focus.

But maybe it does all
come down to self-belief.

Three, two, one, go!

Or maybe not.

These shoes don't repel water well enough

to keep me on top of the water.

I just sort of ran into the water,

and that's all there is to it.

All right, come on out.
I want to give it a shot.

So, any words of advice?

Keep your mouth closed.

It's sort of like "au jus
de duck poop" in there.

Oh, God!

No problem.

Adam's instincts tell him

a longer run-up might
yield a better result.

Okay, I'm ready.

In three, two, one, go!

You really can't fault the execution.

In fact, Adam's effort

looked just like the ones in the video...

except for the end bit.

This water's disgusting!

So, did you feel like you
were on top of the water?

I mean, 'cause you didn't
really look like it.

I felt like I was getting
some good leg motion,

like, "pat, pat, pat" on the ground.

And then my foot hit the water,
and it just kept going.

Apparently, the technique does
take some getting used to.

So I'm gonna give it another go.

Knock yourself out.

They both decide to continue the test,

desperate to take at
least one step on water.

This continues to not work.

Every single attempt ends
with a splash and a crash.

Well, that was a spectacular failure.

Yeah, these shoes are gonna have to have

a lot more going for them
than water-repellence

for that to work.

True enough.

Now to a myth

that takes self-preservation
to its natural conclusion.

All right, so, as you guys know,

and you guys definitely know,

we have tested a ton of myths

where we have taken everyday objects

to see if they're bulletproof.

Like laptops, sheriff badges...

Yep.

And we've also done an episode

on what is supposedly stabproof.

- Like money.
- Exactly.

But you know what?

This one is gonna trump them all.

We're taking everyday objects
to see if they're bombproof.

And those everyday objects,

as suggested by you, the fans, are...

a table, a car, a wall, and a dumpster,

all four inspired by Hollywood.

It's the kind of stuff you see
all the time in action movies.

Moments before a b*mb blast,

the hero leaps to safety
behind a parked car.

The heroine is just close enough
to reach that cinder-block wall.

Or the sidekick,

who's still got a snappy
line or two left in him,

finds refuge in the refuse.

But we want to know if any
of these suburban shields

could really save your bacon.

Okay, for the "expl*sive du
jour", how about we use C4?

That's used in a lot of
Hollywood explosions.

Sounds great.

And first, we should do a control blast

to establish the injury zone.

Then, we can start bringing
objects one by one

to see if they're bombproof.

All right, well, the maximum amount of C4

we can use at the b*mb range is 3 pounds.

That is a gonna be a huge blast.

This is gonna be a cool experiment.

You have no idea how right you are.

For the whole team, this shapes up

as a pretty sweet day at the office.

"What's bombproof"?...

I can't believe we haven't
though of this one before.

The first thing to work out

is the perfect test distance

between the b*mb and the shields.

Too close, and the whole
experiment just blows to pieces.

Too far away,

and the shock wave might not
be lethal in the first place.

So this will take some finessing.

Come on, Byron. Hurry up.
We don't have all day.

Now, we're gonna set up a number of radii

from the epicenter of the blast.

At each of these radii, we're
gonna put two burst disks,

one that goes at 13,

which is the threshold of injury,

and one that goes at 75,

which is the threshold of instant death.

We've used burst disks before on the show,

to find out if various shock
waves were survivable,

without actually resorting
to a human sacrifice.

So, in this control blast, they're
testing the outer limits

of two differently calibrated disks...

one set for certain death,
the other for injury.

Up to some point, once the blast goes off,

these are all gonna burst.

At the point where they don't burst,

inside of that radius is injury.

Outside of it is the safe zone.

And identical on the other side...

Inside of the death radius
means instant death.



All right, you guys ready to see

how much damage this shock wave can do?

Absolutely.

Charging.

In three, two, one...

That was a nice thud.

That was a good one.
Let's go check our disks.



we can actually use at the b*mb range.

And I can see why.

That is a nice, high-powered,
destructive expl*si*n.

We got a beautiful, quick poof of orange,

and then nice, clear kind
of sheer destructive blast.

Destructive is right.

All that's left of the C4 spike is a stump.

All right, so, death side first.
What do we got?

We are bursting at 10 feet.

So if you're anywhere zero
to 10 feet from the blast,

you're dead.

In the staggered arc,

the 10-foot disk was the
farthest one to burst.

The disks at 11 feet and
beyond stayed intact.

