History YMMV / MythBusters

* {{Misblamed}}: While the [=MythBusters=] do make mistakes from time to time, complaints that they are "highly unscientific" is quite a glorification of how science works. Science is all about having a hypothesis and coming to a conclusion through testing and experimentation. As ''Webcomic/{{XKCD}}'' said, "[[http://xkcd.com/397/ Everything else is just bookkeeping]]." They are also under a time constraint to complete the testing or are given incentives to twist the results in some way (which will happen with scientists just the same, they recieve money from somewhere). Also, a big aspect of scientific research is verification and replicability, since they are the only ones doing what they are doing it means it is unlikely to be backed by any other research teams, which is not their fault.

** Seeing Jessi testing things like nitro-boosted and JATO-powered cars became this after she died trying to set a new land-speed record.

* ShockingMoments: Whenever you can get one of these guys to go "Holy Shit!" you know you got something big. Among them is the Cement Truck Explosion, the near supersonic Rocket Sled and the terminal velocity See Saw Catapult. The Rocket Sled experiment made Adam ''stay speechless for several seconds'', immersed in pure awe.

** In the first season episode about cell phones causing explosions in gas stations, the fire chief noted that the worst-case scenario for the test would be an excessively large explosion blowing out all the nearby windows. Six years later when testing Knock your Socks Off, an excessively large explosion blew out many of the windows in Esparto, California.

* BrokenBase: The “Arrow Splitting Myth” from “Killer Tissue Box” was heavily railed on by the fans for “using the wrong arrows, the wrong bow, Etc.” They eventually went back to it in season 4 in a “Myths reopened” special.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The myths that get confirmed aren't always those you'd expect. For example, one experience seemed to confirm that elephants are indeed scared of mice (or will at least go out of their way to avoid them). Adam himself was amazed by this and admitted that he knew this couldn't be possible, and yet, evidence was here. (According to Adam, they'd tested and filmed the myth while in Africa purely to make use of time that would otherwise have been wasted while they waited to be able to do the myth they'd traveled to Africa for in the first place.)

** The increasingly ridiculous excuses made by guest Creator/SethRogen in the ''[[Film/TheGreenHornet Green Hornet Special]]'' for every element of the "elevator cut" scene that the build team completely busts, in order to allow them to go on to testing the next part of the scene. It's a fairly standard [=MythBuster=] practice to HandWave or otherwise ignore busted elements of a given myth if there's still some good TV to be had out of testing the rest of it (the "Killer Washing Machine" myth is a particularly good example), but having Rogen present to argue his points to the very dubious build team doesn't come off quite the same way as the team's usual attitude of "it's already busted, but there's still a chance to blow something up so we're going to keep going anyway." Even the Build Team themselves get annoyed with his antics, and at the end of testing simply tell Rogen to shut it when he tries one last attempt to overturn the final verdict.

* {{Misblamed}}: While the [=MythBusters=] do make mistakes from time to time, complaints that they are "highly unscientific" is quite a glorification of how science works. Science is all about having a hypothesis and coming to a conclusion through testing and experimentation. As ''Webcomic/{{XKCD}}'' said, "[[http://xkcd.com/397/ Everything else is just bookkeeping]]." They are also under a time constraint to complete the testing or are given incentives to twist the results in some way (which will happen with scientists just the same, they get money from somewhere). Also, a big aspect of scientific research is verification and replicability, since they are the only ones doing what they are doing it means it is unlikely to be backed by any other research teams, which is not their fault.

** The increasingly ridiculous excuses made by guest Creator/SethRogen in the ''[[Film/TheGreenHornet Green Hornet Special]]'' for every element of the "elevator cut" scene that the build team completely busts, in order to allow them to go on to testing the next part of the scene. It's a fairly standard [=MythBuster=] practice to HandWave or otherwise ignore busted elements of a given myth if there's still some good TV to be had out of testing the rest of it (the "Killer Washing Machine" myth is a particularly good example), but having Rogen present to argue his points to the very dubious build team doesn't come off quite the same way as the team's usual attitude of "it's already busted, but there's still a chance to blow something up so we're going to keep going anyway."

* CommonKnowledge: Many people recall that Adam and Jamie hated each other, but this isn't the case. They made it clear they weren't friends, but they still had a good professional relationship. They got along well enough, they just didn't hang out outside work. At worst they were neutral to each other.

