05x16 - Red Flag to a Bull

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on this episode of
"mythbusters"...
That was awesome!

Narrator: ...adam and jamie
are cooking up a storm...
Hot b*ll*ts!

Narrator: ...with hot
b*ll*ts.
Smells like...science.

Narrator: will g*ns and a*mo
stored in a stove or b*ll*ts
tossed on a campfire...

This is the kind of thing I
do on the weekend.
Narrator: ...lead to a lethal

Lead shower?
That was fun.
Narrator: then kari, grant,

And tory...
You want a piece of me?!
Narrator: ...take a

Bull's-eye view testing the
age-old adage...
Ohh!

Narrator: ...red flag to a
bull.
And will the saying "bull in a

China shop" stand up to science?
This is ridiculous.
Narrator: who are the

Mythbusters?
Adam savage...
I'm so pumped!

Narrator: ...and
jamie hyneman.
[ Barks ]

Narrator: between them, more
than 30 years of special-effects
experience.

That is so wrong!
Narrator: joining them,
grant imahara...

That doesn't look dorky at
all.
Narrator: ...tory belleci...

Bang-a da-bang-a da-banga.
Narrator: ...and kari byron.
High expl*sives and

Electricity -- whoo!
Narrator: they don't just
tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

So, jamie, can you tell me
how, as the "mythbusters"
armorer, you store our g*ns and

Ammunition?
Why, we keep them properly
locked up in a g*n cabinet in a

Safe place.
Excellent answer.
Now, I want you to posit a

Story with me.
A husband and wife are going on
a summer vacation.

They have some g*ns, they have a
little bit of a*mo, and they
want to store them in a place

That no one would find them and
steal them.
But they don't have a proper

Locking g*n cabinet.
So, the husband comes up with a
plan he thinks is ingenious,

Someplace no one would ever look
for g*ns or ammunition -- his
oven.

I'm not sure what, but
something tells me there might
be a problem with that.

Your intuition is correct,
because they come back from
summer vacation, and, famished

By the long drive, the wife goes
to make a roast, preheats the
oven, and...

Metal popcorn.
Exactly. They have a healthy
diet that evening of lead.

Narrator: incredibly, it's
true.
We have several reports of

Careless g*n owners using their
kitchen oven to store their
munitions.

But the fansite is clamoring
for answers.
Would the b*ll*ts even explode

At standard oven temperatures?
And if they did, would they
escape the oven with lethal

Consequences?
What's the plan?
Well, astonishingly, we have

More than a few reports of this
actually happening, of people
storing not only live ammunition

But also loaded g*ns in their
ovens and accidentally turning
them on, and I think we should

Test both scenarios.
Okay. Well...
Let's get an oven and get to

Work.
Absolutely.
I think we should start with the

Control, though.
We do want to know how
bulletproof an oven actually is.

So I think we ought to head off
to the sh**ting range with
several different kinds of a*mo

And see what kind of damage we
can do.
Narrator: so the plan is to

Pick up some spare parts and
head on down to the g*n range
where adam and jamie will begin

The investigation by testing the
bulletproof qualities of oven
doors.

We've come to the
south san francisco police
department 'cause they've got a

sh**ting range that we've been
filming in, well, ever since
"ice b*ll*ts."

We've also done finger in a
barrel, sh**ting down a barrel,
b*ll*ts fired up, and b*llet in

Teeth.
Today we are going to be
sh**ting at a bunch of oven

Doors.
This is a control for our "a*mo
in the oven" test to see exactly

How bulletproof an oven door is
and, if it's not, how lethal is
the b*llet after it gets

Through.
Narrator: with the help of
supervising adult

John stankovitz, adam and jamie
intend to fire a variety of
weapons at the steel and glass

Of the oven doors.
Here comes another grant.
Look at that.

Narrator: and to find out if
a door-piercing shot is lethal,
grant is going to play the part

Of the curious, careless chef.
Jamie steps up for the first
test, and he's using the

Smallest weapon at his disposal.
Firing.
Narrator: but even the

.22-caliber p*stol easily
penetrates the double layer of
toughened glass...

And grant's head.
It's about 3 inches of
penetration going through both

Panes of glass.
Well, I'd call that a k*ll
shot.

Yeah, pretty much without a
doubt.
Narrator: and it's conclusive

Evidence that any loaded weapon
will make it through the glass
and cause a lethal injury.

But what about the steel?
Grant and his ballistic bust
breathe a sigh of relief because

The round failed to make it
through.
Yeah, I'd say you're

Reasonably protected by your
oven from a .22 shell.
I think it's time to try the

.44.
Narrator: dirty adam and his
magnum are next.

But this time the metal
doorframe is no protection.
The .44-caliber round gives

Grant a lethal headache, and
adam and jamie have their
worst-case scenario baseline.

Grant wants to know what's
next.
That would be the shotgun.

Narrator: now, none of the
reports our researchers
uncovered mentioned a loaded

Shotgun.
But if it's worth doing, it's
worth overdoing.

[ British accent ] all right,
sammy, here's your motivation.
This oven door has run off with

Your wife.
[ Laughs ]
and you decided to gear up

And get even.
So, go for it.

[ Normal voice ] oh!
[ Laughs ]
narrator: I guess the moral

Is don't elope with
mrs. Hyneman.
I think that's enough.

[ Laughs ]
narrator: okay, playtime's
over.

