MythBusters Episode 14: Myths Revisited
REVISITED: Soldiers marching in unison can cause harmonic oscillation in a bridge and cause it to collapse. (From Episode 12)
plausible
In the original tests, the miniature bridge was flawed enough to generate inconclusive results. This time, just testing the natural resonant frequency of a simple wooden bridge resulted in a plausible result, but it is very improbable.
(This segment was cut from the U.S. broadcast but was included in the European version.)
REVISITED: A frozen chicken will penetrate aircraft or train windshields better than a thawed chicken. (From Episode 9)
When re-visited, frozen chickens could penetrate sets of layered glass panes better. They classified the myth as plausible because they could find no record of windshields being shattered by bird strikes.
REVISITED: An ice bullet can kill someone without leaving a trace. (From Episode 1)
re-busted
They retested using slow-frozen bullets that were stronger than the ones they used previously. The bullets simply vaporized when the trigger was pulled.
REVISITED: Using one’s cell phone while pumping gas/petrol can cause an explosion. (From Episode 2)
The battery of retests the MythBusters performed reaffirmed their original Busted verdict.
SPINOFF: Leaving a can of aerosol spray or cola inside a hot car can cause it to explode. (From Pilot 2)
The aerosol cans didn’t explode inside a car after sitting in the sun for hours. Both aerosol and cola took temperatures of over 300 °F (150 °C) to blow.
SPINOFF: An inflatable brassiere can explode inside an airplane as it climbs in altitude. (From Episode 2)
The different types of inflatable brassieres tested proved capable of maintaining their integrity even at altitudes fatal to humans.
SPINOFF: Urinating on an electric fence can cause electrocution. (From Episode 3)
Upon retesting the myth on an electric fence it was found to be confirmed, but the rail was still busted. Distance was the factor, as the urine stream breaks up less at the close range needed for urinating on the fence than urinating on the third rail, thus ensuring a direct line of current between ones body and the electrical source.
REVISITED: Covering one’s body in gold paint can kill a person by skin asphyxiation like in the James Bond movie Goldfinger. (From Pilot 3)
When Adam retested the myth, he reported some discomfort, describing it as a slight flu-like feeling, but he nonetheless survived.