Mythbusters Invade New Mexico Tech

February 3, 2009

Written by Katherine Noe

Monday, 13 July 2009 19:42

On Wednesday, January 28, the Mythbusters team made a second visit to NMT, with only a partial crew this time. Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman missed out on this recent visit, but Kari Byron, Tory Belleci, and Grant Imahara enjoyed their brief stay.
They were kind enough to have an open forum for NMT students who were lucky enough to win a ticket by raffle, reveal the purpose of their visit, and show a few bloopers to the packed Macey Auditorium.
The informal talk started out with a disclaimer, of all things, to notify the audience that anything said could not be recorded by any means. Yes, really! So that’s the end of this article! Just kidding!
After showing the audience the bloopers and footage filmed at NMT, people were allowed to get in line to ask the three a question for the entire audience. Some asked specific questions about past episodes, pointing out possible errors (it is Tech!), others asked about most and least favorite myths tested, myths they want to test in the future, and bodily harm sustained while testing myths.
It was easy to tell that the cast gets along great, from the beginning of the forum. From finishing each other’s sentences, to poking fun at each other on stage, it is obvious they have been working together for a long time. Kari later said, “I like almost everyone on our team. Just Kidding, We are family at this point. We all get along really well.” Grant also added, “What you see on TV is what you get. I’ve known Adam, Jamie, and Tory almost ten years, so when you see us poking fun at each other, that’s for real. You can’t manufacture that type of chemistry between the hosts. Other shows have tried and failed. We’re lucky enough to have known each other long before Mythbusters.”
While there were many great questions asked of the team during the open mic forum, there is only room for a few here. The team confessed their least favorite myths ever tested. Grant claimed testing seasickness cures as the worst, as he had to go to work on an empty stomach and get seasick every morning for a week to test each “cure.” Kari clamed her least favorite myth to test was water torture, since she was the one testing whether it was torture or not (it was). Tory’s least favorite myth was testing to see if birds could break a train windshield, because it entailed raw chicken and a launcher, which all had to be cleaned up later!
Each team member has also sustained bodily harm on the show as well. No surprise there! The injuries enumerated include (but are not limited to): bumps and scratches for everybody; a thumb sprain, falling off a swing set when it broke, and nearly biting off his tongue for Tory; a sprained ankle for Grant (along with a few embarrassing episodes); a knee dislocation, and being stabbed with an underwire while skydiving for Kari. These are just to name a few.
Although the Mythbusters have tested a lot of myths (throughout the approximately 120 episodes released so far) there are still some they want to test. Kari admitted she wanted to test the myth of mysteriously losing 21 grams of soul after death (and proposed a non-violent, yet morbid way of doing so). Tory and Grant wanted to test if a racecar could drive upside down if it had enough force, and to see if using gasoline as a lubricant on a playground slide could cause combustion. Kari also said that psychics are on the list of myths to test, but they should already know that! Viewers are also continuously suggesting new myths for the team to test at www.discovery.com/mythbusters.
The team has high regards for NMT, and seemed to have enjoyed their recent visit very much. “NMT is awesome. Where else can you find 40 square miles of testing facility and a full staff of crazy engineers to blow stuff up? We love coming here!” Kari says. Grant agrees, “We love NMT. It’s like a playground for us. When you drive around the test site and casually pass retired tanks and other military vehicles, you know you’re in the right place.”
If you missed this visit by the Mythbusters and you want to see them at Tech again, you’re in luck! Grant offered up this bit of information: “We’ll definitely come back if we come up with any more myths that require the skills and equipment that NMT has to offer.” Kari adds, “I sure hope we will find a reason to come back soon. Feel free to find us some myths specific to NMT!” We can only hope!
“I get emails every week from kids asking, ‘What do I study to become a Mythbuster? Where do I learn to blow things up like you?’ The great thing is that now I have an answer: NMT,” Grant explains.

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Last Updated ( Monday, 13 July 2009 19:49 )