Origin of "Well, There's Your Problem" on MythBusters

[@groofay]

I still have fond memories of the time Adam pointed at the crater where the cement mixer used to be and said "I swear, I left it right here!"

[@exeggcutertimur6091]

lmao!

[@CameronRides]

One of the best episodes, no question!

[@kaycee1076]

Damn, that episode was so good...also has to be the best use of the "well, there's your problem!" line too!

[@dmckim3174]

That scene along with the sudden disappearance of water heaters are two of my favorite things about the show.

[@jessereiter328]

Here a good one how do you keep someone from stealing your catalytic converter ?

[@kallisto9166]

You could tell when Jamie was especially pleased by an explosion. He'd smile just fractionally and emit a little "Huh." noise. This was equivalent to anyone else jumping up and down and whooping until they lost their voice.

[@AugmentedSmurf]

"Jamie like big boom."

[@Bladedcloud6159]

"Quack damn you."

[@SouthAussiemait]

So so true. Loved it and was exactly what came to mind when he started talking about explosions.

[@JonasHamill]

very Ron Swanson-esque

[@timbrwolf1121]

I seem to remember one where he stepped back and walrus smiled. Might be water heater rocket I am remembering. That one blew the roof off of jamies head

[@blakejohnson3767]

"Am I missing an eyebrow?" Will forever be my favorite line from the show!!!!

[@12799MaDeuce]

That and "quack, damn you!"

[@blakejohnson3767]

YES!!! Totally forgot about that one!!!!

[@MisterDamocles]

Don't forget "Jamie wants big boom."

[@grominwithrob1339]

I like that he runs and checks and then says he’s got a date!😂🤣😂

[@Pxsdaemon]

And of course, “I reject your reality and substitute my own!”

[@leeming1317]

When I heard about the cannon ball incident I was mortified the show would be cancelled immidietly. But when the episode aired, you were all so humble about the erroneous experiment.

[@sarcasm-83]

I can't express enough how much I respect it that they've been so candid about mistakes, as that is the very best way to say "Do not try this at home" with a legitimate example of why it's said.

[@Randyluck1]

I remember at the time of the incident that the statement was made they'd never show the footage or air the story. I wasn't proud as a fan it was said. When they did air it and took full responsibility for it I was proud of the integrity shown by everyone involved.

[@JunkyardBashSteve]

My favorite use of that joke was when you guys were removing the engine block from a car. You wrestled it with crowbars until it finally fell out the bottom and slammed on the floor and (I believe) it was Jamie who looked at it and said "well there's your problem"

[@tested]

Jamie did do the saying justice.

[@Leadvest]

Flashback to the 00s when this version of the joke would get retold at least once at every EV Conversion Shop. Too bad most of those places mysteriously caught on fire.

[@DoughnutDragon]

I remeber that. Was so nonchalantly too.

[@theodorewood5083]

@@Leadvest Yeah its a big mystery what happens to compromised lithium ion batteries... its so reliable its a recommended fire starting technique in a survival situation.

[@Leadvest]

@@theodorewood5083 They weren't using Lithium batteries in EVs back then, but true. lol

[@aarmayachandran4845]

One of my favourite moments was when they were testing various spy myths, where one was to climb up a vent using some magnet device. I remember laughing so hard when from their makeshift security office they could hear extremely loud bangs coming from the vent, and were joking about how suspicious it was

[@jaysmith1408]

“Thor, the God of thunder, is trying to enter my building” (I’ve used that many, many, times) Somewhere in the security manual calls for riddling the ductwork with bullets

[@marcussinclaire4890]

As an HVAC guy I loved that episode. 😂

[@jeffreykirkley6475]

*Banging a wooden mallet on raincoats. Stops.* "Wait...? Is that a guard...? No!" *Goes right back to banging as hard as he can.*

[@NerfMozambique]

One of my favorites was from Grant. He had the bendable aluminum ducting on his arms at right angles and was waving them up and down while yelling "WARNING, WARNING, WARNING" like a robot. Loved it as a kid.

[@jimnaden5594]

That came from the '60s TV Show Lost In Space.

[@corssecurity]

Danger Will Robinson!

[@wargamingsupernoob]

I think we all did. A natural comedian.

[@JC-11111]

I remember that! 🤣 Who wouldn't have done the exact same thing?

[@williammitchell4417]

RIP Grant🙏

[@sfcmp7005]

It's so coincidental that Adam mentioned cigarette smoke smelling bad and people not thinking it stunk. My parents used to hide smoking from us back in the late 60's and early 70's, by smoking in their room with the door shut. The funny thing was it reeked like a nightclub in there. On Saturdays we all had chores. One being vacuuming. When we vacuumed their room we opened the night stand drawer, and in their was their ashtray that looked like a volcano of cigarettes, and ashes. We would take the vacuum hose, and suck it all out. In all the years they smoked neither of them thought to ask the other if they emptied it. Finally when we moved we asked them if they knew that we knew, they hadn't quit. By this time they had quit. I'm glad we never told them we knew. I think they smoked less because of it, and maybe even quit sooner because it was so hard to hide it. At least that's what we hoped. We lost my dad last year. He was 82 yrs old. I am sure had he continued smoking we would have lost him so much sooner, so I am thankful he quit!

[@dannygreen5477]

Thanks for sharing......

[@MonkeyJedi99]

The worst part of the 'vacuum up the ashtray' is that the vacuum cleaner and then the rest of the house reek like an ashtray from then on every time you use the thing.

[@sfcmp7005]

@@MonkeyJedi99 That is probably true. As kids we never thought about that. Chances are the smell from their room masked anything the vacuum may have vented. But that is a great point. Oh, one other thing that may have helped mask it. At that time to cool main house the doors, and windows were open a lot, and we had the huge fan moving the air. We had screen doors and window screens. That was our central air.

