Narrator: on this stampeding
episode of "mythbusters,"
We go head-to-head
with the forces of nature,
And live to regret it.
Adam and jamie
sh**t a time-honored saying
Full of holes...
[ As fish ] gonna sh**t me
in a barrel?
They reanimate the dead...
It's alive!
...then go way over the top
To see if it really is easy
to sh**t fish in a barrel.
And kari, grant, and tory
risk life and lips
In a stomach-turning search
for the best hot-chili cure.
My mouth's on fire!
Then the boys go wild
To see if a mouse
can really panic a pachyderm.
If you expose the mouse,
all hell breaks loose.
Narrator:
who are the mythbusters?
Adam savage...
That was awesome!
...and jamie hyneman.
Between them, more than 30 years
of special-effects experience.
Rise, my son.
Joining them -- grant imahara...
Warning! Warning!
...tory belleci...
It's getting dangerous now,
and that's how we like it.
Narrator:
...and kari byron.
That is messed up!
Narrator: they don't
just tell the myths.
I can feel
the pressure.
They put them to the test.
So, what do we got
this time?
We have a proverb,
an adage, a saying.
Okay, what style or genre
of adage do we have?
I'll give you a hint.
It refers to something
that's really easy.
"Easy as pie."
No. Keep going.
Oh, "stealing candy
from a baby."
Never tried it,
but that's not it.
Oh, "sh**ting fish
in a barrel."
That's it.
Awesome!
Then maybe later we can fit in
stealing candy from a baby.
If you want.
Jamie and adam
won't be the first
To destroy an innocent barrel.
But they might be the first
to seriously test
If sh**ting fish inside a barrel
is as easy as it sounds.
Well, so the plan seems
strangely easy on this one.
But we can't use
real, live fish.
We'll run into trouble
from everybody on that front.
Yeah, well, okay.
Why don't we go
to the fish market
And get something
that's already on ice.
And then I'll bring it
back to life my way.
Okay, that's a good,
if creepy, plan.
Over at the seafood store,
Adam soon finds
he's way out of his depth.
He's more
a fish-finger fancier.
Oh, look, look, look,
they've got a slot here
So you can wear them
like a mitten.
That's great.
You can keep your hands warm.
First, adam and jamie
have to agree on a species
They think typifies
your average fish.
He's beautiful.
Look at that.
[ As fish ]
how you doing, jamie?
You gonna sh**t me
in a barrel?
You know, I've actually animated
these things to do exactly that.
Really?
Yeah.
It was a trout, though,
a big one.
The trout's out for this myth,
but it should be just as easy
To stuff a tiny motor
inside a dead snapper
So it shimmies
just like a live one.
That's the plan, anyway.
We've got some small fish,
We got some
medium-sized fish,
And we got some nice,
large fish.
This ought to allow us
to get a really good view
About how easy it is
to sh**t fish in a barrel.
Time to accost another bemused
merchant for essential hardware.
Mike zitzlaff is a wine maker
who really knows his barrels.
You've got old-world cooperages,
The companies
that make these barrels.
They've been used
for hundreds of years.
So, this will be perfect
for your job, yeah.
Do you ever store any fish
in any of these barrels?
We try not to. It's really
detrimental to the wine.
So, to answer,
no, no, we don't.
Narrator:
but they can't roll home without
just a sip of the good stuff.
I'm sensing mackerel,
a little cod,
Maybe some --
yeah, dead catfish.
And mike's sensing that adam
shouldn't give up his day job,
Whatever that is.
Bye!
Narrator:
back at m5, jamie fine-tunes
a tiny electric motor
That should reanimate
his catch of the day.
I've got an off-center crank
right there.
I've got a piece of piano wire
going through it,
And then a piece of brass tubing
That's silver-soldered
onto an eye.
Narrator: this evil genius
has just made a frankenfish.
It's no stretch for jamie
To replace entrails
with electronics.
Jamie:
I'm just gonna kind of gut it
And put motors
where its guts were,
And we'll see whether it works.
Narrator: there's a good chance
That the batteries
aren't strong enough
To make this fish flap
underwater.
But adam shows he's a barrel
half-full kind if guy.
Oh, look!
He looks great!
He looks like
he swam right away.
He needs more flotation.
He looks terrific, though.
Yeah, the machine's
actually working.
[ Laughs ]
A fish's flotation bladder
stops working when it's dead.
So jamie adds an extra tube
of buoyant plastic.
We are almost ready to go.
We've got our blast chamber
Set up around
a full barrel of water.
And in a very little while,
I'm gonna lower jamie's
frankenfish into that water.
He's gonna climb a ladder
with a 9-millimeter p*stol
And take a shot at that fish.
For the first time ever, we're
sh**ting fish in a barrel on tv.
Narrator: jamie hyneman,
our own specialist sharpsh**ter,
Unholsters his trusty 9 mil.
He aims true
and pulls the trigger.
[ g*nsh*t ]
He's blown the bung.
But, more improbably,
he's missed the target.
This ex-fish hasn't suffered
a postmortem scratch.
Do you see any b*llet holes?
I don't see any at all.
No.
And it was still flipping.
It was still flapping,
So, yeah, you obviously
didn't hit it in the torso.
