07x09 - Prison Escape: Part 2

[bunniefuu]

Do not try what you're
about to see at home.

We consult with experts.
We take every precaution.

And we have years of experience
in dangerous situations.

NARRATOR: On this daredevil
episode of "Mythbusters"...

Okay, go.

NARRATOR:
...Adam and Jamie get a grip...

I think I had a nightmare
just like this once.

NARRATOR: As they test
that old movie myth...

can you cling to a moving car?

Come on, give it to me!

NARRATOR:
Then Kari, Tory, and Grant...

Lock down number three!

NARRATOR: Break out
more liberating jailbreak myths.

Son of a [bleep]

NARRATOR: Can you floss yourself
to freedom...

Let's see you
get out of this one.

Whoo-hoo!

NARRATOR: Or sh**t yourself
from servitude...

This is my favorite part.
I'm not gonna lie.

NARRATOR: With a cannon
and a ball and chain?

That was cool!

NARRATOR:
Who are the Mythbusters?

- Adam Savage...
- That's significant data.

NARRATOR:
...and Jamie Hyneman.

I think we're gonna
set something on fire.

NARRATOR:
Between them, more than 30 years

of special-effects experience.

Joining them... Grant lmahara...

Freedom!

NARRATOR:
...Tory Belleci...

I don't think this one's
gonna work. It's just too big.

NARRATOR:
...and Kari Byron.

I'm starting to get the idea

that this
shouldn't be done inside.

NARRATOR:
They don't just tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

Why are you working out?

Ohh, our next myth, man.

We're gonna need all
the arm strength we can get.

Why is that?

Ah, it's a classic
Hollywood-action-movie staple...

the car-roof cling.

Oh, you mean where somebody
jumps on top of a car

and tries to hang on
while it's driving?

Yeah, but the driver
is trying everything he can

to shake him off.

NARRATOR: Getting a grip has
been the speciality of stunt men

since motors and movies
first teamed up.

But in reality,

is clinging on to a wild ride
really plain sailing?

You know, hanging on to a car
is one thing,

but falling off,
we could get seriously hurt.

Yeah, I've been
thinking that, too.

That's why I've been picturing
in my mind

a crane arm that would come out
of the trunk of a car

and go over the top of it.

Then we could tie into it,
and that would allow us

to show one of us losing his
grip, but not losing his life.

Exactly, and I think
we should make it long enough

not only to test
holding on to the roof,

but also being able
to hold on to the hood.

Well, we can build it,

but we'll have to do
a thorough job of it,

'cause our lives
are gonna depend on it.

They will.

[Horn honks]

So, if you're a stunt man in
Hollywood and you're holding on

to the roof of a car
like this while it's driving,

chances are
you're wearing a harness

that tethers you to the car.

Similarly,
if you're on the hood,

you're also wearing
that kind of system.

This isn't gonna work for us,

because Jamie is gonna try
and shake me off of this car,

and it's got to be demonstrable

that I'm being shaken
off the car

without letting me
hit the ground,

which tells me that some kind of
cable tether isn't good enough.

My legs could slip over
and hit the ground.

There's a lot of problems with
that from a safety standpoint.

NARRATOR: And in theory,
their overhead crane idea

should overcome those problems.

But in practice, the boys
are baffled at how to build it.

Um...

NARRATOR:
So, cue the brainstorm.

Shatter out this back window.

Get away with using
a counter spring of some sort.

It's gonna be like
a double-masted thing.

And that's all
that additional weight

that we don't need up high.

If it does fail, whoever is
up there, we're in deep trouble.

NARRATOR: After a frightening
two hours of back-and-forth...

Okay.

NARRATOR: The Mythbusters
finally have a plan.

Okay, good.
I like that.

JAMIE:
Yeah, it looks good.

NARRATOR: A plan that's
all about junk in the trunk.

They're going to cut into
the trunk to get to the frame.

To this they'll weld
a steel tower

that they'll attach
to a crane beam.

The crane beam will link
to a safety-harness T-bar

that they'll clip into while
holding the roof and the hood.

Attention, former car.

Prepare to be modified.

Resistance is futile.

NARRATOR:
Ain't that the truth,

especially because there's
a savage Savage on the loose.

This used to be a car, right?

A few minutes ago, even.

NARRATOR:
With the car frame exposed

and the trunk tower support
system time-lapsed into place,

next the boys strain
with the crane.

ADAM:
When you just heard the V.O. Guy

saying we were straining
with the crane,

I want to point out
that's not entirely true.

This is not a crane part
we're using.

