Mythbusters 10th Anniversary Collection

Mythbusters 10th Anniversary Collection

I’ve watched a bunch of Mythbusters episodes, although I couldn’t tell you what order they all came in. That’s one of the virtues of the series, that any given show can be watched in any order, since they stand alone.

If you’re not familiar with the show, each installment takes on a few “myths”, although these days, it’s as likely to be a viral video as a classic urban myth. The team, with their special effects experience, builds something — a measurement apparatus, a fake house, a rebuilt car, a dummy equivalent to a person — to test whether an assumption is plausible, confirmed, or busted. Many times, things blow up, or firearms are involved.

I was looking forward to the Mythbusters 10th Anniversary Collection because I loved the concept. Each of the five cast members — Adam Savage, Jamie Hyneman, Grant Imahara, Kari Byron, and Tory Belleci — picked ten favorite episodes, making for fifty shows to watch (on ten discs, out of 222 episodes through 2014).

Mythbusters 10th Anniversary Collection

Unfortunately, this set isn’t nearly as interesting as it could have been, since there’s nothing here but episodes. There’s no explanation of why a particular person chose their selections, and there’s no information on where in the series a particular installment fell, and there are no special features. So instead of seeming like an anniversary celebration, this seems more like a way to sell the show in another arrangement. (I’m also confused by the 10th Anniversary mention, since the show debuted in 2003, making this year the 12th Anniversary.)

Fans probably already know all these episodes. As a less dedicated follower, I found this set neat as a kind of sampler pack, with famous show moments like “Alcatraz Escape”, “Confederate Rocket”, and “Five Second Rule”. The full episode listing is (with each person’s picks in alphabetical order, as the set has it — and episode numbers via Wikipedia):

Adam’s Picks

  • Airplane on a Conveyor Belt – Season 6, Episode 3
  • Alcatraz Escape – Season 1, Episode 8
  • Birds in a Truck – Season 5, Episode 8
  • Bullets Fired Up – Season 4, Episode 7
  • Inverted Underwater Car – Season 8, Episode 19
  • Jet Assisted Chevy – the original pilot
  • Lead Balloon – Season 6, Episode 2
  • NASA Moon Landing – Season 6, Episode 10
  • Penny Drop – Season 1, Episode 4
  • Swimming in Syrup – Season 7, Episode 5

Jamie’s Picks

  • Big Rig Myths – Season 5, Episode 11
  • Breaking Bad Special – Season 11, Episode 10
  • Confederate Rocket – Season 3, Episode 16
  • Drain Disaster – Season 9, Episode 17
  • Fire vs. Ice – Season 10, Episode 2
  • Motorcycle Water Ski – Season 11, Episode 6
  • Ping Pong Rescue – Season 2, Episode 13
  • Seesaw Saga – Season 7, Episode 7
  • Shattering Subwoofer – Season 4, Episode 15
  • Trench Torpedo – Season 10, Episode 13

Kari’s Picks

  • Blue Ice – Season 9, Episode 2
  • Chinese Invasion Alarm – Season 3, Episode 15
  • Duct Tape Hour 2 – Season 8, Episode 8
  • Exploding Pants – Season 4, Episode 10
  • Fright Night – Season 10, Episode 15
  • Myth Evolution – Season 7, Episode 18
  • Paper Armor – Season 9, Episode 11
  • Phone Book Friction – Season 6, Episode 12
  • Red Rag to a Bull – Season 5, Episode 16
  • Viral Hour – Season 6, Episode 11

Tory’s Picks

  • Alaska Special – Season 6, Episode 7
  • Cannonball Chemistry – Season 10, Episode 17
  • Duel Dilemmas – Season 10, Episode 10
  • Indy Car Special – Season 11, Episode 4
  • Killer Brace Position – Season 3, Episode 9
  • Revenge of the Myth – Season 10, Episode 7
  • Salsa Escape – Season 3, Episode 2
  • Titanic Survival – Season 10, Episode 12
  • Vodka Myths – Season 3, Episode 17
  • Zombie Special – Season 11, Episode 11

Grant’s Picks

  • Baseball Myths – Season 5, Episode 14
  • Bikes and Bazookas – Season 9, Episode 12
  • Bouncing Bullet – Season 10, Episode 8
  • Bubble Pack Plunge – Season 10, Episode 9
  • Coffin Punch – Season 6, Episode 18
  • Crimes and Myth-demeanors 1 – Season 4, Episode 11
  • Flu Fiction – Season 8, Episode 11
  • Prison Escape – Season 7, Episode 9
  • Underwater Car – Season 5, Episode 3
  • YouTube Special – Season 7, Episode 4

Inspired by the spirit of scientific exploration that drives the Mythbusters show, here’s a breakdown of how many episodes from each season are represented. The small showing for the first two years makes sense, since Grant, Tory, and Kari weren’t in place as a trio until season 3. All the Season 1 picks are from Adam. Season 10’s showing is helped by Tory picking four of those episodes, with Grant and Jamie each picking two.

Mythbusters Episodes per Season in Anniversary DVD Set

(The studio provided a review copy.)



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