So they've got their range.

All right, let's check injury.

As the shock wave expands,

the chance of death, as you'd
expect, decreases with distance.

Uh, look at all these ruptures.

So this is the 20-foot marker.

All the way through.

All right. So that's the injury radius.

Zero to 20 feet... you're getting injured.

Once again, they've got their range

by noting that the next disk,
at 21 feet, didn't burst.

So these are the blast boundaries...

just inside 10 feet for certain
death, and inside 20 for injury.

But could everyday objects
placed on the edge of the zones

really save life and limb?

There's just one way to test it,
and that's by blowing stuff up.

After the break, Adam and
Jamie see if sheer speed

can enhance your
running-on-water experience.

Go!

Having totally failed to skip across
a lake like a well-pitched stone,

Adam and Jamie have reverted to plan "B".

On your marks, get set...

And plan "B" is a beauty.

Now, if successfully running on
the water is depending on speed,

we need someone really fast,

and that's where Wallace Spearmon,
behind me, comes into the picture.

His 6'3", 170 pounds,

and he's run the 200
meters in 19.65 seconds,

making him the 5th-fastest person
in the world at that distance

and the perfect test subject for us.

- How are you doing?
- Pretty good.

If speed's the missing ingredient,

that's what Wallace has brought.

They figure that lightning speed

might well be the key to success.

And this man also runs the 100
meters in under 10 seconds.

So, Wallace, how far do you
think you're gonna get?

I'm hoping three steps.

Just three steps?

I'm fast, but I don't
know if I'm that fast.

- We'll see.
- Okay.

This test is mostly about speed.

And Wallace is pretty fast... on land.

However, when Wallace moves from
the land and into the water,

he's not gonna have the
same kind of traction,

and that means he's gonna
slow down really quickly.

I'm more nervous of this
than I was at the Olympics.

And fair enough...

even the Olympics can't
compare to walking on water.

So, let's see if sheer speed is the answer.

Three, two, one, go!

Apparently not.

It's cold.

He didn't seem to do any better
than any of our other tests.

No, his first step on the water

actually was quite a bit further out,

- Yeap.
- but once it touched the water,

it went down, same as the rest of us.

But Spearmon Junior
hasn't come all this way

to pick up his towel and run home.

Take off.

In three, two, one, go!

I don't think it's working, guys.

Try harder.

I got you, coach.

Wallace has also seen the viral video.

And just like Jamie and Adam,

he's become obsessed with the thought

that a minor miracle might
be only a quick step away.

- He's not quitting.
- Nope.

You know, one of the things

that they talked about
extensively in the video

was how much you had to
want it to run on the water.

And Wallace did a fantastic job with that.

He talked to us about it.

He really wanted to make this work.

He thought about his stride.

He thought about the way his
feet were hitting the water.

And he gave it every chance he could.

And it was still a total bust.

I want this.

So it turns out speed's not everything.

Maybe if we got Wallace up
to about 100 miles an hour,

he'd skip across the lake like a rock.

But given that humans can only run

up to about 30 miles an
hour, it's not happening.

All right, so, we've done our control test.

And it turns out if you are 10 feet away

from 3 pounds of C4 exploding, you're dead.

If you're 20 feet away, you're
gonna be pretty messed up.

Now that we've established those distances,

we're gonna see if hiding behind an object

can protect you from the blast wave.

And the first object

might not be your first choice of shelter,

assuming you had a choice.

That's because it's a plain wooden table.

I don't know, I don't think
I'd want to be 10 feet away

from 3 pounds of C4, behind just a table.

Oh, come on. That's 3/4-inch pine.

Yeah, it does seem kind of flimsy, eh?

We'll find out how flimsy
in just a few minutes.

Grant plants the burst
disk behind the pine,

as Kari and Tory deliver a
twin for the 20-foot test.

All right, let's point
it towards the blast.

This is the injury zone.

All right. Get in there.

Given the likelihood of shrapnel,

foam figures are added to catch
any potentially fatal shards.

But the way Grant sees it,
that's not the main threat.

So, when we're looking
at what is bombproof,

what we're actually looking at

is a branch of physics
called fluid dynamics,

because we're looking
at the movement of air,

and air is technically a fluid.

Now, when you set off a
high expl*sive such as C4,

what it does is create

a high-velocity, high-pressure wave of air.

And that high pressure

is potentially what is deadly to you.

