Original subtitles

On this episode of "Mythbusters"...

See anything?

Zombies, the undead...

...Roaming the earth hunting for brains...

They found us again.

...Long thought of as fictional.

It's you and your damn cigars.

Well, it sure ain't your brains.

Well, they are fictional.

That doesn't mean we can't test with them, though.

Welcome to the "Mythbusters Zombie Special."

Say it with me, "Brains!"

Say it with me, "Brains."

Brains. There you go.

The day of the dead has dawned.

Ah!

Assembled for the apocalypse

And joined by "The Walking Dead's"

Master of mayhem, Michael Rooker...

I hate zombies.

...The team tackles a trio of survival tall tales.

Rule number one -- ugh, aim for the head.

First, when faced with the army of darkness,

Does the axe... Actually outgun the gun?

Groovy.

Then, how exactly does an undead horde

Heave down a door?

We're coming for you, old man.

And finally, can walkers really outpace

The human race?

You do run faster when zombies are chasing you.

Who are the Mythbusters?

Adam Savage...

70% chance of science.

...And Jamie Hyneman.

Are you done screwing around?

Between them, more than 30 years of special-effects experience.

Together with Tory Belleci...

Let's chop this car up!

...Grant Imahara...

Something just touched me!

...And Kari Byron.

This should be fun.

They don't just tell the myths.

They put them to the test.

-- Captions by Vitac -- www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by Discovery Communications

Stand by for some facts with your fiction.

It's "Mythbusters" versus zombies.

What's up first?

Well, let me ask you.

If you were surrounded by a zombie horde

And you could choose only one weapon,

What would you choose -- the gun or axe?

The gun. Right.

Most people would, but there's a myth

That the axe is in fact the better tool.

Really? Yeah. So what do you say?

You take the gun, I take the axe.

Let's go find some zombies.

Zombies are fictional. Right.

Let's go find 100 people willing to dress as zombies.

Okay.

How hard could that be?

As it turns out, not hard at all.

"Mythbusters" fans love getting dressed up.

Now, how exactly are Adam and Jamie

Going to test the weapons' lethal efficiency

Without actually hurting anybody?

As it's Jamie's weapon of choice is a gun

And the only fictional way to kill a fictional zombie

Is with a headshot...

...We're going to need to shoot our zombie volunteers

In the face,

Which means we're going to have to protect the faces

Of our zombie volunteers.

The answer is plastic face protectors...

I think this is going to work.

...And paintball guns.

This is going to make my day.

Yep.

It's "shooting Adam in the face" day.

Bull's-eye!

Jamie hit me dead between the eyes

While I was wearing my zombie mask,

And I didn't feel a thing,

Which is exactly what I want our volunteers to be feeling.

So, now, the prototype works.

It's time to mass-manufacture at least 100 of these.

All of this work just so that Jamie Hyneman

Can shoot strangers in the face for science!

Next, Adam turns to the myth-preferred method

For wasting walkers.

Now, I'm quite sure you all agree with me

That the weapon I've chosen for killing zombies, the axe,

Is far superior to the gun.

But since zombies don't actually exist

And I won't be able to drive an actual axe

Through their ever-loving undead skulls,

I'm going to have to come up with a safe way

For killing our zombies.

Cue Adam's clever cushioned cleaver.

It'll leave a safe, green paint splatter

For every zombie brain splattered.

Aw. This is awesome.

The paintball paint that I put in the compartment last night

Has beautifully seeped through the foam.

Let's see what kind of mark it makes.

That is the mark of one dead zombie,

Except that they're already dead.

Let's just call them inactive zombies.

Let's get to testing!

And so, with weapons at the ready...

You'll like this place.

It's nice and creepy.

...The team assembles at the perfect location

For a spot of zombie annihilation.

For testing the most efficacious method for dispatching a zombie,

A gun or an axe,

We've come to one of our all-time favorite locations.

It's not only a big enough space for us to really see

And understand what's going on, it's suitably post-apocalyptic.

I feel like I'm being chased by a crawling zombie.

Yeah!

Brains!

If I was hiding out from zombies,

This is exactly the kind of citadel I would seek out.

Zombies!

That's the arena.

Now, how will it be used?

The methodology here is pretty straightforward.

I'll be standing in the middle of a 30-foot-diameter circle

That is the human zone.

Whoa!

The zombies will be dotted around the building

In their green zombie zone.

