06x11 - NASA Moon Landing Hoax

[bunniefuu]

Please don't try anything you're
about to see us do at home.

Ever!

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

Oh, that's pretty!

NARRATOR:... Adam and Jamie
try a little tenderness.

[ French accent ]
Red meat and high expl*sives!

NARRATOR:
They're testing the myth

that blasting the heck
out of low-grade steak

with high expl*sives
makes it so much softer.

[ Normal voice ] That's awesome!
I love results!

NARRATOR: Then Kari gets
to t*rture Grant and Tory...

KARI: I knew that
we were gonna make him angry,

but I didn't realize
he'd be this angry.

NARRATOR:... to see
if stressed-out drivers

really do use more gas.

Where did those rats go?!

I didn't know --
l-l really --

NARRATOR:
Who are the mythbusters?

Adam Savage...

Hail, people of Earth.

NARRATOR:
...and Jamie Hyneman.

Mush.

NARRATOR: Between them,
more than 30 years

of special-effects experience.

These things
are always catching on fire.

NARRATOR:
Joining them -- Kari Byron...

I feel so sci-fi.

NARRATOR:
...Grant Imahara...

Warning, warning!

NARRATOR:
...and Tory Belleci.

All right, release the hound.

NARRATOR:
They don't just tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

Adam, I thought we talked

about doing that
while you're at work.

[ French accent ] Ha ha!
Oh, Jamie, mon frère,

you know, many fans have written
to us over the years and said,

"Mythbusters, is a hammer the
best way to tenderize my steak?"

Now thanks
to a viewer submission,

we may have a new technique,

for we might replace this...

avec this.

The question
we'll be answering is --

Can you tenderize a steak
with expl*sives?

[ Laughs evilly ]

Oh, it went out.

NARRATOR: Over the years,
we've used expl*sives...

...to answer all sorts
of vital questions.

Can they clear
a clogged-up cement truck?

Can they help cushion a fall?

And can they make
a surfable wave?

Now it's time to open the fridge
on combustible condiments.

So, Adam, if we were
using expl*sives on steaks,

wouldn't it just
blow up the steak?

I'm going to go without
the accent now, okay?

-lt's too hard.
-Okay.

[ Normal voice ] No, it won't.
The technique we'll be testing

involves putting the meat
into a vacuum-sealed bag,

putting that
into a barrel of water,

and then detonating
a small amount of expl*sives

in the water.

The theory is that the shock
wave created by the expl*sive

will actually tear apart

microtissue fibers
within the meat,

rendering it
a heck of a lot more tender.

NARRATOR:
A steak's tenderness

depends very much
on where it's cut from the cow.

Meat from the short ribs
is super soft.

Meat from the neck
and the rump -- not so squishy.

It's all due to the strength

of the connective tissue
between muscle fibers.

The weaker the tissue,
the softer the meat.

Two common ways
to break those bonds

are powdered-pineapple enzymes
and a sound thrashing.

But the fans want to see

this third method
thoroughly investigated.

If you're gonna tenderize meat
with expl*sives,

it's not like
you're just gonna throw

a stick of dynamite on the steak
and expect it to work.

You've got to put it in water

because the water
is actually gonna transmit

the pressure of the blast wave
a lot more effectively.

And you also don't want
to contaminate the meat.

You've got to seal it
in something.

So we're gonna
vacuum-bag this meat

in some really tough plastic.

NARRATOR:
These crash-test steaks

are all relatively
low-grade select cuts.

So there's plenty of room
for improvement.

They're sealed and delivered --

not to the kitchen,
but the b*mb range.

[ French accent ]
By popular demand,

today we are joining
two of my favorite things --

red meat and high expl*sives!

[ Laughs ]

JAMIE:
What we're creating here

is a shock wave that is
traveling at supersonic speeds,

and it is just ripping apart
all those little fibers

that make up the muscle of
the meat -- Hence, it's tender.

NARRATOR: As to how much
expl*sive they need --

well, they'll find that out
by trial and error.

Tenderizing steak
with expl*sives in 3...

2... 1...

ADAM: Whoa!

JAMIE:
[ Laughs ]

Jamie, I think
that was too much expl*sives.

NARRATOR:
Some chefs add too much salt.

Some go nuts with the garlic.

But Frank's added
way too much C-4.

What can you say?
This recipe is just plain wrong.

Everything else is gone,
but the steak is here...

