# Does Mythbusters Refuse to Test Myths on Children/Teens/Babies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313 "2010-11-29T18:46:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313/21 "2010-11-30T01:12:49Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I suspect that’s most of it. If it’s not a myth that lets them do at least one of the following: > > - Build something big and / or outrageous > - Engage in silly, gross, or potentially injury-causing behavior > - Destroy something (via collision, explosion, or use of weaponry) > > …it seems to be relatively unlikely they’ll tackle it. > > (And, I say this as a big fan of the show. 🙂 ) Saw Adam at a con once where he talked about the restrictions they are under from the network. He has hundreds of myths he wants to do that the network has deemed not interesting (read: explosiony) enough. The example he used was testing Monster cables versus wirehangers. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313/22 "2010-11-30T05:24:26Z")
I would think they would have a significant extra amount of paperwork involved in tests involving human subjects. Even more with children, since their parents/guardians would have to sign. And the risks to the show/network would be pretty high. Suppose something goes wrong. Any waivers signed could be challenged in court, and likely wouldn’t stand up (if something went wrong, than obviously they failed to take proper precautions to make the test safe), and the show/network could be liable for damages. And for a child, that could mean a lifetime of payments to cover their injuries. To say nothing about the emotional effect on a jury, possibly leading to high punitive damages added on. Better just to avoid that risk by skipping these kind of tests. And as people said, nothing blows up to make a good ending! ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313/23 "2010-11-30T17:33:38Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > They did the whole “taking candy from a baby” myth. > > Quite amusing too, seeing the little tykes howl with outrage, etc. Even better was the look of bewilderment on their faces, that “WTF?” look as they tried to figure out how NOTHING was taking their candy. Then came, of course, the ultimate weapon in the baby arsenal…guilt. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313/24 "2010-11-30T20:41:43Z")
\ I remember getting a big kick out of Scotty making an analogue of the little girl for initial testing; it was a 50-pound sack of sugar onto which she’d painted a face and glued pigtails. \ What ever happened to Scotty? Conflict with Kari? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313/25 "2010-11-30T20:44:58Z")
I believe I read that Scotty quit to concentrate on her art, which has something to do with welding pieces of metal together. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313/26 "2010-11-30T20:48:54Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > What ever happened to Scotty? Conflict with Kari? [Left the show for “personal reasons” after Season 3](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_additional_MythBusters_cast_members#Scottie_Chapman), though she’s been back on a few times since then (which would suggest it was a reasonably amicable parting). Personally, I wonder if she wasn’t comfortable with the increasingly high visibility the show’s cast was receiving. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313/27 "2010-11-30T20:52:55Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Well the last one isn’t a myth, it’s a simple fact. Human hearing degrades as we age and we lose sensitivity to high frequencies. The rate varies from person to person of course, but it’s common medical knowledge and I’ve observed it first hand as well. As a rule, but this isn’t hard and fast. My girlfriend is 16 years younger than I am, and we tested a range of frequencies the other night. We both dropped off about the same place. I forget the exact Hertz, but neither of us could hear it, even though I had the sensation that my ears hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313/28 "2010-12-02T04:36:49Z")
\ testing Monster cables versus wirehangers. \ No. Wire. Hangers. EVERRR! Ok, I got that out of my system. 😃 I imagine even if they convinced parents to hand over their kids for an experiment it would be hard to get the kids to follow directions when there are strangers/tv stars, cameras and explode-y things to distract them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mythbusters-refuse-to-test-myths-on-children-teens-babies/562313.md?page=1)