08x09 - Fireball Stun g*n

[bunniefuu]

Attention, viewers. Do not try anything
you are about to see at home.

We are what you call experts.

On this combustible
episode of "mythbusters"...

I see good things
in our future.

...We test a tale

That brings out the teenage boy
in all of us.

Dude, you got to be careful.

It's nonstop fireworks
for Tory, Grant, and Kari...

When in peril, I will use
one of my co-workers

As a human shield.

...As they tackle
the myth of the human skyrocket.

One.

Oh, my God.

Meantime, Adam and Jamie
try turning the tables

On their favorite episode
of "CSI"...

I am aimed.

...To see if combining two
supposedly nonlethal weapons...

Welcome, earthlings.
We mean you no harm.

...Could actually
make them a deadly duo.

There's your fireball.

With any luck, we will end up
with a charred corpse.

Stand clear.
I'm going hot.

Who are the Mythbusters?

Adam Savage...
Aah!

That is science.
...And Jamie Hyneman.

Things are gonna start to get
a little crazy in here.

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

Joining them --

Grant Imahara...
Burn!

...Kari Byron...

Let's do it.

...And Tory Belleci.

But don't worry.
We're not gonna give up.

They don't just tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

-- <font color="#ffff00">Captions by vita -&www.M</font>

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

First up, a shocking tale
of crime-scene chaos.

So, what do we got?

Well, you remember
a few months ago

That you and I did
a cameo on "CSI"?

I do. We played scientists
in lab coats.

It was about a perp who had
spontaneously combusted

After being hit with a stun g*n,

And it turned out,
upon investigation,

That prior to being hit
with the stun g*n,

He was pepper-sprayed,

And that the pepper spray
had a flammable component in it

Which, when coupled
with the spark of the stun g*n,

Caused him to burst
into a huge fireball.

And guess what happened
after that episode aired.

We got a ton of requests

To do it ourselves
and test it for real.

Exactly right.

It would appear that not only
did we make a cameo on "CSI,"

But "CSI" is making
a cameo on "Mythbusters."

The science unfolds
in the C.S.I. Lab

As Nick Stokes shows
that stun g*n plus pepper spray

Equals an instant,
massive fireball.

It's a nice bit of tv,

But we all want to know
if it works in real life.

Well, if I'm gonna potentially
set something on fire,

I think right here
under Jamie's exhaust hood

Is as good a place as any
to do it safely.

The boys have made
a bold decision

To simply set up the scene
and go for it.

Standing in for the victim
is one dead pig.

We use pigs a lot on this show

Because they're
great human analogues.

But we're not wasting them
because they're too darn tasty.

In fact, after we're done
with him here,

I'm taking him home
and cooking him up.

You ready? I am.
Let's hook it up.

Okay.

With the pig analogue
securely fastened,

Adam fits a small flannel shirt
they've been saving

For just the right occasion.

There we go.

Now Jamie unloads

A whole can
of police-issue pepper spray.

All right, time to take him down
with the stun g*n.

And hopefully replicate
that "CSI" fireball.

I am aimed, and...



I got to say, I don't think

We're gonna get fire
on this one.

Okay.

...2...1...

What do you know?
I was right.

Yep. No fire.

That's disappointing.

That's putting it
mildly. It's a complete dud.

Even Adam's surprised by
the totality of the failure.

I don't know what to say.

We did everything right --
no flaming pig.

Yeah, well, there are

A number of different things
going on here,

And I think we need to break
them out separately

To see what's happening.

Before we call it.
Yeah.

Okay, let's do that.

And here's the breakdown.

Successful combustion
needs three things.

The first is oxygen,
and there's plenty of that.

Second is something combustible and
there's plent of that --

Supposedly the pepper-soaked shirt.

Third is a reliable source
of ignition.

So let's reboot this myth by
reexamining the stun g*n.

The operation of these stun g*ns
is relatively simple,

And it happens in two phases.

Allow me to illustrate.

The first phase --
when you pull the trigger,

The g*n fires a pair of shiny
little barbs across the room

That embed themselves
right into your skin.

And the second part --
it starts pumping voltage

Through these wires into those
barbs and into your body,

And when that voltage
gets to your body,

It starts interrupting
your brain's ability

To tell your muscles
what to do,

And you pretty much collapse
in a heap on the ground.