Let's get the results.
It's clear the oven door is
no barrier to most firearms that

You would idiotically store in
your oven.
Yeah.

And that there might actually
be something to this myth.
Yeah, only the smallest

Caliber, and even that's not
safe, especially if it hits
glass.

It may seem that the testing
we've done today here is a
little gratuitous.

I want to make it clear that
we're just trying to get a
really good control.

We want to know what these
b*ll*ts do to the oven doors,
both the glass and the metal, in

The worst-case scenario.
And they all seem to be similar
amounts of pretty darn lethal.

But that gives us a perfect
baseline with which to continue
the testing.

The next thing we do is we start
baking some b*ll*ts, getting
some lethal popcorn.

Yee-haw!
What did you just say?
Yee-haw!

Okay, I heard what you said.
why did you say it?
Dude, we are doing rodeo

Myths.
Oh, cool. Which one?
Red flag to a bull, cowboy.

That's when the color red
infuriates the bull and it comes
charging after you.

I have always wanted to test
that.
Yee-haw!

Now he's on board.
Narrator: everyone's heard
the saying -- a red rag, or a

Red flag, and, supposedly, a
bull just can't help himself.
It's sets him off, infuriates

Him, makes him plain bucking
mad...
Or does it?

Okay, so, how are we going to
test this?
I mean, these bulls can weigh

Over 1,500 pounds.
Not only are they dangerous,
they're really unpredictable.

I think it's really simple.
I'll just put on a red
sweatsuit, I'll stand in the

Middle of the ring, and we'll
let some bulls out and see if
they charge me.

Slow down, partner.
Before you start racing around
in red, there is a rodeo in

Town.
Grant and I will go down to
the cow palace and find out

Exactly what you'd be in for,
'cause we make better decisions
about your safety than you do.

Narrator: a good idea.
With tory's career as bull bait
on hold, kari and grant mosey on

Down to where bulls are treated
like royalty...
And the clowns put their limbs

On the line.

So, you are a rodeo clown

Here at the

Grand national rodeo.

Yes, sir, sure am.

What does that job involve?

Well, you know when a cowboy

Falls off the bull, we go in

There and get in between the

Bull and the cowboy and try to

Take him away.

But we have to time it just

Perfect.

When the cowboy is at the point

Of no return, we go in and pull

The bull off of him.

So, is this a dangerous job?
Oh, yeah.
It can be a very dangerous job.

I've lacerated my pancreas.
I've had a bull stick his horn
through my arm.

I've had a bull that I didn't
even see him coming -- hit me
right in the side.

He actually broke my femur in
four places.
Oh, my god!

Okay, now I'm a little scared
for tory.
What would a bull -- one of

These bulls -- do to a guy like
that?
He can take a cowboy and toss

Him about 30 foot in the air.
It's unbelievable how strong
these animals really are.

That's 1,800 pounds right there,
and, I mean, if it's coming on
full force, it's nothing nice.

Sorry. You're not getting
into that ring until we're sure
the bulls aren't going to charge

You.
So, how are we going to test
this myth?

Well, this myth is about
color, so I think first we need
to isolate the color red and see

If that's what makes them
charge.
Let's hang up a couple

Different colored flags and see
if the bull goes for the red one
every time.

Cool.
You know, one other thing we
should test is the presence of a

Human and motion, because those
matadors are constantly moving
when they're in the ring.

Okay. We can build a set of
robotic matadors.
Narrator: all right.

So, the team begins by making
three makeshift matadors, each
capable of waving a different

Colored flag, and you could say
they're itching to get started.
[ Chuckles ] thanks.

Wait, no. I've got another itch.
But it's lower.
Will you reach for that one?

I can't reach.
We are all dying -- not really.
I'm dying to get into the ring

With that bull.
I don't know if kari and grant
are, but it's just too

Dangerous.
So what we're gonna do is use
these molds to make some foam

Bodies.
We already have grant's head
cast.

We need to make kari's now, and
eventually I need to make one of
mine.

And then we're gonna put our
faces on these dummies so that
the dummies get hurt and we

Don't.
Narrator: gooey face molds
make for good tv, but we've been

There before.
So let's cut to the puppet
face-off.

Ugh, what's that smell?
[ Sniffs ]
[ imitating kari ] so, what are

We gonna do next?
[ Imitating tory ] well, what
we're gonna do right now is weld

Some of that stuff together, and
then maybe I'll do something
dangerous.

That sounds amazing!
Narrator: next, they need to
put a body to the face, and kari

Has insisted they make them out
of foam so they don't hurt the
charging bulls.

That's great.
All right.
One down, two to go.

Narrator: as tory completes
the trio of foam bull bait, it
all gets a bit weird.

See, the thing is -- people
don't know this -- you get rid
of the head, you get rid of the

Identity of the body.
[ Latin music plays ]
[ laughs ]

[ Music continues ]
remember, you got to get rid of
the hands and feet, too.

[ Music continues ]
little rough on your partners
there, aren't you?

Narrator: before tory does
any more damage,
dr. Frankengrant brings the

Three foam bullfighters to life
with a cunningly placed drill
and a few hinges.

On this rail is going to go
a colored flag.
Right here is a drill with a

Little crank, and when I
activate it, what it will do is
move the flag back and forth

Just like this...
Hopefully enticing the bull to
chase.