Obviously.
And let's pause to consider
That a fish is pretty much
all torso.
Well, frankenfish here
worked like a charm.
He's still going strong,
but I missed him.
[ g*nsh*t ]
This could be because
it was murky water,
There wasn't much light, there
was a lot of fish debris in it.
Narrator: the fact remains that,
at point-blank range,
This fish dodged a b*llet.
It's meant to be the easiest
thing in the world,
But jamie floundered.
Still, adam's prepared
to do whatever it takes
To make life easier
for the maestro.
A coat of white paint
and two windows in a new barrel
Should clear things up
for jamie and the camera.
Adam: well, we need to know
what's going on inside of this.
And so to aid us,
both with camera and our eyes,
I've cut a couple of windows.
This is the bottom.
My head is sticking
out of the bottom of the barrel,
And we're also gonna be able to
look through the sides here.
Narrator:
it all seems so simple,
But sh**ting fish in a barrel
is no slam dunk.
Adam: also, if you remember,
Even the 9 millimeter
that jamie fired in here
Was enough to make the bunghole
release and start to spew water.
I think we all remember
what happened last time
We fired a g*n into a water tank
in jamie's shop.
Narrator: ah, the memories
come flooding back.
Yank all those cords out.
Just yank them out.
All they proved here
Was that it's best to do
this kind of test
At someone else's place.
So rather than spill
a bunch more water in here,
I think we take this
experimental platform
Out on the road and go somewhere
we can spill water.
Narrator:
and hopefully hit the target.
Spin around.
Okay, go!
Wait!
What?
A little bit more like that.
Like that. Okay.
What are you guys doing?
You like spicy food?
No, I hate spicy food.
And what does that have to do
with a piñata?
Chilies!
The fans want us to test
hot-chili cures
For a spicy mouth.
We've all done it.
We've all regretted it.
And, eventually,
we'll do it again.
[ Whistle blows ]
So, what is the very best remedy
For a deadly dose
of hot chilies?
Tory and grant
put their tongues on the line
So you never have to.
So, we have our chilies.
We have a whole range of
mythical cures from the fansite.
I say we eat the chilies,
See which of the cures
work the best.
And when I say "we,"
I mean you guys
Because i need to administer
the test scientifically.
But doesn't everybody know
that milk is the best cure
For hot-chili mouth?
Which we will test,
but there are a lot of cures
That are not quite
as predictable as milk.
Like what?
Oh, well, water, beer,
Toothpaste, wasabi,
petroleum jelly...
Petroleum jelly?
Who eats petroleum jelly?
Narrator: to win the w*r,
it helps to know your enemy.
Dave dewitt's written
over 30 books on fiery foods,
And he understands your pain.
This is
a chemical reaction.
Just like you have taste buds
in your mouth,
You also have
capsaicin receptors --
Capsaicin being the ingredient
that makes chili peppers hot.
Capsaicin molecules
from the chili
Bond with receptors
inside the mouth.
These same receptors
also register pain from heat.
That's why it feels like
your tongue's on fire.
We're planning
on testing this ourselves.
This is something
that's been on my mind.
Can you die from eating a chili
that's too hot?
You could die.
It would probably be
of suffocation.
Why suffocation?
Just your lungs
would completely shut down
If you consumed
too much of it.
Having picked
his peck of peppers,
Grant delivers a bagful
to the mythbusters kitchen.
It's up to kari
to choose his poison.
Habaneros are way too hot,
and I have a feeling
Grant's gonna be a little
sensitive to this as it is.
So I'm starting
at a middle ground,
Which is just the basic,
plain old jalapeño.
I'm gonna chop off the stems,
And I'm gonna put
the whole jalapeño in there --
Seeds, skin, everything.
Narrator: kari picks
the mildest chili she has.
We're all concerned
for lab rat number 1,
And that would be grant.
Kari:
grant doesn't like spicy food.
Grant doesn't eat spicy food.
Narrator: so he's bound
to suffer way worse than this.
[ Coughs ]
Wish we'd figured
those chili cures out now.
That's actually a little hotter
than I expected it to be.
Narrator:
oblivious to all warnings,
grant and tory set the scene...
Is this to try to make us ignore
the pain of the peppers?
Grant: it's a party!
...then get dressed for success.
[ Western-theme music plays ]
Man: hey!
[ Boing! ]
Aah!
Narrator: sombreros,
boots, and bandoliers --
A desperately clichéd
battle looms
Between the tragically uncool...
The undeniably hot...
And these two idiots.
[ Spittoon dings ]
[ g*nsh*t ]
[ Rattles ]
Go ahead. Make my chili.
Narrator: if there's anything
more useful, more fun,
Or downright fascinating
than a barrel,
Well, I haven't seen it.
Adam and jamie are hell-bent
on testing a myth
That's never been challenged.
Apparently,
there's nothing easier
Than sh**ting fish in a barrel.
So, we went so far
as to call the writer
Of the american heritage
dictionary of idioms,
And we could still not come up
with an answer
About the origin
of the phrase
"sh**ting fish
in a barrel."
Well, up to about
It was the most common way
of storing fish.
They were salted
and packed in a barrel.
