Myths Busted!

Adam Savage zips past on an electric skateboard. Nearby, several cameras follow a teenager who is explaining how a domino could crush a car. A drone carrying a camera buzzes loudly in the sky. Welcome to the set of MythBusters Jr.!

This summer, I got to visit the set of MythBusters Jr. It’s the newest version of the hit television show MythBusters, which tested myths, rumors, and internet beliefs from 2003 to 2016.

Adam Savage zips along on an electric skateboard. Nearby, several cameras follow a teenager. The teen is explaining how a domino could crush a car. A drone carrying a camera buzzes in the sky. Welcome to the set of MythBusters Jr.!

This summer, I got to visit the set of MythBusters Jr. It's the newest version of the hit television show MythBusters. The show tested myths, rumors, and internet beliefs from 2003 to 2016.

Adam Savage, one of the original hosts, is back—this time with six junior scientists, all between 12 and 15 years old. Together, they use their smarts and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) to test myths and label them as “busted,” “confirmed,” or “plausible.” The show will air on the Science Channel this winter. “The kids are amazing,” says Savage. “They’re all so unique and deeply scientifically oriented.”

In each episode, the kids split into two teams. Each team tackles a different myth. They figure out how to test the myth, build the machines to test it, collect data, and run the numbers on the results. Then they prepare for the big reveal in the finale.

The day I visited, the MythBusters wanted to see if dominos could knock over increasingly larger dominoes, with the last domino being large enough to crush a car. The lineup went from a regular-sized domino that the cast named Dominic to Domino No.12, weighing more than 7,000 pounds.

Adam Savage, one of the original hosts, is back. This time six junior scientists are joining him. They're all 12 to 15 years old. The team works together to test myths. They use their smarts and STEAM-meaning science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Then they label each myth as "busted," "confirmed," or "plausible." The show will air on the Science Channel this winter. "The kids are amazing," says Savage. "They're all so unique and deeply scientifically oriented."

The kids split into two teams in each episode. Each team takes on a different myth. First they figure out how to test the myth. They build any machines they need to test it. Then they collect data and analyze the numbers. In the show's finale, they reveal the results.

The day I visited, the MythBusters were experimenting with giant dominoes. They wanted to see if dominoes could knock over increasingly larger dominoes. The last domino would be large enough to crush a car. The lineup started with a regular-sized domino that the cast nicknamed Dominic. The last one, Domino No. 12, weighed more than 7,000 pounds.

In true MythBusters fashion, this isn’t the only myth with a potentially destructive ending. This season, they also want to test whether lithium batteries crushed by a garbage truck will set the truck on fire. 

Savage doesn’t think that MythBusters Jr. is a children’s show. That’s because the kids have the same STEAM skills as Savage. They design and conduct the experiments, and do most of the data analysis. The first thing Savage told them when they met was, “We’re colleagues now.”

And these young scientists don’t think their skills in STEAM should be kept to the MythBusters Jr. set. “There’s a lot of techniques that you can use,” says Rachel Pizzolato, 14. “The different aspects all combine to create one big solution. They can solve worldwide problems!”

The team will test many myths this season. And the dominoes aren't the only test that could end in destruction. The MythBusters also want to see what happens when a garbage truck crushes lithium batteries. If one rumor is correct, it could set the truck on fire.

Savage doesn't think that MythBusters Jr. is a children's show. That's because the kids have the same STEAM skills that he does. They design and conduct the experiments themselves. They do most of the data analysis too. When the team first met, Savage told them to consider themselves his equals. The first thing he said was, "We're colleagues now."

The young scientists take the job seriously. And they think their skills can extend beyond the MythBusters Jr. set. "There's a lot of techniques that you can use," says Rachel Pizzolato, 14. "The different aspects all combine to create one big solution. They can solve worldwide problems!"