It's triangular antenna truss,

used in radio towers
and stuff like that.

But the reason we're using it

is because its triangular
structure, just like in a crane,

affords it a tremendous amount
of lateral strength.

NARRATOR:
So tremendous that it's ideal

for supporting the weight
of the odd Mythbuster.

Okay.
Well, that works for me.

NARRATOR: And it better work
for Adam, too,

because it's this T-bar
that will literally hold

the Mythbusters
hanging by a thread.

ADAM:
The rig is almost done,

but still it lacks that visual
punch that I'm looking for.

I'm about to add it.

[Laughs]

NARRATOR: With a fresh coat
of high-speed pink,

the cling-on car rig
is ready to roll.

[Engine sputters]

But, uh, Houston,
we have a problem.

Well, unfortunately,
the car won't start.

Adam was really quick
with cutting this all apart,

but maybe he was
a little too quick.

At this point it looks like Adam

cut the electrical power
to the fuel pump,

so we can find that wire
and hook it up again,

then we'll be back in business.

It's always something.

NARRATOR:
But after a bit of hot-wiring...

[Engine turns over]

...the guys are revved up
and ready for the test track...

Ah-ahh

NARRATOR: And what could be
the ride of their lives.

All right, so what's up
with the convict suits again?

Have your shady pasts
caught up with you?

KARI:
Well, actually, yes.

Remember a few months back when
we devoted an entire episode

to prison-break myths,
and we rappelled down a wall

using bedsheets,
toilet paper, and hair?

Of course.
And we escaped.

Yeah, well, the trouble is,
the fans want more.

Ever since that episode,
we've been inundated

with ideas
for new prison-break myths.

Are you sure these are fans
and not prisoners

sending in these requests?

We're bustin' out of here, see?

NARRATOR:
Yep, in one of the all-time

most memorable
mythbusting moments,

ropes made of bedsheets...

KARI: God!

NARRATOR:
...human hair...

KARI:
I see split ends.

NARRATOR:
...and toilet paper

successfully aided and abetted
a 14-story prison break.

- GRANT: [Laughs]
- Freedom!

All right,
so what's up this time?

Well, two things.

First of all, the fans think
that you can escape from prison

using a little muscle
and a lot of this.

What?

Yeah, they reckon
you can cut through the bars

using dental floss.

All right.
What else?

Well, the other one's
a little bit higher octane.

Supposedly back in the day,

a prisoner took the ball from
his old-timey ball and chain,

put it in the prison's
ceremonial cannon,

and launched himself
over the fence to freedom.

NARRATOR: But first up
is the fan-fueled fable

that flossing can set you free.

And back at the big house...

Alameda County
Courthouse Jail...

Hey, Uncle Billy!

NARRATOR: Some of the team
are about to get

an inside look at the myth.

Lock down number three!

You... [Laughs]
You did!

There you go.

There's some dental floss.

I'm gonna go talk to J. D.

Good luck getting out
of this jail cell.

Dude, is this really locked?

TORY:
Dead man walking!

That's really locked!

NARRATOR: So while our duo
of desperate dental hygienists

attempt to break out...

Oh, look.
I removed some plaque.

NARRATOR:
...Tory gets some inside info

from friend of the show
Sergeant J. D. Nelson.

So, have you ever
heard of this myth...

using dental floss
to cut through a jail bar?

Well, I think that'd
be pretty difficult

just because dental floss
doesn't have a lot of grit.

But given enough time,
I guess anything is possible.

KARI:
What do you think of this?

There's silica in most
tooth-whitening toothpastes.

We could use it as an abrasive.

- Oh, yeah, a little bit extra...
- Yeah.

...to accelerate the process.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: That abrasive silica,
or sand, as many of us know it,

is a grinding agent used
to remove those stubborn stains.

But will it remove
those stubborn steel bars?

Hey!
Knock that off.

Troublemakers.

We're gonna have to keep them
locked up for a long time.

NARRATOR:
After two hours of hard labor,

one thing has become
very clear...

testing the myth manually is not
feasible in the time available.

GRANT:
Made it through the paint,

but fortunately,
I have a secret weapon.

And it could have something to
do with special robot knowledge.

NARRATOR: So, they're going to
head back to the shop,

where Grant, staying true
to the spirit of the myth,

wants to use only materials
he could find on the inside.

She's out of control.
She's out of control!

So, trying to free ourselves
using dental floss,

flossing by hand,
didn't really work out.

But fortunately, I have a backup
plan, and it involves this.

This is your average, everyday
cassette recorder/player,

which I have stolen.

I'm going to use this to make a
machine that will floss for me.