[@batsonelectronics]

my grandfather and grandmother also smoked a ton. She died in her 70's and he died 10 years latter, at age 82 of prostate cancer. All my family on that side smoked and it stunk, but they supported me the most so I put up with it. I was adopted by my stepdad after my bio dad left before I was born. His family sucks but they all lived much longer and some still do, in their 90's. I miss my grandparents and great grandparents, they were real family and they all died way too early. I am sorry he left you so recently. Mine died 15+ years ago.

[@Musikur]

I like the fact that they didn't ever question who was emptying the ash tray! I am just old enough that I can remember the pubs here before smoking in them was banned, and it was really strange to realise that that smell I had experienced a few times as a child walking through the bar, and equated to the smell of "bar", had disappeared later on when I was in one as an older teenager

[@loopymind]

That "that's the second largest X I've ever seen" feels like such a Monkey Island™ running gag

[@Mozart1220]

That comes from the 60's show "Get Smart".

[@iwantagoodnameplease]

@@Mozart1220 Really?! I always wondered why that joke popped up in Monkey Island, but clearly wasn't "it's" gag.

[@KaladinVegapunk]

Haha I'm wondering if an RLM fan will ask him if the "reject your reality replace with my own" was intentionally taken from that goofy 80s shlock movie they saw on best of the worst with the computer programmer guy fighting Satan

[@michaelfisher9671]

@@Mozart1220bingo. It was one of Maxwell Smart’s standard lines.

[@ricebeansrockroll882]

Oh god, monkey island 💜

[@denvan3143]

I loved that in MythBusters that when you proved a myth to be false you also demonstrated what it would take for the myth to be true, so as to qualify the degree of error. Much more edifying than a simple pass/fail.

[@GrasshopperKelly]

Clown Baloon airbag was a great example.

[@jakospades7184]

I loved that Mythbusters did this

[@RedFloyd469]

That is how you can tell that at least one or a few members of the cast were aware of the scientific method, and what "falsifiability" implies. Scientific theories aren't valid because they can prove a hypothesis, they are valid because they provide standards from which one would judge their hypothesis to be false. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it's basic, fundamental, by the books science. In this case, mythbusters was trying to achieve a NEGATIVE hypothesis, so it's the other way around. They considered it not only their duty to falsify a hypothesis, but to provide standards by which the hypothesis COULD be correct. In other words: they needed to show WHEN the myth would be true, even if the myth is false by the original premises. This is how you can tell a pseudoscientific theory from a real one. Pseudoscience is built around satisfying a person's bias or emotional connection to a hypothesis, so it's built around ONLY ever showing a standard of full verifiability at all times. It's built around the idea that the subject must be shielded from all forms of criticism regarding the hypothesis' validity, and therefore all possibility of failure must be removed. Whereas science MUST show it's own failstates in order to be considered valid and academic. A famous, if overused and therefore less understood pseudoscientific fallacy is the following: -Ice giants are real -Ice giants have never been observed to be real -The reason they have never been observed to be real, is because Thor killed all the ice giants. -Therefore Ice giants were real. This is a fallacy, because you can replace "ice giants" and "thor" with any number of variables and get the same outcome. The hypothesis is no longer bound by the rules of observation, because all observation has been removed as a factor from it. In order for this hypothesis to be considered valid and scientific, one would first have to prove that Thor exists or did exist, and that thor killed all the ice giants. It's not enough to give a PLAUSIBLE hypothesis, as you can't, logically speaking, draw any TRUE conclusions from it, which is what the hypothesis aimed to do. Making it a fallacy. This doesn't mean that it's conclusively proven that ice giants were never real, it just means the hypothesis has never come up with a standard of falsifiability, in which one could point out a situation where the hypothesis WOULDN'T be true. Therefore the hypothesis "ice giants were real" has to be rejected. (This is what pseudoscientists, creationists, religious zealouts in general will harp on about as if they understand the scientific method. They claim the rejection of a hypothesis equates to having proof the hypothesis is false, and because skeptics can't definitively prove a hypothesis false, the skeptics are making an unfalsifiable claim themselves. This isn't true, and a complete misinterpretation of the method. Rejecting a hypothesis happens on the basis of finding the hypothesis unscientific, plain and simple. It could still be "true" in an abstract sense, but so long as the one making the hypothetical claim can't both PROVE it to be true AND provide falsifiability standards, it simply isn't a hypothesis one can do anything with. Zealouts will NEVER understand this, because their zealoutry already comes from emotional identification with a hypothesis, rather than a neutral, observing stance. They can NEVER accept a falsifiability standard, as it would attack their emotional instability, and existential insecurity. And they can't have that.)

[@NazarovVv]

By the way the myth about the tree cannon is super super famous in Bulgaria. The story goes that in the mid-late 19th century when Bulgaria was rebelling against the Ottoman empire which conquered it 4 centuries prior. Villagers were desperate to join the uprising so they build a cannon out of a cherry tree (these cannons are called "Cherry cannons" here) and they had a really strong man called Borimechkata (which means "a guy who wrestled a bear") to carry the cannon on his shoulder to the battlefield. So the story goes the cannon fired once and it split down the middle and while it didn't do any damage as a cannon the sound of it blowing up signaled the villagers to rise up and start fighting. So the story became incredibly popular signifying the willingness of the population to fight the oppressor with anything they had even if it was a bit desperate. As a result in various Bulgarian villages related to the uprisings, countless traditional restaurants serving dishes from the time and even in a lot of private homes as lawn decorations there are replicas of cherry cannons. There are literally thousands of cherry cannons everywhere in Bulgaria, and every time I see one I think of the Mythbusters episode.