Right, but there is no
information that we have
That leads us
to understand
Whether it means
sh**ting a fish
Packed to the brim
in a barrel
Or a barrel full of water
and some live fish.
The answer's
just not out there.
Well, however you look at it,
it's kind of stupid,
But that's never
stopped us before, has it?
No, it hasn't.
Sadly, that's true.
Crack-shot jamie hyneman,
Who once destroyed
a 1-inch sn*per-scope
From 100 yards away,
Recently missed
a big, fat, dead fish
From a distance of 3 feet.
Do you see
any b*llet holes?
I don't see any at all.
Bent on a better result
and less mess,
The boys relocate
to an outdoor sh**ting range.
Adam rolls out the barrel
And jamie puts the spark
back in his snapper.
He's alive!
Hold on, hold on,
hold on, hold on.
I'm sorry, but if you're
gonna go, "it's alive,"
It has to be
more like this --
It's alive!!
Like that.
Can you do that?
Really, come on. Try it.
No.
With me. Ready?
I did my thing.
[ Inhales sharply ]
Come on!
You know I'm not gonna.
Yeah, I know. All right.
Adam's got the attitude,
but jamie's got a g*n.
Frankenfish is duly dangled
in the renovated barrel.
But will a new window
and fresh white paint
Give jamie the edge
on a dead fish?
[ Laughing ] jamie,
that is so messed up.
Jamie knows his lines,
but what's his motivation?
It's christmastime,
And you're off to the shops
to buy a present for your wife,
But this little fish,
your former business manager,
Has skipped town with your
life savings and your secretary.
Go for it.
This is 9 millimeter into
frankenfish in 3...2...1.
[ g*nsh*t ]
I think
he's still squirming.
This time, jamie's scored a hit
right below the eye.
And that's got adam
all fired up.
Adam:
well, jamie was successful
In hitting frankenfish
with a b*llet
But not where he was aiming,
And this guy
was still squirming around
When we pulled him
out of the water.
So I think it's only right
that I get a chance
To see if I can put him
out of his mechanical misery.
[ Baby voice ]
yes, I can.
Narrator: so, adam mounts
the ladder of death.
He takes aim...
[ g*nsh*t ]
...and hits the fish.
I k*lled it!
Whether it's the sunshine
or the bright new barrel,
This is starting
to look a lot easier
Than it did back in the shop.
Jamie:
we had a couple of goes.
We hit the fish both times,
So if the fish is big enough,
it is pretty easy.
Narrator: but what if the fish
are much, much smaller?
The myth
doesn't specify the mass,
So adam prepares
some bait-sized plastic lures.
It's the dead fish
christmas tree.
And it's fair to assume
some, uh, latitude
With the weapon of choice.
I think it's time to sh**t
a bunch of small fish
With a bigger g*n.
We got nine pellets
of double-aught buck.
And if I'm really good,
I'll get nine fish.
Narrator: six of adam's
custom christmas fish racks
Are hung from the rim
of the barrel.
It's up to jamie
to assassinate the bait.
[ g*nsh*t ]
[ Laughs ]
I didn't get wet at all.
How are you doing?
Narrator:
that's great, adam.
Much better you stay dry than
all this expensive equipment.
So damage assessment proceeds
the old-fashioned way.
The truth of the phrase
now hangs in the balance.
But, incredibly, the buckshot
seems to have missed everything.
I don't see any hits
on any of these fish.
No hits here.
Okay.
Then, finally,
a ray of destructive hope.
Oh, okay, here's a big hit.
That's good.
Ah, that's a hit.
Right through the eye.
That was the one
I was sh**ting for.
You knocked his eye
clean off his head.
Okay, well,
You were aiming for fish --
plural -- in a barrel.
And although your percentage
is relatively small,
I'd say you hit fish --
plural -- in a barrel.
[ g*nsh*t ]
But jamie's hit just three
from 30 of these tiny targets.
Does a measly 10% hit rate
Confirm or refute
the fabled simplicity
Of "sh**ting fish in a barrel"?
That's not
all that impressive,
But I've got to say
that the rest of those fish
I don't think
would be too happy.
They might all be dead from
a shock wave, for all we know.
Ah, that's right.
Back at the cantina,
Tory and grant prepare to suck
it up in the name of science.
Once again, I find another way
To humiliate myself
on "mythbusters."
Narrator: kari's blended
a not-so-secret sauce
Of pure jalapeños.
Potential hot chili cures
suggested by fans
Range from beer...
To toothpaste...
To petroleum jelly.
Petroleum jelly in your mouth?
Are you kidding me?
I'm not doing that.
Narrator: but that's the least
of grant's concerns.
Grant: this is
an interesting situation for me
Because it will be the spiciest
thing I've ever eaten
And the most of any spice ever.
So...
I hope my head
doesn't explode.
He might just be like [scoffs]
"this is nothing."
Or he may fall on the floor
into the fetal position
And cry like a little baby.
Narrator: chili experts swear
that rich dairy products
Offer the best pain relief.
The theory is
that the fat in dairy
Helps neutralize the pain
caused by the oily capsaicin.
Anything too watery, it's
believed, just won't do the job.
So milk is set to be
our control cure.
All right.
