MythBusters

TUB OF BODY LATEX, $22.

TUB OF GOLD PIGMENT, $6.

WATCHING YOUR FRIEND GET NAKED, COVERED WITH GOLD PAINT,

AND THEN JOGGING UNTIL HE PASSES OUT, PRICELESS.

Narrator: COMING UP, FLYING A LAWN CHAIR BALLOON...

Jamie: OKAY, LAST CHECK BEFORE WE LET YOU GO ADAM.

Adam: ALL RIGHT.

CAN YOU FAIL A DRUG TEST AFTER EATING A BAGEL?

I THINK THIS IS GONNA CURE ME

OF MY LOVE OF POPPY SEED CAKE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

GOLD PAINT, IS IT REALLY

A GLAMOROUS WAY TO DIE?

THE RIDICULE HAPPENS.

HERE ON "MYTHBUSTERS,"

WE'RE NOT JUST GONNA RETELL THE LEGENDS,

WE'RE GONNA PUT 'EM TO THE TEST.

WE'RE PREPARED TO PUT OUR BODIES ON THE LINE.

WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST THESE GUYS?

WELL, JAMIE AND ADAM HAVE OVER 30 YEARS IN MODEL BUILDING,

ANIMATRONICS AND TOY PROTOTYPING.

THEY CAN BUILD JUST ABOUT ANYTHING,

AND PROBABLY HAVE.

THIS IS M5, MY SPECIAL EFFECTS SHOP.

COME ON IN AND HAVE A LOOK AROUND.

IF WE CAN'T FIND WHAT WE NEED HERE,

THERE'S ALWAYS ADAM'S JUNK COLLECTION.

MY CIGARETTE DISPENSER.

THE GUYS ARE BACKED BY EXPERTS IN FOLKLORE,

CRIME, MEDICINE, AND ENGINEERING.

AND THEY'LL NEED EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK.

SO WHERE DO WE BEGIN?

WHAT DO WE GOT? LET'S GO.

Adam: SO THE LAWN CHAIR BALLOON.

THIS IS THE THING THAT MADE IT ON THE INTERNET

ALL OVER THE PLACE A FEW YEARS AGO

OF THE GUY WHO SUPPOSEDLY FLEW ABOVE L.A.X. IN 1992.

LARRY WALTERS ATTACHED SOMETHING LIKE 45 WEATHER BALLOONS

TO THIS LAWN CHAIR.

HE TOOK UP BEER AND BEEF JERKY

AND HE WAS AN UNEMPLOYED TRUCK DRIVER.

AND, WHOO, HE SHOT STRAIGHT UP INTO THE AIR

AND APPARENTLY WENT UP TO ABOUT 16,000 FEET.

AND HE FLEW FOR SOMETHING LIKE 14 HOURS.

LARRY'S ONLY WAY OF DESCENDING WAS WITH A HAND-HELD B.B. GUN.

WE'RE ACTUALLY JUST GOING TO SEE

IF WE CAN ACHIEVE SOME BUOYANCY WITH 42 HELIUM BALLOONS.

I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA BRING

ALL THE PAYLOAD THAT HE DID.

HE BROUGHT THE BEER, THE SANDWICHES.

WE ARE GONNA BRING A PELLET GUN.

Narrator: THE PLAN IS TO BUILD AND FLY

THE BALLOON AS IT'S DESCRIBED IN THE MYTH.

THE GUYS THEN HAVE TO SHOW THAT THEY CAN MAKE

A CONTROLLED DESCENT BY SHOOTING OUT THE BALLOONS.

IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE LEGAL FOR US TO DO?

THE MYTH SAYS LARRY WAS FINED AFTER THE FLIGHT

SO WE WANT TO GET PERMISSION BEFORE WE TAKE TO THE SKIES.

Adam: WHOSE JURISDICTION DOES THAT FALL UNDER?

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S GONNA KNOW FASTER THAN

THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL.