Now, when we give the signal,

They will start their zombie shuffle

Towards the line of demarcation. Come on!

Now, we can't engage them until they reach that orange line,

But once they do...

they're all ours.

I don't expect to make it through all 100 zombies.

The question is how far will I get.

Brains.

And the rules will be the same for me,

Except I'm going to be packing a gun.

Bang.

Brains!

That's the rules and regulations,

But how about the test subjects?

Now, let's be honest -- zombies are fictional,

Which means every way of dealing with them is also fictional.

As for how to dispatch them, we thought we needed an expert,

So where better to go than the one and only Michael Rooker,

A.K.A. Merle Dixon from "The Walking Dead."

He is going to show Jamie some of his preferred methodologies

For dispatching the undead.

Michael, any advice on taking out zombies?

Well, I noticed you have

A couple of handy-dandy weapons here.

Well, all we need now is a zombie, I guess, huh?

Well, we got plenty of those.

Cue the undead man walking.

I see. Well, thank you.

If they're approaching, you just pop them in the knee.

Bang!

If they're still approaching...

Pop them in the other knee.

Bang!

Of course, they are kind of hungry...

And they're a little -- okay.

Usually I grab them and hold them down like that,

And I pop them in the head.

Bang!

Nice.

Phew! That's one down.

But to test which weapon is the most efficient

To deal with zombies en masse, we need a horde.

That is an awesome view.

And for experimental accuracy,

They need to know exactly how to move.

Good morning, zombies.

Morning!

Oh, no, no, no, no.

Like zombies! Good morning, zombies.

You might recognize this gentleman to my right,

Michael Rooker from "The Walking Dead."

Now, Michael is going to give you guys a lesson

In the zombie shuffle.

Using all his "Walking Dead" experience,

Michael coaches the volunteers on zombie behavior --

An unintelligent, slow shuffle towards food...

Much better.

...With a unique twist.

That's good. Cut.

Okay. Very good. You're scary.

And everybody, you got to develop your own walk.

He's an individual zombie, you're all individual zombies.

You're not cookie-cutter zombies.

Develop your own deal.

With the demonstration complete, school's out...

All right, commence zombie shuffle now!

...And the terror begins.

That is positively terrifying.

Yeah!

I'm happy they're not trying to eat me right now.

Me, too.

And with the horrifyingly realistic horde assembled...

Listen to that sound.

...It's time to get down to experimental business.

All right.

Zombies, are you ready?

Adam, are you ready?

I'm ready, sir!

All right.

Three, two, one.

Ah!

Ah!

Ah!

Ah!

Gah! Dead!

Dead!

Dead! Dead!

Ah! I've been killed.

You're zombie meat, brother.

I don't think I killed more than 20.

I'll count.

One, two, three, four, five...

11, 12, 13.

13. That's it?

That's not many.

Ah!

Even though I only killed 13 in that test,

I'm still feeling really good about the axe

As the weapon of choice.

Dead! Dead!

I just feel that I can reload

Faster than Jamie will be able to with a gun.

Ah! I've been killed.

Just to make sure that that test was accurate,

I'm going to have the zombies brought out again.

I'm going to try a second time

So we can average my results across both tests.

All right.

Zombies attack in three, two, one.

Will Adam be able to use his knowledge from test one

To improve his zombie count?

He's a blur of action,

Holding off his creeping, moaning and shuffling attackers

As long as he can.

But, as before, by sheer weight of numbers,

The encroaching slow-motion zombie tsunami

Overwhelms our axe-wielding hero.

Adam:

I think I got further this time.

I think I killed more.

He did, but just barely.

I got 15.

I got 15, as well.

15 it is.

Which is an average kill count of 14

And good, consistent data.

But will it outgun the gun?

Up next is the Hyneman.

I just want to get warmed up.

And he means business --

Zombie-killing business.

Groovy.

Coming up on "Mythbusters,"

We see if you can outrun a horde of zombies.

Up next, can The Walking Dead

Really catch the running living?

In every zombie movie, there is that scene

Where the horde descends on somebody

And just tears them to shreds.

And that is the myth that we are going to be testing.

Can you escape the zombie horde?

Okay, this is one thing that I've always wondered about

Because traditionally,

Don't they just shuffle at like two miles an hour?

And it feels like you can just outrun them.

Well, yeah, sure.

Maybe you could outrun one or two no problem,

But what zombie apocalypse only has a couple zombies?