Narrator: the final pieces of
the puzzle are the colored
flags.

This is how lazy people sew.
Now, of course, we're going to
test red because, well, that's

What the myth is about.
Does she/he look like me now?
Then we've got white.

White is such a high contrast to
red, we thought that that would
be the perfect opposite.

[ Laughs ]
all right, dude, that's
awesome.

And lastly, blue, which I
figure if you are looking at a
black-and-white screen and you

Saw these two colors, they would
be very similar.
Narrator: so, the matadors

Are dressed to test.
That's what I'm talking
about.

Narrator: and with kari
feeling the force...
Help me, obi-wan kenobi.

You're our only hope.
Narrator: ...it's time to
head on down to the ranch.

Narrator: adam and jamie are
testing the myth that a kitchen
stove used to store ammunition

Is not just a really bad idea...
I think that's enough.
Narrator: ...but lethal.

The guys are basing their
investigation on an incident
that supposedly left a husband

And wife diving for cover...
And their kitchen riddled with
b*llet holes.

So, what formerly was just an
oven from the thrift store now
is a full experimental platform.

We painted it white so that our
high-speed camera can see
clearly what's going on.

We put tempered glass over
here -- several sheets -- to
protect the camera.

We put the b*llet down there.
We pipe in some gas, we get this
thing hotter than

H-e-double-hockey-sticks, and
we watch some science happen.
Narrator: but with baked

b*ll*ts and grilled g*ns on the
menu, they'll be watching the
science from outside the bunker.

There's three questions we're
gonna answer with this test.
One is, will the b*ll*ts really

Go off in the oven?
I think the answer's gonna be
yes.

Number two, will they get out of
that oven?
And number three, if they get

Out of that oven, how lethal are
they?
In our control tests in the

sh**ting range, we have done a
little bit of calibration of
some ballistics material -- that

Is, soundboard and plywood.
We know what it needs to be a
lethal hit in this arrangement.

So, any b*llet that gets out of
this oven through this door is
going to be hitting this real

b*llet-swallowing backstop.
Narrator: while adam rigs a
remote temperature probe, jamie

Tweaks the oven for high-speed
heating.
Looks good.

Hot b*ll*ts!
Narrator: the first test is a
.22-caliber shell which is

Placed on the rack with a b*llet
facing the door before the heat
is cranked up.

That's perfect.
Hold it there.
Narrator: and with the

Cameras rolling, it's all
systems go.
260?

My oven never heats up this
fast.
[ Chuckles ]

Narrator: and while we wait
for the .22-caliber casserole
to cook, let's do some learning.

Let's talk a bit about how
b*ll*ts actually work.
They're in four parts.

You've got the primer on the
end.
You have the case.

You have the propellant inside.
That's the gunpowder.
Then you have the b*llet itself

On the end.
Now, how this all works is that
when you have this in a g*n,

There is a spring-loaded hammer
that fires a pin into that
primer.

It sets that off, and that
ignites the powder.
Now, at that point, the b*llet

Is pushed out of the case, and
it starts to go down the barrel.
And that's how it works.

Narrator: meanwhile, back in
the bunker, things are heating
up.

And at just over the
ready.

[ Pop ]
there you go.
Narrator: but what happened?

Smells like...science.
Narrator: bunker cam shows
the glass of the oven door

Remained intact.
And when the smoke clears, adam
and jamie go into m.s.i. Mode --

"Myth scene investigation."
It's quite clear you
oriented the b*llet pointing out

The window, and yet the only
dent that I see is in the back
of the thing, which means that

Has to have been made by the
casing.
And there is a casing right

Below that.
Yeah.
The shell casing was much more

Dangerous, it seems, than the
b*llet, which bounced off of
glass.

Narrator: when a cartridge is
cooked as opposed to shot from a
g*n, the powder sends the

Lightweight shell casing flying
and not the heavier b*llet.
So on the next test, they up the

Caliber to .44 and flip it so
the b*llet faces the back of the
oven.

So, what's on the menu,
monsieur savage?
[ German accent ] and now

We are waiting for the
temperature to climb for my
greatest creation, .44-caliber

Soufflé.
[ Normal voice ] 472 degrees.
There it goes.

That was it.
[ Laughs ]
the glass is still there.

No breaking of the glass?
Narrator: yep. Just like the
.22, the shrapnel from the .44

Round failed to pierce the oven.
So let's go for broke with a
.50-caliber monster.

Let's take a comparison here.
Oh, there's the .44.
Oh, wait -- and there's the

.22.
If anything is going to cause
significant damage to the oven,

It's this guy.
Narrator: and around 10
minutes later, it sounds like

Adam's prediction is spot-on.
h*!
That's the expl*si*n I was

Looking for.
Narrator: a look at the
high-speed reveals a more

Energetic detonation than the
previous tests.
Oh, we have broken glass.

We have broken glass.
Narrator: broken but not
breached.

Only the inner layer of the
double-glazed oven door was
shattered.

It was pretty violent, all
right, but it's still inside the
oven.

Even the .50-cal wasn't
enough to get out of this oven.
It'll probably scare the hell

Out of you, but it's not gonna
k*ll you.
I'm really pleased with these

Tests.
I think we've definitively
proven that an oven at normal

Temperatures can get plenty hot
enough to make b*ll*ts explode.
I think we've also proven that

Those b*ll*ts aren't very
dangerous to you, as long as
your oven door is closed.

