Ask Adam Savage: How MythBusters' Crew Size Changed Over Time

How did the MythBusters camera and safety crew size change throughout the years? Who actually cleaned the location sites after each myth? Tested members Kyle Bennette and Justin Bakonyi asked Adam; here are Adam's answers (and thank you, Kyle and Justin, for your support). Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam a question:
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[@braydenjbaker]

Already subscribed 😎

[@Zack-nd8ef]

loved these viedos!

[@shaymorcormick8743]

Just joined discovery plus and enjoying early mythbusters. I was shocked to see the dates for the pilot. Can't believe that was nearly 20 years ago today. I've always wondered if it wasn't mythbusters if Adam would have still become famous. I could have seen him as one of those very early youtuber craft channels.

[@nzdobbs]

I love how Adam stops and thinks, then continues or changes/re-words his answers. People that do that really want their answers as accurate as they can be. Worth listening to.

[@willywonkaandthewarcrime4493]

I loved mythbusters it was my favorite tv show

[@geraldgrenier8132]

Delegating busy work gives an opportunity for someone new to get their foot in the door

[@tested]

That's an interesting and great way of looking at it.

[@calebrogers9977]

I think it’s also important to recognize that people have to pay their dues. By being willing to do the work nobody else wants to do, you really show your work ethic and get your name out there.

[@chasm9557]

@@calebrogers9977 That reminds me of something my grandfather used to tell me: 'if you can use a shovel or hammer, you'll always find a job somewhere.'

[@calebrogers9977]

@@chasm9557 I’ll add something to that statement. If you can shovel or hammer without complaining and keep a positive attitude, you’ll always have a job somewhere. Your grandfather sounds like a smart man. There was a quote on our refrigerator door growing up that said, “no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.” Those have become words that I have lived by, and I’m great full for it. If only more people had that view of hard work and a positive attitude, the whole world would be better off.

[@leadingseamanphilbillingto100]

I’m doing this at my current job. I’m 25 and coworkers have stopped automatically treating me like the inexperienced young fella as I’ve become fairly good at what I do. Now I’m in the position of mentoring a young 18 year old who really is being looked down upon and wont be trusted to do anything remotely skilled by the old guys. By delegating my busy work (which requires perseverance, an eye for detail and problem solving skills) he is starting to gain professional respect and most of all value around the shed. That being said, everyone still needs to put in the hard yards and learn discipline and the basics karate kid style.

[@Obakawaii]

I love how happy he is talking about his Mythbuster days. So many celebs can get tired of answering questions of things they've taken part in.

[@SadFace201]

This enthusiasm is what made Mythbusters so good and I would guess is the same reason why people are watching this KZbin series.

[@rebel4466]

I think it's always a good mix of both. Of course it probably gets old after a while, but it gave him all kinds of opportunities and knowledge... also he can pick and choose the questions here. I don't think he's quite as energetic about being asked about his relationship with "Mr. Hyneman" for the 1000th time in some interview.

[@Merennulli]

In fairness to the other celebs, a lot of them would be more happy to answer questions like this. I suspect this is a curated list of questions as nobody is asking the problematic questions "fans" often ask celebrities like fan shipping, digging into personal relationships, etc. It's also very repetitive usually. The 50,000th person asking "How did it feel to wear the Bat suit?" is going to be more frustrating than the first person to ask how the production crew handled cleanup as it grew.

[@Mengmoshu]

One of the reasons I like these videos is that they're presumably going to available almost forever, so Adam only has to answer the question once. Limiting the questions to paying fans probably helps the quality a lot too.

[@juliettaylorswift]

@@Mengmoshu at some point i plan to make a table of questions and links to answers...would love to do text answers, but a bit more of a task than want to take on and with many of the answers i think they would loose so much in text form

[@Drakken737]

The fact that after all this time you remember so many names from the crew and such truly shows the love you had and the humility for all the work you did and those around you that made it possible.