Okay, I see what you're saying.

It's a numbers game, and that's what we're testing.

Exactly.

This is going to be the best myth ever.

The zombie horde has their undead eyes

On the living prize.

But, despite shuffling at the speed at a decomposing corpse,

The result is somehow inevitable.

The unarmed, fleet-footed humans always get caught,

And it's a brain buffet.

How do you guys want to test this myth?

All right, well, let's set up an area,

Say, the size of a football field,

And then get a zombie horde.

We'll see if we could run through it and escape them.

All right, well, that means we need some zombies,

And we need to figure out how they're supposed to behave.

Well, I know the perfect person who's an expert on zombies.

He could tell us what they can and can't do,

And he'll help us set up the parameters for our myth.

Sounds good.

So, the team will stage the apocalyptic olympics.

It's humans versus the horde in a race for survival.

But, first up, Tory's meeting one of his hollywood heroes,

Legend of the undead greg nicotero.

In order for us to test these zombie myths accurately,

We need to get some more information.

So, we're here at knb studios, a special-effects house.

They are responsible for pretty much every zombie

You've ever seen in any horror movie,

Not to mention the show "Walking Dead."

So, we're going to go talk to greg nicotero right now,

Who is pretty much the king of zombies,

And get a little bit more information.

We need some zombie data to test our myth.

We just need to know a little bit more about zombies

And what they can and can't do.

We used the scene in "Night of Living Dead"

In the cemetery as our sort of holy grail for zombie movement.

They're not very quick.

They're attracted to sound.

I think sometimes they're attracted to light or dark.

I don't think they're very smart.

Generally speaking, you just got to make sure

That you don't get overrun by too many of them.

So, armed with the experimental

Rules of engagement...

All right, zombie apocalypse.

We're almost there.

...The team assembles at apocalypse ground zero.

Need my zombie-killing hat.

We are here at the alameda runway

To test the myth that you can't outrun a zombie horde.

Now, the way we're going to test this

Is we're going to create a part of a city

That has been overrun by the zombie apocalypse.

Now all we need is a zombie horde.

So we have 150 volunteers for our zombie horde.

Oh, my God!

Here comes the horde.

Now, for us, that is the perfect number

Because in our designated area, all of those volunteers

Represent a population density of manhattan.

That's 90,000 people per square mile.

We're going to scatter them around the field

And try and run from one end to the other.

We'll be wearing these mini brains on our backs.

If they manage to grab one of these,

That means that we haven't escaped the horde.

It means that we've been eaten.

So, now, it's time to bring on the zombies.

This is freaking me out.

I don't like this at all.

Wow.

This is terrifying.

Well, they asked for a zombie horde.

Now, some ground rules.

Welcome, zombie horde!

Rule number one -- zombies can only move at a slow shuffle.

Rule number two -- your brains are infected,

So you have no rational thought.

Rule number three -- this is your target.

Brains!

Let the brains begin!

With a code of conduct

Established for consistent data...

I don't want to do this anymore.

...The animated deceased

Disperse randomly over the experimental space...

...A field of play 100 yards long

And 55 yards wide that our humans have to cross

While keeping their brains intact.

And first up to race for the human race is Kari.

I have to say, I'm kind of nervous.

First of all, that girl right there

Looks like she's actually going to eat me.

I don't know if I'm going to make it through.

It looked a lot easier before the zombies showed up.

All right. Let's go.

So with Grant and Tory observing

From a safe, overhead distance, let the games begin.

There she goes.

At the heart of this brain game are the numbers.

It's one human versus a zombie horde of 150.

Ah! Oh, my God.

That is terrifying.

And Kari is dodging and weaving at 10 miles an hour,

While the walkers can only chase at two.

She's looking good. She's going to make it.

Ah! No way.

Yeah, she's going to make it.

Come on. Come on. Oh!

And those numbers...

Yeah! She made it!

...Add up to Kari's survival.

Yeah!

You do run faster when zombies are chasing you.

Ah!

Kari survived the zombie horde no problem.

But, you know what, the next thing we're going to do

Is increase the population density by 50%.

And this time, it's Tory's turn.

So the field of play is reduced in size...

All right.

25 yards in.

...Meaning the zombie density is increased

To 135,000 people per square mile,

Matching parts of the massive indian megacity mumbai.

I hope you like italian food!

Oh, boy.