None of the b*ll*ts we blew up
at these temperatures made it
out of the oven door.

What I would like to know now
is, if I chambered a b*llet
inside a p*stol and put it

In the oven, would it explode in
any way that would be dangerous?
Narrator: going back to the

Myth, our guy not only stored
his a*mo in the oven, he left
his g*ns in there, too.

So, this test is the absolute
worst-case scenario -- a loaded
.44-caliber revolver facing the

Door.
Hot b*ll*ts!
Get your hot b*ll*ts here!

[ Pop ]
I think that went off.
I think you are right.

And I think I heard glass
shattering.
Narrator: the evidence paints

A deadly picture.
The b*llet left the barrel at a
lethal velocity, shattering the

Toughened glass before
penetrating the wooden backstop.

It's a perfect result for us

Because the ammunition in every

Way that we tested is totally

Busted.

None of it ever got out of the

Oven with any force that could

Be construed as dangerous.

However, the moment you put one
of those pieces of ammunition
into a weapon, it becomes really

Deadly.
You might wonder why a b*llet
is not as dangerous if it's just

Set off inside a g*n as it is
when it's shot out of a g*n.
The reason is very simple.

When it's outside of a g*n, it
just kind of goes off like a
firecracker in all directions.

When it's inside a g*n, all that
energy is just pushed right
behind the b*llet.

It's very directional.
That's what makes the b*llet
lethal.

That, my friend, is a k*ll.
Yeah. Putting a p*stol or g*n
loaded in your oven is a very,

Very easy way to get yourself
shot.
Yeah, not just shot, shot and

k*lled.
A loaded g*n in an oven could
k*ll you.

Myth confirmed, I'd say.
Confirmed.

Narrator: kari, grant, and
tory are testing red flag to a
bull.

But they've plenty of experience
busting and proving proverbs.

With the help of modern

Technology, needle in a haystack

Was busted.

We have found all four

Needles.

Narrator: and you can teach

Old dogs...

Mush.

Narrator: ...and old

Mythbusters new tricks.

Totally busted -- and one of

The more cuddly myths we've ever

Done.

All right.
So, red flag to a bull -- where
do we stand?

All the flag-waving dummies
are done.
We dressed up the kari one in

Red.
We'll see if that drives them
wild.

I'm sure it will.
That's good, 'cause I've got
bulls for you.

Rodney the rodeo clown set us up
with a friend of his who
apparently has some angry bulls.

Sweet!
All right, well, let's pack up
and get up there.

I heard that.

[ Cow moos, crickets chirp ]

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: but back to the
cuddly bulls.
So, our three amigos have their

Bulls.
And their destination?
The kish bull ranch.

And with the matadors ready for
action...
Kind of creepy, huh?

Narrator: ...it's time for a
plan.
And this series of tests has

Been designed to find out if a
red flag will make a bull
charge.

And if not, then what does?
The team will compare static
flags to movement and introduce

The makeshift matadors.
But first things first -- the
setup for the single red-flag

Test.
Let's run a zip line all the
way across the arena.

We can tie a flag to it, just
leave it static first, and see
if the bull charges.

While you guys set that up,
I'm gonna go talk to the ranch
owner and see what kind of bulls

We have.

Do they have different

Temperaments, like

Personalities?

Very much.

They're a lot like people.

You watch every bull.

Some bulls are gentle.

Some bulls are wild.
Some bulls, you know, are real
alert.

Good thing there wasn't a
pitchfork in there.
Some bulls are real lazy.

They're everything.
You want a piece of me?
Do we have a good chance of

One of these bulls charging for
us?
Oh, yeah.

They'll charge.
They're, um, by nature, in their
breeding, that's what they do.

These bulls look ready.
They look more than ready, so
maybe we should get out of the

Pen and get the tests going.
Narrator: okay, test number
one -- static red flag.

Okay. Go ahead.
Let the bull out.
Oh, this guy's full of fire.

Whoa!
Whoa!
[ Laughter ]

Dude, he's going for it.
Narrator: just like the myth
suggests, the bull is not happy

With that red flag.
Well, maybe we should try the
blue flag and see if he has the

Same reaction.
Let's switch it out.
The bull totally charged the

Red flag, but it was the only
thing in the pen, so to make
sure that it's the color that

Attracted the bull, we put a
blue flag in the pen, and we're
gonna do the testing with

Another bull.
Oh!
Whoa!

Well, he did go for the blue.
Not totally convinced unless
he goes again.

There he goes.
There he goes.
There he goes.

This is great.
Yeah!
Yeah!

Yeah!
Are you satisfied?
Would you say he charged the

Blue flag?
He definitely charged the
blue flag.

But satisfied I'm not.
I think we should try the white
one, as well.

Narrator: but the single
white flag yields exactly the
same result.

Whoa!
Well, there's your answer.
All right.

Narrator: it seems that any
flapping piece of cloth annoys
these bulls, meaning this myth

Is already on shaky ground.
And the next test, a multiple
choice, confirms that suspicion.

Red.
White! Blue!
[ Laughter ]

That was perfect.
All three.
Narrator: that three-flag

Fly-by means only one thing --
these bulls just don't care for
color.

But if it's not color, what
exactly is it that's bothering
our bovine friends?