[@bluetoes591]

His recall is impressive. The details he can pull out of a story about nothing special blows me away.

[@michaelbread5906]

Some people are just blessed with really good memory. By contrast, I have very shite memory. Something I've always been jealous of.

[@mickeyfilmer5551]

Adam, I am a pensioner from the UK.I used to watch Mythbusters on TV here in the UK on Satellite tv. I am a maker as I now realise. In the day years ago , I was called a silly old git who made weird stuff. I want to thank you for Vindicating the fact that the weird stuff I sometimes spent thousands on to Patent is actually a real thing now, AND most importantly- encourage kids to do things , invent stuff and don't suffer the sh!t I had back in the 70's and told I am a nutcase.

[@mickeyfilmer5551]

PS I cannot afford to join your channel as I can barely afford to eat and heat my house now.

[@tictac311]

I love this seemingly small but thorough questions because the insights that Adam shares are always a delight to listen to.

[@armstrongturbo]

I’m actually kinda surprised by the size of the crew in the thumbnail. I’d thought there would be a lot more people.

[@asmosisyup2557]

02:30 that sounds like .... normal manager office practices. "we noticed you can get X done on Y budget, so we're gonna keep taking 10% off your budget each quarter till you either fail to keep in budget, or have a heart attack trying to do so" I wish i was joking.

[@kacperko7624]

Mythbusters was my favourite TV show since kid. Thank you for beautiful childhood

[@ctjh423]

I always like the quote "If I do what someone else can do. then I can't do what only I can do." Others can clean but only Adam could do the hosting duties.

[@alexandrezani]

I think that's true. But something to keep in mind is that if you are willing to show that you're not above doing some of the shit work that usually gets delegated, the people you delegate to will respect that and do a better job themselves. I've noticed it as the junior guy who does most of the shit work and the more senior guy who assigns it.

[@pedrolopez4555]

I feel like everyone has this attitude and it just leads to the guy at the bottom to get shit on. Honestly my biggest pet peeve with industry.

[@ctjh423]

@@alexandrezani I agree. Leaders need to be willing to do what needs to be done. If doing that keeps them from doing what only they can do, then they are not being responsible. As a leader, I have enjoyed getting in the trenches and doing anything I can do to help.

[@CarboniteDreamer]

they gave people employment to clean up after them. nothing wrong with that. not super glamorous but fulfilling none the less. when i was homeless those busy work jobs made my day. they were always temp jobs but hey i didn't starve.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

It's sick that wealthy countries such as USA and Canada allow even one person to be poor, homeless, or near-starving.

[@DanielleWhite]

I learned that lesson about having great working relationships in that way in my teens. I was a dairy farm kid and we made a point to build such relationships with the various businesses with which we worked. On occasion it meant things like we could call machinery dealer at 6:00 p.m. on a Saturday because our corn planter had just broken down and we knew what part we needed and the owner tore apart a new machine to get the part we need because he didn't have it in stock and had it in a box by the door waiting for us to pick up Sunday morning so that we didn't have to lose a day or more of planting.

[@milknhoneyhoney]

That intimacy within the crew is something that really came through in the early seasons, at least to me, and was very charming and endearing and made me absolutely love the show even more.

[@MxMe-su1ch]

What you're hearing about television shows shrinking the budget season by season is true. Most shows have diminishing viewership year by year, so they starve the budget accordingly. Of course, the lower budget leads to lower quality, which drives viewership down, and it creates a self perpetuating cycle.

[@bschir]

I also know shows that do very well (get better viewership over seasons) and the money is never seen by the crew. It all goes to the production house owners and the executives...maybe talent gets bonuses. They see the show as a 'cash cow' and don't change a thing for the people making it, just quietly take the money.