[@doncotton3367]

"Well, there's your problem" is such a great punchline phrase and you used it well many times on the Mythbusters show. Not to take anything away from you popularizing the phrase, but it has been used to good effect by several memorable cartoonists, usually with a mechanic and customer looking down into the engine compartment of a car. The wonderful Edward Koren had a memorable cartoon using that punchline (with a toothy beast where the engine should be) and it eventually became the title of a collection of his cartoons. Although I can't find it online I could swear that Charles Addams had a cartoon showing a hamster wheel with a dead squirrel in the engine compartment. Anyway, however you came upon the tag, if you have something in common with those two legendary humorists you're doing alright.

[@spontator]

I vividly remember hearing it from James Varney as a kid. I say it every so often at work, although nobody ever understands who "Vern" is or why I'm addressing him.

[@Frommerman]

It's also the name of my favorite podcast. The premise may be summarized thus: "A trans Muslim, a lapsed Catholic, and an anarchist Jew walk into an engineering disasters podcast."

[@peterboren14]

I heard the line “well, there’s your problem” a lot in a Looney Toons animation which probably means it was a classic line from Hollywood with roots in Vaudeville.

[@KublaVeruca]

Yeah, that saying has been around a while. I remember it used in, "Mr. Mom" and I thin that was the early 80's. I'm almost positive I've heard comedians use it sarcastically as well...

[@gourdguru]

you got it. the phrase is a long running gag based on idiot customers bringing simple/obvious problems to professionals, hence why it's so often tied to mechanics during the tv era since that was the thing most people needed a professional for. nowadays it would likely be the geek squad saying it about rice in your microUSB port. but the point is, that's the basis of the joke, and it just became more funny to make the "Problem" more unlikely over time. so a mechanic saying "Well THERE'S yer PROBLEM, ya got a squirrel in yer carburator, see it ALL THE TIME..." would be a perfect example. i always like this joke pairing with the "catastrophic failure" joke, having the whole engine fall out of the car followed by "Well THERE'S yer problem... ENGINE FAILURE!" or you can show the check engine light before the punchline and Omit the "Engine failure" gag at the end.

[@ianjackson8643]

The story of the Cigarette in the toilet reminds me of a story going back to 1978, I had just finished my Trade training after joining the RAF and had arrived at my first station. as part of our orientation we had to report to the station Fire section to have a fire safety briefing, we reported to the Fireman who was giving the brief and found him stood next to a 3 inch high open topped tank of Aviation fuel that measured about 10 feet square and was filled to the absolute brim with fuel. he was calmly smoking a cigarette as he introduced himself, at his feet was a large CO2 fire extinguisher. after hus introduction he said well lets get started and threw the lit cigarette in to the tank of fuel, it of course was extinguished by the fuel as the temperature of the coal was not hot enough to ignite the fuel, he then reached for the CO2 fire extinguisher and emptied the extinguisher on to the surface of the fuel this displace enough of the fuel from the tank to allow a fuel vapour to form on the surface. when the extinguisher had been emptied he touched the plastic horn of the extinguisher against the side of the metal tank where a huge Static electric discharge that had built up as a result of using the extinguisher occurred which immediately ignited the vapour layer on the surface of the fuel. I can still picture that demonstration in my mind 43 years later. he put out his cigarette with a tank of fuel and then ignited the fuel with a fire extinguisher, that is really something that sticks in the memory

[@Sweetroll_Wolfie]

😲Holy spit! He sounds incredible.

[@jimmyfaherty8588]

cool story. myth perhaps???

[@briant7265]

That's three good lessons in one shot!

[@davidewhite69]

EXACTLY the same demonstration happened in my RAAF career which was 41 years ago, I wonder who did it first, the RAF or the RAAF. The only difference between our experiences was mine was done at the trade training base during the aircraft ground handling phase.

[@davidewhite69]

@@jimmyfaherty8588 nope, not a myth, the same demo was performed in the RAAF as well.

[@GreyLupine]

I have often used this line in posts. It is a gem. The funniest thing Jamie ever said, IMO, was in the episode when you were testing if duck quacks echoed. And he was holding a duck and it was silent. And he in his usual flat voice said, "Quack, damn you." :D

[@ArtByKarenEHaley]

Hahah I love that one

[@haydnmalyon7690]

I think my favourite "Well, there's your problem!" was the cement mixer explosion, where Adam finds a random piece of truck lying among the scrap, picks it up and says the famous line to the camera.

[@SullenSecret]

I seem to remember a steering wheel.

[@stevewalston7089]

Wasn't it a piston?

[@SullenSecret]

@@stevewalston7089 - Probably.

[@altertheworld]

As some with a "I reject your reality and substitute my own" tattoo (I know it's not original to Adam), the lines from this show were great

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

Wasn't it "... one of my own," instead, though?

[@altertheworld]

@@MaryAnnNytowl no (thank goodness or I have a wrong tattoo haha) he actually has another tested ask Adam episode about it too.

[@josephnatana5305]

From NZ 🇳🇿 Then get the tattoo girl. Yeah! 👍🤘

[@mrmatt2525able]

Well that’s awesome

[@jamespryor5967]

It's not like anybody remembers DungeonMaster, just ask SAOA Episode 11.

[@PsyKosh]

I remember in the episode you said about the "target gun" something along the lines of "I love inexplicable objects that were created for a very specific purpose"

[@Svenniewafel]

A lot of us will know "That's the second biggest ... I've ever seen" as a running gag in the Monkey Island video games. I wonder if that's where Tory has it from, or if it's older.

[@JunkyardBashSteve]

The earliest I heard it was in the old TV Get Smart from the late 60's. They used it a few times and it always got a laugh.

