♪♪
♪♪
WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR
WITH THIS NEXT STORY.
PICTURE ANY MOVIE
IN WHICH A HERO OR HEROINE
IS RUNNING FROM A BAD GUY.
THEY DUCK INTO A ROOM AND TRY
TO BARRICADE THE DOOR SHUT
BY USING
THE FURNITURE THEY FIND.
AND THIS IS OUR STORY.
IS IT ACTUALLY FEASIBLE
TO BARRICADE AND MAKE A ROOM
IMPENETRABLE
WITH THE FURNITURE
YOU FIND IN THAT ROOM?
THIS IS SUCH A CLASSIC
AND PERFECT MYTHBUSTERS MYTH --
A STANDARD MOVIE TROPE BEING
PUT TO A RIGOROUS SET OF TESTS.
I CANNOT WAIT.
YOUR 45 SECONDS START
IN THREE, TWO, ONE.
ALL RIGHT.
GO, GO, GO, GO, GO.
Narrator:
IS IT POSSIBLE TO BARRICADE
A DOOR USING FURNITURE?
HURRY UP, HURRY UP!
IT'S A CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD SCENE,
BUT IS IT REALLY FICTION?
GET 'EM!
THIS MYTHBUSTERS MOVIE MARATHON
IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE,
AND HOW IT ENDS IS UP
TO THE BEAST OF THE BAY.
-AH!
-NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
Narrator:
BIG TOMMY TAKES HIS CUE.
[ KNOCKS LOUDLY ]
CHICKEN!
♪♪
[ SHOUTING ]
♪♪
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY,
TOMMY'S FORCE IS TOO GREAT
FOR BOTH THE DOOR
AND THE FURNITURE STACK.
OH, MY GOD!
SOMEBODY ORDER PIZZA?
[ LAUGHS ]
THANK YOU, SIR.
THANK YOU.
THAT WAS AWESOME.
TOMMY, YOU ARE THE BEST.
[ LAUGHING ]
YOU BROKE THE DOOR IN HALF.
JUST TRYING
TO DELIVER PIZZA.
AMAZING.
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING.
COULDN'T HAVE BEEN BETTER.
OH, MY GOSH.
Narrator: YEP, THE ACTION
MADE FOR A GREAT SCENE.
BUT WITH SO MANY VARIABLES
AT PLAY,
IS AN ALTERNATE SUCCESSFUL
ENDING POSSIBLE?
BIG TOMMY WAS AMAZING
FOR THIS EXPERIMENT.
I MEAN, JUST PERFECT,
BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT JESSE
AND RACHEL'S STRATEGY,
WHICH YOU SEE IN MOVIES ALL THE
TIME, WAS TOTALLY UNSUCCESSFUL.
SO IF VALERIE AND I
ARE GONNA SUCCEED,
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME UP
WITH SOMETHING
TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
I CAN BARELY WAIT.
Narrator:
SO THE TEAMS SWITCH ROLES
AND PREP FOR THE SECOND SET
OF ALTERNATIVE VARIABLES.
I BROUGHT A PLANT.
ALL RIGHT,
SO HERE'S THE SCENARIO.
YOU ARE THE COUNTRY'S
NUMBER-TWO BOUNTY HUNTER.
BEYOND THIS DOOR
IS THE FBI'S MOST WANTED.
[ POLICE SIREN WAILING ]
IF YOU GET
BEYOND THIS DOOR,
YOU'LL BE NUMBER ONE.
HMM.
THESE DOORS DON'T STAND A CHANCE
AGAINST BIG TOMMY BURNS.
THAT'S WHAT
I'M TALKING ABOUT.
-LET'S GET IT.
-YEAH.
Narrator: ADAM AND VALERIE
HAVE THEIR WORK CUT OUT.
RACHEL AND JESSE HAVE PREPPED
A BEDROOM WITH CARPET FLOOR
AND A NEW DOOR
FOR ADDED INTRUDER PROTECTION.
TOMMY'S GONNA HAVE
TO GET THROUGH
THE SOLID-CORE
INTERIOR DOOR NEXT.
-ALL RIGHT.
-TA-DA.
Narrator: CUE TAKE TWO.
VALERIE AND ADAM,
ARE YOU READY?
-READY!
-READY!
ALL RIGHT.
FURNITURE BARRICADE.
YOUR 45 SECONDS START...
NOW.
-RIGHT THIS WAY.
-THANK YOU.
OKAY, HOLD ON, HOLD ON,
HOLD ON, ACTUALLY...
Narrator: ADAM AND VALERIE
STRATEGICALLY PLACE THE SHELF...
-30 SECONDS.
-YEP, TOTALLY.
Narrator: ...THE SINGLE BED,
A CHAIR, AND BEDSIDE,
ALL END TO END
TO TRY TO JAM THE GAP
BETWEEN THE OPPOSING WALL
AND THE DOOR.
[ BOTH GRUNT ]
Narrator:
AND LEAVING NO STONE UNTURNED,
THEY ADD THE DRESSER
FOR ADDITIONAL WEIGHT.
HERE WE GO, HERE WE GO.
WATCH OUT.
RIGHT UP AGAINST THERE.
THAT'S IT.
DONE.
Narrator: CUE BIG TOMMY.
THE BARRICADE MAKES
AN IMPRESSIVE START
AT KEEPING
THE BEAST AT BAY.
-[ ROARS ]
-COME ON, TOMMY!
-OH, MY GOD!
-OH, MY GOD.
COME ON! GET IN!
COME ON!
Narrator: THE DOOR IS SMASHED
INTO SMITHEREENS
WHILE THE FURNITURE
HOLDS STRONG.
YOU GOT THIS!
BUT THE PAYOFF IS INEVITABLE.
[ SHOUTING ]
HE'S IN!
HE'S IN!
[ LAUGHTER, CHEERING ]
WOW.
I AM SERIOUSLY,
TOTALLY WINDED.
THAT ACTUALLY WORKED
FOR MOST OF THE TIME.
[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]
THAT WAS TERRIFYING.
THAT DOOR IS ANNIHILATED,
COMPLETELY GONE.
Narrator: THERE'S NO DOUBT
ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD DRAMA,
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MYTH?
ALL RIGHT, GUYS.
IT IS TIME TO CALL THIS MYTH,
AND I'M GONNA POINT OUT,
BIG TOMMY DID MAKE IT
THROUGH THE DOOR ON BOTH TESTS.
YES, HE DID, BUT YOU
AND VALERIE'S TECHNIQUE
OF BRACING FROM THE DOOR
TO THE OPPOSITE WALL
WAS ACTUALLY REALLY EFFECTIVE,
AND IT ALMOST WORKED.
AND CLEARLY, IT DEPENDS
ON THE DOOR, THE FURNITURE,
AND THE SIZE OF THE ROOM.
SO WHAT I'M HEARING IS,
THIS MYTH IS PLAUSIBLE.
-PLAUSIBLE.
-PLAUSIBLE.
-I THINK IT'S PLAUSIBLE.
-YEAH, IT'S PLAUSIBLE.
-WHOA.
-THANKS, TOMMY, MAN.
-THANKS, TOMMY.
-THANK YOU.
-YOU'RE A CHAMPION.
-YOU'RE WELCOME.
Narrator:
YEP, THIS ONE'S NOT JUST
FOR THE SILVER SCREEN.
GIVEN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES
AND SOME QUICK THINKING,
A FURNITURE BARRICADE JUST
MIGHT LEAD TO A HAPPY ENDING.
♪♪