NARRATOR:
So Grant goes to work,

turning
an old-school tape recorder

into a dental-flossing robot...

Easier than I thought.

NARRATOR: While Tory
builds the kind of jail

every inmate dreams of...
one with just one wall.

TORY: Now, I know
this isn't a real jail,

but I wasn't trying
to make a jail.

But we needed something to test

whether or not dental floss
could cut through a steel bar.

So I made this.

Let's see if Grant can floss
his way out of this one.

GRANT: So, my flossing robot
is finally complete.

It incorporates the guts of a
standard cassette-tape recorder

with a specially
modified cassette

that contains, instead of tape,
dental floss.

I'm gonna set this up
on the bars and go to it.

But I'm also going to
incorporate Kari's idea,

which is to put a little bit
of toothpaste on it

to get that little extra bit
of abrasive.

Here we go.

[Honk!]

Okay, so we've got a little jam.

Already got
a little minor problem

with the flossing machine.

NARRATOR: So it's back
to the drawing board...

I've made a few changes
to the dental-floss machine.

NARRATOR: Where Grant
throws everything he has

at the problem.

[Honk!]

NARRATOR:
But after a full day's work

and several
failed prototypes...

Hopefully,
the 27 th time is a charm.

NARRATOR:
...he throws the problem...

...at the wall.

I don't think
this is gonna work.

NARRATOR:
The Mythbusters are testing

whether you can really cling
to a wild-ride car roof,

as Hollywood
would have us believe.

After all,
with a grip as strong as that,

hanging on for dear life could
prove to be very doable indeed.

And at the Alameda runway,

it's time to put that theory
to the test.

We've built a full-size rig
to hold on to us

in case we can't hold on
to the car,

and we've come out here
to the Alameda runway

to test it full-scale.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: But before
trying to shake a Mythbuster,

the boys first
want to test the rig

with someone
a little more, uh, expendable.

ADAM: So, currently Buster
is bolted into our safety rig

for a stop test.

It's a perfect opportunity
for me to show you

how it ought to work.

He's on a track
that runs fore and aft.

Jamie is gonna run this car
up to speed,

slam on the brakes
as hard as he can.

At that point, Buster is gonna
slide all the way forward...

...and stop.

And hopefully, we're gonna learn
how safe this rig is to use

by watching what happens
to poor Buster.

NARRATOR:
And unlike Adam or Jamie,

poor old Buster
won't be holding on at all.

ADAM: All right, Mr. Hyneman,
are you ready?

I'm ready.

Start your engine and begin
the untethered Buster stop test

in 3, 2, 1.

Go.

NARRATOR: Jamie floors it
and takes the car up to 45

before slamming on the brakes.

[Tires squeal]

Uhh.

NARRATOR:
The good news is that the rig

did indeed hold Buster
off the tarmac.

The bad news
is that pain-free it wasn't.

ADAM: Here's what scared me
about that test.

This guy right here,

he's made for firemen
to carry up and down stairs,

to drop in burning,
smoky buildings.

He's made to take
the kind of abuse you just saw

and come back for more.

He's engineered for that.
I'm not.

NARRATOR: So nervous
are Adam and Jamie about safety

that they run Buster
through more tests.

Go!

- NARRATOR: Brake tests...
- [Tires screech]

...swerve tests...

...curve tests,

but none of it makes
for pleasant viewing,

and that makes
what Adam is about to say

all the more surprising.

Well, from my perspective, that
test was lovely and successful,

as far as the rig was concerned.

We put
a huge amount of stress on it,

and it was absolutely solid.

I think that it's time
to give Jamie Buster's harness

and strap him to the roof.

NARRATOR: Yeah,
that rig is looking real good.

But Buster's
backbreaking performance

is not filling
our next contestant with joy.

If I can't hold on,
my big concern is,

is it gonna keep me safe?

I don't want to snap my neck

when I reach the end
of my travel.

So I'm gonna hold on real nice.

NARRATOR:
And real hard, Jamie,

because this myth
could get dangerously ugly.

Lock down number three!

NARRATOR:
Kari, Grant, and Tory

are getting
positively penitentiary.

KARI:
All right, weapons check.

Against the wall.
Go on. Come on.

Okay, you're all right.

What's this?

Is this a file?

Off to solitary confinement.

You, to the yard.

[Dog whimpering]

NARRATOR: Our fun-loving
criminals are testing to see

if they can free themselves
with floss.

I don't think
this is gonna work.

KARI:
I think Grant's gone through

like maybe 300 incarnations

of his dental-floss
tape-recorder robot.

