What Could Possibly Go Wrong? (Series)

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Grant: What could go wrong?
Kevin: In no particular order: death, dismemberment, burning, scalding, maiming. [smiles] Let's fire it off!

— Kevin Moore and Grant Reynolds discuss a trash can rocket.

A show on Discovery Channel where the hosts try to "out-build, out-kaboom and out-science the world's most crazy viral videos". The show is What Could Possibly Go Wrong? (the trope) in the flesh. It features hosts Kevin Moore and Grant Reynolds analyzing viral video stunts, often failures, to determine what went wrong and see if they can produce a better result by engineering and building a solution in their own garage. Moore has a PhD from Johns Hopkins, while Reynolds is a former United States Marine Corps Sniper.

This series provides examples of:

Abnormal Ammo:
- On one episode, they built a gatling gun which launched meatballs into bread bowls.
- Another episode had them building a canon to launch footballs over 85 yards.
The Alleged Car: Kevin's wife's station wagon is frequently abused.
Amusing Injuries: Suffered frequently, given the nature of the show.
- In one instance, Kevin perpetrated a Groin Attack against Grant with a tape measure.
- Grant shot Kevin in the ass with a paintball gun while they were testing paper airplanes.
Awesome, but Impractical: Almost the point of the show.
- In the jousting test, Kevin built crumple armor out of steel plated and red solo cups. It took a hit better than Grant's traditional armor, but it needed to be rebuilt every 1-3 hits.
- They built a 30' slingshot to launch Grant off a ramp and into a lake.
- A gatling gun built to launch meatballs into bread bowls was functional, but not very efficient.
Badass Bookworm: Kevin Moore has a PhD from Johns Hopkins University.
Blatant Lies: Kevin and Grant cook up a lie about how the rear tail light was smashed in Kevin's wife's car. Something about finding it that way coming out of the store, when they'd done the damage trying to drift.
Boring, but Practical:
- While building go karts to race, Grant came up with an elaborate electrical engine that fell well short of expectations. Meanwhile, Kevin's plain gasoline engine got the job done.
- When trying to design a way to stop a runaway car, they installed simple air flaps to increase drag and slow the car down. Grant remarked that it was crude, but effective.
The Bet: Kevin and Grant frequently make bets regarding the outcome of tests, usually involving food.
Couch Gag: Variants of the Don't Try This at Home message.
Grant: So whatever you do, don't try this at home. Leave it to us. The stupid guys.
Grant: Whatever you do, don't try this at home. Leave it to the professionals.
Kevin: Really?
Grant: I'm a pro at something, I just don't know what it is.
Grant: Do us a favor, don't try this stuff at home. We are [mild sarcastic tone] professionals.
Crazy-Prepared: Who needs a bulletproof beer mug?
Kevin: You know, if you are in a bar fight and they shoot at you, you want to be able to put up your mug and block it. Do you know how many people need a bulletproof mug?
Death Ray: Built a solar laser capable of melting brass.
Don't Try This at Home: As with any show like this, this warning is given frequently.
Kevin Moore: "...I know how to do science so we don't die."
Epic Fail: The attempts to stop a runaway car all failed, prompting Kevin to say that it was a problem for car companies with more resources and better technology than a couple of guys in their garage.
Follow the Leader: Two guys watching videos and trying to replicate the results for science? I've seen this somewhere before.
Groin Attack: Done by Kevin to Grant with a tape measure.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Kevin and Grant were friends for years before the show, and remain so.
Mad Bomber: Grant will take any excuse to use explosives.
MacGyvering: Kevin and Grant often have to improvise simple, quick solutions to their problems with whatever is immediately handy.
More Dakka: Anytime the solution to a problem calls for guns or explosives, Grant is all for it.
Poor Man's Substitute: Often derisively called this in regards to Mythbusters.
Proud to Be a Geek: Kevin mentions during the intro he knows how to do science and engineering to keep them from dying.
Real Men Cook:
- Kevin is proud of his cooking skills, and his meatballs are apparently really good.
- After losing one of their bets, Grant cooked the steak he owed Kevin at the test site, over the closing credits.
Secret Ingredient: Whenever mixing up potentially hazardous chemicals, they deliberately omit the ingredients.
- Kevin made the cameraman go away when he was mixing up his rocket fuel.
- Kevin's meatballs come from his "...grandmother's secret recipe."
Side Bet: On several occasions. On one of them, Kevin has a bowling competition with Grant. Kevin uses his remotely controlled bowling ball, Grant his experience. The loser has to drink a beer.. from their bowling shoe.
Stuff Blowing Up:
- When they made an indestructible cellphone case, they test if it's bomb-proof. It is.
- When building a vortex cannon, one of the prototypes blows up.
- When making a trash can rocket, Grant puts an explosive under the trash can, hoping to send it sky-high. Instead, the trash can is blown to bits.
Suspiciously Similar Song: One of the tunes used for filler music sounds a lot like AC/DC's "Highway To Hell".
Title Drop: Enough to be a Catchphrase.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?: In the title, straight example at the top of this article.
Zany Scheme: Why just get a beer from the fridge when you can make a hole in the fridge, connect tubes and use vacuum systems to suck the cans from the fridge directly to the living room?