Sort of.

NARRATOR: So, while Adam
and Jamie recalibrate,

let's jump-start
our second myth.

[ Growls ]

Aah!
Okay, I'm relaxed!

What does a shoulder massage
have to do with fuel efficiency?

Well, according to this myth,

the idea is that if you're
driving and you're relaxed

and you're happy,
you'll save a lot more fuel

than if you're angry
and stressed out.

So, if you want save fuel,
don't drive angry.

Precisely.

NARRATOR: It's a widely accepted
fact that bad driving habits

like stopping
and starting abruptly

result in less fuel efficiency.

But could the simple act
of driving stressed

turn an otherwise careful
motorist into a gas-guzzler?

You know, I really like
the sound of this myth.

We get to relax, kick back,
and then take a little drive.

You know, it's not gonna be
all easy, though.

It sounds like we're gonna
have to get stressed out, too.

In fact,
I think it's gonna be dangerous.

So we're not gonna do this
on the road.

We're gonna go
to an abandoned neighborhood,

and I'm gonna set up a course.

NARRATOR:
And this is the test track --

a once-thriving
California suburb

that someone pulled the plug on.

TORY:
This is Cypress Knolls.

It's an abandoned
military-housing neighborhood,

and the city of Marina
has agreed to let us use it.

And there are plenty
of neighborhood streets.

And we are gonna be
tearing around these streets

to see if you use more fuel
when you drive stressed.

NARRATOR: These streets haven't
seen traffic for 15 years.

So for the test car,
we've gone retro-rusty.

This is the car that
we're gonna use for our test.

Now, it's pretty old and it
doesn't get great gas mileage,

but that doesn't matter.

What we're trying to test here

is whether or not driving
stressed out or driving calm

has a difference on whether
or not you use more fuel.

NARRATOR: And to get
a precise reading on fuel usage,

they'll bypass the car's
gas tank for a gas bag.

GRANT:
What we're doing is measuring

the fuel before and after,
but not by volume,

but actually by weight
so that it's more precise.

NARRATOR:
Now for a few practice laps,

just to get a feel for the car
and the old neighborhood.

All right, who goes first?

-BOTH: Rochambeau.
-All right.

Dynamite.

[ Laughing ]
There's no dynamite!

You're pointing at me.
That means I go first.

NARRATOR: Kari's marked out
a four-mile course that,

like most racetracks,

finally brings you back
to where you started.

Grant's the first
to try a test lap.

GPS: Approaching playground
on right.

Playground on the right,
then turn left.

[ Engine turns over ]

NARRATOR: Then Tory
tries cruising the cul-de-sacs.

It's like
a modern-day ghost town.

Turn left on Lindsay Street,

then arrive
at smashed computers.

All right,
looking for smashed computers.

Does this GPS sound
condescending, or is it just me?

Am I the only one
that feels this way?

Turn right on 4th Avenue.

And I'm the sole survivor,

searching --
searching for a lone survivor.

Hopefully, it's a female
so I can start procreating.

NARRATOR:
That's enough of that,

though it might surprise Tory

to learn that
a rather more wholesome fantasy

awaits him
just around the corner.

NARRATOR:
Home, home on the b*mb range.

-ADAM: Whoa!
-NARRATOR: Adam and Jamie

are testing a viewer myth

that low-grade steaks can be
tenderized with high expl*sives.

So far, it's a total bust.

ADAM: Now we're gonna pull it
back in the other direction

and detonate what is essentially
an extra-large firecracker

full of aluminized black powder,

which is
a fairly low-speed expl*sive,

as opposed to what we just used.

It requires a fuse to light it.

Now, getting a fuse
to light into water

is not undoable,
but it's a little finicky.

NARRATOR:
Finicky for some, but for Jamie,

it's just like
sh**ting fish in a barrel.

That was a nice, little blast.

NARRATOR:
It sure was.

The bucket's destroyed.

But more importantly,
how's the steak?

Well, that went perfect --
The expl*si*n went off,

and we didn't ruin
our bag of meat.

Now, I can't tell
anything specific

just by touching this meat.

The proof in any improvement
in texture

is really gonna be
in the cooking.

MAN:
1, 2, 3.

NARRATOR: The bag's intact, so
the steak's still good to eat.

Even better,

they've tracked down someone
at the Department of Agriculture

who says he knows how
to blast a steak to perfection.