WELL, I DON'T THINK

THIS IS THE F.A.A.,

BUT ON THE OFF CHANCE IT IS,

AND YOU HAVE TO DO WITH THE F.A.A. RULES AND REGULATIONS,

PLEASE CALL ME...

Man: HOW HIGH DO YOU WANT THIS GUY TO GO OFF THE BUILDING?

UH, NOT VERY HIGH.

THAT, THAT'S, WE JUST HAVE TO PROVE THE POINT.

HE WAS TRANSFERRING ME TO HIS DUTY OFFICER UPSTAIRS

WHO APPARENTLY WAS NOT ON DUTY.

AND SO THEY'LL CALL US BACK.

YOU KNOW, IT'S THE SORT OF THING WHERE YOU COULD CALL

TILL YOU'RE BLUE IN THE FACE

AND NO ONE WOULD KNOW WHO YOU SHOULD TALK TO.

AND THEN IF YOU DID IT AND THERE WAS A TRAFFIC SNARL UP

AND PEOPLE GOT PISSED OFF,

IT WOULD STILL TAKE THEM LIKE THREE WEEKS TO FIGURE OUT

WHO SHOULD PUNISH YOU.

WE GOT TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE LAWN CHAIR.

FINDING A...

YEAH.

ARE THERE ANY LAWN-CHAIR GRAVEYARDS?

NOTHING.

Narrator: HE CAN TURN SOMETHING

AS SIMPLE AS FINDING A LAWN CHAIR

INTO A MAJOR EXPEDITION.

Jamie: YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, LIKE, A $30 OR $40 ITEM HERE.

Adam: NO, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT --

YOU'RE GONNA SPEND ALL DAY LOOKING THROUGH DUMPSTERS.

I KNOW YOU LIKE LOOKING THROUGH DUMPSTERS.

I THINK WE SHOULD JUST GO OUT

AND GO TO A LAWN-AND-PATIO STORE

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

YOU KNOW, ANY OF THE LARGE DISCOUNT PLACES

THAT SELL LAWN FURNITURE, AND BUY ONE FOR $40 OR $50.

VERY NICE TABLE LEG.

UNFORTUNATELY, SEARS WOULDN'T LET US

SHOOT INSIDE THEIR BUILDING

AND THEY SEEMED TO HAVE DISCONTINUED

LARRY'S ORIGINAL CHAIR, BUT WE FOUND THIS.

IT'S ALUMINUM CONSTRUCTION, IT SEEMS PRETTY STURDY.

AND, IN FACT, IT LOOKS FAIRLY COMFORTABLE.

OH, AHH.

I CAN DEFINITELY FLY IN THIS.

WE'RE GONNA DO THESE IN BASICALLY FOUR CLUSTERS.

LIKE LARRY WALTERS DID -- THEY'LL PROBABLY BE CLOSER.

FOUR SEPARATE CLUSTERS,

EACH CLUSTER WILL BE TETHERED TO ME ON A DIFFERENT TIE POINT --

TWO SHOULDERS, TWO ON THE WAIST.

SO THAT EVEN IF ONE WHOLE CLUSTER GOES,

I FALL TO THE GROUND,

I'M GONNA WEIGH ABOUT 15 POUNDS AT THAT POINT.

LET'S GET THE CHAIR OVER HERE AND I'LL SIT IN IT

AND WE'LL TRY AND BUNGY IT TO ME.

Jamie: I DON'T KNOW.

I KIND OF THINK IT'S SORT OF SILLY.

WHAT?

THE CHAIR.

WELL, IT'S --

IT'S TO DO IT IN A CHAIR.

BUT WE DON'T HAVE AN ALUMINUM-WELDED LAWN CHAIR.

SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU DON'T ACTUALLY FEEL

LIKE YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH DOING THIS GAG?

NOT IN A CHAIR THAT I DON'T BUILD

OR A CHAIR THAT'S --

I MEAN, IT WAS FOOLISH FOR HIM

TO DO IT FROM THE CHAIR.