How are we
gonna do this?
Kari: we're gonna start off
with whole-fat milk.
This is our tried-and-true,
Ready-to-sooth-your-mouth
control.
We know it works.
You're going to put half a
teaspoon of this jalapeño puree
In your mouth.
Swirl it around
for 10 seconds.
Now, after that,
you're gonna spit it out.
Spit.
Then you're gonna
wait 30 seconds...
Ah!
...and go for the cure.
Milk.
We need a rating system
between 1 and 10
On how well this cure works.
This as our control will be 5,
So it will be less or more
than the milk.
Narrator: so whatever relief
the boys feel from milk,
They'll rate a 5
on a scale of 1 to 10.
If any subsequent cure
is better than milk,
They'll rate it 6 or over.
I don't even need milk.
It's really not that hot.
But there's a problem.
It's not so much grant squealing
like new tires in a car park.
It's that tory
hasn't raised a sweat.
And you can't soothe
what doesn't hurt to begin with.
I don't know why the jalapeños
aren't affecting me that much.
I do eat a lot of spicy food.
Narrator: and grant,
as we all recall, does not.
Grant: as far as the milk goes,
I'm happy with that as a cure.
But I really can't imagine
more pain in my mouth than that.
Let's just say I don't really
have to experience that
Ever again in my life.
Narrator: actually, he does --
over and over again.
But grant won't have to eat
kari's deadly new paste
Of much hotter habanero peppers,
Made real special
just for tory.
Oh, my god. It seriously is like
napalm. Look at this stuff.
Narrator:
to put that into perspective,
the bell pepper scores zero
On the standard
scoville heat scale.
Jalapeños range from
Habaneros
from 80,000 to 300,000.
And the bhut jolokia --
the world's hottest pepper --
Rings the bell at one million.
Tory should now feel the burn
just as badly as grant.
And once that burn kicks in,
The first thing most of us
reach for is plain old water.
I think the theory
behind the water is very simple.
You have a fire,
you throw water on it.
Narrator: so the boys suck
then spit
Their respective pepper poisons.
Aah!
[ Coughs ]
Kari: you've got
Before you can drink
the water.
Narrator: with each passing
second, the pain increases --
This time for both of them.
But will water
be a better cure than milk?
Cure it.
I'd have to say
that's about a 3,
'Cause once the water
goes away, it stops working.
Even after it's gone...
Let's give it a 3 1/2.
Narrator: so, water
doesn't cut the mustard.
But thanks to a rash
Of seriously strange
fansite cures,
There's worse --
much worse -- to come.
[ Squealing ]
Aside from apple pies
and baseball,
There's nothing more wholesome,
more american,
Than goin' fishin'.
So far, adam and jamie
have done their best
To show how easy it is
to sh**t the suckers in barrels
With some success.
I k*lled it!
They've shot big and little fish
with pistols and shotguns.
But jamie's had
a brain expl*si*n.
We've all seen
dynamite fishing,
And he thinks the shock waves
from b*ll*ts in barrels
Could be just as lethal.
You know, I think your intuition
out there is correct.
It might not be the b*ll*ts
that's gonna k*ll these fish
But the pressure wave.
Well, maybe we should
get some sensors
And put them in the barrel
and verify that.
Great, okay, and I'm gonna go
talk to a local ichthyologist
About how pressure waves
affect fish.
It's a plan.
I'll meet you back here.
Okay.
A sudden expl*si*n in water
Causes a rapid rise then fall
of pressure.
It's thought that either wave
Is enough to turn
unsuspecting flounder
Into instant fish sticks.
[ Laughs evilly ]
Narrator:
so adam turns to an expert --
Bart shepherd
of steinhart aquarium --
For confirmation.
Adam:
I guess the question is,
How reactive would fish,
in general, be
To something like a shock wave
caused by a b*llet?
Oh, very, very sensitive.
Fish have a highly developed
lateral-line system
That's sensitive to those
kinds of changes in pressure
That they use
for orientation
And communication
amongst themselves.
Do you think
if we fire a b*llet
Or even a shotgun slug
into a barrel
That we would end up k*lling
all the fish
Within that barrel?
I'd expect to see trauma
on the gills.
They're very sensitive.
They will collapse
on each other.
Probably all the blood vessels
in there would be ruptured.
I would expect to see
some trauma in the eyes.
Certainly those areas.
And would that k*ll a fish?
It would certainly
compromise it,
Depending on the force
that you were exerting.
I think
you could k*ll it, yes.
Narrator:
so bart confirms the theory
That you don't have to
hit the fish to k*ll them.
And that could make things
a darned sight easier.
Adam and jamie crunch
the numbers from tests on humans
Working long periods underwater
and under pressure.
And what we concluded
Is that any fish
will receive mortal injuries
If it receives more than
The equivalent of that in pounds
per square inch of pressure
Is 8.15.
That's our magic b*llet number.
Narrator:
this fancy pressure sensor
should prove once and for all
If shock waves from a g*nsh*t
are fatal to fish.
That magic number for those
playing at home is 8.15.
In 3...2...1.
[ g*nsh*t ]
Adam: the reading
doesn't look right.
That doesn't
sound right to me.
Doesn't sound right to anyone.