And they say that we've got to
put a steel plate

at the bottom of the barrel,

we have to suspend it
in the air,

and they gave us
a precise amount of expl*sive

we have to use.

So that's what we're gonna do.

[ French accent ]
In a few minutes,

we should have very tasty meat.

NARRATOR:
And just for the record,

this one goes back
to using high expl*sives.

So, we've done Baby Bear,
and we've done Papa Bear.

This is Goldilocks, right?

This is the recommended recipe

in 3.. .2... 1...

JAMIE:
Oh, look at that.

NARRATOR: Boom time
for fans of exploding meat.

And just like last time,
the steak is...

ADAM:
Not breached!

NARRATOR: And that means
it's time to get cooking.

As the sun goes down,
the barbie fires up.

So, let's meet the meat.

Now, the first one
is a low-grade steak.

It's not been altered
or tenderized in any way.

The second one is
that same low-grade steak,

but we tenderized it
with a low expl*sive.

The third one we've tenderized
with a high expl*sive.

And the fourth one
we've tenderized

with a pineapple-enzyme
commercial preparation.

Now, the last one is a prime
steak that's been aged 28 days.

We're gonna test all of these

and see which one
is the most tender.

NARRATOR: And so as not
to influence the results,

Adam adds a touch of color.

We have five different
cuts of meat to cook and test.

Each of those cuts of meat
has been assigned a color,

which matches to these pans

and our little
taste-test bowls here.

NARRATOR: To ensure there's
no bias from the barbie,

steak chef Joe Kohn cooks
all five cuts just the same.

And another celebrity chef

has been invited to dine
in the dirt.

ADAM:
We're bringing in Ron Siegel,

who's the chef
at the Ritz-Carlton,

and he is the only American
ever to win

Japanese "Iron Chef" program.

Ron, thanks for coming on
to help us out.

Thanks for coming out
to the b*mb range.

Thank you.

NARRATOR:
Let the chewing commence.

Steak's good.

Some of it is better
than others.

[ Burps ]

I'm done.

NARRATOR:
So, drumroll, please.

[ Drumroll ]

Three different tasters and
three totally different results.

For this myth to be true,
the order should be

red, yellow, blue, pink,
then green.

But no one agreed on anything,

and that's got Adam worried.

Even though we had
five different samples here,

the main thing we wanted to see
was that the green --

the high-expl*sive
tenderized meat --

would be rated higher
than the red, our control.

And even though I did that,

neither Ron nor Jamie
felt like that.

So, right now, it's not
looking that good for this myth.

Let's get back to the shop and
crunch the numbers. I'm cold.

All right.

Is there any more steak left?

[ Glugging ]

NARRATOR: Here's a few
simple rules for safe driving.

Don't do it drunk,
distracted, or stressed.

Aside from the danger,

driving under duress
might add to your fuel bill.

And that's today's
motoring myth.

Later on, we'll try to redline
Grant and Tory's stress levels.

Oh, you suck!

NARRATOR: But first, we need
a nice, calm comparison test.

And Kari knows just how to put
the boys into a mellow mood.

KARI: Grant, for you,
we have puppies.

Tory, for you, we have

the director's cut
of "Blade Runner"...

Yeah!

...and all your
favorite desserts.

I don't want to leave.

KARI: These are the fluffiest
puppies we could find.

They're 8 weeks old.

TORY: Gosh.

KARI: Okay, I think we've found
Grant's happy place.

[ Laughs ]

NARRATOR:
While Grant gets acquainted

with his extra-fluffy puppies,

Tory slips next door
for a pre-movie massage.

This is the best day
of "Mythbusters" ever.

Tory's the first cab
off this restricted rank

with precisely
2,500 grams of gasoline.

Now, for the first
of three nasty surprises,

as he learns
he's not alone out there.

Go, angry driver.

[ Horn honking ]

[ Laughing maniacally ]

KARI:
Good job, angry driver.

Awesome!

What was that guy's hurry?
Whew!

Cue slow driver.
Over.

Oh, look at this guy.

NARRATOR:
Kari's added these distractions

to simulate a typically
frustrating day on the road.

[ Laughs ] He's overtaking
the slow driver.

Man... That was annoying.

That doesn't seem very calm.

NARRATOR:
Now let's see the response

to one very annoying pedestrian.

[ Laughs sarcastically ]

Aah...

There you go.