They don't seem to be working.

At least that's what I'm getting
from the throwing and swearing.

[Bleep]

[Bleep]

[Bleep]

GRANT: All right,
so the tape recorder sucked.

But it's gone.
It's history.

Now I'm gonna ramp it up and use
whatever materials I want

to make the ultimate automatic
dental-flossing machine.

And then we'll see if it's
possible to floss through bars.

NARRATOR:
This time, Grant is unleashing

all his robot resources,
creating a tension system

that will simulate the grip and
sawing action of a human being.

GRANT: Okay, so, the ultimate
dental-flossing robot

is finished.

Now it's time to give it a shot.

And if this works,
it should go bzzz one way

and bzzz the other way.

NARRATOR: So, cue take two for
Grant and Kari's escape attempt.

GRANT: You hear
that high-pitched sound?

Uh-huh.

That's the sound of freedom!

NARRATOR: And once the ultimate
dental-flossing robot

is up and running,
there's nothing to do

but sit back and wait...

Do you have any 8s?

KARI: Go fish.

NARRATOR: Except for
some scheduled maintenance.

- Ohh.
- [Bleep]

Son of a [bleep]
Hang on.

Why are you going that way?
Okay, one second. Oh [bleep]

[Bleep] Hang on.

My prediction is that
we'll get out on good behavior

before we actually
get out of prison.

Maybe Grant and I
will get out on good behavior.

Tory is probably a lifer.

He's a bad boy.

[Bleep]

Spirits are down
in cell block "A."

Looks like we need
a good cavity search.

NARRATOR: But in spite
of the oppressive regime,

there is hope.

So, after 31/2 hours,

the ultimate flossing machine
has given us a glimmer of hope.

There's a shiny spot
worn into the bar.

Now, it's not very deep, so it's
a very tiny glimmer of hope,

but that's only 31/2 hours.

We're gonna let it go for more
and see how far we get.

NARRATOR:
So, our merry metalworkers

leave the robot flossing
for a full week

before they check the results.

And while it may not be as fast
as a hard-core hacksaw blade,

amazingly, Grant's gadget
is doing its job.

So, it looks like we got
a little progress. How'd we do?

Well, over our week,

we did a total of 2, 111.5
minutes of flossing,

which corresponds
to 35.2 hours.

Wow.

We got.015 of an inch.

TORY: So it's actually
cutting through the bars.

It's gonna take you forever,
but you can actually do it.

At that rate,
it'll take us 140,767 minutes.

What's that break down to?

Well, assuming you could do

eight hours of flossing
a night,

that would be 293 days.

But remember, that's only
one cut in one bar.

Theoretically, if you can cut
into one bar, you can cut two.

So we're calling
this one plausible.

- Yeah. Plausible.
- Plausible it is.

NARRATOR: In the movies, people
hang on to all sorts of things.

But can you really
cling onto a car?

That's what the Mythbusters
are about to find out.

Despite Buster's
backbreaking behavior...

I'm gonna hold on real nice.

NARRATOR:
...Jamie figures that his grip

will brace him against
the movement of the car...

...and he won't become
a m*ssile like a dummy.

Well, so far, I'm convinced that
our rig is safe for us to use.

As for the myth, honestly,
it's not looking that good

as far as the dummy's behavior.

That doesn't necessarily
have any bearing

on what happens
when Jamie gets on the roof.

This is a guy who scaled
a building on a knotted rope.

This is a guy who water-skied
behind a rowboat.

He broke down a door
with nothing but his shoulder.

NARRATOR: So while superhuman
Jamie psychs up and clips on,

here's the plan.

- I'm toast.
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: The boys are going to
break the car-cling myth

into three classic,
testable elements.

At speeds up to 45 miles an
hour, will Jamie cling or fling?

So, we were thinking,
if you're driving down the road

and someone's
on the roof of your car,

the first thing
that's gonna occur to you

is to do a kind of swervy
maneuver to shake them off.

That's what
we're gonna start with.

Well, the insurance company

won't let us go
above 45 miles per hour,

so I say let's go to 45
and give it all we got.

- I'm ready for you, buddy.
- Let's go.

I think I had a nightmare
just like this once.

NARRATOR: To make things
a little bit easier for Jamie,

for this initial test,
although the speed is up,

the windows
have been rolled down.

Will Jamie get a grip?

Okay, here we go.
Multiple swerves in 3, 2, 1.

Go.

[British accent]
I've got to get into character.

Who's that on my car?

Yeah, baby!

Come on, give it to me!

ADAM: [Normal voice]
Here we go. Swerve one!