[@Merennulli]

It's a really common joke. I've seen it in dozens of cartoons and comedies. The oldest things I've heard it in were Get Smart as SinkSankSunk mentioned and Looney Tunes. Looney Tunes spanned from the 30s through the late 60s so I don't really know which used it first, but the gag had the feel of a much older joke even then.

[@johnbeauvais3159]

Madagascar 2, Skipper the penguin says it’s the second biggest slingshot he’s ever seen

[@nubreed13]

There's also the running gag in the hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy where everything is the third best/worst/most of anything. The third worst poetry, the third smartest species, etc

[@Dwonis]

It's the second-longest running gag I've ever known!

[@torreyance2468]

I like how Adam gets excited about telling his stories. always awesome to watch him tell them.

[@-danR]

Adam Savage is the closest person I would prefer to be if I had grown up someone else, both the profession(s) he chose (very hands on and mucking around with stuff), and his exuberant--and very articulate--manner of expressing himself.

[@bungle0h521]

please tell me that Jamie was allowed to keep the fire suit. him coming to life (being more physically animated) when ever he wore it was always a highlight.

[@MissCaraMint]

Oh man I love Jamie. His understated humour is outstanding. Yes he came alive in that suit.

[@lurkingdaemon3289]

"I kinda like it in here. It's private."

[@heathernicol3026]

When Adam Savage tells you something was terrifying, you take it SERIOUSLY.

[@DCBChump]

It would be like Colin Furze saying that some dangerous contraption sketched him out.

[@orchidtoyo]

I have a question along the line of safety. On the Mythbusters show, you always used some form of bullet proof barrier. Those panels always seemed to be pretty pristine. My question is, was there any time those barriers were hit and protected the crew from a potential "that could have been my face," moments?

[@Alex_1A]

I think there was an episode one got hit in, I don't remember which one though.

[@TheHotnfuzzy]

Yeah there was the episode where they poured thermite over ice. The whole thing just spontaneously exploded (I guess from the ice rapidly vaporizing on contact with the thermite) and a piece of ice hit the bottom of the panel they were standing behind.

[@josephnatana5305]

From NZ 🇳🇿 Alameda county bomb range, where, if you go slow mo on a specific scene.. you will see a chunk of metal/ice? come flying at your face. Ballistic shielding stopped that. Nice one TheHotnfuzzy. Thermite over ice.

[@blackc1479]

Seems like there was one related where they put barriers on top of the shields and something landed on one of them.

[@orchidtoyo]

​@@josephnatana5305 That's cool. I'm glad that they had them. Safety 1nd

[@bendaniel6245]

That feeling when I realize mythbusters was so foundational to my early childhood that I didn’t know you were where I heard this and have been saying it in fabrication work for a decade. Thanks again to you and all the cast and crew for the memories and the excellent role modeling!

[@r1dls492]

Just trawled the comments for someone just like me!!

[@Tracked_z]

Me too brother, me too

[@GinnyGibbs]

We’re watching “Exploding Steak” at the moment, and had to pause it to remember JD’s catchphrase when he appeared briefly on screen: “De-ass the area with the quickness.”

[@tobicain7816]

its weird...but watching your safety procedures improve every season and at times during a mere few episodes always fascinated me. like if you were vigilante enough you could tell the production order of episodes just through if they had more or less safety enforced. its just one of those weird intrigues i know

[@Rowgue51]

In the beginning this was a fly by the seat of your pants low budget thing that was never expected to last more than a few episodes. And the myths they were testing in the early episodes were almost all small scale stuff with little to no real danger to them. As it became popular and the network knew they were going to stick with it long term with a legitimate budget they started doing exponentially bigger and more dangerous things which necessarily meant more safety procedures and a proper safety crew to insure those procedures were followed.

[@NoriMori1992]

*vigilant

[@takeoverjupiter]

I love listening to adam talking about the mythbuster days never gets old. An incredible legacy.

[@meribor]

As soon as you started telling that last story, I immediately thought of that gun/target object, remembering that -in the episode, itself- you said it was one of your favorite things you had made for the show up to that point. Very happy to hear that it remains so. Thank you!

[@Ordinaryguy82]

This simply is just awesome, happy to say that showing my son mythbusters when he was 7yrs old was just one of the easiest and best decisions of my adult life. He’s 10 now, and he loves your show and we watch tested together, the imagination and enthusiasm that you approach every aspect of your interest of the day or your builds just ignites his imagination. Can not stress this enough, Thank you Adam and everyone that worked on mythbusters and tested.

[@KlockoFett]

Amazing. The safety protocols are still so well ingrained, Adam is keeping his finger off of a non-existent trigger on a clearly non-functional "gun".

[@jorgenflorgen8676]

Thats just good trigger discipline which all responsible gun owners have as a natural reflex.

[@KlockoFett]

@@jorgenflorgen8676 100% agreed

[@Vousie]

I see I'm not the only one who noticed that 😂

[@entropy11]

Anyone who's been around guns enough and isn't braindead does this reflexively. You can spot a gun owner by how they hold a spray bottle or hand vac.

[@bigbrowntau]

@@entropy11 Yeah exactly. We have pistol shaped scanners at work, still practice trigger discipline with that, and reflexively wince when I see people not doing so. Old habits...

[@dallasarnold8615]

In 1972 in my small town in Georgia, a week before school started back at the end of summer, three high school boys in the janitor's family cleaned the boys bathroom with gasoline. Then wanting to really spiff it up proceeded with a floor buffer. As soon as they hit the switch it ignited the huge volume of gasoline fumes still in there causing a horrific explosion killing one instantly. The other two survived with major burns over 50% of their bodies. These were classmates, though not really friends. Please be careful with gasoline and its fumes.