[ Thud ]

Nice San Francisco park.
I like the bumper bump.

That's why
they call them "bumpers."

Okay, well, now
I'm gonna weigh your fuel

and see how much you've actually
used up, and then we'll have

-something to compare.
-TORY: Cool.

KARI: So, Tory's used
924 grams of fuel.

Next step is to top this
back off to exactly 2,500

and start the test again
with Grant.

All right.
The birdie has flown the nest.

That means Grant's gone.

Do you make this stuff up,

or is somebody
writing it down for you?

[ Chuckles ] There's
a writers' strike in my head.

[ Horn honking ]

Approaching the bush on right.
uhen turn right.

GRANT:
[ Laughing ]

KARI: Okay, that's angry driver.
Can you hear him honking?

TORY:
Oh, I can hear him honking.

NARRATOR:
Grant takes both the angry...

[ Engine revs ]

...and the slow drivers
in his sedate stride.

[ Laughing ]

NARRATOR: He's been told
to stick to a safe speed,

and that's no problem at all.

That... is... funny.

NARRATOR:
Now for the parallel park.

Grant's so relaxed, it takes him
a minute to find his inner rage.

TORY:
This is attempt number 9.

Ohh.

This isn't fair!

Now you're starting
to [bleep] me off.

-TORY: See, it's getting --
-[ Crash ]

Ohh, yeah!
That -- That was real smooth!

[ Thud ]

There you go!

NARRATOR: Kari weighs
Grant's remaining gasoline

and comes up with a figure
she wasn't expecting.

All right,
Grant used 1 ,053 grams,

which is actually
quite a bit more than Tory.

But that's not
what's important here.

They are testing
against themselves.

So what is important is how much
they use in their calm test

versus how much they use
in their stressed test.

NARRATOR: And how exactly
does one go about

turning two very relaxed dudes
into quivering wrecks?

Ooh, this is gonna be fun.
We're about to find out.

All right, guys,

we know one of the most
stressful things about driving

is having to go to the bathroom
and not being able to.

Sweet.

You're gonna have to drink
caffeine all day,

and the potty's off-limits.

NARRATOR: Here's the
exploding-steak story so far.

Adam, Jamie,
and one of America's best chefs

can't agree on which steak
is more tender --

the prime cut,

the one sprinkled
with pineapple enzymes,

or those we've blasted
to hell and back.

I don't know what to do
with this one. I'm dumbfounded.

We clearly have
too many variables in the mix

because we could run this test
a dozen more times,

and I don't think we'd come up

with results
that agreed with each other.

Yeah, I think having humans
involved is the problem.

We need to have a mechanical,
purely objective test.

And, for that matter,
I was thinking about it,

and there have got to be
a lot of other ways

that we can tenderize meat.

Like what?

What say we fire it out
of a cannon at a steel plate?

That ought to tenderize it.

[ Laughs ]

I love it!
Let's do it.

NARRATOR: Jamie's got the plan,
the hardware,

and the real estate

to build a cannon as long as
a four-story building is high.

As a tenderizer,
it's total overkill,

and that's why we're doing it.

Today's target is simply meant
to stop the steak cold.

uhat is our target.

It's a toughened steel plate
Jamie calls the flower of death.

Now, this is going to be
a very sturdy catching device

for our steak tenderizing.

We're going to be sh**ting

a Kevlar burrito full of meat
at it.

And hopefully,
this will help prevent it

from just spraying
all over the room.

NARRATOR:
To get a fair comparison

between unmodified meat
and "cannon con carne,"

Adam's cut each steak in two.

One half gets blasted,

and the other control cut
doesn't.

So, your very rational question
might be,

why go through all the trouble
to make every steak

its own control?

See the white parts here?
That's marbleization.

That's fat
and connective tissue.

Now, while a good portion of
this makes the steak delicious,

it also makes it inconsistent.

That's why we're going
steak to steak.

Every single steak
is tested against itself

for evidence of improvement.

NARRATOR: That testing
will eventually be done

by a highly sophisticated
machine

that promises
indisputable results.

Meantime, we've got
some steaks to sh**t.

The four-cylinder
air-pressure charge is set,

and Jamie estimates
the potential velocity

at over 400 miles per hour.

Tenderizing meat
when you're ready.

In 3.. .2... 1.

ADAM:
Oh, sh**t.

[ Laughs ]

Well, this is actually
through the other side.