ALL RIGHT, YOU WANT TO TRY TO RAISE ME UP

AND SEE HOW THIS DOES?

THAT'S PRETTY UNCOMFORTABLE.

WELL, WHAT DO THE PICTURES SHOW?

Narrator: ADAM'S HARNESS IS TOO UNCOMFORTABLE.

Adam: I'D GET UP IF I COULD.

THE CHAIR IS TOO DANGEROUS.

THAT MEANS WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIND SOME OTHER WAY

OF MAKING THIS WORK.

Jamie: I HAVE A SUGGESTION, ADAM.

WE CAN TAKE OUR SQUARE STEEL TUBING

THAT WE USE A LOT AROUND HERE

AND MAKE A NICE PICTURE FRAME BOARD OR A SQUARE.

YOU KNOW, WELD IT THOROUGHLY TO WHERE YOU'RE NOT GONNA,

YOU KNOW, YOU COULD JUMP UP AND DOWN ON IT.

YOU'RE NOT GONNA COLLAPSE IT,

AND THEN JUST ANCHOR TO IT.

YOU CAN PUT FOUR EYE BOLTS INTO IT.

Adam: YEAH, I LIKE THAT IDEA.

THAT SEEMS PRETTY DARN GOOD.

AND THEN WE'LL ACTUALLY

LASH THAT TO THE CHAIR.

SO THE HARNESSES AREN'T SUPPORTING ME.

THEY'RE JUST SAFETY HARNESSES.

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT, SOMEONE WANT TO LIFT THE...

OH, GOD, MUCH BETTER THAN THE HARNESS.

THE HARNESS WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.

I'M ABOUT TO ORDER THE BALLOONS FROM SCIENCE AND SURPLUS.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED 42.

OBVIOUSLY, WE WANT SOME BACK-UPS.

I MEAN, JUST IN CASE THEY'RE NOT ALL FANTASTIC

COMING OUT OF THE PACKAGE.

THE REAL KOSHER WEATHER BALLOONS ARE 40 BUCKS APIECE --

BRAND-NEW ONES.

AND THAT'S LIKE --

10 BUCKS WAS THE ONLY PRICE I FOUND THAT WAS LOWER THAN 40.

THE MYTH SAYS THAT LARRY GOT HIS BALLOONS

FROM AN ARMY-SURPLUS STORE.

THAT MAKES THEM CHEAPER, BUT THERE'S A TRADE-OFF.

THE LATEX HAS A LIMITED SHELF LIFE.

IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF BALLOON.

SOME BALLOON HAS A SHELF LIFE OF ONE YEAR

SOME HAS TWO YEAR, SOME COULD BE FIVE, SIX YEARS.

Narrator: ADAM IS TAKING A BIG RISK.

HIS BALLOONS ARE 20 YEARS OLD.

IT'S A LOT THINNER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE.

May I help you?

YEAH, I'D LIKE TO GET A PRICE QUOTE ON SOME HELIUM.

Okay.

LIKE 42.

You have 42 of those -- to raise!?

YEAH. Good Lord.

Okay, well, I can get you --

I can get you a helium

that is like a 291 cubic feet.

RIGHT, THE T-SIZED CYLINDER.

The t-size and that would raise two of them.

GOOD LORD.

I know. And you're gonna order how many?

PROBABLY FIVE TANKS.

FIVE TANKS?

DIDN'T SHE JUST SAY ONE TANK FILLS TWO WEATHER BALLOONS?

Jamie: WE'RE GONNA BE FILLING ABOUT 45 WEATHER BALLOONS

WITH THAT HELIUM

AND ATTACHING IT TO A LAWN CHAIR AND GOING FOR A RIDE.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

YEAH. YEAH.

WE GOT THE LAWN CHAIR RIGHT HERE.

IT'S RIGHT THERE.

WE GOT ALL SORTS OF STRAPS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

WHO'S GONNA RIDE?

THE GUY IN THE ORANGE SUIT.