[@CraigHarrison]

I think this is "one of those getting older" things... but when you said "2002, nearly 20 years ago" my brain short-circuited. The feeling that 2002 was "just the other day", along with the memory of the younger Adam Savage didn't compute! Then some sensible thought process took over, and context, and I realised that I also looked much younger when I was 24 in 2002! That really doesn't properly describe the tremendously brief mental journey, but I was so transported and the snap-back so jarring, that I had to try and share.

[@ElectroDFW]

I will adamantly defend my belief that the 1980s were *also* 20 years ago as well, and like George McFly said, "not you, or anyone else on this planet can make me change my mind." 😆

[@foxriver9156]

The level of trust, reliability, and responsibility is a lot of what we saw shining through the screen from Mythbusters. It’s what we see shining from Adam to this day.

[@aikumaDK]

"Embrace the suck" If Adam's still on a quest against gatekeeping in the maker community, this line should be on a banner For new people, it can make difference I think, that the community is supportive even if the "product" isn't well-made, because it'll be a stepping-stone towards making better stuff.

[@Kaznil46]

Reminds me of that other quote? “Sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something”

[@TheSkipinatorVids]

Your comment about the pilot and the final show format reminds me of radio interview Dana Gould (Conan, Simpsons) did in San Francisco in the 90's. He commented on how very strange pitching shows to TV executives is. I have to paraphrase since I can't remember what I had for breakfast let alone a single line from a radio show in a different century. But the basic gist was: "You walk into the office with a script for 'My Dad the Sheriff' and you walk out with a contract for 'Space Chimp'"

[@chocolate_squiggle]

Wow, that sounds just like the premise of that TV show called Episodes. I thought it was wildly exaggerated for comedic purposes but maybe not!

[@CowboyJuice]

"I understand capitalism, but for crying out loud" I felt that at an emotional level

[@jeric_synergy8581]

Capitalism is a meat grinder: you must do all you can to resist its dehumanization. It's a tool, not a god.

[@saxdrummerjp]

I got nostalgic and unexpectedly emotional seeing the thumbnail. Dang. Thanks for the uploads Adam

[@derekpink]

Love all the little tidbits you get from these Q&As. Adam has so much useful information and so many interesting experiences and he’s great at conveying them. I suspected the newer practice of 2nd season onward budget cutting when I watched Yellowstone and noticed they weren’t using the chopper beyond the first season. Seems like greedy studios saying “we’ve got the audience hooked now, so we don’t need to waste money trying to impress them anymore”.

[@thefack149]

Thanks for calling out your behind the scenes help. I love hearing my fellow shadow dwellers getting name dropped 💚💚💚

[@alanletterman]

5:40 - embrace the suck and swim thru it. Applies to many things, not just TV show editing.

[@mattordiway1955]

Learning ANY skill for sure. Gotta learn to love the beginner's mind.

[@GusGoosegrease]

This needs to be a t-shirt.

[@56Spookdog]

I remember the early days a couple of on air crew would bring things to the shop I worked in to get things serviced, it didn’t take to long for before interns were coming in.

[@alex-stafford]

The greatest thing one of my mentors told me, "If you enjoy the first cut of an edit, something is very wrong".

[@themagiccoasterlover]

As somebody who works on feature films, we are used to 200 person crews, easy. I couldn't imagine working on something with such a small crew. Must have been an awesome experience.

[@joebond5012]

An enjoyable post, with good answers to good questions. I can’t believe Mythbusters started so long ago. A much missed TV show, thanks for the memories.

[@ryanf6157]

I really enjoyed this video. There are some great lessons to be learned as you strolled down memory lane. Thanks so much for sharing Adam ^^

[@jeffreymore6799]

Could you imagine being on the clean up of the giant Rubber Band Ball. That crew had to be stretched out.

[@migueljaen8817]

Love this guy. The passion he has for everything he does is admirable. And the way he conveys his stories is second to none.

[@johnbuettner3885]

Adam! On Mythbusters, especially the beginning, who actually decided which myths to bust? Thanks and keep up the great work!

[@kyleb5450]

My second question answered! So cool. Thank you again Tested team and Adam!