This next experiment will test
the theory that it's a moving
flag and not a red flag that

Infuriates them.
With grant in control of the
blue flag with his remote

Control...
Oh, he's going for the blue!
[ Laughs ]

Yeah!
[ Laughs ]
narrator: ...the results are

There for all to see.
Move it, move it, move it,
move it, move it, move it.

Look at that.
See?
[ Laughter ]

I'm totally convinced.
Narrator: it's movement that
triggers an aggressive charge

Response and not the color red,
which leaves the myth looking
busted and our trio of tall-tale

Tacklers speaking in bull.
[ Moos ]
those are whales.

Narrator: back at the ranch,
kari, grant, and tory are hot on
the trail of the "red flag to a

Bull" myth.
And so far it's taken several
different colored flags -- red,

White, and blue -- and compared
them to motion.
And it looks like, at this

Point, the bull is preferring
motion over color.
What we are going to do now is

Add the human element.
We've got our three dummies
lined up, and they are going to

Be waving their flags and see
which one the bull goes for.
Oh, oh, now he's going for

The white.
Ohh!
Narrator: now, that is

Conclusive.
The bull went straight for the
white dummy, and grant's stunt

Double requires cpr.
Don't give up on me now.
Are you done playing with

Yourself?
Narrator: there's two dummies
still standing, and for the

Final showdown, the guys decide
to up the ante.
Apparently these guys have a

Mexican fighting bull, and these
things are trained just for
that -- to attack.

Oh, he's going for the
camera.
Oh!

Oh, he took out the camera.
Narrator: the camera is
what's known in the business as

Toast.
And after the bull ignores kari,
so is tory.

Oh, he just moved past --
oh!
Oh, wait, look at that.

Isn't that cool?
It's like the last one standing
is kari red.

Narrator: yep. Quite simply,
color is irrelevant.
These bulls just want you to

Butt out.
Now that we wrecked three of
our dummies, I guess we have one

Left.
Well, buddy, it's your turn
to suit up.

Ha ha! Are you serious?
I get to go in the ring?
Yeah, well, you know, we've

Proven that red specifically is
not what's making them charge,
so I'm fairly certain that if

You put on a red suit and stand
completely still and the
bullfighters run around you

Wearing other colors that you
probably won't get hurt.
Narrator: and to confirm tory

Is unlikely to be gored for
science, grant, kari and our
hands-on expert from the

University of phoenix,
professor andrews, have been
discussing a bull's-eye view.

So far our findings do not

Show that red does anything

Magical.

They seem to go towards movement

Rather than actually for the

Color red.

Why is that?
Are they colorblind?
Well, it's a common

Misconception that they are
colorblind.
In fact, they are not.

In the last 10 years, people
have looked at animals with
hooves and found out that they

Are what's called "dichromates."
They can see two main color
types.

Humans are trichromates.
We can see the rainbow and all
the colors in between.

Narrator: color perception is
a complex field of study, but,
basically, the human eye has

Three types of cone cells that
help us distinguish color.
But cattle only have two.

So although they can see reds
and blues, it's likely they see
the world with a muted palette

Of color -- like this.
Okay, then.
So, bulls can see red, but there

Is no scientific evidence to
prove that makes them any more
enraged than any other color.

Absolutely.
There is no scientific evidence
to support that.

Narrator: which puts the
final nail in the coffin for red
flag to a bull.

And risking joining the myth in
this coffin is tory, who is
quite literally putting his

Limbs on the line for science.
Nervous?
Hell, yeah, I'm nervous.

Despite the fact that tory
was an extra in
"breakin' 2: electric boogaloo,"

I just don't if he's got the
moves to get away from a
charging bull.

This is our ultimate test of
the color red to a bull myth.
What tory is going to do is wear

A full red jumpsuit and stand in
the middle of the arena
completely still.

We have two professional
bullfighters that are going to
be running circles all around,

Trying to attract the bulls.
We think that motion is what
sets them off and not the color

Red.
So, if the bulls attack the
cowboys but they don't go for

Tory, we will have definitely
proven something about this
myth.

Personally, I'm really
concerned.
This is starting to feel like

A bad idea.
Tory, are you ready?
I don't know.

Yeah, I guess.
Let's do it.
Okay, release the bull!

Narrator: this is it -- the
moment of truth.
Oh, my gosh.

It's running around.
Narrator: it's a good start.
The angry, 1,000-pound bull has

So far only charged the moving
cowboys.
Somebody come back to this

Side now -- back over to this
side.
Narrator: but suddenly, with

The cowboys out of position,
tory is left exposed.
Will the myth or tory be busted?

Everybody stay sharp.
He's on the tory side of the
ring.

He sees tory.
[ Laughs ]
more movement! More movement!

[ Laughter ]
good job, dude! Good job!
He's looking right at me.

I know. I know.
Narrator: toreador tory
survives, and as the bull

Is ushered away, everyone lets
out a big sigh of relief.
Tory, I think we got it.

We just finished the test,
and it was a perfect result.
One, I didn't get hurt.

But two, the bull came out, and
it was looking at us, but his
attention was always on the

Bullfighters.
All right, should we do a couple
more?

No!
I'm not going to lie.
That was a lot of fun.

But we proved something, too.
Yeah, the color red is not
what causes the bulls to charge.

They had no preference to
color at all.
In fact, it looked like they

Were going for whichever one was
moving the most.
Good thing for me red flag to

A bull is busted.
Busted.
And we're glad you're not.