But the question remains --

Can even 50,000 volts
produce enough spark

To start a human bonfire?

There you go.
Plenty of sparks.

I have to say,
I'm kind of surprised.

I was actually expecting
that once those barbs

Embedded themselves
in the pig flesh,

They'd complete a circuit and we
wouldn't see any sparks,

But we do.

Look at that.

I was also surprised
that the barbs

Were creating sparks while they
were fully embedded in the pig,

But it's easy to understand why.

The company has decided
it's most efficient

To simply tie a knot
in the end of the wire

So it locks into the hole
like so,

And they know that,
given the fact

That they're using such
high voltage in these things,

That the spark will jump
across into the needle

And do its job.

But that jumping spark

Also serves as a potential
source of ignition.

But will it be
big enough to ignite the myth?

You know, we've dabbled
with small sparks before.

How hard can it be to blow up
a room full of gasoline?

And often enough,
we're left disappointed.

Nothing. What a shocker.

So, ideally, they'd like
a much bigger spark.

And they've worked out a way
that perfectly fits the myth.

All right, let me describe
the experimental setup here.

This ham hock is our perp.

This barb is the barb
that's in his skin.

This vinyl shower curtain
is our perp's clothing.

And this barb is the barb

That didn't make it all the way
to the perp's skin

'cause it got caught up
in his clothing.

Let's see what happens.

It's an intriguing
twist on the basic test.

But will it work?

That's what I'm talking about.

Nice big 3-centimeter spark

Through the clothes
into the guy's flesh.

Bingo.

That's a big tick
for reliable ignition.

Next up, they'll be pushing
the button on pepper spray.

Our second myth has

Blatant disregard
for self-preservation

Written all over it.

So, a guy is
lighting off fireworks

At a German fireworks festival,

And he decides to take
an action figure,

Strap a skyrocket to it,
and send it flying.

Well, I used to do that
all the time when I was kid.

Yeah, but that's not the myth.

The myth is that he
then decides to step it up

And strap the fireworks
to himself.

So he gets around


He attaches them to himself,
he builds a ramp,

He lights them all off,
and whoosh.

He goes flying


And splashes down to safety.

The details are
delightfully vague.

All we know is that some guy
builds some kind of ramp

And launched himself
with 400 skyrockets.

Is that even remotely possible,

Or is it a special kind
of stupid?

All we do know for sure is that
he wasn't a professional.

So likely the fireworks he used
were over-the-counter.

All right, well, why don't we
just start there?

We'll take
some of these skyrockets,

We'll add some weight,
and find out

Exactly how much one of these
skyrockets can lift.

Good idea,
because if we can find

The carrying capacity
of a single firework,

Then we can calculate
how many it's gonna take

To lift an average man --
somebody like 200 pounds.

So they book the b*mb range

And get hold of the biggest
over-the-counter skyrockets

Money can buy.

We're out
at the alameda county b*mb range

So we can test the most powerful
consumer fireworks

That we can find.

Then, with the help
of a high-speed camera

And one of the biggest scales
we've ever used...

Does this look straight?

We'll time how long
it takes to get

From the bottom of the scale
all the way to the top.

That, plus knowing
how long the scale is,

Will give us the speed.

Once we have the speed,
we'll find the carrying capacity

By adding weight
to the tip of the firework

Until it slows it down by 50%.

And we'll call that
our carrying capacity.

The plan is rock solid,

But it still needs
some caressing and finessing.

Now, for these tests, it's
important that these skyrockets

Have identical flight paths.

So I've hooked up
this steel cable

That we can connect
our fireworks to

So that way, each test,
we have the same path

But we do not change the thrust
of the rocket.

The first control rocket

Carries
no extra weight whatsoever.

Here we go.

Run! Run! Run!

Whoa.

Blink and you miss it.

But the high-speed camera

Captures and records
every detail.

Okay, so we went 32 feet
in .4 secos.

Okay, that's 80 feet
per second.

That's around 55 miles an hour.
That's a pretty good speed.

Great. Let's add some weight.
All right.

The extra weight comes

Courtesy of some
heavy-duty nuts.

Each one weighs exactly...



All right.
This is perfect.

So I'll just glue it
to the top of the rocket,

And we'll find out if this
affects the thrust of it.

Yeah.

Kari lights the fuse...
There we go.

...Then scampers.