Swerve two!
Serve three!

- Come on!
- [Laughs]

NARRATOR: Amazingly, despite
the considerable G-forces,

Jamie hangs in there with ease.

How was that, dude?

It wasn't a problem
holding on,

but it's a little thrilling.

- [Chuckles]
- ADAM: Really?

Yeah, let's go for 100.

NARRATOR: So far, it's a walk
in the park for the Hyneman.

But let's face it,

when did the movie villain
roll down the windows?

It's time to get serious.

Adam takes her up to 45.

Jamie grips on to not very much.

He holds the first swerve,
but then he's off.

- Dude, tell me you're okay.
- I'm fine.

- Really?
- Yeah.

I lost it on the second turn.

The first one I was okay,
but that little two-step got me,

and I went over the side.

I was holding on as hard
as I could, but I just slid.

NARRATOR:
So with our cling-on cowboy

slung off at 45 miles an hour,

part one of the car-cling trio
is busted.

So it's onward and upward.

This next one, I'm calling
this test the long turn.

Effectively,
I'm gonna be driving in circles,

applying centrifugal force
on Jamie,

starting off slowly,
but eventually ramping it up

to see if I can find his limit.

NARRATOR:
And from here on in,

the boys are only going to test
with the windows up.

- JAMIE: I'm ready.
- ADAM: All right, here we go.

Centrifugal turn
with a single complication.

Uh-oh.

NARRATOR:
Even as Adam reaches 15,

it's clear
that Jamie's struggling.

JAMIE: Aah!

NARRATOR: Then, at only


JAMIE: Aaah!

That's it.

[Laughs]

I'm okay.

How are you doing there,
brother?

[Laughs]

JAMIE:
That's kind of hard.

I was doing all right,
but all my weight

is just right on that little tip
of the finger,

and sooner or later, they give.

NARRATOR: In fact,
it's virtually impossible,

meaning that part two
is also busted.

So it's time for the finale.

Windows up.

As we usually do, we have saved
the worst for last.

We are now going to subject
Jamie to the sudden stop,

which hopefully will send him

virtually tumbling forward
on the car.

I won't be adding the second
part that you always see

in the movies
in which I drive over him.

That's what our rig
is supposed to prevent,

but I'll tell you, I don't think

he's gonna be able
to hold on during this test.

Sudden stop, here we go.

In 3, 2, 1.

NARRATOR:
For safety's sake,

Adam takes the car
up to just 25 miles an hour.

Jamie desperately braces himself

with all the strength
he can muster.

[Tires screech]

[Tires screech]

I'm okay.

NARRATOR: But the Hyneman heave
ain't enough.

JAMIE: I'm all right.
Well, I think that test is done.

ADAM:
[Laughs] I think so.

I'm actually
seeing some stars from that.

- Really?
- Yeah.

NARRATOR: As Jamie flew off
the roof like a giant piñata,

the G-force was so great
that he nearly blacked out.

It's a seriously close call,

but after a medical checkup,
he's given the green light.

MAN: Good job.

[Chuckles]

That one was a little too close
for comfort.

I really dug my fingers
into the windshield.

I knew exactly when Adam
was gonna hit the brake,

and I was braced for it,

but it still
just wasn't quite enough.

But in a real-life situation,

you're not gonna know
when something's gonna happen.

You're not gonna be able
to brace for it.

So that's a huge difference,
and, like as not,

you're gonna be flying
off the car in a heartbeat.

NARRATOR: In other words,
it's part three busted.

And after drama
like that last test,

you'd think the Mythbusters
would pack up and head home,

but, no, no, no.

Next up, another
fan-fueled jailbreak myth.

Okay, so our last prison-escape
myth is a bit bizarre.

It comes from a fan posting
under username "Pizzazz I. P.,"

and it's a story of
an 18th-century prison escape.

And according to
our message-board friend,

in this prison, all the
prisoners had ball and chain.

But instead of being a hindrance
to his escape

like you might think,
it was actually his method.

How?

Well, in this particular prison,
there was a cannon on the roof.

Every hour on the hour,
the cannon would fire.

So one day
while no one's looking,

he sneaks up to the roof,
drops his ball in the cannon,

and you see where
I'm going here, right?

Yeah, he fires the cannon, the
cannon sends him over the wall,

he survives,
and returns to a life of crime.

Exactly.

Sounds like it's boom time.

NARRATOR: It's
a preposterous prison parable.

Can a felon armed with a cannon,
black powder,

and a ball and chain
really fire himself to freedom?

This sounds like a crazy myth.