Narrator: jamie and adam have
confirmed that a loaded g*n in
your oven is a recipe for

Disaster.
[ Pop ]
that, my friend, is a k*ll.

Narrator: but the guys are
still fanning the flames of this
myth.

They want to test b*ll*ts on an
innocent, old campfire.
We've seen what happens when

We put hot b*ll*ts into an oven,
but I'd like to know what
happens to them when they are

Unrestrained, and we have plenty
of reports of people throwing
b*ll*ts into a campfire.

So I think that's what we should
do next.
Sure.

Narrator: so, it's "hot
b*ll*ts" take 2 and this time
there won't be an oven door in

Sight.
Adam and jamie are testing a
campfire prank that could go

Horribly wrong.
We're putting things like
b*ll*ts into a fire, and

Needless to say, it's kind of
dangerous.
So we're gonna do this remotely,

And I've come up with the idea
that I might use this little
remote-control robot that I

Have.
So, I'm gonna put some sort of a
thing I can tip or dump things

Into the fire with this safely
from a distance.
Narrator: meanwhile, adam has

Been building a ballistic
teepee.
This is the system for

Detecting exactly how lethal
b*ll*ts thrown in a campfire
are.

I would love to use ballistics
gelatin around the campfire, but
because it's thermally reactive,

It would melt.
So I came up with this idea of
wood and soundboard, and I'm

Going to replace 12 of these
around my metal framework in the
middle of which will be the

Campfire.
This won't catch on fire, but as
b*ll*ts are exploding in here,

If they are lethal, we're going
to see the marks they make in
the face of these triangles.

Narrator: it's time to hit
the alameda county b*mb disposal
range, where the munitions

Expert...
[ Horn honks ]
...is honorary mythbuster

J.d. Nelson.
First up, there's a fire to be
built, so our overgrown

Boy scouts swing into action.
I think that's about the
fastest fire I've ever built.

It's dry as bone out here.
You know, it's making me
hungry for lunch, that great

Wood-smoke smell.
Narrator: cue head chef
hyneman and the hobo dinner?

I am making what is known as
the hobo dinner.
This is something I've been

Making since I was a kid, and I
thought this was a unique
opportunity to show it off.

[ Laughs ]
this is the best cooking show
ever.

It all kind of simmers
together.
It's really quite surprisingly

Good for being so rudimentary.
Wow.
When I was riding the rails

Towards the end of the
great depression, I learned
several things from my hobo

Mentors.
One was how to apply microscopic
dichroic layers to glass using

Titanium distilled from white
house paint, and the other was
the hobo dinner.

That is bloody delicious.
Narrator: after lunch, jamie
takes us through the test setup.

This whole setup is very
simple.
We're gonna have the robot back

Over near our blast chamber.
The fire's going.
We're gonna load the b*ll*ts

Into the dumper on the robot,
send the robot in, dump the
b*ll*ts into the fire, see what

Happens.
Narrator: sparky the robot
takes his deadly cargo on board.

It's a brass c*ck of .50-,
.44-, and .22-caliber b*ll*ts.
The dangerous thing about

This one is that b*ll*ts can
k*ll people.
Well, we're here is whether

They'll k*ll people outside of a
g*n and set off by a fire.
Let's go.

This is sparky!
Narrator: with the fire
roaring at over 1,000 degrees,

Adam and jamie are expecting an
instant reaction.
Okay, anybody have issues?

I'm going in.
Go for it.
Okay. Going down.

Perfect!
[ Laughter ]
that could not have gone any

Better.
Narrator: but the show ain't
over yet.

At a close encounter of the
ballistic kind...
Everybody get close to the

Shield.
I heard those suckers going
whizzing by us.

Narrator: ...reminds everyone
of the difference between this
and the oven test.

There's no steel box slowing
down the shrapnel.
Ooh!

That was one of the big ones.
That was fun.
[ Laughs ]

Okay, now I'm worried that the
fire coals could set fire to our
upright, so I'm inclined to wait

A few minutes but then head in
with a hose.
Why don't we unhinge one of

These blast chambers and walk
out with it?
I feel like we can get close

Enough with this.
The other thing is that --
[ g*nf*re ]

[ Laughs ]
all right, let's walk with
one of these ahead of us.

[ Laughter ]
just keeping the panel between
me and the fire the whole time.

It's clear there's a whole
bunch of b*ll*ts that are just
not fired.

Yeah.
They got ejected from the
general mayhem there but didn't

Go off, which is actually an
important part of the myth,
because you could throw a bunch

In the fire and then think it
was safe and go back in and get
nailed.

Right.
Oh, there are some hits.
Narrator: the early

Conclusions from this forensic
assessment indicate throwing
b*ll*ts on a campfire could be

Lethal.
This right here is a
.50-caliber b*llet.

Probably came out of the casing
just like this.
You see how much energy that is.

It's a brass pipe b*mb.
Narrator: but a closer look
reveals key details.

Once again, it's the lightweight
casing that becomes the
projectile and not the b*llet

Itself.
Check this out.
This is the deepest pair of hits

We took.
This one matches the rear of the
casing exactly, even the dimple.