Oh!

The extra weight
only swed the rocket by 20%.

So instead of adding just one
more nut to the next rocket,

They'll add two.

Okay, this is consumer-grade
firework with 150-gram load.

Here we go.

Yeah!

Definitely slowed it down.
Definitely.

Yeah, we might have found
the number. I like that.

The replay confirms

That they've got
what they wanted --

A 50% reduction in speed.

That's the good news.
Now here's the bad news.

Well, with 400 rockets,


That's 60 kilograms.

That's a carrying capacity
of about 130 pounds.

But wait. The guy alone without all his
gear in this myth is 200 pounds.

Yeah, it's not looking good for the myth.

I mean, you would need well over


In fact, they'd need around 800

Of these U.S.-Made rockets
to haul a full-grown man,

So here's hoping
somebody's got a plan "b."

After the break,
Adam and Jamie suit up

For a spectacular
pepper-spray shootout.

It's not everybody who gets to
come to work in their jammies.

Out at the treasure
island fire test facility,

Adam and Jamie plan
to ignite some pepper spray.

I love it out here.

They've already shown
that the spark from a stun g*n

Could have some kick to it.

Now to advance
the investigation.

Is pepper spray flammable?

And if it is,
which one is the most flammable?

Here's our methodology
for finding out.

We're gonna take
each of our samples

And spray it from this location
over this open flame,

Both from 6 inches away like
this and from 18 inches away.

Different sprays
have different recipes,

So we'll test
five different types,

Some of which aren't used
by the California cops.

These pepper sprays
are nonlethal,

But they are
really pretty nasty.

In fact, when we were testing
with them earlier,

I managed to get
some on my hands,

And my skin was irritated
for days.

The crew that was taping this
was coughing and sneezing.

It was really
kind of unpleasant.

So this time around, we've got
ahold of some levechem suits

That we're gonna be wearing

So we can focus on the testing
and not about how bad we feel.

Adam's already dressed
for success,

So Jamie, uh, follows suit.

It's not everybody who gets to
come to work in their jammies.

So a persistent rumor

Is confirmed
by the great man himself.

Jamie does go to bed
wearing hazmat pajamas.

Welcome, earthlings.
We mean you no harm.

Our first five samples tested
from 6 inches away.

The first one's
supposed to be nonflammable.

Let's see if it's true.

Just for the record,

That 6-inch gap is exactly
the industry standard

For testing flammability.

All right.
You ready for number 1?

Yep.

All right.
Here we go.

The first canister fully lived
up to its no-burn promise.

So let's check the second.

Bupkes.

That's two quick strikes,

But the third
shows some promise.

Oh. Not bad.

As for number 4,

Just lay back and bask

In the ambient heat
of the can that can.

Whoa! h*!
That's the money right there.

Want to see it again?

I think we all do.

The key thing
that made this a fireball

Was the kind of propellant
it used.

So, on to can 5.

Oh!


As it turns out, at 6 inches,


were aggressively flammable.

So they found
the two most volatile cans,

But there's no guarantee
that either one will ignite

When it's sprayed on a fabric.

To test that, we will be staging

The world's first
wet-flannel-shirt contest.

We're back in the shop
because we found

Even the most powerful
consumer fireworks

We can get
in the entire United States

Did not have the thrust
we need to propel a man.

So, since this myth
originated in Europe,

We're thinking
maybe they had something

A little more powerful.

Now, since we weren't able
to get

The european skyrockets
with the greater thrust,

We have to make our own rocket.

So we have
the next-best thing --

A model rocket motor.

It has the same exact thrust.

Now what we need to do is
add a cone, attach a stick,

And maybe make them
look more like skyrockets.

Things get off
to a slowish start...

I've glued myself
to the rocket already.

...As they set about
custom-building an arsenal

Of european-strength
single-stage skyrockets.

We pride ourselves on quantity,
not quality.

Let's hope he's joking,

Because all these
homemade fireworks

Have to be just as reliable
as the store-bought ones.

That's it.

If I won a pageant, this would
definitely be my bouquet.

Those look awesome.

All right. You guys ready
to set them off?

Yeah.
Oh, yeah, definitely.

So it's back to the
b*mb range with nothing to prove.

Yeah, I got high hopes.

If these rockets can't bear
a much bigger load,

The myth is as good as busted.