Sounds like a perfect job
for Buster.

Yeah, but no one is gonna
let us use their cannon

to fire ball and chains
out of them.

We're probably gonna destroy it,

so we're gonna have to
build our own

so that way we can fire it
up at the sky

and see if we can get Buster
to escape.

Cool, but if we're gonna start
building cannons, ba*ls, chains,

I think we need to do
a bit of research first.

Sounds good.

NARRATOR: So our budding jail
busters are going to blast off

with some Homemade Cannon 101.

[Bell jingles]

Whoa, there it is!

- How are you doing?
- How are you?

NARRATOR:
And Mythbusters pal Frank Tabor

is the guy
with all the gumpf on g*ns.

Big ones.

We're trying to build a cannon,
and we heard you had a mortar,

so we thought we'd come down
and take a look at it

and maybe get some ideas.

Yeah, it's gonna be
the same principle.

You're just gonna have
a longer barrel on yours.

Mortars are shorter.

NARRATOR: And, of course, the
stuff that sets these babies off

is black powder.

How much powder do you use?

For us to send
a 16-pound bowling ball,

we use three 12-gauge shotgun
shells full of black powder,

and that'll push it out
about 700, 800 yards.

NARRATOR:
Sounds perfect.

So our fantastic fabricators
measure up.

I think we've got
some good stuff.

- Yeah, I think we're good.
- Where's Frank?

What are you doing?

- How fast can you run?
- Very!

NARRATOR: With the
smoking-cannon design sussed,

Tory and Kari next walk the line

with some
ball-and-chain chatter.

KARI: To investigate what a real
ball and chain would look like,

we've come
to Folsom State Prison,

because not only is this
a famous prison,

but it has a long history,

and we think that this will be
a great place to start.

NARRATOR: So cue prison-museum
manager Jim Brown.

So, say a prisoner
is about 170 pounds,

which is the size
of our crash-test dummy.

What size ball would he have?
Would it be like this?

BROWN:
Probably be more like this one.

This one with shackle and chain
is 37 pounds.

That looks
about 5 inches in diameter.

- It's 55/8 diameter.
- All right, cool.

Now we know what size ball
to get.

NARRATOR: So, with the research
all sorted...

TORY:
Take it away!

NARRATOR: It's time
to get down to work.

One cannon coming up.

NARRATOR:
But will it work?

To avoid a bad case
of cannon malfunction,

Tory is using 2-inch-thick steel
for the barrel

and solid


for the combustion chamber.

TORY: So, this big chunk
of steel right here

is our combustion chamber
for our cannon.

We've bored it out to hold
the black powder and a barrel.

Now, I'd pick it up
and show you, but...

...it weighs 225 pounds.

But it has to be strong,

'cause the last thing we want
is for this cannon to explode.

NARRATOR: So, while Tory welds
his ancient a*tillery together,

Grant bashes out some
period-perfect ball and chains.

It's a prisoner's best friend.

NARRATOR:
And they're good to go.

That's assuming, of course, that
Tory's piece stays in one piece.

It's a thing of beauty.

This is my first cannon.

Let's hope it works.

Over the years,
we have done

some pretty outrageous things
with automobiles.

We've built custom
ejection seats into them

and activated them on Buster.

We have jumped them 175 feet
and remote-controlled them.

And we've put rockets
in the back.

This mod right here is up there

with one of the coolest things
we've ever done.

NARRATOR: And they've been
using it to find out

if you can really cling on
to the roof of a moving car.

And the results are not good.

With windows up,
Jamie was forever flung off.

But the roof was just one half
of the myth.

The other movie staple
is the hood hang.

First, the zigzag.

All right, dude.
Give me all you got.

NARRATOR: And rather
than give it all he's got,

Jamie's going to take it slow...

three zigzags
at 20 miles an hour.

How do you like that?
How about that?

NARRATOR: But that's all it
needs for Adam to get airborne,

and it's all down
to a tenacious grip.

ADAM: The problem
with the swerve-swerve

is what you're holding onto
here on the hood.

It's not uniform
like the car doors.

There's a whole bunch of vents

and windshield-wiper parts
in there.

My hands were very close
to going into places

where they'd start to incur
some serious damage.

I have to say, swerve-swerve...
boop... it's out.

NARRATOR:
So after a quick reset,

it's on to the long-curve test.

- JAMIE: Are you ready?
- I'm ready.

About 15 miles an hour.

NARRATOR: Jamie pulls away,
and Adam starts off confident.

ADAM: Oh, I can still hold that.
Go faster.

Whoa!