[@lyianx]

Haha no sweat. Sweeping isnt the best use of your time. When it could be better used making something, or filming something, just in general making more content. But its also important that you've actually Done that job before so you have respect for those who you assign that work to. So its all good :)

[@TheMastercyric]

I am wondering, since you had small crew, would you have other member of the team try some myth between or after the shot. I'm thinking about swimming in syrup or the giant slide aiming for the hoop or any myth that would be once in a life time experience but easily shared with the team. Thank you Francois Prenevost

[@peteluis2849]

Adam I would love to see the blueprint intro on Tested like you used to do on Mythbusters, not every episode but once in a while would be great, thanks for all the great memories and for still creating new ones!

[@nigeldancy]

i think i can speak for lots of us fans of the show ...mythbusters left a massive hole in our lifes when it ended ....would be amazing to see a Reunion show with all you guys for one last hurrah

[@kristmadsen]

Where's the distracted moment of silence this time? Haha

[@AmericanHothead]

It was implied. For Grant; the smallest mythbuster of all.

[@chrisbrowning360]

Right? It's weird when it's not there >

[@stevekendra8983]

I consider myself lucky to have seen you and Jamie at Northern Michigan University in what was it '09 /'10. My memory isn't what it was, but sitting in Vandament Arena listening to stories about the show is a memory I will not forget.

[@pijnto]

Cleaning up nothing wrong with having some one clean for you, I think we would all do that if we had the wherewithal

[@DaveDaveson]

Production Manager is not a glamour role, but dear god do they make or break a production. A good PM team (the production coordinators and production secretaries are included there too) frees up so much mental load for the producers to get the stuff on camera without worry about all the other bits that a successful production is impossible without them. Everyone talks about the producers, the show runners, the on screen talent and camera teams but none of them could do their job without the PM squad. PM's should get more love.

[@CharlesHepburn2]

This guy impresses me both with his knowledge and his character/humility. Tip of the hat, sir!

[@charlie9ine]

100% accurate about the journey of a project. In my experience everything is just fragments that need to be sewn together by miles of threads.

[@uh60rider2000]

I just discovered your channels and I didn't realize how much I miss watching Mythbusters. Keep up the videos because you are a legend in my eyes...just outstuckinfanding!

[@oneheadlight8000]

The only thing more irritating than having some of your budget cut for a second season is seeing the government budget increased every year and with little to no results.

[@WIImotionmasher]

I do wonder Adam is in the unique position of both having produced television, and now has produced full time youtube content (I only started watching in fall 2019 so Im a bit out of the Tested loop) I'd like to know the comparisons and contrasts between the two. Like I imagine number of minutes of work vs minutes of content produced is a wildly different ratio. And I imagine there are a lot of crew and production members lacking in KZbin production. etc.. Hopefully someone asks about that.

[@boondogglet132]

when he was talking about delegating tasks, its not an easy transition to step into that delegating role. especially for people who are so used to doing for themselves. .... i know in my experience, i can spend 10 minutes explaining what someone needs to do then 10 minutes "back eyeing" them making sure its done to specification.....or i can spend 5 minutes and just do it myself. learning to delegate and trust a crew/person to do the task you asked for is not as simple as it seems.

[@SOLIDSNAKE.]

Mythbusters was alot of our childhoods good times! 😭 WE LOVE YOU ADAM!

[@lordhostile]

Speaking of crew, Are you going to be involved with Tori's new Mythbusters show? I know you have a love for cars so that would be cool!

[@dont155]

Adam just makes you feel like he's a personal friend of yours, even if you've never met him. 😁

[@markkayser6705]

I worked nights with another guy keeping 7 machines running. I had never done anything like that before. I was told, "If something breaks, you have 8 hours to fix it." More often then not, I learned how to fix it. Sometimes it meant asking the machinists in the morning how to do something but it was a great learning experience. Management was a bunch of liars and the pay was terrible but I got in the door.