[@thekingoffailure9967]

At least the bathroom is sanitary

[@dallasarnold8615]

@@thekingoffailure9967 THAT is not even remotely funny. Attempting to make humor at the loss of a life.

[@pdxdonut]

My favorite line from the show is something probably nobody but me remembers. Adam: I love linear data. Jamie: I'm partial to exponential curves myself.

[@dawnmoriarty9347]

Sums them both up

[@christopherjunkins]

awesome memories. My favorite moments in Myth Busters History are the teachable moments where you had a near miss (thankfully never more than that) and learned from it and then fundamentally shifted the entire program to new and much more stringent safety measures. Thank you, all of you (Myth Busters teams) for the effort you put yourselves through to learn and improve on all accounts, including safety. We are all much better for it to this day. I myself now, if I ever have a moment where I would have to do anything SLIGHTLY dangerous or involving fire, explosives, etc... will be calling in the cavalry (first responders, fbi whatever) before EVER even getting into the rest of the planning stages.

[@j3i2i2yl7]

I love that line. There's an earlier cultural reference to "there's your problem". I remember one of the first (might have been the first) Treehouse of Terror episodes of the Simpsons in which an evil Crusty doll tree terrorized Homer, the repair tech showed up at the end and just flipped a switch on the back and said "there's your problem, it was set on Evil"

[@scottydu81]

There was an episode of Rocco’s Modern Life where his car wasn’t working. After a whole episode of working on it, Rocco noticed a switch that was set to “broken”. “Philbert, I’m not a mechanic, but perhaps we could flip this switch from broken to fixed?” “You know what, that’s just crazy enough to work!”

[@windowpain1]

It was also in the episode in which Burns goes to the doctor and gets stuck in the MRI kzbin.info/www/bejne/ep-lpaKFds2Vl5Y

[@ForOrAgainstUs]

THANK YOU. Not for reminding but for simply acknowledging it. Whenever I say it, I'm referencing the Simpsons. You nailed the episode too. Spot on.

[@cjsebes]

I've used "Well, there's yer problem!" so many times and will continue to use it. Thank you for that joke. It's timeless and priceless.

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

The cement truck explosion is still my favorite. The stunned look from everyone was truly priceless.

[@jimnaden5594]

Too bad the high speed camera failed on that one. But damn, that truck disappeared completely.

[@cariiinen]

Fascinating! The lack of safety measures in the early days of the show is terrifying. Glad they learned, but a bit surprised to hear that no one in their huge team stopped them from starting their test with the maximum amount of black powder allowed... :O

[@senditkevin]

I feel like early on it might have been a case of "you don't know what you don't know". That they might have also been inexperienced with it so they also don't know what's going to happen.

[@ArtByKarenEHaley]

The black powder overload reminded me of the exploding Oregon whale incident. I knew one of the gentlemen involved in that incident. Lovely older guy, the way he told his side of this story was great. He was just one of the crew, not involved in deciding how much explosive to use or anything like that. The original news broadcast is viewable on KZbin if you don’t mind watching a whale turn to pink mist.

[@Raphaelx88]

I remember the tree log cannon episode. When they blew it up, they had a camera right beside cannon and the explosion was so big, it didn't look real to me. It was insane. I loved mythbusters. I learned so much, much more than what I learned in school in my science classes haha.

[@rilloroc]

I come from a family where everyone was a master of some trade. Carpenters, plumbers, masons, mechanics, and on and on. They all use the there's your problem phrase in the same way and it's always been hilarious to me. Especially when they pull that card out on something really obvious

[@noelodwyer]

Did they say it before the existence of MythBusters? I feel like it's a funny thing people have been saying for a while.

[@rilloroc]

@@noelodwyer they've been saying it as long as I can remember, so at least since the 70s.

[@noelodwyer]

@@rilloroc I'm sure I've heard it in the 90s...I don't have your "experience". A funny saying...

[@MrCWoodhouse]

I want to know the “real” origin of “well, there’s your problem”. It’s certainly older than Adam. Groucho Marx? Some old movie?

[@gourdguru]

@@noelodwyer it's an old gag. likely started in vaudeville. you can find it in vintage looney tunes cartoons. it's at minimum "Three Stooges Era" old.

[@anokayraccoon21]

It's still crazy to me to think that my brother and I had been watching Mythbusters for almost the entirely of our childhood. We still hold it near and dear to our hearts.. But when in doubt, C4!!

[@lagautmd]

"Well, there's your problem..." is the punch line from an old joke told by engineering students. People are in line to be executed by guillotine in the French Revolution. There was supposedly a law that if the guillotine malfunctioned, it was considered divine intervention and you were released. The guillotine stopped a few inches above the neck of about 3 people in a row. In line to be executed next was an engineer who saw it all. He looked up at the rope, pointed to a knot that was jamming the device and said, "Well, there's your problem." In my mind, whenever Adam said that on the show, I always thought he was referring to that old joke, and I loved that!

[@klasandersson7522]

I LOVE that revolver with the target insted of a barrel, so totaly cool when you know the story/myth behind it! And as a former targetshooter it really hit home, I´m slightly biased... 😁

[@JoshuaVanAllen]

I constantly use "well, there's your problem" and "i reject your reality and substitute my own" in my job. just a great line and totally recognizable line in the engineering world!

[@aarmayachandran4845]

Haha that's amazing! I hope to go into engineering in uni and I expect to use those phrases a lot!

[@pjsteer47]

I'm from Queensland, Australia and proud to see Adam drinking Bundaberg Ginger Beer.