But soon gets his comeuppance
at just 20 miles an hour.

ADAM:
Oh. Whoa!

[Laughing]

Yeah, that was about my limit
right there. [Laughs]

ADAM: The problem with
the long centrifugal turn

isn't a problem with my grip.

It's with my attitude.

And I don't mean
my mental attitude, either.

I mean my orientation
to the car.

My grip on the hood
is linear to the car,

but the force on me
from the turn

is perpendicular to the car.

So it doesn't matter
how hard I'm grabbing.

Eventually, I'm being pulled
so hard this way,

I just can't hold on any longer.

NARRATOR: So the roof hang
is none from two,

and that just leaves
the emergency brake,

where anything could happen.

Adam on the hood
with a sudden stop?

I think he's gonna be able
to hold on,

because he's in line
with the direction of force,

he's got a good handhold
on the inside edge of the hood.

I don't see him
coming off at all.

NARRATOR: Well, there's
only one way to find out.

I'll be careful.



NARRATOR:
And at 25 miles an hour,

Adam pulls it off
with room to spare.

[Brakes squealing]


No problem.

Let's go to the maximum, 45.

NARRATOR: Throwing caution
and insurance to the wind,

Jamie floors it for the finale.

JAMIE: 35.



[Tires screech]

[Laughing]

Yeah!
I held on!

NARRATOR:
Again Adam gets no ain'time,

and that's because
Jamie was right.

The huge force Adam's under
is parallel with his body.

That means it's much easier
for him to get a grip.

JAMIE: I think we're done here.
You want to go back to the city?

- I do.
- You want to stay up there?

Absolutely.
Give me a second.

Okay, go.

- KARI: What are you doing?
- Nothing.

- How fast can you run?
- Very!

NARRATOR:
Kari, Tory and Grant

are testing
a bizarre jailbreak myth.

Can a man blow himself and
his ball and chain to freedom

out of a cannon?

GRANT: So, we're here at
the Alameda County b*mb Range,

which is where Mythbusters come

when they want to
blow something up.

We're gonna get our cannon out,
set it up,

get Buster in place,
put a cannonball on his leg,

and see if we can launch him
to freedom.

NARRATOR:
But if our eager escapologists

are going to blast Buster
over a prison wall...

- Right here?
- Looks good to me.

...they'll need a wall.

KARI:
So, according to the myth,

the cannon was on the roof
of the building

and then the cannonball, with
prisoner, was shot over a fence.

That's why we're doing sort of
an imaginary low-set fence

to sh**t our cannonball over.

NARRATOR:
But before Buster gets involved,

the team need to test
Tory's a*tillery.

TORY: All right,
so, for this first test,

we're just seeing
if the cannon even works.

So there's no Buster.
It's just the ball and chain.

Yeah, 'cause we don't know
what's gonna happen

when we launch this.

It could explode.

All right,
I say we start off small,

and we'll ramp our way up.

Is that you, Tory?
Are you Mr. Safety now?

I like it.
I like new Tory.

NARRATOR:
But safety officer Tory

still doesn't
quite convince Kari,

so she takes charge
of the charge.

So, we have everything set
except for our charge.

So we're gonna start with one
shotgun shell of black powder.

NARRATOR: So it's boom or bust
for Tory and his cannon.

This is my favorite part.
I'm not gonna lie.

[Laughter]

As you see the fuse getting
shorter, the tension mounts!

[Laughter]

- Yeah!
- Yes!

Touchdown!

- Nice!
- That was sick!

Nice.

- All right.
- Good pop.

Cannon works!

NARRATOR: Traveling at more
than 130 miles an hour,

the ball and chain
shot 80 yards.

That's way over the wall
and just perfect for our myth.

[Cheering]

All right, buddy, it's time
for the old ball and chain.

So now the team is ready
to load the cannon

and let rip once again,
this time with Buster in tow...

It's nothing personal, you know.
You know that, right?

NARRATOR: And with a bit more
grunt to get him on his way.

Okay, two shotgun shells
of black powder.

GRANT: Okay, so,
our cannon is in place.

It's aimed at the wall.
The wall is all set up.

We've got our cannonball
attached to Buster's leg,

and our prisoner Buster
is ready to fly.

All we need to do
is light the fuse.

Yeah!

Something good
is bound to happen.

Something's gonna happen.

KARI: Let's hope it just
knocks him over the fence

and the myth's confirmed.

[Cheering]

NARRATOR: The ball and chain
shot out of the cannon okay,

but it failed to lift Buster
over the fence.

So what does that mean
for our myth?

- Buster moved!
- He moved!