With one table just 10
feet from ground zero,

and the other a scant 20...



...it's a test that seems
certain to end in splinters.

Unprotected,

we know that a blast of C4
would ruin your health.

Now, to see if a simple
pine table can save you.

Okay, this is "what is
bombproof? - wooden table".

All right, charging.

In three, two, one...

Well, that was definitely a death zone.

Now, one table is down,

but the other table is still standing.

Let's go look at the damage!

No prize for guessing

which table is gone, and
which one looks kind of intact.

But the rubble inside the death
zone has a surprise in store.

There's no table left.

The table is completely destroyed!

Oh, my God!

- No way!
- The burst disks are intact!

What the heck? How is that possible?

The table must have deflected
the pressure wave.

That's exactly what it did,

even if Tory finds the
data hard to swallow.

There is no way you would have
come away from this uninjured.

No, but by our criteria,

you would not have instantly died.

Grant makes a good point.

Incredibly, a simple wooden table

made an otherwise fatal
expl*si*n survivable.

Now, to check out the injury
disk at the 20-foot mark.

Okay, well, the table's still standing...

- Let's see.
- ...sort of.

It's not burst.

It's definitely crinkled.

You may have got away without
any injury on this one.

Okay, these results are so interesting.

Let's go check out the high-speed.

I'm dying to see what it looks like.

Me, too.

And it looks like that massive shock wave

was at least interrupted by the table

that Tory quite recently called "flimsy".

Look at the wave.

The disk didn't burst, but
that table is in shreds.

Both tables absorbed
the brunt of the blast.

In the 10-foot death zone, extreme shrapnel

from the shattered wood
might have been fatal,

but the shock wave wouldn't.

And at 20 feet, you will
remain snug and safe.

Up next, replicating a reptile

that has this whole
"water-walk" thing down pat.

Yeah, it's a big tail. So what?

Go!

So far, Adam,...

...and Jamie,...

and a world-class runner

have failed to replicate this viral video.

So, it's time to think outside the box.

Well, we couldn't make it work,

and speed is definitely not a factor,

so where do we go from here?

Well, I think I may have found

the grain of truth at
the heart of this myth.

- Really?
- Really.

It turns out there's a basilisk lizard,

otherwise known as the
"Jesus Christ lizard",

that actually can run on water.

- It can?
- It can.

- Really?
- Really.

Yeah, really.

This remarkable reptile can run

as far as 20 yards across
the water's surface.

And that's just the kind
of inspiration they need

to replicate the results
of the viral video.

All right, it looks like
his feet are actually

slapping the surface of the water,

but they're continuing
to push down and back,

as he's moving along.

Also, he's... it's not like
he's running like this...

he's, like, running with
his legs out, like that...

Yeah, in an oar-like fashion.

I could watch this all day.

But that's not gonna happen.

Based on what they just saw,

Adam and Jamie will each
build their own versions

of lizard/human hybrid footwear.

The aim is the same... to run on water.

Where the waterproof shoes failed,

these just might do the job.

So, after looking at all the
scientific papers that I've got

about the physics of how this
lizard stays above the water,

it really seems to come down
to the surface area of its foot

and how hard it smacks the water.

The design details of Adam's

water-smacking lizard loafers
are all in his head.

The hinge in his feet shows that
flexibility is a key factor.

But otherwise, it's a
case of watch and wait.

Jamie, however, lays all
his cards on the table.

I figure, why mess around?

It's clear from the get-go

that we're witnessing the
birth of the shovel shoe...

...patent pending.

Now, a lizard foot

is an incredibly hard thing to replicate.

It's a whole bunch of finely
muscled and jointed segments

all working together, that
allow it to run on water.

So I've taken a kind of
intuitive leap here.

I'm hoping that cupped shape
of the inverted shovel blade

will cut into the water and
then scoop it backwards.

And once it's finished
with the first sweep,

it should be easy enough to
pull the whole thing forwards

without dragging half
the lake back with it.

And just so you don't break your ankles,

the attachments I'm using here

are slightly modified boots

and ankle braces from snowboards.

Meantime, Adam proves he's
the master of multitasking.

If you're not sure what he's up to,

here's a clue.

So, his tail's coming out to about here.

Seems like it's counterbalancing him.

Yeah. Also, potentially,
you know, ruddering...

Yep. In the quest to build a better lizard,

Adam's decided it's not all about the feet.