There's your problem.
[ Laughs ]

Some meat-soaked Kevlar
on the other side.

This is only part of it.
I'm -- I'm missing some.

ADAM:
[ Laughs ]

NARRATOR:
I think it seems prudent

to recalibrate the pressure.

ADAM: What's the PSI
you want to go to?

I'm backing it down a third
to 100 PSI.

It's not gonna make
a single bit of difference.

I'm gonna bet you that
it's not gonna make a single --

It's gonna obliterate it.

-You want to bet?
-No.

$20 -- I got --
I got 20 bucks.

20 bucks?

Anyone want to give me
some action?

NARRATOR:
But Jamie made this cannon,

and, hey, let's not forget
who runs the joint.

So he calls the shots.

Totally not gonna work.

JAMIE: This time, we're using
four times the Kevlar.

We've backed off the pressure
about a third to 100 PSI.

We'll see what happens.

Firing in 3.. .2... 1.

Uh-oh.

Uh-oh.

Well, there's the outer layer.

[ Chuckles ]
That's hard on that thing.

ADAM:
Here's the inner layer.

-Oh. Oh! Oh!
-NARRATOR: Once again,

this New York strip's
been less tenderized

than pulverized.

But there is hope
amongst the carnage.

Here's its other half --
unmodified.

I'm gonna cook both of these,
freeze them again,

test them, and see if
there's any improvement.

NARRATOR: First off,
both cuts are cooked precisely.

ADAM: So, the magic temperature
here is 70 degrees Celsius.

When it's 70 degrees
at the middle of the steak,

I've reached the USDA standard
for cooking a steak for testing.

NARRATOR:
Once they're cooked,

the steaks need to be cooled
to 4 degrees Celsius.

Modified cooked.

Here's another steak
for you, Jamie.

NARRATOR:
Adam needs more than one sample,

and Jamie's happy
to fill the order.

Firing in 3.. .2... 1.

NARRATOR:
At 340 miles per hour,

it looks like
we finally found our range.

It's totally intact.

NARRATOR:
It's almost enough to inspire

yet another change of career.

I can see it now.
I start a restaurant.

It's Jamie's cannon-fired steak.

You place your order,

and then a few seconds later,
there's this big whoosh!

NARRATOR:
There are several simple ways

to tenderize
a substandard steak.

But we want to find a way
that's both effective

and, well, unexpected.

For those with limited access

to high expl*sives
or 40-foot cannons,

turn left at the kitchen
and head for the laundry.

So, the first thing
I thought of was a dryer

because, you know,
it's that kind of motion,

and if you put a steak

or anything you want
to tenderize in there,

sooner or later, it's got to
loosen all those fibers up

and make it nice and tender.

NARRATOR:
Sounds straightforward.

But to make it work, the dryer
needs some, uh, modifications.

JAMIE: Okay, so,
that's the slit right there.

If we put that over that thing.

[ Chuckles ]
This is dry ice,

and this is gonna pour down
into our dryer

and hopefully keep the meat cold
while it gets tumbled.

Yeah, let's do it.

NARRATOR:
And to keep the meat company,

a generous helping
of tenderizing ball bearings.

To the chagrin of our sound guy,
we're throwing it

in the dryer --
a whole bunch of them --

and see that what that does
to the meat overnight.

[ Loud clattering ]

ADAM:
[ Laughs ]

[ Talking loudly ] So far,
my neighbors think it's cool

to be next to the "Mythbusters."

That could change.

[ Clattering continues ]

NARRATOR: Next morning, the
dryer should still be running.

Uh, but it's not.

-ADAM: Did you turn it off?
-JAMIE: I didn't turn it off.

I didn't turn it off.

That's not a good sign.

[ Laughing ] This is the color
of the plastic bags

that were in there.

[ Laughs ]

JAMIE:
It still kind of turns, but...

ADAM:
Something got messed up.

I think we
might have burned out the motor.

How many did
we put in there, four?

ADAM: Four.

JAMIE: Four went in,
and two sort of came out.

ADAM:
[ Laughs ]

NARRATOR: Adam now has a fridge
full of tumbled and blasted meat

to test for tenderness.

And he's got the perfect machine
for an impartial appraisal.

Starting from the bottom up,
we've got a plate in here,

which the meat is placed on.

It's got a slot in it
exactly the width

that the USDA specs the slot
in their machines should be.