[@einstein0808]

Thank you for bringing the science and cool experiments in my chilhood. Loved the show!!

[@theunwelcome]

if I had been on the Lego ball cleanup crew, there would have been a lot of missing pieces after XD

[@Thomahawk1234]

So are you bad at cleaning or good at stealing? ;)

[@mf--]

@@Thomahawk1234 so good at cleaning that they can't find it again

[@MrM0U53]

I am very pleased that apart from the great content, the video is also exactly 13:37 long. Thank you.

[@JB-vt5sz]

I remember watching myth busters in awe because I didn’t understand the “magic” of TV at the time 😂

[@strawberrylemonadelioness]

I like how close knit the team always felt

[@shannahmiller]

Great questions, and also a great answer. It totally makes sense to me that as time went on, the hosts would focus more on "hostly" things, and get help for some of the other work that needed to be done, but not necessarily by the hosts.

[@SpookyDoc95]

"Almost 20 years ago..." dang...that hurt lol

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Autumn 2002 ....

[@jordonfreeman166]

I think, just speculating here, that the reason for budget cuts in the 2nd season is to be more creative with the smaller amount of money they’re given.

[@louishoey]

this was a great insight thank u Adam 👍🏼.

[@1xayekim]

If I were to take a guess at why shows get cheaper the next year after a succesful first season is there is so much wheeling and dealing going on right now between networks and subscription services that networks are probably looking at trying to sell those successes versus expand on them. The shows that clearly have a large budget are shows the network is investing in and keeping as a flagship but minimal to lower budget shows they are probably thinking Netflix / Hulu deals down the road versus the actual success of the show for themselves.

[@EricEstesEleutherian]

You're the man Adam! I hope there's an alternate universe somewhere where we're friends ^_^

[@JacobAldridge]

I do appreciate the "wear your mask a little longer." I know people get upset about it, but we are so close.

[@Merennulli]

100% agreed. It's so frustrating to see politicians reopening schools, workplaces going back to in person, and 90% of people not wearing their masks when vaccination is barely over 30%.

[@JacobAldridge]

@@Merennulli right. I'll listen to the CDC on this one. They just might know something.

[@airybrook]

You never reach the goal when the line is continually moved.

[@Merennulli]

@@airybrook The line hasn't moved. People not wearing masks, not quarantining, reopening schools early, and holding massive events carried the ball away from the goal.

[@airybrook]

@@Merennulli 2 weeks....over a year ago. When there is a vaccine...still ongoing. You can do what you want, so I can do what I want. Hide for the rest of your life. I will not.

[@swandonovan]

Really off topic, but glad to see you finally got an arbor press

[@garrywaters7190]

i read somewhere that when pat and vanna from wheel of fortune visit other places they have a crew of over 100.

[@pedersenist]

It probably also helps that Jamie and Adam doesn't see them self as TV Stars and are practical.

[@krownixian]

Mythbusters was easily the best TV Show of the millennium

[@johnm840]

Adam , it would have great to have you on Junkyard Wars. Right in your wheel house.

[@TheSickOne]

R.I.P. Grant

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

I liked how he threw in the remark about "keep wearing your masks". .

[@brian-t-]

You mentioned in a previous episode; that you could move the shop, in 5 hours.... I find that a bit optimistik! I notice you have a new milling machine. Including, set ups, and making a pathway; how long did it take you to change out the milling machine??

[@just_eirik]

Hope this is not rude or bad to say, but I think I like Tested more now than I did before the virus. Adam outputs so much content and there is less content from the others. Look, other people, you're great! But personally I prefer the videos of Adam just making stuff. Its not you being bad, its me having a preference, if that makes sense.