The basilisk lizard has
substantial counterbalance.

So an articulated tail is
deemed essential equipment.

Yeah, it's a big tail. So what?

Adam's done,

and Jamie's shovel shoes
are also ready for action.

That might work.

So it's back to the very same lake

that proved so unsupportive
the first time around.

But they have changed the stunt staff.

Our water-walking lizard today
will be played by Jessica.

She's 58 1/4 inches tall,
weighs 100 pounds,

and she's an acrobat.

We think that her strength, her agility,

and her diminutive size

make her the perfect candidate
to help us make this work.

- You feeling ready?
- Ready!

Let's do it.

If either design stands a chance,

it makes sense to strap
them to the lightest,

most agile frame they can find.

First up is the control,
our point of comparison

Jessica is going to run into the water

without any apparatus on
her, just like we did.

Jessica's faster than Adam and Jamie.

She's much lighter.

And the odds are she
should do a little better.

Here we go! Running on water!

Control in three, two, one, go!

- She is fast.
- Yep.

Come on out.

Nice work. Let's get you dry.

Checking the high-speed,

it's hard to see any marked

improvement over Adam and Jamie.

She ran, she hit water,

and she sank.

Come on.

But maybe, just maybe,

Adam's giant shoes will reverse the result.

The biggest obstacle to buoyancy

is that Jess is denser than water.

But then again, so is a lizard.

The basilisk spreads scaly
fringes between its toes

to increase its surface area on the water,

which is what Adam's tried to do.

Then it all comes down
to speed and balance.

Now, if it's true that we are minutes away

from setting lizard/human, hybrid history

and walking a human on the water,

it will be because of
my two-pronged attack.

First prong is the feet,

providing the widest possible surface area

for Jessica to smack the water with,

providing, hopefully, enough up pressure

to keep her above the surface,

and giving her the same
amount of flexibility

as her normal feet or as
close as we could achieve.

The second prong is the tail,

acting as both a rudder and a stabilizer.

A lizard wouldn't run across
the water without it,

and neither will our acrobat.

How's she gonna do?

Well, she looks about as
close to a jesus lizard

as you can get at this point.

It worked for the lizard.
Maybe it'll work for her.

Let's do it.

If nothing else,

our acrobat's about to prove

she's no lounge lizard.

In three, two, one, go!

You can do it!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

How are you doing? You all right?

Astonishingly, it did not work!

It's, like, stuck in the mud!

Oh, really?

Jess did her best, but it's fair to say

the rig fell short of its early promise.

Did you feel like the shoes

held you above the water at all?

- Not at all.
- No?

- You just plunged right in?
- Yep.

Now, it's all up to genius Jamie

to prove that a man... or woman...

can walk on water.

Coming up, the hopefully bombproof shield

that just might defeat its own purpose.

It's right next to that b*mb.

It's gonna... boom!... smash that car!

So, so far, testing what is bombproof,

it turns out that the table will save you

from death and injury from the blast wave.

However, at 10 feet, it will not
save you from the shrapnel.

But a wooden table is

a world away from a mostly metal car.

It's another classic Hollywood
refuge suggested by fans.

The silver sedan is set
side onto the blast,

out on the 20-foot ring.

And stop.

So, this is our 13 PSI burst disk

here at the edge of the injury zone,

and it's right here
behind the wheel, where,

you know, if you were
hiding from an expl*si*n,

you'd crouch.

Whether or not that's a smart move,

we'll find out when the b*mb goes off.

The white car drew the short straw,

so it's in the death zone.

And the death disk now has
an injury disk for company.

What I've done now is added

an injury disk in the death zone,

'cause what I wanna find out is,

will the blast cause injury

in the death zone now
if the car is in place?

Okay, so, we've got two cars set up,

and 3 pounds of C4 between them.

I think it's gonna be a pretty good shield.

Kari agrees that the car
should block the shock wave.

Check out this man.

But she's still convinced
it'll all end in tears.

If the burst disks rupture,

it's not from the wave.

It's 'cause a car's gonna fall onto them.

It's right next to that bump.

It tore a table in half.

It's gonna... poof!... smash
that car straight into those.

She might be right.

If you're crushed by the shelter
you're cringing behind,

that does kind of defeat the purpose.

Okay.

Here we go! In three, two, one!

You know what?

That looked like a pretty good b*mb shield.

Dude, did you see how far it moved the car?