Fact is, this clever instrument
isn't fast enough
To read the high-speed impact
of a b*llet.
It's time for a patented
mythbuster plan "b."
What if we use
the shockwatches,
Those stick-on,
throwaway shock sensors?
It's so funny.
Those always turn out to be
the most reliable way
Of measuring trauma.
Absolutely.
Let's try it.
Let's get them in the barrel
and take another shot.
Okay.
These stick-on patches
are mostly used
To tell if a package is dropped
or bashed in the mail.
They don't measure pressure
in pounds per square inch
But in g-force.
Jamie: we have them
in 50, 75, and 100 gs,
Which basically means injured,
mortally wounded, lethal,
That kind of thing.
If we have the 50 "g"
go off even in this test,
I believe
it's a safe indication
That a fish
would have been damaged.
Narrator: so, three differently
rated shockwatches
Are stuck fast
on a metal sheet,
Then dunked in the barrel.
If the blast trips
even the most sensitive patch,
Jamie figures that any fish
would be dead in the water.
All right,
shockwatch test 9 millimeter
In 3...2...1.
[ g*nsh*t ]
Uh-oh.
Narrator: the barrel bung is an
instant casualty, but so what?
The boys
have bigger fish to fry.
It tripped both the...
Wait, it looks like
it tripped all three.
Jamie: it did.
Yeah.
I can see
the red spill here.
It got
the lower two quicker,
But it did trip
the green one, too.
These tiny red spots
show that all three patches
Burst like bubble wrap
in a bear hug.
It means you don't even have to
aim at the stupid fish.
You can just open fire, and they
all float to the top, right?
It's not very sporting,
though, is it?
No.
That's a definitive
"myth confirmed."
Even when jamie
hit just three from 30,
The other 27 were headed
for plastic-fish heaven.
But surely
they can't leave it here.
Well, I got to say,
it didn't happen
The way I thought
it was going to happen,
But this expression
is looking pretty confirmed.
You don't think we're gonna
leave it there, do you?
You're gonna take
sh**ting fish in a barrel
To some kind of extreme?
What do you think?
He thinks
what we all think --
Jamie's planned
a fireworks finish.
With no regard
for cost or consequence,
Jamie's putting this myth to bed
stallone style.
Adam: wow!
Narrator: tory and grant
Are putting their tongues
and lips on the line
To test the best-ever balm
for hot-chili mouth burn.
Aah!
[ Coughs ]
So far, they've testified that
full-fat milk beats tap water.
They're waiting
a full day between each test
So their mouths
get a chance to recover.
Now, for two cures we all
so desperately want to work --
Beer and spirits.
The idea here is that
the alcohol in the beer
Will dissolve the capsaicin
better than just plain water.
Narrator: there's not a whole
lot of science to support that.
And let's not forget
that beer is mostly water.
This is a very common cure
'cause you're in a restaurant.
The first thing you reach for
when your mouth's on fire
Could be a beer.
Narrator:
as always, the boys hold
their chili for 10 seconds...
[ Spits ]
...wait an agonizing
half-minute...
It's pretty hot.
...then reach for relief...
Can I get another one?
[ Belches ]
Kari: what was
the rating on beer?
What did I rate water?
Three.
I think I'd rate it
about the same.
Is it as good as milk?
I would give it --
I'm gonna give it a 4.
[ Belches ]
Narrator: spirits are around
eight times stronger than beer.
So if the theory holds true,
Tequila should be
eight times more effective.
But tory has his doubts.
Tequila burns your mouth,
So it could actually make the
whole burning sensation worse.
It could intensify it.
Narrator: he's about to learn
to trust his instincts.
[ Squealing ]
What's your rating?
H-hotter.
It intensifies it!
Where you at?
Aah!
Negative 20!
Narrator: but both of them
swished before they swallowed.
Once the numbness kicks in,
they revise the ratings.
Tory gives tequila a 4
and grant a 3.
I think tequila is a cure
for hot, spicy mouth
The way it's a cure for ugly.
It just numbs it a little bit.
Look at them.
They look like
they're all right?
Narrator: and that's the last
of what we like to call
"The conventional cures."
One recovery day later, and kari
has the first questionable cure.
Well, the idea is
that the gel toothpaste
Has a higher sugar content.
You put it
at the apex of your tongue,
And it should cool
your whole mouth.
Narrator:
tory and grant pray that
toothpaste won't be t*rture,
But it's not looking likely.
My mouth's on fire!
That's like
when you have a cut
And you pour tabasco sauce
on it.
You do that?
No, I'm just saying.
Have you ever done that?
No.
Okay, maybe it's just me.
Yeah, that did the exact
opposite of relieving the pain.
This did not work at all.
Toothpaste...
Toothpaste
stays in the bathroom,
Not on the dinner table.
Narrator: something else
you rarely reach for at dinner
Is petroleum jelly.
Nobody has explained exactly
why this is supposed to help,
But it'll be a miracle
if it does.
My prediction is that we are
going to get dry heaves.
I think somebody
is gonna get close to vomiting.
Narrator:
now there's a pep talk for you.
Kari's saved
two of the most disgusting,
Most insane remedies
till the very end.
Pop quiz.
