Mythbusters Season 6 Episode 1 Review

The Mythbusters are back for a new season and they started it off with a bang. Actually it was more of a crash, lots of crashes. In the season premier of Mythbusters we were treated to a two hour demolition derby special edition. Adam, Jamie and the rest of the crew tested Hollywood car crash myths and left a trail of battered and crushed vehicles in their wake. It was a very good kick-off to the new season and the team did themselves proud. While there were few explosions, there was no lack of action, or destruction.

The scorecard for episode one looked something like this;

2 tractor trailer rigs destroyed
1 Camper trailer obliterated
1 Fruit stand destroyed
1 Chain link fence gate destroyed
1 City Bus totaled.
1 Chain link fence section destroyed
1 Rocket sled disintegrated
10 Automobiles destroyed

How did Buster do in this two hour special? There were five crash test dummy casualties in the episode - four of which were certain fatalities.

A total of seven myths were tested in this episode which originally aired on 4.08.2009 Here are how the myths faired when put to the ultimate test.

0 Myths confirmed
2 Myths were found to be plausible
5 Myths were busted

There were three mistakes/miscalculations made by the Mythbuster team in the premier episode.

1. When they created an instant convertible by driving under a semi-truck, the braking system failed to stop the car after the impact. The car continued away at high speed and ramped over an earthen berm at the far end of the test facility. Fortunately there was nothing beyond the berm to be harmed.

2. During the attempt to smash a compact car between two big rigs a failure of the braking rope sent both rigs out of control. One truck took out several sections of chain link fence while the other truck stopped just short of crashing into San Francisco Bay. No injuries or serious damage done, and all was repaired.

3. When dropping a car from the helicopter at 4,000 feet, the Mythbusters aim was off and the car missed the target by approximately 300 feet. This is probably why the test was done in a remote section of the desert.

Best scene from the episode? The Rocket Sled - This scene was amazing. The rocket sled, equipped with two rocket stages, traveled at just over 600 mph. The impact left little of the car, and even tossed aside a 50,000 pound block of cement used as a back-stop. The slow motion of the sled's impact with the front of the car was a thing of beauty. The entire front 2/3's of the car seemed to literally disappear as the sled advanced forward. If you want to see an extended slow motion view of the impact go to the Mythbuster site and check out the extra footage from the episode. There are many angles of several of the crashes which were not shown in the aired version.

Most interesting fact revealed? I had no idea it was so hard to tip over a city bus. The fact they made the 90 degree turn on all three attempts without a roll over was amazing to me. While it must be remembered that Jamie and Adam are not your average drivers, the fact the bus would not tip over was still shocking.

Overall the season premier was very good and looked at some very interesting myths. As with most extended episodes of any series, there was a great deal of fluff. Had they wanted, the show could have been 90 minutes long and we would not have missed anything. It is also very clear the team has a bigger budget to work with this season, which looks to make for some really interesting viewing.

Score for Episode One : 8.5 out of 10