Above that is a blade

that is exactly the angle
the USDA says it should be.

Above the blade
is a pressure gauge,

which, as the blade
pushes through the meat,

will read exactly the number
of pounds of force

required to push through
that meat.

And what's pushing this down
at a constant speed

but a linear actuator, which I
will power with a power supply.

This is exactly the way

the government tests
the tenderness of meat.

It ought to be good enough
for us.

Oh! Wow!

NARRATOR:
Tory, Kari, and Grant

are testing the myth that
your mood affects your mileage.

The boys have already
run the course

in a state of supreme serenity.

[ Horn honking, Tory laughs ]

[ Laughs ]

NARRATOR: Now Kari
has two short hours

to turn these angels into
deranged, distracted motorists.

Drink that.
Come on, come on.

We're on a time limit.
Seriously.

So, I've had nearly a liter
of caffeinated energy drink.

TORY: Kari informed us we're not
allowed to go to the bathroom

from this point on.

And it's the thought that I
can't go to the bathroom anymore

that's starting
to stress me out.

If you got to
go to the bathroom,

you got to go to the bathroom.

NARRATOR:
But needing to tinkle in traffic

might be the least
of their problems.

In each of your drinks this
morning, I put one of these.

That's why
I took it from the car

and you got them already opened.

TORY: Yes!
Is it a laxative?

KARI:
This is a laxative.

-Oh, you suck!
-Yes!

Payback's a --
You know what it is.

You've got a few hours left,
so enjoy.

NARRATOR:
Pumped full of jumping juice,

the boys are getting real antsy.

You mother --
[ Grunts ]

I'm not stressed!
I'm totally fine!

NARRATOR: Kari responds
by hemming them in.

KARI:
This is your permissible area.

You cannot leave this area,

sit in this area,
or lay in this area.

You must stand
within the lines.

No, I'm not going in the circle.
You can't keep me in the circle.

Man, if we had a football,

we could be, like,
chucking the football.

Whoo! Let's pretend
like we got one.

Catch it!

Yeah!

He can't even catch it
with his imagination.

[ Laughs ]

NARRATOR: Leaving the boys
on a slow simmer,

Kari sets about
reverse-pimping their ride.

I have got so much stuff
I'm really excited about.

I've got stink bombs
that smell like sulfur,

so they basically
smell like flatulence.

Those are going to go
in my scent-orator.

I've got some gross, slimy stuff
that goes on the dashboard.

They won't know what it it is.
It looks like guts.

I've got stressful noises I'm
going to put in the CD player.

I've got a seat cover
that is filled with golf ba*ls,

so it's sticking in your back.

And the seat's gonna be
at an uncomfortable angle.

I think I might make it wet.

And then the steering wheel's
gonna be sticky

because I'm gonna cover it
in cola

and then, like,
gross melted candy bars.

So it'll not only be sticky
but kind of slimy,

and it'll just be, like,
brown crap all over your hands.

NARRATOR: All this suffering
is in the name of science,

to see if the boys
use any more gas

when they've got
their dander up.

Good news is you guys
get to leave the circles.

No, I like my circle.

The bad news is it's not
necessarily gonna be any better.

-Are you ready?
-[ Laughs ]

The anti-spa!
Come on in.

-MATT: Howdy!
-TORY: Oh, my God.

MATT: Come on in! Welcome
to Mad Matt's Man Massage

right here
in the break-your-back shack.

I'm over this experiment.
How about you?

-Get on the table!
-TORY: Is this gonna hurt?

MATT: Well, it depends
on how you define "hurt."

NARRATOR:
While Tory gets pummeled...

[ Groans ]

NARRATOR:... Kari takes Grant
to his own personal hell.

This has nothing
to do with driving.

It's nothing to do
with fuel efficiency.

This is all about t*rture.

Grant's t*rture
is a goldfish foot bath,

guaranteed to send his
stress levels through the roof.

GRANT: The problem is
that I really don't like

any fish touching me.

It's just something --
It's a phobia that I have.

Aah!

Now for our final
stress-inducing condition.

There are two live rats
in this box.

The reason we chose rats instead
of, say, snakes or spiders,

is because rats are self-aware.

They're not gonna run
under the pedals.

NARRATOR:
And the first angry man

to slide his baleful butt
behind the wheel is Tory.

-Are you feeling stressed?
-A little.