All right, so our first test
is gonna be our control.

This is our new and improved
rockets with no weights.

We'll find out
how fast they go.

This time,
they've hooked up the rocket

To a much safer electric fuse,

And Kari's about to show
how she responds

In a moment of pure panic.

In 3, 2, 1.

Okay.

The skyrocket turned kamikaze,

But it stayed straight enough
for long enough

To get the data --


at the top of the scale.

I also learned something
very valuable, which is,

When in peril,

I will use one of my co-workers
as a human shield.

Sorry, Grant.

But Grant remains unfazed.

He's already decided

They can afford
to up the starting weight.

So, I think we can go
directly to the 150-gram load,

Which is exactly what
the consumer-grade firework

Could do for its
maximum capacity.

By adding
small weights to single rockets,

They hope to find out
if 400 fireworks

Really could launch a human.

In 3...2...1.

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

Wow!

It's gone.

I don't think that weight
did a whole lot.

That weight didn't do anything.

Actually, it did.

But the homemade rocket bore
its burden with relative ease.

Nice.

But the homemade rocket bore
its burden with relative ease.

That's crazy.

All right. That is 53 miles
per hour, so not even 50% yet.

Well,
I'd also like to point out

That the commercial ones
that we were using before

Looked like they were slowing when
they got to the top of the scale.

These have way more thrust. I
think we can double the weight.

All right. Let's take it
up to 300 grams.

All right.

So Tory glues six nuts

To the top of the cone
of the next skyrocket.

This seem dangerous to launch


Well, given the flight
path of the first rocket, yeah.

In 3...2...1.

Nice.

It lifted it.

Great.
Let's see how fast it went.

The high-speed confirms

They've honed in
on the goldilocks figure

For weight-bearing rockets.

- That is cool.
- Wow.

All right. And that is


And that's pretty impressive.

Yeah, but it is slowing
at the end of the line,

So I think we're gonna have
to call this the limit,

The carrying capacity for
the rocket motor.

Okay, with 300 grams added
to what is already 100 grams for the rocket.

That means we're going to have to have

about 400 rockets to get our
man off the ground.

That gives validity to this myth.

All right.
Guess we got to get building.

Cool.
God, that's awesome.

So, the myth
of the fireworks man

Is alive and kicking.

They just need to put
all that potency into practice.

Well, so far, so good.

Yep, stun g*ns do provide

A very reasonable spark
for ignition,

And some pepper sprays
are quite flammable.

So now all we got to do
is put the two together

And see if we get some kind
of spontaneous combustion.

Slow down there, cowboy.

I think there's one more thing
we could take a look at in here,

Which is what kind of material

Was the shirt made of
that the perp was wearing?

There's a lot
of different things

They make clothing out of,

And some are more flammable
than others.

I think we need to do some tests
and find out

Which kind of material we can
find that burns the fastest.

Okay.

Armed with a lighter

And a charming selection
of swatches,

The method is
pretty straightforward.

Fabric placed
on a 45-degree angle,

Exposed to a lighter
at the bottom for one second

And timed how long it takes
for the flame to reach the top.

We compare all these
and figure out

Which one's the most flammable.

I like it.

The guy on "CSI"
to get set on fire

Was wearing a flannel shirt.

Now, what is flannel?

Well, in the early days,
it was a wool material.

Then it was a wool blend.

Now it can be virtually
any kind of material

That is thick and sort of Fluffy
and has this plaid pattern.

So, from natural fibers...

Here comes cotton.

...To acrylics and acetates,

The guys put the torch to some
hopefully flammable fabrics.

All right.
Let's try rayon.

Some take their own sweet time.



And that's it.

Some just refuse to catch fire.

No burning at all from wool.

And others burn up
like a trail of gunpowder.

Dude.
Fleece burns with vigor.

Bang. That's it right there.


Now all that remains
is to find out the fastest.

The results are in.

We have burned
eight kinds of fabric,

Gotten eight
different burn times,

And the winner, it turns out,
is a tie at 15 seconds.

The fastest-burning fabrics
are both acrylic and fleece.

Robert,
tell them what they've won.

Thanks, Adam.

Yes, today's two fabrics
both win the chance

To return to the game
as real shirts,

Then get burned
right down to their buttons

In a winner-takes-all
torch time trial.

Back to you, Adam.