What do you think musophobia
is a fear of?
And I'll give you a hint.
It's one of the most common
phobias out there.
Fear of mooses?
No. It's, in fact,
a fear of mice.
And that's
what our next myth is about.
Okay, let's hear it.
The myth is that not only
are humans afraid of mice,
But also our pachyderm friends,
the elephants,
Are terrified of mice.
Like in the cartoons.
Exactly, except we're gonna
test it in reality.
It's a myth of david
versus goliath proportions.
A scream and a stampede later,
and, well, you know the rest.
I'm guessing the plan here
is pretty simple,
But why don't you spell it out
for me?
Well, we get some elephants
and some mice
And see what happens.
Right. Well, the circus
is coming to town.
I don't want to use a circus
elephant. They're trained.
I think we need a real elephant,
something out of the wild.
We need to go somewhere where
elephants wander in the wild.
Africa!
Let's go to africa!
Last time they were here,
they put their lives...
And their lunches on the line
When they put great-white-shark
myths to the test
In south africa.
Oh, wow!
But for this myth,
They're looking for something
a little less lethal.
We've come to
wilke's wildlife rescue,
Where not only do they have
a bunch of mice,
But judging by the "beware
of snake" sign on the door,
They also have a menagerie of
other kind of animals, too.
Hi, are you margo?
Yeah, hi there.
Adam. Nice to meet you.
Pleased to meet you.
Narrator: margo's menagerie
scares the innards out of adam,
But will a full-grown elephant
be just as frightened
By a harmless mouse?
Margo,
have you heard the myth
That elephants
are actually terrified of mice?
That one again. Yes.
So,
do you think it's true?
I doubt it. If you think about
the size thing --
Such a big elephant,
such a small mouse --
There's plenty of other things
for them to be afraid of.
Rhino occasionally
attack elephants.
Buffalo would attack.
Leopards and lions
take youngsters.
I doubt a mouse
would do the trick.
If you've got
some mice for us,
We'd love to use them
as test subjects.
Certainly.
Just over here.
Oh, in this bucket.
That's right.
Awesome.
It's hard to imagine
that something so small
Could be so terrifying
to one of the largest
mammals in the world.
But we'll find out.
The target species here
is the african elephant,
And they're not hard to find.
Woman:
welcome to aquila safaris.
Thank you. Now, we've brought
a bucket full of mice.
I understand you have
some elephants.
We do indeed, yes.
We've also got the lions,
the leopards -- the big five.
Behind me are our
test-subject elephants.
Now these guys
are semi-habituated,
Which is the only reason
I'm allowed to be this close.
If we were actually in the wild,
This would be
extremely dangerous.
Jamie:
I've seen elephants in zoos.
I've seen them
on the discovery channel.
But being up close to them
in their natural environment
Is something else.
They're wonderful creatures.
Narrator: back in the safety
of the truck,
The boys need to work out just
how to get their miniscule mice
Next to these massive mammals.
Adam: all right,
so the elephants are over there.
We've got their archnemesis
right here.
How we gonna get this mouse
to those elephants?
Slingshot!
[ Laughs ]
Okay, seriously,
we need to improvise
Some kind of
mouse-delivery system,
Something that won't
freak out the elephants.
Well, where there are elephants,
there's elephant dung.
So maybe we get a ball of dung
and we'll dig a hole
And put the mouse in.
Then we'll just
yank it over.
That's great. That's
a total macgyver solution.
That's exactly
what we should do.
Let's go find
some elephant dung.
Okay.
Macgyver and elephant dung --
must have missed that episode.
You go that way,
I'll go this way.
Don't get eaten by a lion.
Okay.
By housing the mouse
in some elephant dung,
The mythbusters
are trying to make sure
That the rabid rodent
is the only variable
That could scare the elephant.
And finding some dung
shouldn't be a problem.
We've come all the way
to africa,
And we've got a real treat.
Over my shoulder
is a wild hyneman
In his natural environment,
And he seems, if I'm correct,
to be dung hunting.
Now, it's important
we stay very quiet.
They are deadly if provoked.
Let's see what he does.
He's gone into hiding.
Hey, adam, got some.
Narrator: so, that's the dung,
Which leaves adam to work on
the mouse delivery system,
A job that's hardly taxing.
Adam: in the course
of doing "mythbusters,"
We've done
some pretty elaborate builds.
We escaped from alcatraz
in a boat made out of raincoats.
We replicated a confederate
rocket with plumbing parts.
And we used 309 hand mirrors to
replicate archimedes' death ray.
[ Laughs ]
This is not one of those builds.
Allow me to demonstrate.
Take your piece
of elephant dung,
And you take your mouse.
This is a stand-in mouse.
The real one will be later.
Put him in the hole. I'll cover
him with the cardboard.
Lay it out when you think
elephants are gonna come on by,
And wait in the distance
with your monofilament.
When the elephant gets near --
boop -- you expose the mouse,
And all hell breaks loose.
Narrator: that's the theory
with the poo puppet.
But before it's unleashed,
the boys get all colonial
As they delve deeper
into this rodent ramble.
You know, adam,
this seems like
It first started in
the early days of tv cartoons,
'Cause that's what I think about
when I think about this myth.