-Are you feeling angry?
-Yeah.

NARRATOR:
Kari adds the rodents,

and this stinking, sticky
rat trap is ready to roll.

TORY: Buckle your seat belts,
little fellas.

We're going for a ride.

[ Horns blaring ]

KARI: I would say
he's sufficiently angry.

NARRATOR: There's no mistaking
the look on his face,

but he is driving
within the speed limit

and at least trying to stick
to the traffic rules.

Adding to his frustration,

the racket from the CD
means Tory can't hear the GPS.

-TORY: You're not talking to me!
-[ Sirens wailing, buzzing ]

KARI: Uh, Tory's
actually skipping the course.

NARRATOR:
He's totally missed a turn

and now the slow driver
gets burned off.

[ Beeping, blaring ]

It worked.
You guys got me [bleep]

You guys definitely
did a great job.

I knew that we were gonna make
him angry and stressed out,

but I didn't realize
he'd be this angry.

NARRATOR:
Back on the H.Q. hilltop,

they're all standing
way back from the curb.

[ Blaring continues ]

KARI: Wow, significant
amount of stress,

he still does
a great parking job.

Well, I definitely saw a
difference in the way I drove --

calm versus stressed out.

I think he's used more gas,

but he did
a third less of the course,

which is kind of crazy.

We've got 1 ,089.

You were so stressed out
that you actually missed

pretty much
a third of the course.

You went right by it.

-I did?
-Mm-hmm.

But you can't hear that GPS.

-You still used more gas.
-Are you serious?

Shorter amount of time --

Your crazy driving that
made me fear for your life

actually made you use
about a third more gas.

That is incredible.

NARRATOR: Time for Kari
to top up the tank

and fetch Grant
from the t*rture tent.

-How was the fish?
-Really sucky.

Why are you walking funny?

I might have to go
to the bathroom.

NARRATOR:
And you've got to figure

that a man who gets spooked
by ornamental fish

will not be a rat lover.

-KARI: One more thing.
-GRANT: [ Laughs ] No!

KARI:
There are two little live rats

that are gonna
go for the ride with you.

NARRATOR:
Kari's turned a puppy kisser

into a moving violation.

[ Beeping ]

This time around,
Grant's demeanor is less demure.

[ Horn honking ]

KARI:
Aw, crap!

Grant almost missed the turn.

NARRATOR:
Just like Tory,

Grant finds himself
accelerating and braking

much harder this time around.

And his steering's
not nearly as smooth.

[ Siren blaring ]

Where did those rats go?!
Where did you go?!

Hey!

KARI:
Crosswalker in position.

WOMAN:
Crosswalker is ready.

[ Tires screech, engine revs ]

NARRATOR: Thankfully
Grant's at the end of his run.

KARI: Actually...

TORY: He's doing better parking
stressed out.

[ Grunting ] That's it!
That's it! That's it!

NARRATOR: At least
he ran the full course.

And Kari's in no doubt

that angry Grant used more juice
than his calm counterpart.

KARI:
Grant has 826 grams left,

which means he used 1 ,674 grams.

Last time he used 1 ,053 grams.

NARRATOR: Grant's also
used a third more fuel

than on his calm drive.

The lesson is clear --

drive under stress,
and it will cost you.

You both used a significant
amount of fuel more

when you were stressed
than when you were relaxed.

Yeah, that seemed
pretty obvious.

[ Chuckling ] Yeah.

Yeah, well, now we have
the results to back it up.

Well, that's cool.
This one's confirmed.

Confirmed.

By the way,
how are your stomachs doing?

That wasn't laxative.

That was, um, a vitamin.
So you should be okay.

[ Laughs ]

Placebo effect!

Are you kidding me?!
I'm gonna k*ll you!

Number one.

ADAM:
Number one.

NARRATOR: Back in our cowpoke
kitchen, the boys are ready

to test the cannon-fired meat
for tenderness.

Each steak from each test
is numbered

so they can match those figures

with the unblasted
control halves.

2.5.

2. 1.

2.4.

[ Laughs ]

Dude, you know,
the readings are...

[ Pops ]

...looking
pretty consistent here.

NARRATOR: Now to test
those modified meat missiles.

ADAM: Here's your moment
of truth, Jamie.

Air-cannon testing.

[ Machine whirring ]

No, nothing --
0.0.

that could mean it's so tender
it just fell apart,

but let's try a second one.