[@LatitudeSky]

TV always wants to spend the least possible to get the result they want. So if you can make a hit show for five dollars, what can you do with four dollars? If the delta between the results of four vs five is less than the delta between the revenue coming back... Well. There you go. And the other thing TV will do whenever possible is make as few new episodes as possible. Scooby Doo was on for almost 30 years but they only ever actually made two seasons worth of material and the rest was reruns, and pure profit. Then they took those reruns and recut them to fit more ads. So even though the show made money originally and made money in reruns, they still squeezed it for more. Nothing In TV has changed since then except the names of the companies making it and presenting it to the public.

[@Juggale]

"Almost 20 years ago now" Adam... Do you want to feel old? Because that comment had to make you feel old. I FEEL OLD FROM THAT COMMENT!... God, it's been that long.

[@Merennulli]

Yeah, it creeps up on you. I hate finding things I remember mentioned in history books.

[@Creationweek]

Curious what adam thinks of right to repair bill initiatives or if he ever thought about it

[@fillyg89]

Been re watching it on prime lots of lock down binge watching

[@jfirebaugh]

Adam, What did you (and Jamie) have to do to keep Mythbusters from becoming a reality show with all the synthetic drama? Was it a struggle to keep the producers from "dumbing-down" the show too much?

[@patheddles4004]

They got rid of at least one producer who was instigating drama in the early seasons, and then Adam and Jamie became executive producers themselves in later seasons. (I'm not Adam ofc, just pulling together a partial answer from stuff that he and/or Jamie have said over the years)

[@joemedley195]

“Embrace the suck.” LOL

[@aarongall9191]

Alright, you've proved you can do it. Now prove you can do it with less money! If you have passion and loyalty you'll succeed!

[@maeharmonic1145]

Omg i love this so much!!! I grew up watching myth busters its what made me fall in love with science!

[@brianwaskow5910]

Benette and Baconni didn't they design some of the early Ferraris.

[@MrAgentEcho]

It’s nice seeing grant in the thumbnail. RIP.

[@user_i9]

I need a Tested Patron to ask if they ever found Jamie's hand made granite cannonball. Please and thank you.

[@Yora21]

Nothing wrong with not taking part in the cleaning up when you're busy doing other work instead.

[@vincentmiller420]

Thanks! 🙃

[@brettcolby9028]

I wish you an Jamie an the cast Tory and Kari Scotty could do a movie of Mythbusters I would definitely go and watch it an buy the DVD miss watching all of you’s keep watching the re runs of the show . with respect rip Grant 😥

[@lawrencetate1329]

It's good to be king, Adam!

[@EthosAtheos]

Is it just me or is Adam aging into being a muppet character? That hair!

[@catfish552]

The transformation to insane professor is well under way!

[@MH-wz1rb]

No need for an excuse, early on in a show, the hosts clean so everything goes smoothly, not above that work. But after a couple seasons, the limit has been reached, the debt paid, and space left for new people to get involved. The cumulative cleaning contribution of a gracious television host tapers off over many seasons.

[@nagasako7]

If entertainment industry is in race to the bottom, talent will leave

[@philgraefe89]

13:37 - i see what you did there ;)

[@PimpDaddyDisco]

I guess "Jude Paul's amazing wife" wasn't amazing enough to remember her name.

[@richricherrichestthefirst]

It hurts me every time when I saw his picture.

[@simmysims9209]

1st season is my favorite 🤘

[@kenreynolds1000]

No excuse needed. If the host exhausts/injures himself cleaning up, the company suffers. There are plenty of cleaning crews who need the work. Good business practice.

[@rocktoonzz]

Are you involved at all with Tory's new Motor Mythbusters show over on MotorTrend?

[@tested]

No, Adam is not involved.

[@dantran4296]

My mom always taught me to always clean after myself

[@berryreading4809]

Well with the exception of one small bowling ball 😁

[@gallerytwentyeight]

What IS that molecule on his desk?????

[@DrMcCoy007]

Question for Adam -- I know you have done a couple shop tours. I am still curious though about the door in the back ground to the right of the table saws. Is that just an emergency exit?

[@chiguireespacialespecial]

Best Breakfast Lunch and Dinner!?