- Yeah!
- I'm not so sure.

- Let's check it out.
- All right.

It's clear that the car nearest the b*mb

took a beating.

But just to build the suspense,

they checked the injury-zone disks first.

Oh, my gosh. Look at the
damage it did to that car.

It shattered the window,
knocked the hubcaps off...

Wow. That is intense.

But the disk tells its own story.

They're not burst. We're good.

All right. Looks like we're bombproof

against injury at 20 feet.

- Perfect. Let's check for death.
- Awesome.

So now for the big one.

Behind the death-zone car

was a death disk, and an injury disk.

That is crazy.

There's no way you survive this.

Expectations are not high.

Oh, my God. You survive.

You survive death?

Yeah!

- You don't die?
- No.

- You live?
- You live.

It takes a while to sink in.

Even though the injury disk burst,

the death disk did not.

So by our criteria, then,
car is bombproof.

Looks like there's some truth to

these action films after all.

The high-speed shows

the car buffeted five feet,

which would knock you flat.

Most of the glass shattered,

and the burst injury disk shows

you wouldn't jump up
shouting, "you missed me!",

but given this methodology
and this amount of C4,

a car is a safe shelter.

This was a really cool expl*si*n.

Honestly, I thought the car
would get a lot more torn up,

but it turns out it's a really good block.

We did not burst the instant-death disk.

Now, this is a really interesting result.

We found that a car prevents you

from dying in the death zone

and prevents you from getting
injured in the injury zone,

which means that it's bombproof.

Adam and Jamie are rapidly realizing

that the concept of "man running on water"

is every bit as improbable as it sounds.

Running on top of the water
is totally possible...

...if you're a bug.

Something tiny like a water strider

is small enough and light enough

to rely on the surface tension of the water

to stay on top of it.

As we get larger though,

things like jesus lizards

have to run really hard
to be able to do that.

And as we get larger still,

something like a water fowl, like a duck...

...they can run on top of the water, too,

but they need help.

They use their wings.

Adam built two fancy lizard feet

and a Godzilla tail.

All he managed to do was
to half-drown an acrobat.

But Jamie has dreams of his own,

and Jessica's job is to
make them come true.

So, what do you call these? Shovel shoes?

Shovel shoes they are.

- It kind of has a nice ring to it, don't it?
- Yep.

True to form, Jessica's
soon up and flapping.

How about trying to do a little run?

It seems like she's found her inner lizard.

There you go. It's just
what the jesus lizard does,

whatever... you know,
just... just flail at it.

Now let's go back down to the water.

But any purchase of Jamie's shovel shoes

comes with a free gift,

a kind of outrigger walking
frame that adds balance.

Much like a tail does, but up front.

While a tail may provide a
certain amount of stability,

I figure that we can do the same thing

in the front with a ski.

But with the ski, we'll also get

a certain amount of
supporting lift on the water.

Jamie's also relying on
a bigger surface area

to help keep Jess afloat.

But Adam's shoes were flat.

And these concave feet could
make a real difference.

On the other hand, the ski's
too cumbersome to carry.

So she won't get much of a run-up.

Okay.

Shovel shoes in three, two, one, go.

Okay, that was just embarrassing.

So maybe the ski should
go the way of the tail.

All right, shovel shoes without the sled...

in three, two, one,

go.

She's a good sport.

We could try this a hundred times,

and I don't think we'd
get running on water.

No, I don't think we would.

Straight ahead, the
dumpster and the brick wall

that might or might not save your life.

Hey, somebody threw away a
perfectly a good mythbuster.

So, here's where we're at.

We are testing the myth
of "what is bombproof?"

And so far, we've tested a
wooden table and a car.

And as it turns out, those
things are bombproof,

both in the death zone,
and in the injury zone.

Next up, we're gonna test
one of these... a dumpster.

It's like in the action movies
where a b*mb's going off,

hero sees a dumpster, thinks

"oh, I'll jump in there and be safe".

Whatever happens, it looks like

they've already confirmed the myth

that getting in is a whole
lot easier than getting out.

What a shame.

Somebody threw away a
perfectly good mythbuster.

A little help?

As with the table and the car,

they'll test two dumpsters,

one at the 10-foot death zone,

and one at the 20-foot injury zone.

Perfect!

If this doesn't work out,
we could be trash men.

Okay, this is the 13 PSI.

- All right, this is the injury disk.
- Yep.