NARRATOR: Test after test shows
their "cannon con carne"

is way softer than the steaks
that sat this one out.

0.7.

Dude, the averages are in.

The controlled steaks

were averaging a tenderness
of about 1 .33.

The post-cannon-fired steaks --

average tenderness
of about 0.4 pounds.

That's pretty tender.

There's a clear,
clear improvement.

[ Laughs ]

It just takes
a 40-foot air cannon.

Yeah, and about 50 bucks'
worth of Kevlar.

[ Both laugh ]

[ Loud clattering ]

NARRATOR:
Now for that marbled mess

that totaled the tumble dryer.

All right,
this is the ball bearings.

[ Laughs ]

And this steak --

who knows what we're gonna get
out of this?

NARRATOR: The very first slice
sets the standard.

Zero.

And that seems like
an honest zero to me, man.

This...

There's, like, nothing here.

NARRATOR: And that calls
for one more reading.

ADAM:
Total zero.

That looks like it's
falling apart in your hands.

But it does
still look like meat.

It's not like
it looks like hamburger.

So, this definitely showed
some significant improvement,

although the process itself
also needs a little improvement.

Steak in a dryer
with ball bearings

actually did
really tenderize the meat.

Of course, there were problems,
because, it, like,

tenderized the dryer itself,
and it fell apart.

But if you get over that,
you've got a tender steak.

NARRATOR:
Two positive results

confirming that meat really does
benefit from a bashing.

Now that they found a reliable
way to test for tenderness,

it's back to the b*mb range
to bring this one home.

We began to look for, what's an
empirical, nonsubjective test?

And we went right
to the USDA's testing procedures

for grading meat.

2.5.

2. 1.

So, we are following
all of their guidelines now

with all of our steaks in order
to gauge their tenderness.

NARRATOR: Adam and Jamie
shape a lump of C-4

to the size of a pool ball.

They add a fuse, then wrap it
inside a plastic glove.

There it is --
the blue hand of death.

-Works for me.
-Let's put it in.

NARRATOR:
Following strict instructions,

this handful of high expl*sive

is dangled and secured a foot
below the surface.

Well, there it is.
Let's blow it up.

Okay.

NARRATOR:
The crane's deployed,

and the boys
retreat to the bunker.

-Are we set?
-I think we're set.

Tenderizing meat
with high expl*sives

in 3.. .2... 1.

Oh, that's pretty!

That's great!
This one's breached.

I can see that, but these two
are totally intact.

That's fantastic!

JAMIE: And even that one
looks like a usable sample.

ADAM:
Yeah, completely.

NARRATOR: Back at M5,

Adam scrapes down the hot plate
for the last time.

But Jamie's on tenterhooks.

So, what, does it feel
any different?

Like, tender?

It doesn't feel that different.

All right, sample number 16.

NARRATOR: This final test
should make or break

the myth of tenderizing meat
with high expl*sives.

70 degrees Celsius.

NARRATOR:
After a quick chill,

the unmodified meat
is cored and sliced.

2.3.

[ British accent ]
Nothing to sully our science.

[ Normal voice ]
I'm getting good at this.

2.9.

All right,
that's pretty good.

Let's just call that,
and let's do the exploded ones.

NARRATOR: We're moments away
from finding out

if a high-powered shock wave
through water

really can make steak
more digestible.

1 .8.

NARRATOR: And this time,
thanks to modern mechanics,

it's not personal.

ADAM:
Another zero.

These two zeroes are accurate.
There's nothing here.

I mean, this is --
If you take a look at it...

JAMIE:
I would say so.

It's going towards
the direction of the cannon

or the ball bearing.

I think I know the results.
Tell me what the averages are.

Control was 2.82,

and the exploded steak
was 1. 16.

oh, that's so great!
[ Laughs ]

I'm exhausted -- All of this
protocol to build the machine

and to have it
actually give us results...

We were hoping to see something,
and we got something.

Yeah, when you're chewing on it,
you can't tell,

but the machine won't lie.

That's awesome.
That's awesome!

I love results!

Don't we all?

And against all expectations,

it seems blasting a steak
to kingdom come

really does make it
melt in the mouth.

Our core sampling from both the
control and the exploded steaks

is totally conclusive.

The high expl*sives
absolutely have a marked effect

on the tenderness of the steaks.

Tenderizing steak
with expl*sives -- It works.