# The Next Mythbusters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855 "2016-04-11T01:30:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/21 "2016-04-11T18:18:13Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Yep. The Science Channel/Discovery is [going there.](http://www.polygon.com/2016/3/31/11336658/mythbusters-science-channel-reality-series) > > Revive the series by choosing a new host/hosts with a weekly elimination reality show. > > _sob_ Why shouldn’t they? Savage and Hyneman are done with the show. And, it was a great show. Sure, they ran out of material, but more is being created daily. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/22 "2016-04-11T18:23:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I find it hard to imagine what new myths could be tested. The Mythbusters used up every idea they could dream up, urban legends, movie stunts, explosions. Some of their old episodes had some pretty silly myths to test. They did. But new “fact or faked” video show up every day on Youtube, and more myths occur. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/23 "2016-04-11T18:24:41Z")
I think it’s pretty sad, maybe even says something about 21st century America, that a show that seemed to be all about facts (instead of myth), about science and engineering rather than ignorance, degraded into the poorly scienced, reality TV craptacular show of the last seasons. Instead of intelligent discussion, we get Kari trying to look and act cutesy\*, and “myths” debunking animated shows (!) and moon hoaxes. Like Adam and Jamie were going to send someone to the moon, which is the only true way to “bust” the myth. And now they want to make it like a reality show? The sad part is, it will probably succeed. We are not living in the world I thought we were anymore. Next up on Mythbusters:\* Idiocracy\* - Fiction or Fact? Outrageous Acts of Science, while actually having science, has such a poor presentation style that I can’t stand it long enough to finish an entire episode. Can we have more quick cuts, please? And more “hip” scientists? Thanks! \*and succeeding, but really, the show should be about more than Kari’s boobs ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/24 "2016-04-11T18:29:32Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > \*and succeeding, but really, the show should be about more than Kari’s boobs Those aren’t myths. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/25 "2016-04-11T18:32:23Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I think it’s pretty sad, maybe even says something about 21st century America, that a show that seemed to be all about facts (instead of myth), about science and engineering rather than ignorance, degraded into the poorly scienced, reality TV craptacular show of the last seasons. > > Instead of intelligent discussion, we get Kari trying to look and act cutesy\*, and “myths” debunking animated shows (!) and moon hoaxes. Like Adam and Jamie were going to send someone to the moon, which is the only true way to “bust” the myth. > > And now they want to make it like a reality show? The sad part is, it will probably succeed. We are not living in the world I thought we were anymore. > > Next up on Mythbusters:\* Idiocracy\* - Fiction or Fact? > > Outrageous Acts of Science, while actually having science, has such a poor presentation style that I can’t stand it long enough to finish an entire episode. Can we have more quick cuts, please? And more “hip” scientists? Thanks! So do you want entertainment or do you want science? Sounds like you want it both ways, and you can’t have that. You can have a _little_ of both, but the more you go in one direction, the further you go from the other. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/26 "2016-04-11T18:35:02Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Instead of intelligent discussion, we get Kari trying to look and act cutesy\*, and “myths” debunking animated shows (!) and moon hoaxes. Like Adam and Jamie were going to send someone to the moon, which is the only true way to “bust” the myth. :dubious: The moon hoax show was one of their very best, with great hard science. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/27 "2016-04-11T18:47:31Z")
I agree–the moon hoax show was excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/28 "2016-04-11T20:26:26Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > So do you want entertainment or do you want science? Sounds like you want it both ways, and you can’t have that. You can have a _little_ of both, but the more you go in one direction, the further you go from the other. I don’t think it has to be either-or. They’ve done a lot over the years that was mostly correct science and also entertaining. My complaint was the lack of [scientific rigor](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732161). Despite my posting history concerning MB, I have been entertained and enlightened both by many episodes. I just ask for more of those episodes, and less “going down to the quarry and blowing shit up” episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/29 "2016-04-11T21:23:39Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > My complaint was the lack of [scientific rigor](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732161). Though my argument against your example of the 30 foot flame is that they had clear pass/fail criteria going into the experiment and maintained it. The myth was that it goes 30 feet. It didn’t go 30 feet. Busted. To say otherwise would be to move the goalpost after the fact. Yeah it may have gone close, but the result doesn’t deny that. You have full access to their methodology and test data, to interpret as you choose. But, factually (in their tests), it did not go 30 feet. It’s a human failing that we interpret a “busted” on a test for 30 foot flame as meaning that it’s nowhere near 30 feet. But there’s no reason for us to interpret that “busted” in that way. Factually, all it means is that it was not \>= 30. It could be 29.999 and the busted result would still be completely accurate. No computer would have any problem considering the option that it was very close to 30. Mathematically, scientifically, and reasonably it was busted. Only because of a human failing does it seem like that shouldn’t be the case. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/30 "2016-04-12T19:03:38Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Agreed. In this general vein of show, I’d be much more interested in seeing a revival of _Scrapheap Challenge/Junkyard Wars_. Oh I loved _Junkyard Wars_! That show is what got me into _Mythbusters_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/31 "2016-04-12T19:18:47Z")
I liked Scrapheap Challenge/Junkyard Wars too, but eventually it seemed obvious that certain items had been deliberately left in the junkyard for the teams to find. I can’t remember which items these were, but I remember being incredulous that you’d find those things just laying around a junkyard. And I preferred the UK original version. I think there was an episode in which the Brits competed against Americans, and the Brits stopped completely at one point for their tea break. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/32 "2016-04-12T19:22:03Z")