** Then there was the dragon lady "myth", which could easily be summed up as an excuse to watch Adam and Jamie go through training exercises [[spoiler: with the end goal being sending one of the myth busters to low orbiting space.]] While the end result was admittedly pretty amazing to see, many noted how this "myth" and the plot line dealing with it completely clashed with the old feeling of the show, with the "myth" feeling blatantly tagged on and only brought up at the end as an after fact.

** The cast often engage in ribbing and joking about potential lethal outcomes when testing dangerous myths. With the passing of Jessi and Grant, some of those jokes can be hard to laugh at, like the following exchange:

-->'''Kari:''' (''to the camera, while testing a car-related myth'') [[Film/TopGun I feel the need]]. [[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed The need, for speed]].

-->'''Tory:''' Hey, Grant, if, uh...you know, just...a crazy, I mean, let's hope this doesn't happen, but let's say you do go off course, and you end up crashing and dying...uh, can I have your robot?\\

** The cast often engage in ribbing and joking about potential lethal outcomes when testing dangerous myths. With the passing of Jessi and Grant, some of those jokes can be hard to rewatch, like the following exchange:

* MemeticMutation (Usually due to becoming part of the opening sequence.)

** "Quack, damn you."

*** A number of these were featured in the 25th Discovery Channel anniversary episode.

** Among Japanese fans: '''''BEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....'''''[[note]]The sound Adam used to describe the Confederate Rocket prototype firing during a test in the workshop.[[/note]]

* CriticalResearchFailure:
** While testing myths related to the MoonLandingHoax, Adam holds up an Apollo astronaut figurine and says that it's Neil Armstrong because of the figure's red commander markings. Neil Armstrong's suit never had any red markings, and looking at any picture of him would reveal its absence - Something space-buff Adam especially should have known. They were an embellishment added to commanders' suits from Apollo 13 onwards because people had trouble distinguishing the Apollo 11 and 12 astronauts on TV.
** Contextually the Needle Vs. Glass myth turned out to be a big one, with the [=MythBusters=] failing to take a lot of their usual research and investigative techniques into account. Firstly they decide to use ordinary sewing needles when even a quick glance at the video (let alone their usual frame-by-frame analysis) shows the monk is using a heavier, sturdier type of needle that would be less likely to bend or break like many of the test needles did and would have more force behind it when thrown, letting it pierce the glass easier. Secondly it appears they didn't get the input of the Shaolin monk who actually did it (something they usually try very hard to do) and the monk would later appear on several other programs to demonstrate his feat. These two simple oversights led to them busting a myth that was later confirmed by several other sources.
** When testing if an untrained passenger could land a commercial airliner, the show repeatedly cuts to clips from ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', whose plot (and the plot of ''Film/ZeroHour1957'') involves a former fighter pilot taking over, with most of the issues stemming from his PTSD and the differences between a single engine fighter and a multi-engine passenger jet. The instructor also mentions at the end he would simply tell a passenger how to operate the autopilot, which would also land automatically, which is '''exactly''' how ''Film/{{Turbulence}}'' ends.
** A number of chemists and pyrotechnicians have called foul on their attempt to cut through a car with a massive amount of thermite, citing an especially weak mixture. A few cups of properly mixed thermite will [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdCsbZf1_Ng easily melt through a car engine]].

* OlderThanTheyThink: Adam Savage's [[MemeticMutation memetic quote]] regarding [[IRejectYourReality substitution of reality]] actually comes from the film ''Film/TheDungeonmaster'' ([[IHaveManyNames with an alternate title of Ragewar]]).

* UncannyValley: The ''Series/MissionImpossible'' face masks had this problem, but still worked well enough in general to be plausible. The Adam mask was worse in this regard, since it was made over a generic head mold and therefore didn't fit Jamie's head all that well.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The cast often engage in ribbing and joking about potential lethal outcomes when testing dangerous myths. With the passing of Jessi and Grant, some of those jokes can be hard to rewatch, like the following exchange:
-->'''Tory:''' Hey, Grant, if, uh...you know, just...a crazy, I mean, let's hope this doesn't happen, but let's say you do go off course, and you end up crashing and dying...uh, can I have your robot?\\
'''Grant:''' I want the robot to be buried next to me, over.\\
'''Tory:''' I promise, we will bury the robot next to you. (Turns off walkie-talkie and turns to camera) He'll be dead! He won't know where the robot is! It's gonna be in my house![[note]]For the time being, Grant's robots are being kept in his personal shop, which Fon Davis, Grant's friend and landlord, hopes to turn into a memorial.[[/note]]