In order to do that, I'm going
to call upon all the skills

I remember from home economics
in 4th and 5th grade

With Miss Cavinitis.

I still remember
a couple things.

Adam's not showing off.

We just couldn't buy
a plaid fleece shirt.

So this is a home-spun
savage original.

But he will need some torsos
to hang his designs on.

That's where this guy comes in,
because I'm going to make

A wire mannequin
that looks roughly like this

So we have something
to hang them on while they burn.

In just a few minutes,

They both finish flirting
with fashion,

And they both seem enamored
with their efforts.

Show Jamie my threads.

Check it out.

Uh, who's your tailor, dude?

I am my tailor.

Hey, these
are one-time use.

These guys look great.

Meet Bernie and his
little brother, Crispin.

So Bernie and Crispin
get shirted up --

One with a plaid
that's all acrylic

And the other made
from so-called fleece,

Another synthetic that's partly
made from recycled plastic.

The boys are eager to learn just
how combustible a shirt can be.

Both shirts are lit from the
same point at the same time.

All right, now,
the acrylic really seems

To be winning by a fair bit.

It's much more aggressive.

Indeed.

With no pepper spray,

Both shirts burn slowly
but consistently.

Adam, of course,
has a vested interest.

Come on, fleece --
after all our training,

After all our discussion,
is that all you got?

You're gonna let acrylic
take you to town?

You're gonna let him
show you up?

Put something into it, man.

But he's backed
the wrong blouse.

Eventually, the acrylic is the
first one to give up the ghost.

I'm gonna call it.



The acrylic is
completely burnt up,

To a crisp,

And the fleece still has
more than halfway to go.

Yep.

So, acrylic it is,
and here's the upshot.

Shirts do burn, stun g*ns
can make a big spark,

And some pepper sprays
are totally flammable.

Now all that remains

Is to pull these best-case
combustibles together

To see if they can really make

That instantaneous
human fireball.

Don't try anything you've seen
on this show at home.

We are what you call...
Experts.

All right, so,
according to the tests,

We are gonna need a lot
of these fireworks

To get this guy off the ground.

But the toughest part is
getting all those rockets

To ignite at the same time.

And how were they
attached to him?

What kind of rig are we
talking about here?

Again, the details are vague.

We do know that he launched
himself off a ramp,

But there's
no other information.

All right. Well, then,
why don't we do this?

We'll each come up with our own
design, small-scale,

We'll attach
an action figure to it,

And we'll launch him
off the ramp,

And we'll see which one
has the best launch

And which one has
the best flight pattern.

So, in this workshop arena,

Three specialist craftsmen
go head-to-head.

They have just one hour
to whip up a workable prototype.

So, let the games begin.

Each contestant gets
two basic ingredients --

One raw mini-buster
and one sprig of skyrockets.

The winning design is the one

That can best launch the doll
from a miniature ramp.

Okay, so, my idea is

A giant christmas-tree-shaped
fireworks cluster.

I mean, what is more directional
than an arrow, huh?

So all the thrust is
gonna go down this way,

And the guy's gonna go...
Whoosh...Straight out.

The only problem is making sure

That the exhaust
from all the fireworks

Doesn't burn him to a crisp.

I'll work that out later.

Yeah. Good luck with that.

Meantime...

That's the outfit.

Now, my design for fireworks man
is very simple.

It's basically taking
a set of wings

And attaching them to his back.

And then down the wing,
I'll be attaching rockets.

And when I launch that off,
hopefully it'll act like a jet.

Only thing is I hope these guys
can keep up with my pace.

But we still
haven't heard from Kari.

Essentially, this is my design.

We have rockets
sh**ting out the back,

A big wing for stabilization,

Comfortable pillow
for my guy to lay on,

And a skateboard

That's going to reduce
the resistance up the ramp.

Now, I think the best part
of my design

Is that I've created a flashpan

That's going to ignite
all of my rockets at once,

Because simultaneous ignition
is something

That we've always had trouble
with on "Mythbusters."

While Kari and Grant
push on with their plans,

There's been a small sensation
over at team Tory.

He's decided to scrap his design
and go with a new one.

I really wish that I had
come up with Tory's design

Just 'cause
I'm a big "Star Wars" fan

And it looks just like
an X-wing fighter.

I know it was a little late
in the game

To change the design
of firework man,

But, you know...I think
this design is much better.