Well, you might think that,
but, in fact, you'd be wrong.
The attribution we have
for this myth dates to 77 a.d.,
When pliny the elder wrote,
and I quote [clears throat]
"The elephant hates the mouse
above all other creatures,
And if he even sees one
touch the fodder in his stall,
He will reject it
with disgust."
You know, elephants were really
popular in roman circuses,
And pliny the elder had a lot
of opportunity to study them.
Well, it sounds like
we should put pliny to the test.
Pliny the elder.
With pliny the elder's
reputation on the line,
It's all systems go.
Jamie: we've chosen this area
because it's open enough
That we can see what's going on.
We know there's some food
over in that direction,
And we're hoping that the
elephants will come through here
On their way to the food,
And at the right moment we'll
roll over the ball of dung,
Release the mouse,
and see what happens.
Hey, adam,
are you done yet?
I'm all set.
Ready to go.
Narrator: well,
with everything ready to go,
All that's left
Is to get some fairly
predictable predictions.
Jamie: for me,
I see this the same way
I would see a person looking
at a fly on the ground.
It's gonna be so small
that you may not even notice it.
I don't see any reason
Why an elephant
would be afraid of a mouse.
Adam: honestly, I don't think
much is going to happen.
I don't have high hopes
for this myth.
Narrator:
with the sensible money
on the no-reaction theory,
It's go time.
The elephants innocently
approach the dung of doom,
In what must be the most
easy-to-anticipate outcome
In mythbusters history.
But then, as crazy as it seems,
the elephant backs away.
The mythbusters, like me,
are flabbergasted.
What just happened is a classic
mythbuster scenario.
We were all like,
"yeah, right.
This little guy is gonna
scare those big guys,"
And...it did!
I mean, our jaws just dropped
because it was clear as day.
The mouse came out,
The elephant stopped
in its tracks like, "whoa!"
And then it gently tiptoed away
as if this thing was deadly.
We all thought
this was never gonna happen,
And yet there it was.
Narrator:
there it was, clear as day.
But with a result
as unbelievable as that,
We can't call it yet.
So far, tory and grant
have suffered and sweated
Through a bunch of so-called
cures for hot chili mouth.
Yeah, that did the exact
opposite of relieving the pain.
None of them worked
as well as milk.
And the final two risky remedies
Sound more like t*rture
than relief.
The first is petroleum jelly.
Wait a minute.
There's a hair in mine.
The jelly is oil-based,
so it should work.
But the boys can't get past
that extra texture.
That doesn't work at all.
That's just nasty.
Tory rates it a 2,
and grant gives it a 1 --
Four points worse than milk.
That test was disgusting.
That lived up to all my
expectations, which were none.
Narrator:
and there's no relief in sight,
Unless wasabi proves you really
can fight fire with fire.
My prediction for this cure --
pain, and lots of it.
Narrator:
kari's doing this last sadistic
test one victim at a time,
And tory's the first
to watch and worry.
[ Gags ]
How does your mouth feel?
I forgot about the chili!
How do you rate wasabi?
It's got to be --
it's like minus 10, minus 100!
Narrator:
strong, hysterical words
From a man who's clearly
reached his limits.
Now it's tory's turn
to test his.
It's kind of nice.
It's kind of like
a mexican/japanese fusion.
Unbelievable.
Tory not only rates wasabi a 3
for pain relief,
He actually enjoyed it.
So wasabi --
a surprise hit over here,
Total misery over here.
I cannot believe that.
I know. It's weird.
Narrator: it is weird.
There's no accounting
for taste or tolerance.
But there's one thing
both boys agree on --
Nothing beats full-fat milk
as a hot-chili cure.
In the bumpy road
that is "mythbusters,"
The team has had some
pretty unexpected results.
An exploding tire can k*ll...
Pulled his spine
out of his head.
...and a bull
let loose in a china shop
Does not go on the rampage.
Tory: that was nothing
like I imagined it would be.
But adam and jamie have just had
the most unexpected result
In "mythbusters" history.
It looks like it's true that
elephants are scared of mice.
Adam:
that was amazing! The elephant
totally avoided the mouse!
He looked down,
saw it, backed up,
Made a wide berth
around this little guy.
Narrator:
the boys are so perplexed
That a little more testing
is needed.
That result
was pretty shocking.
Yeah, it blew me away.
I mean, maybe it was
the movement of the turd itself
And it wasn't the mouse.
Why don't we test it
without the mouse?
Okay.
That sounds good.
Let's put him in the bucket
and try it empty.
[ Laughs ]
Working under the assumption
That it must have been
the movement of the dung
That freaked the ele out,
the boys reset for take two --
Dung movement only.
But this time,
the elephant was undeterred.
This is getting ridiculous.
He didn't seem to respond
to the ball of dung at all,
And I think my timing
was exactly the same
As it was with the mouse
in there.
It works for me.
Elephants
are afraid of mice.
[ Both laugh ]
Adam: not only was I totally
wrong in the first test
About the elephant not reacting
at all to the mouse,
But after it happened,
I was sure that it was
the dung movement.
I was absolutely positive
it was the dung moving.
So, we do another test,
the dung moves,
And the elephant
doesn't even notice.