The problem with _Junkyard Wars_ was that they’d draw up plans requiring things like 2 wheels from a stagecoach and the launch catapult from an aircraft carrier and actually find them, often more than required. edit: y’know…what he said. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/33 "2016-04-12T20:10:15Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > \*and succeeding, but really, the show should be about more than Kari’s boobs Agree for the most part, but the episode where they tested to see if the size of her boobs affected how much she got in tips as a server was fascinating. For those who missed it, she got pretty close to the same amount with her natural chest and flat chest (she was bound up), but when she used inserts to make her boobs very large, her tips were doubled. Even more interesting was that women tipped more also, not just men! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/34 "2016-04-12T20:28:43Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I liked Scrapheap Challenge/Junkyard Wars too, but eventually it seemed obvious that certain items had been deliberately left in the junkyard for the teams to find. I can’t remember which items these were, but I remember being incredulous that you’d find those things just laying around a junkyard. How would you expect the show to work if they didn’t curate the junk? They’re all building race cars, but there’s only one engine in the yard, so the other two teams will have to use pedal power…gee, I wonder which team will win! If they limited themselves to themes which could be accomplished, regardless of what could ever be found in a junkyard, it would just be a whole bunch of catapults and simple machines. And then there would always be a breakout winner because one team happened to come across some particularly great item in the trash. Anything more complex than a catapult, or whatever, and you’re going to end up with teams building these great contraptions just to realize, at the last moment, that they need a spark plug or a battery or whatever else, and it just happens to not exist in the yard. You’d have a ton of forfeits due to missing, integral parts. By making sure that there are the necessary (junk) items in the yard for the theme, they can choose any theme they want, make sure that it’s easy/hard enough for the teams to actually build something in time, make sure that each team _can_ in theory complete their build, and all be competitive with one another. And they can further balance it by making the better items harder to retrieve than the good ones. It can still all be junk, but curated junk that’s guaranteed to make the game fair and doable. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/35 "2016-04-13T02:00:45Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > How would you expect the show to work if they didn’t curate the junk? They’re all building race cars, but there’s only one engine in the yard, so the other two teams will have to use pedal power…gee, I wonder which team will win! > > If they limited themselves to themes which could be accomplished, regardless of what could ever be found in a junkyard, it would just be a whole bunch of catapults and simple machines. And then there would always be a breakout winner because one team happened to come across some particularly great item in the trash. > > Anything more complex than a catapult, or whatever, and you’re going to end up with teams building these great contraptions just to realize, at the last moment, that they need a spark plug or a battery or whatever else, and it just happens to not exist in the yard. You’d have a ton of forfeits due to missing, integral parts. > > By making sure that there are the necessary (junk) items in the yard for the theme, they can choose any theme they want, make sure that it’s easy/hard enough for the teams to actually build something in time, make sure that each team _can_ in theory complete their build, and all be competitive with one another. And they can further balance it by making the better items harder to retrieve than the good ones. > > It can still all be junk, but curated junk that’s guaranteed to make the game fair and doable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen _Scrapheap Challenge_ or _Junkyard Wars_. The one I mentioned earlier (_The Big Brain Theory_) was similar; build a machine to accomplish a task. We had threads about the show at the time, and someone put their finger on exactly what was wrong with it. The teams were on such a tight schedule to build their machines that they really had no time to test them. They’d get them done and bring them right to the competition. They rarely worked, because almost nothing works the first time you try it. Were _Scrapheap_ and _Junkyard_ the same, or did they have some time to get their designs right? That’s one thing that _Mythbusters_ got right most of the time. How many times did they start with a small scale, then build it full size, then debug it, until they could do something interesting? I remember the automated, crank-powered crossbow that gave them fits, but they kept fixing it until it worked. I find that much more interesting than just trying something once and throwing in the towel. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/36 "2016-04-13T02:23:43Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > I liked Scrapheap Challenge/Junkyard Wars too, but eventually it seemed obvious that certain items had been deliberately left in the junkyard for the teams to find. I can’t remember which items these were, but I remember being incredulous that you’d find those things just laying around a junkyard. > > How would you expect the show to work if they didn’t curate the junk? They’re all building race cars, but there’s only one engine in the yard, so the other two teams will have to use pedal power…gee, I wonder which team will win! It would be better if they were just upfront about what the teams were given versus what they legitimately found in the junkyard. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/37 "2016-04-13T02:25:41Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm;19255530They rarely worked, because almost nothing works the first time you try it. Were _Scrapheap_ and _Junkyard_ the same, or did they have some time to get their designs right?[/QUOTE] I only know Scrapheap Challenge, though I assume they were both the same. They had three days total to design, source, build, and test each build. They had the responsibility to apportion time for testing, though they also got prep time on the challenge day, and they were occasionally allowed sneaky extra time for safety additions or weather delays. But if the motors failed or wheels fell off, that was the fun of the game. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/38 "2016-04-13T04:31:38Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It would be better if they were just upfront about what the teams were given versus what they legitimately found in the junkyard. ? Outside of tools, I think that everything came from the yard. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/39 "2016-04-13T13:06:57Z")
As you said, though, sometimes things like an engine for a race car are planted in the junkyard. I’d prefer that the program be upfront when this is done. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855/40 "2016-04-13T13:14:59Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > As you said, though, sometimes things like an engine for a race car are planted in the junkyard. I’d prefer that the program be upfront when this is done. It’s a fair cop. I seem to recall build teams ‘finding’ highly unlikely things such as solid rocket motors. Still enjoyed it, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-mythbusters/751855.md?page=3)