The hour is up,

And these
radically different designs

Are about to be put to the test.



Done.
Done.

Let's see them.

All right.

Oh, are you ready to put your
rockets where your mouth is?

Bring it.
Let's launch them.

All right.
Get ready to lose, you guys.

Just like Adam and Jamie,

They're testing
at treasure island

Under the Bay bridge.

They're aiming to see
which design

Has the best flight path

And which one
flies the farthest.

For that, they'll need
to stake out their turf.

That might be
a little presumptuous.

Given the strength
of the mini rockets,


a tad optimistic.

Now, for that occur,
two things have to happen.

One, we have to have
straight and stable flight.

Two, we have to not explode
on the launch pad.

Two very good points.

And Tory's the first
to test his luck.

I have trays of black powder
at each bundle of fireworks.

I'm using an electric ignitor
to light off

Each of those trays
of black powder.

Once I hit the button,
all rockets should fire

At the exact same time.

In 3, 2, 1.

- Whoo!
- Wow!

It did something.

I think it exploded
on the launch pad.

The x-wing aircraft
went pretty much nowhere.

But the pilot covered some
fair piece of real estate.

Tory's launch was awesome,

Mostly because I can't
even tell what happened.

And the guy ended up
with his butt burned up

Over on the lawn in a totally
different direction.

Now, there's a piece
of my fireworks rocket.

There's another piece.
Talk about epic fail.

Not only did it crash and burn,
it exploded into pieces.

Time for the next
fledgling to test her wings.

But it's Grant
who makes the prediction.

And if you pick up
her "flight vehicle,"

It's a little back-heavy,
actually.

So it could end up
sort of doing --

I think it's actually gonna do
a loop-the-loop,

As a matter of fact.

Hold on, little missy.

Fireworks man, Kari design,
small-scale, in 3, 2, 1.

Holy...Wow!
Whoa.

Whoo-hoo!

Well, if we wanted something

To go across the surface
really quickly,

We got it.

That was spectacular.
Oh, my God.

It didn't fly high,
but it did fly straight,

And every bit of that unlikely
apparatus left the ramp.

As for the added sparkles,
nice touch.

My guy isn't charred.

We had a perfect ignition.

We had a pretty good distance.

So maybe if I had longer wings,

This would have been
a perfect flight.

I think I might actually have
the winning design here.

But we're yet to see
Grant's design take to the air,

And he's suffering
from preflight nerves.

Okay. Here's my biggest fear.

Instead of going on
this nice ballistic trajectory

Out that way,

It goes...Whoosh, sss...

And comes right back at us.

If I see that happen,
I'm hitting the deck.

Okay. Good luck.

When even the experts
are scared,

It's probably wise
to duck and cover.

In 3, 2, 1.

Grant's launch looked

More like a guy
slipping on soap.

Whoa!

So there's no real need
for a high-speed replay.

But let's do it anyway.

This one barely mad

It but let's do it anyway.
Off the launch pad,

Did not achieve flight,

Could not get
simultaneous ignition,

And, therefore,
has to be rejected.

Whoo! Ohh!

So the winning design
is clearly Kari's.

In the end, this is
the design we're going with.

We have one bank of fireworks
that all ignite simultaneously.

We have a heat shield

That keeps our little driver
from getting fried.

And the wing created
enough stability

To get us a nice, short flight.

Now, I think if we increase
the length of the wing,

We'll get more stability and
maybe get a perfect trajectory.

After days of experimentation,

Adam and Jamie are finally ready
to test the myth

Of the "CSI" stun g*n.

This fine specimen
of manhood here

Will soon be our perp
for our final test.

Now, in order to be
a proper perp,

I needed to have
conductive skin.

So I'm gonna give him
a layer of foam,

And then I'm going to cover
that foam with foil,

And that foil will act
as the conductive skin

That hopefully will give us
the spark

To light our perp on fire.

He's ready.

And in hope
of a blazing conclusion,

It's back to treasure island.

The methodology here is
actually pretty simple.

Our perp here is dressed
in the latest fashion --

The acrylic shirt that we found
the most flammable.

We are going to spray him down

With the pepper spray we found
most flammable -- number 4.

And then I am going to stand
back with this stun g*n...

...And pop him
right in the chest

And see if he bursts
into flames.