[@jeffacko465]

Yeah, i had to look twice, thought i seeing things,

[@annana6098]

I don't know if it was really a catchphrase or saying on the show, but I appreciated the "what *would* it take to make that happen" portion of the show that often happened. Because it's one thing to say "this doesn't have enough force to do that, so your blender/water heater/gas tank/whatever is perfectly safe" which is what manufacturers tell us all the time before their thing blows up and gets recalled. It's another thing entirely to watch a team go to great lengths to make something happen; and then to realize that it is, indeed, very difficult to make happen and gives a reasonable idea of just how unlikely it would be, and even what factors are especially important to prevent it. It's far more informative that way than just stopping at the end of a myth and saying "that's it, you were silly to believe blenders could explode!"

[@righty-o3585]

When they blew up the cement truck. HOLY SHNCNNCJ!!! I literally just stared at the TV, jaw hanging open. Because I was expecting it to blow up. What I WASN'T expecting, was for that entire truck to be completely, and thoroughly OBLITERATED and dissappear from sight. The sound it made wasn't even a BOOM. It almost sounded like a laser. And it was just........ Gone. Wasn't there anymore. Like it ceased to exist on a molecular level. Entire cement truck..

[@jimcappa6815]

That was my favorite explosion in the show. The sound was incredible!

[@peterkelley6344]

In many years of hindsight. It was like the STAR WARS Death Star had hit the cement truck with pinpoint accuracy of a Jedi Master.

[@righty-o3585]

@@peterkelley6344 lol yeah as if millions of little cement people all cried out at once, then suddenly went silent 😜

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

It wasn't just a boom, it was more like a "crrak-BOOM!"

[@DesignsbyDonBrown]

I'm glad to see you are still doing well. I used to run a worldwide gaming group. Whenever Mythbusters came on, we all stopped what we were doing and watched the show together in our own homes, while talking on over a VoIP server.. To this day We'll, there's your problem" is one of my favorite lines. I still say it once in a while.

[@mrmatt2525able]

Picture from the thumbnail: Well that looks like a piston and connecting rod out of the air compressor that was engine driven for the air brakes of the cement truck. Crazy how powerful that explosion was to dismantle that without any tools and in a split second. This show made me love mechanics. And now I’m a heavy duty mechanic 😃

[@ajolillen]

I swear, I left it _right there_!

[@DannyBeans]

I used to know a guy named Paul. He was a gruff, crusty, stoic oldtimer who'd worked with his hands all his life and pretty much ruined his body in the process. Hell of a good guy, though - he'd move heaven and earth to help a friend, and everybody was a friend. (As a digression, he built this amazing network of people all helping each other out just by hijacking one of us for a day to go do errands or fix things.) He liked "well there's your problem" a lot, but his go-to was to look at some thoroughly destroyed piece of equipment and drawl "Heat'll do that." Even when you knew it was coming, it was hysterical every time. He's been gone a few years now. I miss him.

[@forgotn42]

Jamie's explosion treasures reminded that when I was 16 or so, there was a huge thunderstorm and me, my best friend, and my younger sister were all in the living room with the curtains on the very large window open so we could watch the storm. We had all the lights off and electronics unplugged because there was a lot of lightning and it was hitting very close. Suddenly, lightning struck directly beside the house, just off to the side of the window. The entire room filled with blue-white light and everyone dove for cover as best as they could. The next day, my dad and I went out to see if we could find where the bolt hit. There was too much debris on the ground to see anything there, but we found a piece of a berry bush that had been burned by the lightning hitting it. Dad clipped it off and had it in the garage for years.

[@LatitudeSky]

Unplugging doesn't always help. Lighting hit a tree that was right next to my old house. Feet away. And right next to where power entered the house. Inside that wall was the main power box and shelves with a variety of electronic devices. Everything plugged in at all was into a UPS with surge protection. There was also a shelf a few feet away with unplugged things. So the lightning hit. About half the things plugged into surge protectors still burned. The magic smoke got out. But on the shelf of unplugged and disconnected stuff, some devices burned or took major damage. Must have been just an insane EMP effect. The tree where the lightning hit eventually died and fell on the house. Lightning is no joke.

[@cooldaddyjames2814]

Did you ever dig in the area to find the glass?

[@Eyes0penNoFear]

We had lightning strike the ground where the underground cable TV line ran. My parents still own the wooden entertainment center with the scorch marks from the VCR that blew fire out the bottom of it.

[@tommyozzy317]

I think we all love that quote because it is so relatable. Im sure most of us have come across a tradesperson or mechanic that points out something so glaringly obvious and says totally seriously “well theres your problem”.

[@needleonthevinyl]

I work in auto repair and because of Mythbusters I use that line all the time

[@tested]

Sounds like it would apply a lot!

[@cirrustate8674]

Likewise.

[@gasguzzlers8613]

I have to say that I love how genuine and happy adam is. many people try to be what they aren't, but I feel his emotions being true in his videos.

[@herpderp9774]

Hello from Bundaberg, glad to see you are enjoying our local brew! These are my favourite video's, I love hearing your perspective on all these unexpected issues from the show.

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

I have been bugged by wondering what that drink was for simply ages! This was the first time I'd seen even part of the front of the bottle, but I still never would've solved the mystery without your comment, LOL! So, thank you!

[@skbkaz]

I thought it was Bundy bottle 👍😁

[@herpderp9774]

@@MaryAnnNytowl No worries, if you get the chance to try some, there are quite a few flavours they make here but what he is drinking is Bundaberg ginger beer.

[@aznargo]

I work in IT as a sysadmin and I love throwing out "Well, there's your problem!" when we find the core of an issue. Always gets a laugh out of clients and teammates alike. Thanks Adam & crew for all the laughs and inspiration from the past, present, and future. Some Mythbusters quotes still live rent free in my head over a decade later.

