05.31.07
Mythbusters-Western Myths
 This was a truly great episode. This time the guys were testing two Western Myths-Shooting someone’s hat off and busting someone out of jail with horses. The build team was also testing the myth that if a theif was trying to break into a car using the pick lock technigue (shoving a rod down the outer crack of the driver’s door where the window goes) and if that could activate the sidedoor airbag which could send the rod flying through your throat. Nasty.
First off, Jamie went off to go get some accurate guns and ammo while Adam went to go get the hats. They came up with 8 historically-accurate hats and a ton of accurate guns. They decide they’ll just use a handgun and a big gun on each of the hats. One of the more powerful guns does slide the hat off, but not the whizzing power shown in the myth’s clips-The hat flies off in the clips. They then get no hat-flying until they use the shotgun, which sends the hat flying, but surveying the damage, they see that the victim wouldn’t live to tell his buddies about it. They then conclusively busted the myth. They then got the horse escape myth underway, where they built the prison cell most commonly used and most succeptible to the myth. But when 1 horse, 2 horses, an all-terrain vehicle, even a boom lift can get the job done, they then resort to good old faithful-dynamite. They put a stick on the ledge where the bars stand, and they put Buster in the cell in the safest position possible, with G-Force stickers on him. They then set off the explosion, but the bars didn’t even go! Although Adam was able to climb through the hole where the bars were after he removes them, they find the sad conclusion-Buster didn’t make it. the 100 G lethal sticker was tripped on his head and the 75 G was tripped on his chest, leaving this one busted. The build team then try as hard as they can to trip the side-door airbag with Grant’s robot, with the ballistics gel dummy with skull mounted above. But no boom. They then resort to making a kicking rig, which only kicks the dummy in the head at a superhuman power. They then play dirty, shooting the rod out of an air cannon into the dummy head, going staight through, busting the myth. So, where does that leave us?
- Shooting off someone’s Hat-The regular guns didn’t provide enough resistance, and then something that did (shotgun) just killed him-BUSTED
- Horse-Powered Prison Escape-Neither the one or two horses, an all terrain vehicle, or a boom lift could provide enough force, and then something that did allow Adam to escape was dangerous enough to kill your buddy inside-BUSTED
- Pick-Lock Impalement-The pick-lock technigue or a superhuman kick to the side of the door was not enough to set off the side door airbag-BUSTED