The apocalypse has reached epidemic proportions.

You guys ready?

Ready when you are.

Run, Tory, run!

Whoo!

Oh-ho. Dodge.

Weave. Good job!

The zombies are clearly more densely packed.

But Tory, reliving a twisted version

Of his high-school football dreams,

Makes it to the end zone safely.

Oh, my God. He made it!

He made it! Yes!

Do I have all my brains?

Yes.

So I made it through the zombie horde with all my brains intact,

And it was insane!

The adrenaline was flowing.

The zombies were trying to eat me,

But I made it through.

But now we're going to do it again.

This time, we're going to

Increase the population density even more.

This time, Grant's going to go for it.

Yep.

The myth that you can't elude a legion of living dead

Is looking deceased.

Ah! Quick!

But there's one more host to offer the horde

And one variable to adjust -- density.

So what we're going to do next is increase that

To 180,000 people per square mile,

Which is the most densely populated area in the world.

And I'm up next.

Coming up next on "Mythbusters"...

Help!

Hi, everybody.

This is Michael Rooker,

And welcome back to the "Mythbusters Zombie Special."

I hate zombies.

Well, he's come to the right place

Because Adam and Jamie are testing the myth

That when it comes to wasting walkers...

Dead! Dead!

...Axe trumps gun.

I have already confronted a zombie horde with an axe,

And I was able to down 14 of their undead brethren

Before they got to my brains.

Now it's Jamie's turn to do the same with a gun

And see if he can do any better.

Well, our zombies are all properly protected.

You ready to shoot some in the face?

Bring it on. Okay.

Good luck.

I hope you get more than 14.

It's time to find out.

Jamie and his single-action handgun

Versus a legion of brain-eating zombies.

And...

The legion of brain-eating zombies wins...

Help!

...Convincingly.

So, Hyneman score -- 25 seconds...

Six zombies. Not a very good score.

Mnh-mnh. Sad.

That was really stunning to watch.

I can tell you from experience,

It's creepy to be in there

While everyone is shambling towards you,

And he's doing this kind of looking back and forth.

It's real tension.

And then all of a sudden, like four seconds later,

The entire circle is full of zombies

And the Hyneman went down.

Now, he's going to go for a second run,

And he's going to be a little more prepared for this one.

I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

What he comes up with are more guns,

More ammo, and more style.

This time, I'm loaded for bear.

I've got two on the legs, two on the waist,

Two on the shoulders, one in the hand.

I've got 2 bullets for every one of these 100 zombies.

I'm ready as I'll ever be.

Guns versus zombie.

Three, two, one.

This time, Jamie has a pump-action paintball rifle

That he can reload much faster.

And he starts well,

Working his way through the walkers

Much more efficiently than his first test.

Six. Seven. Eight.

But it's still not nearly quick enough.

I was trying to build a wall of zombies around me

So that I could keep these guys away from me,

But I tripped on one

And then I'm into the soup again.

And I still only got -- what is this, eight?

Yeah, eight.

That's how many shots I can get off

Before they're on me.

Well, that's a result!

And the result couldn't be clearer.

Compared to a mobile, axe-wielding Adam,

It takes Jamie too long to reload, steady, take aim,

And take out the walkers.

The numbers don't lie.

So, what do you think? What's the final tally?

Well, my average was just over seven kills.

Mine was 14 kills.

Double. Double.

Axe wins.

At least with single-action or pump shotgun.

Sure. Well, that settles it.

Yeah. Axe wins.

Bladed weapons rule.

And with the axe confirmed

As the apocalyptic weapon of choice...

This is their reward for the hard work.

Zombies!

Brains! ...It's chow time.

Filmic folklore suggests

That despite an average speed of just two miles an hour,

The zombie horde always gets its prey.

But with Kari and Tory already successful

In evading the zombie shuffle,

It's Grant's turn to try and keep his brains intact.

They look hungry.

He's facing the highest population density

On the planet, an incredible 180,000 people per square mile.

It's the worst-case urban-apocalypse scenario

And the last chance for the myth.

But he just can't make it through.

Ah! No! Ah!

One mistake and he's down and swarmed.

There's too many!

So Kari succeeded in outrunning a horde

That was the population density of manhattan.

Tory succeeded at a slightly higher population density

Of 135,000 people per square mile.

Unfortunately, when we got that density up

To 180,000 people per square mile,

That's where it all fell apart,

And I could not escape the horde.