[@NetAndyCz]

Safety is so often underrated, until it is too late. So important to learn from your mistakes (and preferably from the mistakes others have already made before you).

[@PaulMansfield]

A smart person learns from mistakes.. A wise person learns from the mistakes of others

[@bcarroll03]

"Well there's your Problem" is great engineering disasters podcast on KZbin. Liam can be a handful, but you learn to love them.

[@cherri_chip7257]

I clicked on this video without rlly reading the title and thought it was WTYP related lol

[@shadowofnoone9648]

Love that Adam isn't even holding a gun, just a handle and still has the trigger discipline not to put his finger on the nonexistent trigger.

[@aaronmoad6291]

I'm only just catching up and binging on Tested. But in this episode I noticed that Adam was drinking my favourite soft drink/soda Bundaberg Ginger Beer and I know that during Mythbusters that he wore Blundstone boots. As an Aussie that makes me really happy.

[@lukam.7575]

Incidentally, give a try to the podcast "Well, There's Your Problem" here on KZbin, about engineering failures.

[@geoffgreen2105]

With slides!

[@Pystro]

@@geoffgreen2105 And a "safety third" segment at the end of each episode! ...In case any of you viewers are interested to hear of more near miss incidents. They probably have the best ones from all around the world.

[@Kactus_Kris]

I cannot recommend this podcast enough

[@OutbackCatgirl]

god yes this podcast is great i would 100% reccomend anyone interested in trying it on for size

[@melshk]

Yes.

[@lessefrost]

That stand in pistol is such an elegant and simple solution to how you'd even practically recreate the force of a bullet impact. That's such a great piece from the show to remember!

[@avabethmcghee3048]

You reminded me of why I love my old mountain bike; your mention of the trauma associated with your sculpture making it a "perfect object" reminded me of when it literally tore skin from the back of my hand during an accident. Even then, I got back on that bike and kept going before the staples even came out.

[@tonymorris4335]

Prior USAF EOD here. Yea, pyros are a TOTALLY different breed from us. They like to make things fiery and big, where bomb techs like to make things go "thud" lol. C4 isn't impressive to see detonate really, but it sounds fantastic.

[@jasonsgroovemachine]

Tree Cannon was my favorite. Ya'll tried to adhere to tools of the time and I really appreciate that. And that "cannon ball" Jamie made by hand? I was mad ya'll fired that that out of there. That was a work of art.

[@MikeD56034]

i love using your " i reject your reality and substitute my own" line. its clever and witty and you would be surprised at how many people really just dont get it.

[@Tactical_Hotdog]

It's a quote from a movie.

[@MikeD56034]

@@Tactical_Hotdog didnt know that till now, but still xD. the amount of people that just cant grasp that line

[@olivergs9840]

I do love how, like me, Adam has multiple empty bottles of Bundaberg Ginger Beer on his desk. Side note, has anyone else had their spiced ginger beer? It's wonderful stuff

[@PL-fh8cz]

No... But a tall Dark & Stormy tastes better with Bundaberg Ginger Beer. About a 50:50 mix is pretty stormy. 😁😁

[@permiek]

Also love their brewed Sarsaparilla

[@robertbackhaus8911]

I miss their horehound beer. Unfortunately the machine they made it on broke, and they weren't able to replicate it on the other machinery.

[@boxyoyeah]

@@PL-fh8cz A true Dark & Stormy should be made on both Bundaberg Ginger beer and Bundaberg Rum. Brilliant stuff. Itd make a chicken fight an emu...

[@garyd5095]

I love how the title gets you interested and the video goes straight to it. Unlike other people’s titles that hide it in the video or at the end. I watch the whole video of yours because it is all fascinating and interesting, unlike most people’s videos that are only interesting for that one singular thing.

[@hydrojet7x70]

Love this channel. I miss the mythBusters but all things eventually end. Love this channel.

[@paulmcdonald2742]

I say that all the time. Dear Mr. Savage & MB gang: you were the last good show on discovery channel, and it was of great benefit to me that I was able to watch your programming during curious and formative years. You guys rock!

[@tatters6623]

Wow do I miss mythbusters. I'm a fabricator and I just loved seeing all you guys work! What expertise!

[@stevelaferney3579]

Adam, loved to hear that phrase from you. However, it was my Dad I first remember hearing it from circa 1959 at age 5. I was working on a toy and something wasn’t right so I tried to fix it, Dad leaned over, looking, and said that now famous line. I heard it off and on til 2021 & he was 97. Thanks for the reruns, man. I’ll always appreciate it.

[@esbenrasmussen4289]

I really enjoyed the procedures we saw from when you blew stuff up. It is just satisfying to see how you do insane stuff in a well tought out manner

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I actually first got interested in Mythbusters from catching the episode where Adam straps himself to a lawn chair that is attached to helium balloons and rises into the air, because it recalled a scene in one of my favorite episodes of The A-Team, where Murdock is in an asylum and gathers trash bags, a lawn chair, and (somehow!) helium, to allow him and Hannibal to escape.

[@Tsudkyk]

I used this line in the navy- but only when the problem is obvious to everyone in the room. (As if I’m the past one to realize what’s going on) It helped lighten the mood when things became stressful- thank you Adam.

[@thork6974]

My experience of "Well, there's your problem" goes back to a New Yorker cartoon by Edward Koren. A man has brought his car to the shop and the mechanic has the hood up. In place of the engine sits a small furry monster, smiling mischievously. The mechanic is the one speaking. Perhaps you were reminded of this?

[@adamnorton9595]

Yes. And the phrase, "That's the second biggest ______ I have ever seen" comes from the original Get Smart.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@adamnorton9595 I first encountered a version of that phrase in the cartoon Dave the Barbarian, where he looks at a muffin the size of a small house and proclaims, "That has got the be the third largest muffin I have ever seen!" Still cracks me and my brother up to this day.