About 6 feet.

But, hey, maybe we just add
a little more black powder.

Maybe if two shotgun shells
get him 6 feet,

maybe three shotgun shells
get him 18 feet.

Why three?
Let's go to five, six even.

I say ramp it up.

[Cheering]

TORY: Well, Buster
is made of metal,

so he's totally missing
the human element.

Well, we do have some rope.

To the best of our research,

it's the closest
that we could find

to the breaking strength
of human tissue.

NARRATOR:
This half-inch synthetic rope

has a breaking strain
of nearly half a ton...

KARI: Okay.

NARRATOR: About the same
as the muscle and ligament

in a real human hip joint.

All right.

Everybody clear?

Here we go!

GRANT: Come on!
Here we go!

- KARI: Aah!
- [Cheering]

[Laughter]

NARRATOR:
Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?

No, it's a leg...

...traveling
at over 200 miles an hour.

But it's still not enough

to lift Buster's body
into the wild blue yonder.

TORY:
Oh, dang!

That is what I'm talking about!

The only thing that's free
is his leg from his body.

So did he escape from prison?

'Fraid not!

- [Laughter]
- TORY: But you know what?

No matter how you look at
this one, it's still busted.

Yeah, from the human
analog perspective,

not only did it separate the leg
from the body,

but it ripped off
all the flesh.

There's no way
you're surviving that.

Even with
an entirely metal skeleton,

he's not making it over the wall
in one piece.

Yeah.
This would never happen.

- Busted.
- Busted.

Totally busted.

NARRATOR: Adam and Jamie
have been flung left...

- NARRATOR: Right...
- Whoa!

NARRATOR:
...and center...

[Tires screech]

...testing the myth of the car
cling, and the results are in.

JAMIE:
I'm all right.

How are we gonna call it?

Dude, I'm calling this one fun
with a capital F.

I swear, this is
a whole new amusement park...

Oh, you mean busted,
plausible, confirmed?

- JAMIE: Yeah.
- Okay.

Holding on
to the hood of the car,

I was knocked off for two
out of the three tests we did.

And as far as the roof goes,

I was pretty much able
to hold on through anything.

Yeah, but that was
with the windows down.

In an action movie, man,
those windows are up.

In which case, I'd be toast.

I guess that means we have to
call it busted, huh?

I agree, but I don't
want to finish up just yet.

There is one more
shake-off technique

that I've been dying to try.

- Are you game?
- Sure.

All right, let's do it.

NARRATOR:
And the final flinging fable

is not a swerve or a stop
or even a crash.

It's something way more bizarre,
straight from the fan site.

It is, of course,
the car-wash knockoff.

ADAM:
As long as we're testing methods

for removing unwanted pests
from the outside of your car,

we couldn't finish this without
going through the car wash.

NARRATOR: And first up,
it's soap dodger Jamie Hyneman.

Oh, you're ready?

Here we go!

JAMIE:
Oh, God.

ADAM:
[Laughing]

This is awesome!

NARRATOR: Now, how often
do you get to wash yourself,

your clothes,
and your car at the same time?

Oh, that's cold!

ADAM:
[Laughs]

JAMIE: I feel like I'm going
through a noodle machine.

Uh-oh.

NARRATOR: After a quick
blow-dry, this noodle is done.

[Laughs]
How was that?

That was definitely
one of those

"What the heck am I doing?"
Moments.

What was the worst part?

The cold.

NARRATOR:
With a water temperature of 55,

it sure was chilly,
but Jamie stayed on.

Now, can our boy from the hood
equal this effort?

ADAM:
I'm ready.

You're gonna go through that
butt-first, huh?

Absolutely.

All right, then.
Well, have fun.

I will.

[Laughs]

NARRATOR: Adam have fun?
Surely not!

Oh, no!

Oh, that's cold!

NARRATOR: Adam clings on
through the rinse...

ADAM:
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!

NARRATOR:
...and through the spin.

- [Adam laughs]
- The drying gives him a shock...

...but not a knock.

JAMIE:
It's a thing, isn't it?

Yeah.

I'm glad I did that,

and I'm glad I don't ever
have to do it again.

Okay, so the story is,

this is supposed to
knock you off the car.

Not even close.

I didn't even have to hold on.

It's not very pleasant, but it's
not gonna knock you off the car.

[Chuckles]

This falls into the category

of the kind of thing
that 10 years from now,

someone's gonna say to me,
"I wonder what it's like

to ride a car on the outside
through a car wash."

And I'll get to say,
not only have I done that,

I did it in the name of science,
because this myth is busted.