All right.
Stand clear.

So, confirming the myth

Of an instant, massive fireball

All comes down to this.

Just like they did on "CSI,"

Adam unloads
for a good few seconds.

Freeze!

Hey!

Dude!
It's burning.

I totally -- wow!
He's totally burning.

And we totally need
the fire extinguisher.

You have the right
to not be on fire.

Anything you burn

Can and will be held against you
in a court of law.

But do we have the right
to call this confirmed?

Of course, it wasn't
quite the big fireball

That we saw on "CSI."

* I'm on fire *

But this being "Mythbusters,"

We're gonna do our darndest
to get one.

So they postpone the judgment,

Discharging four whole cans
on a backup acrylic shirt.

Think that's enough?
No.

Just for good measure,
Jamie almost doubles the dose.

All right.

Freeze!

Nice!

Yeah.

Now that's really close

To the human bonfire
we saw on tv.

There's your fireball.

It's instantaneous.
Look at that.

Yeah. Might as well have lit it
with a match.

Unbelievable.

It's a fabulous fireball,

But in this case, they did use
an ocean of pepper spray.

So, how do we want
to call this one?

Well, let's do a little math.

One acrylic shirt plus a can
of flammable pepper spray

Plus one stun g*n equals...

Plausible.

I agree.

One acrylic shirt
plus a stun g*n

Plus a whole crapload
of pepper spray equals...

Gratuitous.

That's our favorite
four-syllable word.

So the verdict on this myth
is plausible.

But we're not done yet.

Jamie's determined to end
with a serious spectacle.

And believe me,
you don't want to miss this.

Okay, so,
we're back in the shop

After our
small-scale experiment.

The myth that we're testing
is that some crazy German

Thought it was a great idea to
strap 400 fireworks to himself,

Propel himself off a ramp
into a lake.

So, it is gonna take 400
of our homemade skyrockets

To launch our fireworks man.

Now the big challenge
of this design

Is to attach all 400 together

And to get them to go off
at the same exact time.

And I'll be attaching
a new and improved wing design

Which should help with the one
flaw from my small-scale,

Which is spinning
out of control.

Whoo-hoo!
Whoo!

And they figured the best way

To minimize friction
on the ramp

Is to hook two skateboards

Up to a shiny,
slippery metal rail.

I can't stop.

Aah!

Ohh.

Are you okay?
Yes.

Dude, you got to be careful.

Now, why a skateboard, you ask?

Well, this was
clearly not some sort

Of highly engineered
NASA launch.

This is a guy that strapped
a bunch of fireworks to himself.

And if you're in that mind-set,
what are you gonna use?

You're gonna use some
sort of fancy system?

No. You're probably gonna use
a skateboard.

Now, for the sled, I came
up with something interesting.

A surfboard.
It serves two purposes.

For one, it's really light.

It's not gonna add a lot
of weight to our contraption.

And number two --
we're launching, hopefully,

All the way into a lake,

And retrieving
all of our rockets

Would be a pain in the butt
if our whole thing sank,

So...It's made of styrofoam.

This thing floats.

So, while the team gets
very, very busy with the building --

Kari with these new wings

And Grant
with some stabilizing fins --

Tory gets to play with fire.

So, I've removed
the sticks from the skyrockets,

And I've glued together
banks of 100.

Now that they're
all glued together,

What I'm gonna do is cut grooves
on the table saw

Through the nozzle area.

That way, these grooves will be
filled up with black powder.

And when I fill this whole thing up
with black powder and ignite it,

The flame will move through
the grooves into the nozzles

And ignite all the rockets
at the same exact time.

And there's no time
to test Tory's groove

Like the present.

In 3, 2, 1.

Yeah!

Oh! That looked
so synchronized.

Whoo-hoo!

Wow.

That was synchronized.

That is
a beautiful ignition system.

I see good things
in our future.

Back inside,

The wings, the fins,
and the skateboard rail

Are the key additions
to our makeshift vehicle

That just might launch
a stand-in man 150 feet.

And it's probably just as well

He's missing the back
of his head.

If all of our calculations
are correct,

We should see this fireworks man

Fly up that ramp
and across the lake.

Or it's gonna fail miserably
and explode on the ramp.

With the myth of the "CSI" stun g*n wrapped up,

The boys feel the need
to go out

In a totally gratuitous
blaze of glory.