Yeah.
That's the deepest one out of
all those hundreds of b*ll*ts,

And I don't think that would
even still break your skin.
Yeah, I think personally

You would be pretty bloody, but
you wouldn't be dead.
Now I look at our ballistics

Panels which covered half of the
area around that fire, and I
only see seven or eight hits, so

You double that for the area
they didn't cover -- 15, 16
serious hits out of 100 b*ll*ts.

And in most of those cases, I
was able to see that it was the
casing that made the mark, not

The b*ll*ts themselves.
So I don't think b*ll*ts in a
fire are actually lethal.

I'm not saying that it's not
gonna cause you a world of pain.
I mean, you don't need me to

Tell you not to hold on to a lit
firecracker, do you?
Ohh!

Well, you know me and jamie.
The fun can't end just there.
There's been plenty of idiotic

Things people have thrown into
campfires, and we are going to
try as many of them as we have

Time for.
Narrator: kari, grant, and
tory have already busted the

Myth that bovines are bothered
by red, but the ball's still
rolling around this bullpen.

Now that we have access to a
whole herd of angry bulls,
there is a saying I've always

Wanted to test.
What's that?
Well, you know how they say

Tory is like a bull in a china
shop?
Yes.

No.
I want to know what's going
to happen if we actually put a

Bull in a china shop.
You mean is it going to be
just dish carnage?

Yeah. [ Snorts ]
[ snorts ]
narrator: it's a vivid

Simile.
When you say someone is like a
bull in a china shop, it means

They're clumsy, a klutz, and,
you know, likely to break stuff.
But surely it's time this old

Wives' tale was put under the
microscope of modern science.
And to kick things off, kari and

Tory are down at thrift town...
Grandma?
Narrator: ...where kari

Manages to get enough crockery
to stock a china shop before
tory gets them thrown out.

Back at h.q., With the help of
the fast-forward button, kari
mocks up some bull-friendly foam

Shelves.
Now, I'm pretty sure that
this foam board is not going to

Hurt the bulls, but to make 100%
certain, I want to do a test to
make sure they don't get

Harmed.
Aah!
Did it hurt the bull?

I'm okay.
I think the bull's gonna be
fine.

Narrator: after they fix
those shelves -- and tory's
bulls -- it's back to the ranch,

Where they set up shop inside a
bullpen.
This one looks like it's

Ready to go without the bull.
That's the worst one.
Narrator: with the china

Stacked precariously and the
the team is looking forward to

Confirming the age-old adage.
In fact, kari is expecting some
pun-tastic carnage.

Get it? Like, like, like
"whacky"?
Like wacky, but "whacky"?

Oh, I get it.
Oh!
Right.

The "h" is invisible.
Yeah, I'm sorry if my jokes are
a little too intellectual for

All you all to get.
[ Cow moos ]
narrator: surely we are about

To witness the most predictable
outcome in mythbuster history --
bovine bedlam and a whole heap

Of cracked crockery.
Oh, dang!
Here comes the bull!

Oh, look -- he is totally
avoiding all the china.
He's just shopping.

Oh, nope.
[ Laughs ]
no.

No.
He's actually doing a lot
better than I thought he would.

Absolutely.
Come over here.
Yeah, come on.

He's browsing.
[ Laughter ]
he likes what he sees.

Narrator: so the first guy
has let the team down.
They were expecting the bull in

A china shop to be like, well, a
bull in a china shop.
Whoa! He's getting right

Through the shelves without
knocking over a single piece.
That was cool.

Narrator: even when they up
the ante...
Two bulls in a china shop!

Narrator: ...the expected
carnage is distinctly
underwhelming.

Look at that. [ Laughs ]
they are very careful of
breaking china.

Aaah!
We tried actual bulls in our
mock china shop, and I have to

Say, I am really surprised at
how nimble they are.
They're almost daintily avoiding

The shelves that we've set up.
They just don't want to break
the china.

Check this out.
[ Laughter ]
you know what?

I don't even think I could run
that fast in a china shop.
This is ridiculous.

Narrator: like all great
mythbuster stories, it's the
ones that defy expectations that

Give the team the greatest
pleasure.
They came here wanting crockery

Catastrophe...
But they got a bull ballet.
That was nothing like I

Imagined it would be.
In fact, I think we're gonna
have to just admit it.

It's a stupid saying.
I'm never gonna use it again.
Bull in a china shop -- busted.

Busted.
Yeah, it's busted.

I think there's a gravy boat
over there I want.
Got it. Yeah!

Narrator: adam and jamie are
playing with fire.
[ Laughter ]

They toasted a*mo and found out
it's a dangerous but probably
not lethal pastime.

That was fun.
Narrator: but they ain't done
yet.

There are a host of news reports
and claims by fans that campfire
conflagrations with beer kegs

And aerosols are lethal.
"Exposure to temperatures
above 120 degrees may cause

Bursting."
[ British accent ] right!
Here comes bug spray.

[ Normal voice ] go for it.
Narrator: now, it's possible
you may ignore the warnings on

The can.
This is the kind of thing I
do on the weekend.

Narrator: or you think the
elaborate safety precautions are
just for show.

Let's give some deodorant to
our robot and send him to the
fire.

Narrator: but, really, don't
try this at home...
There we go.

Perfect.
Narrator: ...because seconds
or minutes later -- and you

Won't know which -- this could
happen.
h*!

[ Laughs ]
where's the other one?
The other one's up front.

Whoa!
Yeah!
That was awesome!