[@Striker9]

Man Mythbusters has so much nostalgia for me. My late teens early 20s, I absolutely loved mythbusters

[@Psiberzerker]

"Well there's yer problem!" Started out an Automechanic's joke, usually when pointing out something painfully obvious.

[@tammytours9177]

The cement mixer explosion is my favorite I remember jumping when I saw it on TV. ❤

[@Thepuffingyank]

the one that stands out for me in terms of your reaction was when you blew up the water heater

[@AugmentedSmurf]

I think that one tops even the cement truck. Because they knew they were going to obliterate the truck. The amount by which that they underestimated the water heater was astounding, which is what made the reactions all that much better.

[@SouthAussiemait]

Same here. I was certain that would come up.

[@opalpersonal]

i absolutely love the big aluminum "gun" too. it's so simple and yet super iconic!

[@Gollywoggles]

Adam. You are an inspiration. Loved seeing you at brain candy here in Brisbane and love seeing the bundaberg in your videos... it is truly the greatest drink ever.

[@erika_itsumi5141]

"I reject your reality and substitute my own" was my personal favorite line from the opening intro

[@dragorphis1]

Thankyou so much for doing what you do, you , Jamie and the team from mythbusters were a massive part of my childhood and made me realise that I wanted to go into engineering.

[@dannyphinotelli2866]

Aussie here, just noticed Adam is drinking Bundaberg ginger beer!! I didn't know you could get those outside of Australia! Easily the best ginger beer on the market

[@ripgitssac-fao7524]

Had same thought. Wonder if it is a mail in gift or from a shop there

[@BeeGee1004]

No, thank YOU Adam, for allowing us to watch hours of hilarious and educational videos. I shall watch more

[@DdOutdoors.]

I’ve been saying “well there’s your problem for 20 years and I’m not gonna stop anytime soon 😂😂😂 I’ll never forget the first time I saw it on the show

[@AcmeRacing]

"Well there's your problem" is a line Jim Varney said in an ad. "That's the second biggest..." is a catchphrase from Get Smart.

[@AcmeRacing]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pobFYpmVfaupqcU

[@cammando2363]

I love these little talks and behind the scenes peeks.

[@Magmafrost13]

Every time I watch one of these videos, it makes me want to go watch all of mythbusters from the start. Which I *super* dont have time for unfortunately, because there's a god damn lot of that show

[@Ash_18037]

super dont

[@joevolpe512]

I was completely hooked on the show from episode one. With Buster sitting on that toilet, lit cigarette in hand, and track suit burning. I cried, I laughed so hard.

[@chefcc90]

"I reject your reality and substitute my own."

[@Moose92411]

Can we just pause for a moment an revel in the glory of the flatus containment module in the background for the entirety of this episode? What incredible memories these guys and gals must have after so much creative endeavor over all those years.

[@bendynamic2150]

I remember my favorite myth they tested was when they tested their own blast Shields because when they were first introduced them Jamie said something along the lines of they could stop a rifle or a bullet or some othe thing along those lines and then when they went to test it after using them years later and found out it didn't stop near what they thought it did and had to upgrade.

[@Eyes0penNoFear]

That reminds me when I was a kid we used to shoot each other with bb guns. Obviously not the smartest decision I ever made, but it was a ton of fun. Later one of my buddies was curious what would happen and he shot the eye protection we used when shooting each other. It shattered 😳

[@BalooSJ]

@@Eyes0penNoFear But did it stop the pellet, or did the pellet pass through? I figure that if the goggles break *instead* of your eye, it did its job. It's kind of how they show how bike helmets work by putting water melons in them and dropping them, and the helmet breaks but not the melon. That means it did its job (and you need a new helmet).

[@Eyes0penNoFear]

@@BalooSJ fortunately I wasn't wearing it at the time because it did indeed stop the bb, but shards of safety glasses material shattered inward and would have caused significant issues.

[@BalooSJ]

@@Eyes0penNoFear Ah. That would indeed be a problem. I figured it might have shattered "in place", like a car window does. Glad you never had to rely on those glasses, then.

[@bakedmomo5693]

"quack, damn you!" & "when in doubt, C4." are my just *SOME* of my favorites

[@777commune]

Well...Welcome to Well, There's Your Problem, a podcast about engineering disasters....with slides

[@stevenduering7155]

Tory’s bicycle accident gets me every time. I knew it was coming, and even watching the rerun, it gets as well.

[@Storyracing387]

The "Am I missing an eyebrow?" line is STILL one of my favorite lines! I saw someone wearing t-shirt that had the line on it at a comic book store. 👍

[@aomething]

Adam had sooooooooo many great lines. To this day, my son & I use many of them. "Well there's your problem" is a popular one.

[@SunDriedFetus]

That’s a crazy bong behind Adam

[@tested]

Better yet, it's a fart catcher. Because of course it is.

[@JamesChurchill3]

@@tested "Dude this weed tastes like ass"

[@peterkelley6344]

@@JamesChurchill3 LOL HROF. (non drug user here but the humor is just so ... right).

[@Nicklightning102]

@@tested your welcome for the question, but uh... it sounded like you said Dick Duckworth instead of Nick Duckworth. That or I'm hearing things

[@mollyanderson9111]

I love that so many people are telling their favorite moments. So wholesome!

[@elizaeth3107]

one of my favorites is when they were testing myths from spy movies and they were trying to climb up an air duct and jaime was using magnets and they were like the loudest things ever so adam goes "thor the god of thunder is trying to empty my building"

[@Soladrin]

Why did I think this was related to the Well there's your problem podcast somehow lmao.