Once again, they fit

an injury and a death disk

in the death-zone dumpster.

Now, you'd think those four steel walls

would be the best shelter yet

against having a b*mb turn
your insides to custard.

But here's the thing...

it's a mostly enclosed
box, except for the lid.

If that energy wave actually
diffracts around the top edge,

because it has these rigid walls inside,

you could see some reflection

and possibly get higher
pressures inside of the box.

And that same, exact thought
has already occurred to Kari.

If the wave happens to bounce

off the back side of the dumpster,

if it amplifies, we might
burst one of the disks.

Oh, b*mb's going off! Get in!

But Tory's got no time for
this kind of trash talk.

You know what?

I have a feeling this is gonna
act just like a bunker.

I mean, you're surrounded by steel.

The roof is open, but I think

the shock wave is gonna go right over you.

You might get some ear damage,

but I think you're gonna be pretty good.

And the catalyst for catastrophe

is still 3 whole pounds
of plastic expl*sive.

Let's do this.

In three, two, one...

Nice.

Well, that looked pretty good,

- those dumpsters look in pretty good shape.
- Yeah. Let's check it out.

The one on the right went boom!

The 13 PSI disk in the injury dumpster

remains intact.

So you'd be unscathed at 20 feet.

And the death-zone dumpster

doesn't look too much the worse for wear.

You know, for being so close to that blast,

this dumpster looks in pretty good shape.

Hey, the 75 PSI disk is not ruptured.

Yeah, but the injury disk is busted.

So you're gonna survive,
but you're injured.

But some of the shock wave
must have penetrated,

or the injury disk wouldn't have burst.

Still, the dumpsters did well.

Injury free at the injury zone,

and alive, but unwell, at the death zone.

So, this is the dumpster

that was 10 feet away from the C4 blast.

And look at it. It's in pretty good shape.

I mean, it's got some concaving happening,

so it took a lot of the shock.

But, I mean, it acted like armor.

And our death disk did not burst,

which means if you were in here,

you would have survived.

You'd probably be bleeding from your ears,

but it is bombproof.

So far, the results have
surprised everyone,

not least because

every shelter tested inside said parameters

actually would save your life.

Next and last is a cinder-block wall.

And if you think you know
how this one goes down,

all I can say is you're probably wrong.

I'm pretty sure that this wall
is going to block the wave

and you're gonna survive behind it,

and you're gonna get no injuries behind it.

I mean, it's a brick freaking wall.

Point taken.

And they've only built
one brick freaking wall,

as Tory explains.

So, we only have one wall to test this one,

but we still have to have the death zone,

which is 10 feet away,

and the injury zone, which is 20 feet away.

So, since we only have one wall,

we're gonna have to move our blast zone

to 10 feet and 20 feet.

Common sense says start
wide and work your way in.

So Tory sets the first
charge at the 20-foot mark.

Grant fits the 13 PSI injury disk,

and Kari supplies the styrofoam stuntman.

Now to see if a freestanding
cinder-block wall

is as solid and as safe as it looks.

In three, two, one, fire!

Oh, I never get tired of that!

That was loud.

All right! That was a big blast.

All right, let's see if it was bombproof.

The wall's still intact!

It is.

And the disk?

The disk is...

crinkled, but still intact.

So it's bombproof for injury.

All right, let's see if
it'll save your life.

They're down to the last


And halving the distance from last time

brings it all into perilous perspective.

All right, 10 feet is right here.

Oh, my God, that's so close.

Oh, my gosh. We're gonna destroy this wall.

All right, bang it in.

The wall itself was
examined and patched up,

so it's just as strong as before.

You're very trusting right now.

No longer.

Grant installs the last two burst disks...

All right, 75...

...and 13.

...and the bunker beckons.

In three, two, one, firing!

- My gosh!
- Down went the wall!

- So...
- That wall is gone!

I don't know if the disk is ruptured,

but I think a brick would
fall on your head.

I think we have shrapnel.

I don't think that's bombproof at all.

Let's go check it out!

It sure doesn't look good.

Barely a single brick is
still joined to another,

but the bombproof proof

all rests with those sensitive disks.

We're testing the lethality
of the shock wave,

pure and simple.

They both survived.

So, both disks are still intact.

All right, so it looks like

the wall protects you from the shock wave,

both from injury, and death.

It's an amazing result.