Jamie left me this really
cryptic message which said only,

Bring him a burnable perp
and dress for a fire.

I am, as they say, intrigued.

Here we go.

Adam dresses his man
in a fitting fashion.

And the shirt, as you've
guessed, is the famous flannel.

Ah. Are you ready,
little buddy?

This is actually
the standard model of robot

That are all of Grant's servants
back at his castle.

So, the savage
awaits the barbarian.

And Jamie's weapon of choice

Is a vintage vietnam-era
gasoline flamethrower.

Ah, hey.
What do you got?

Stand clear.
I'm going hot.

Okay.

Long-time viewers know
that sometimes,

When a myth falls frustratingly
short of confirmation...

You see any b*llet holes?

I don't see any at all.
No.

...We like to, uh...

Firing.

...Turn it up a notch or 10.

Once again, Jamie's ready
to skip the method

And go straight for the mayhem.



There's no better way
to unleash hell

Than a 60-foot flame.

Nice!

That's what I'm talking about.

Very post-apocalyptic
of you.

Is that hot enough for you?

Well, that was only ever going
to end one way.

And thanks to a $5 shirt,

We've got
a million-dollar memory.

Any kid who's ever read
a comic book

Has surely dreamed
of personal rocket propulsion.

According to fans,

One man actually flew 150 feet
with skyrockets,

So we had to see for ourselves.

We've studied the physics, built
the best amateur rig we could,

And found a flooded quarry
for the crash landing.

Oh, this place is cool.

Whoa!

Already dangerous.

So, if our math is correct

And our fireworks
do what they're supposed to,

We should get a man landing
in the lake any time now.

Ooh. Nice.

He's got to not explode
on the launch pad,

Have a stable flight,

And, according to the myth,
fly at least 150 feet.

I hope he does it.

Now to check
on correct starting weight.

All right.
How much does he weigh?

Okay.



Well, the sled weighs 60,
so that makes him 243.

That's perfect. That's exactly
around what we need.

All right.

Load him up.
Let's do this.

Kari and Grant
fit skateboards to rails

For a hopefully
friction-free ride,

While Tory sets the charge

To ignite every last one
of those 400 rockets.

Fingers crossed,
they will launch together.

Now, I know this might not seem
like a lot of black powder,

But I'm actually using 6 ounces.

I mean, that would be plenty
to fire off a cannonball.

So the fuses are fixed,

And the very last bits
of the puzzle

Slide neatly enough into place.

You're like a surgeon
with that thing.

Do you guys realize
this is a dream come true?

I think for all of us.

It's a thing of beauty.

But let's remember
that fireworks man

Still has a hell of a lot
to live up to.

For this myth to be possible,
we need two things to happen.

One, we need Buster to launch
off that ramp and hit the water.

And two, we need him to not be

A burning mass
of melting Buster.

You can bet your bionic britches

That Buster's in full agreement.

We're all wired up,
ready to go.

This is fireworks man
in 3, 2, 1.

We got a launch.
It's still going. Look.

From the shore,

It's a dazzling display
of smoke and sparkles,

But just put yourself
in Buster's shoes.

It was looking so good.

We got a perfect launch.

He was going up the ramp,
he gets to the top of the ramp,

And that's where everything
goes all wrong.

In fact,
it's the good, the bad,

The ugly, and the awesome

All in one amazing launch.

As Buster gets dragged
from the drink...

Hi.

...It's time to reflect
on what worked and what didn't.

So, we got
simultaneous ignition,

We used actual fireworks,

He made it off the ramp
and into the water.

Yeah, and on top of that, he
didn't catch on fire or explode,

Which means he would have
survived the launch.

Well, he might have
survived the launch,

But I'm not so sure
about the landing.

And we didn't fulfill all
the criteria of the myth.

I mean, he did not go
the 150 feet we talked about.

It's one
of the toughest decisions

They've ever been faced with.

On the one hand,

It was really only those loose
legs tipping the sled backwards

That spoiled the party.

On the other hand,
Buster only flew 30 feet,

And there's no doubt
that the yahoo in the myth

Went to way less trouble than
we did with far fewer resources.

So, with regret, that's where
we're drawing the line.

So, I think we're still gonna
have to call this one busted.

All right. Busted.

Busted.

But, man, what a way
to bust a myth.

Right.

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