It has to have been the mouse.
Narrator: working on the basis
that science is repeatable,
The boys are going to
retry test one
To see if they still get
this incredible result.
All right,
let's see what happens.
Okay.
For the final time,
the elephants approach.
And lo and behold, in this
david and goliath battle,
David wins again.
He definitely seemed
to take notice of the mouse,
Like it was
a significantly different thing
Than just the dung.
Adam:
I wasn't dreading this result.
I'm always pleased
to be completely wrong.
I'm more astonished
That I'm finishing the day
calling something plausible
That i knew wasn't plausible
when I got up this morning.
Jamie:
when I first heard this myth,
I'd say I'd put it in the same
category as something like
When pigs fly.
But there it was. It happened.
He definitely didn't freak out,
but he was very cautious.
The mouse had his attention.
It's that little grain of truth
That we always look for
in a myth, and there it was.
Narrator:
there it was indeed.
So with the mouse safe and well,
despite adam's best efforts
And the elephants
ready to move on,
It's time to wrap this one up.
Jamie: how are we gonna
call this one?
[ Laughs ]
well, it wasn't a stampede.
It wasn't like the cartoons
Where the elephant freaked out
at the sight of the mouse,
But the idea that the elephant
was cautious around the mouse --
I'd say we have to
call that plausible.
I'd agree.
What do you think?
[ Elephant snorts ]
Hello.
So far, adam and jamie
have shown just how easy it is
To sh**t fish in a barrel.
Adam: wow!
It turns out they could have
proved this myth blindfolded.
The shock wave alone is enough
to turn any fish belly-up.
It means you don't even
have to aim at the stupid fish.
You can just open fire, and
they'll all float to the top.
Still, it's better to end
with a bang than a shudder,
So jamie decides
to push this myth to the max.
It's a finish so special,
so secretive,
That even adam's
been kept in the dark...
Are we there?
Where are we?
We're right here.
What's that?
Why don't you stay right here?
I'll be out in a second.
Narrator: jamie's called in
a very big favor --
One mad hour with
a kick-a*s m1-34 minigun.
No way!
And the a*mo's thrown in
for free.
[ Laughs ]
Thank god for that.
Wow!
This state-of-the-art
as*ault g*n
Shoots up to 3,000 rounds
a minute.
That's 50 b*ll*ts
every second.
Adam:
I'm no crime-scene investigator,
But I strongly suspect
that someone's been firing a g*n
In the vicinity of this car.
[ Laughs ]
Oh, my gosh!
Look at the back side.
[ Laughs ]
We did almost
cut it in half!
Look at that!
Narrator:
jamie's used an old steel barrel
To get his eye in.
It's like a lace curtain.
So, can we get to the fish?
Let's get a real barrel out here
and get a fish in it.
All right.
Come on. Faster. What, are you
getting paid by the hour?
Shut up!
I'll make you stand
on the barrel,
And I'll sh**t it
out from under you.
[ Chuckles ]
In high sprits,
adam prepares the venue,
And jamie supplies the victim --
A 3-foot sea bass,
straight from the seafood shop.
Adam:
we've got a brand-new barrel,
we've got a nice, big fish,
And the biggest g*n
we've ever had on this show.
Narrator: we need to stress
that no fish have been
Or will be injured
in filming this myth.
They're mostly blown to pieces.
Fish in a barrel.
In 3...
[ Laughter ]
What do you think?
I'd say keep going.
I think you go more.
Do we want more?
We want more!
Did I hear more?
How about everybody at home?
You want more?
Yeah, everyone at home
wants more.
All right, then.
More it is.
Firing.
Your traditional cooper
makes a very sturdy barrel,
But they were never meant
to cope with this.
[ Laughs ]
Safety is on.
Double safety.
Nice work!
Let's go inspect and see
if that fish has been hit.
[ Laughs ]
It's high time
our forensic investigators
Confirm the cause of death.
Oh, man.
That is nasty.
The head's left.
That's nasty stuff.
[ Laughs ]
Would you say
that was pretty easy?
Yeah.
That was almost as easy
as sh**ting fish in a barrel.
I think
our work here is done.
[ Laughter ]
Remember that this myth
is delightfully vague.
All they needed was some kind of
fish in some kind of barrel,
And they've blown it to bits.
Myth confirmed.
[ Laughing ] yeah.
I think, given the right g*n
and the right barrel,
sh**ting fish in a barrel
is super-easy.
Let's go home.
Are you guys doing okay? You're
still looking a little green.
[ Mumbles ]
What he's trying to say is,
Our taste buds
still haven't recovered.
Will you ever forgive the fans
For coming up with so many
different hot-chili cures?
I want to find the person
who suggested wasabi
And feed it to them.
It wasn't all bad, though.
How often do you get to
come in to work at 8:30 in
the morning and drink beer?
It definitely
wasn't all bad for me
Because I got to do
the torturing.
If you have any good ideas that
I can t*rture these guys with,
Log on to
discovery.com/mythbusters
And give us your ideas.
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
05x22 - sh**ting Fish in a Barrel
Watch/Buy Amazon
A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk urban legends by directly testing them.
A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk urban legends by directly testing them.