The blast was big enough to
turn the wall to rubble,

but the wall would still save you from

death, and even injury.

Incredibly, all four shelters

made an otherwise fatal blast survivable,

which is a massively surprising result.

And the foam figures showed that

serious shrapnel was only a
factor with the wooden table.

I wonder what else is bombproof.

- What about duct tape?
- Uh, that's a good one.

- Phone books?
- Um, I like that one.

All right, well, as incredible as it seems,

I think we're gonna have
to call "myth confirmed"

on all four shelters.

I mean, they were technically bombproof

in the parameters that we set up.

Yeah, but we should make it clear

that if the blast were any larger

or the expl*si*n any closer,

that'd be a different situation.

Yeah, we were specifically
testing the blast wave,

and if you dive behind something solid,

it's definitely gonna dampen it.

But shrapnel? Now, that's unpredictable.

Still to come,

Adam and Jamie finally do walk on water.

- Go!
- All right, let's go.

We've tried everything we can

to successfully run on the water.

We've tried it ourselves,...

...we brought in an
olympic-class runner,...

...and we even made a human/lizard hybrid

by strapping two special
sets of shoes to a gymnast,...

Yes! Yes! Oh!

...and nothing has worked.

I think you'll agree that
this thing is busted.

But of course, we can't leave it there.

We want to see us run on water,

which means we've got to cheat this sucker.

And I think you know, on "MythBusters",

when we're about to cheat something,

that means we're gonna utilize

a pile of wood and a pile of steel.

Let the cheating begin.

What we have in mind is a bridge.

But instead of going over the water,

our bridge will go under the water,

maybe a couple of inches or so.

You won't be able to see it,

but we'll be able to run on it,
just like they did in the clip.

But building a sub-aqua sidewalk

is a whole lot trickier than it sounds.

We're using square tube steel for the frame

because it's relatively
easy to cut and weld.

Obviously, also, it's
less buoyant than wood.

And that means that we won't have to

weight it down as much to keep it stable.

But they do need a wood surface to run on.

It's got enough give

to enhance the illusion
of running on water.

Awesome.

The next step is to camouflage it black.

Look at that.

White shirt, black paint...

that's what being fearless is all about.

What?

The black paint should reflect
the least amount of light.

And it's all tied together

with a long strip of
flexible, clear plastic.

This is the device

that will allow us to look like

we're running on the water.

It's an underwater bridge.

It has two features

that'll make this
extra-realistic, I believe.

One... a set of adjustments.
Now, it's all the way down,

that'll allow us to precisely calibrate

its distance under the water.

I believe it's about 1.5 to


And two, this wooden top actually floats,

which means when we run along it,

it's actually gonna give a little bit,

hopefully lending an extra-realistic

aspect to our running.

All that remains is to sink it

precisely to 2 inches under.

And that calls for teamwork.

- It's beautifully balanced!
- Oh, good!

Let's walk on down.

Okay.

The basic concept of a sunken catwalk

is pretty straightforward.

Does that seem right?

I think that seems right. It looks great.

Let's lower it down.

But the uneven contours of the lake bed

force Adam to make some adjustments.

After a delicate tap or two,

both Adam and Jamie are convinced

that they're good to go.

I know! I know!

You're thinking, "I can
totally see that bridge!"

"How is this thing gonna work?"

Remember, special effects isn't
only about building a prop,

it's also about how you film the prop.

We're not gonna film
this from this angle...

we're gonna film it from this angle!

See? No bridge.

Do you see a bridge?!

No bridge!

No bridge.

Now let's see if our fake
measures up to theirs.

Running on water by cheating

in three, two, one, go!

All right, let's go.

Yeah! That looked great!

Beautiful!

And that, ladies and
gentlemen, is how it's done.

Ours was a fraud, and it
looks like theirs was, too.

My turn.

But Jamie knows better than anyone

that reliable results should be repeatable.

Three, two, one, go!

Go! Go! Go! You've got it!

You've got it! Yes! Yes!

Beautiful!

And repeatedly repeatable.

Not to mention reproduced,
replicated, and duplicated,

just to be on the safe side.

That was very light-footed!

- That worked pretty well!
- Yeah!

In fact, it matched
the viral video so well,

that the only way to call
this myth is "busted".

Well, I think the take-home
from this is that

when you need a little magic
to make something work,

movie magic will suffice.

And don't believe everything you see.

- Exactly.
- After you.