Narrator: quite simply, it's
the reason a mythbuster gets out
of bed in the morning.

Oh, my god.
That's, like -- it doesn't get
any better than --

[ Laughs ]
oh, it's staying in frame.
How cooperative.

Oh.
That's awesome.
That's wonderful.

Narrator: awesome and
dangerous, and considering the
warnings on the label, not

Surprising.
But what about the myth?
Would these fireballs be fatal?

I don't necessarily think
it's lethal.
It definitely took a while to

Happen, so you might think, "oh,
well, I guess nothing's going
to happen" and come back over

And hear "boom!"
All of a sudden, your head's
in a fireball and you are

Missing an eyebrow, and I know
what that's like.

[ expl*si*n ]

Am I missing an eyebrow?

It's not pretty.
Spray cans aren't as
immediately dangerous as

b*ll*ts, perhaps, but they build
up, and they're actually
potentially more lethal in the

Long run, especially if you're
wearing flammable clothing.
X next up, I think, though, we

Are going to go to the main, big
source fire instead of the small
one here because I've got

Something really big to surprise
jamie with.
b*ll*ts and paint cans aren't

Good enough for you, huh?
No. We have something else
that people have thrown on a

Campfire.
What's that?
[ Chuckles ] beer keg.

Narrator: it's a dangerous
frat-boy stunt, and the fansites
are abuzz with rumors that it

Could be lethal, and the
mythbusters are itching to find
out.

Geez.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Dude, no one would throw a full

Keg onto a fire.
It's just not going to happen.
Okay, here's what I'm

Envisioning.
It's the end of the night.
[ Imitates vomiting ]

There's only like 1/4 tank left.
[ Groans ]
the beer's almost gone, and it's

Warm.
And they are all sloppy
drunk.

[ Laughter ]
and that's when someone
throws a keg on the fire.

Let's throw the keg on the
fire.
Oh, yeah.

We need to get rid of most
of this beer.

They've crossed the line this

Time.

I'm against this.

Jamie hasn't wasted this much
beer since prohibition.
Narrator: of course, jamie

Wouldn't have poured beer away
during the '20s.
He was running a speakeasy.

With the keg primed and ready to
blow, adam and jamie turn their
minds to safety.

Fire is really hot, and this
is not an undangerous thing to
do, but we have a couple of

Pieces of safety gear here.
One, we've got the fire suit,
which can protect us from the

Heat, and the other is over here
the alameda county sheriff's
b*mb squad, and we've got their

b*mb squad van, and in the van
is a b*mb suit.
Hail, people of earth.

I come in peace.
So what we're gonna do is jamie
is going to put on one.

I'm going to put on the other.
Ohh!
Suited up in the b*mb suit and

Fire suit, we are going to put
that keg exactly where we want
it.

This could be a huge
expl*si*n.
There is an awful lot of energy

Contained in that fire, and that
energy is going to be
transferred to that beer keg.

Yeah!
We need to be careful with
this.

Okay.
This could go off right now
or an hour from now, for all we

Know, but that fire is hot.
Yeah, which means it's going
to bring the stainless steel to

Its fatigue point and it's gonna
build up a tremendous amount of
steam pressure inside from the

Gallon of beer we left.
So, hopefully those two things
will combine to make it go off

Within, I'm guessing, 20, 25
minutes.
Narrator: which, as it turns

Out, is a pretty good guess,
because 20 minutes later...
Whoa!

Okay. Everybody in close...
In case shrapnel comes down.
Narrator: it's the patented

Mythbuster big boom.
Whoa!
Yeah, it smelled like roasted

Grain.
[ Laughs ]
that's pretty darn, uh --

That's an expl*si*n.
That was energetic.
No shrapnel, though.

No?
Not that I can see.
Narrator: a closer look

Confirms adam's hypothesis,
because despite peeling like a
metal banana, the keg is still

In one piece.
As far as I'm concerned, if
any single piece of this

Actually -- I mean, that almost
made it off.
If any piece of this --

Especially this center cap,
which really almost made it
off -- comes off of this with

The force that we heard, it's
tearing right through you.
That hits you in the head, you

Are dead -- hits you in the
chest, you are dead.
That's nasty.

Narrator: an opinion not
tempered by the slow-motion
details.

Wow! Look at that!
Talk about a beer sh**ter.
That is -- oh, wow.

I tell you, anything in front of
that beer keg -- a log, a rock,
a stone -- is gonna become a

Lethal projectile.
That was like a cannon.
Wow.

All right, let's recap this.
Things to throw on a campfire --
what is the case with b*ll*ts?

Bad idea, minor injuries,

Probably not lethal.

Aerosol cans?

Also a bad idea.

Also probably injuries.

Also not lethal.

And beer keg?

Bad idea to waste beer.

Yeah.

Very dangerous.

Possibly lethal.

I would say a high

Probability of being lethal.

Yep.

And never a good idea to

Waste beer.

So, do you have the chocolate?

I thought you had it.

Oh, no.

Can you believe we did an
animal myth where the animals
actually cooperated with us?

No, but you know what?
That was probably the most fun
I've had on myth in a long time.

And you look good in red.
Luckily, the bull didn't
think so.

And we found out that bulls
are welcome in your wacky china
shop.

Bulls was a really good idea.
And if you have any red-hot
ideas, log on to

Discovery.com/mythbusters and
let us know.