When the horde

Is in a tightly packed urban environment,

It doesn't matter that they're slow.

So with the myth back in the balance, what next?

We're going to try to come up with other tactics

To try to trick the zombie horde and see if we can escape.

So day two of the dead dawns,

And the team once again rendezvous

In an attempt to outrun the apocalypse.

And this time, they're each packing a plan.

After all, when the end is nigh,

A good survival strategy is essential.

All right, Kari.

What's your technique, duct tape?

How's that going to save you from a zombie horde?

I was thinking maybe like a limp or something.

Oh, that's good.

But then I thought that this would be so much better.

What the...?

Wait, what is this technique?

No!

Hey, zombies!

Zombie food!

No! No!

It's a classic bait and switch,

The type of tactic Merle might deploy.

With the horde distracted by a free meal on wheels...

Kari, you son of a...!

...Kari makes a run for it

And makes it to the end zone and freedom.

Ah!

I live!

Her cynical use of collateral damage...

Thanks a lot, Kari. Way to throw me under the bus.

...Means she bought herself enough time

To avoid being lobotomized.

Zombie apocalypse, the rules of friendship do not apply.

Yep.

If you have an enemy or coworker to sacrifice,

Escaping the horde may be possible.

Coming up on "Mythbusters,"

Can anything stop a zombie horde?

Remember, kids, don't try anything

You're about to see at home.

That's right. We're experts.

And why are we experts?

Brains! That's right.

Up next, it's the might of the living dead.

What's up next?

Zombie teamwork.

Zombies don't do teamwork.

They're dead stupid. Right.

Zombies don't talk to each other to do teamwork.

But they do all have a common instinct,

And that means they often work together.

You see it in zombie movies all the time.

Our heroes are barricaded behind some kind of big door,

And the zombies know that there are brains behind that door.

And they all gather up.

And they're pushing at the door, and they're pushing at the door.

And eventually, through the force of all of their bodies,

They break the door down.

So, what you're saying is sort of like

Many dead hands make for light work.

Many undead hands make for light work,

And I think we should test that.

Sure.

It's a classic living-dead cliché.

Dinner's on the far side of a door,

A barrier hastily barred by the desperate living,

And yet the uncoordinated efforts

Of a zombie horde somehow combine

To successfully bust down the door.

Question is does a mob really rule,

Or is this physical-force fiction?

To find out, Adam and Jamie head for a suitably remote location

To test humanity's last stand

Against the approaching apocalypse.

Look at that.

The barn I'm standing in front of is 153 years old.

That's right.

It was built when Jamie was but a wee lad,

And this door is the line of engagement

Between us and the zombies.

It's where we will have our last stand.

There we go. Perfect.

Now, we don't want to hurt any part of this beautiful artifact,

So we're not actually going to use their door,

And we're not even going to use their barn.

We're gonna build a steel frame within this doorframe

That we will attach our doors to for proper zombie testing.

Stylish doors.

They look great.

Bring out your dead!

Speaking of dead, Adam will be joining team zed,

But he doesn't want to actually die.

So in an experiment designed to test the forces of a crowd

Crushing up against a securely bolted door,

Serious safety measures are required.

If you take 100 people

And have them pushing against an immovable object,

And if each one of them is able to exert something like

50 pounds of push,

That totals about 5,000 pounds of pressure.

So with that in mind, we've come up with this as a solution.

Belly bump.

These are polyethylene corrugated sewer pipes.

Now, you may recall seeing them first on "Mythbusters"

In "Raccoon Rocket," where we used them as cannon barrels.

Oh, my God!

They're light and they're super strong,

And they should do the trick.

Meanwhile, Adam's been bitten and turned.

Or he's had an extreme undead makeover.

Joining Jamie for the "Z"-day door duel...

I hate zombies.

...Is Michael Rooker...

Come on! You want some of this?

Come and get it!

...Who seems to have reverted

To his "Walking Dead" character, Merle Dixon.

Come on!

Come on!

This is it.

Will the individuals' random 50-pound push force

Somehow combine at a coordinated point of pressure?

And will that be enough to break the barn door cross brace?

Maybe we better back up a little bit.

I think that's a good idea.

Oh-ho!

This is not good!

This is not good!

What do we do now, Jamie?

I never even slowed down.

You're going to need a stronger door.

Is everybody okay?

Told you I hated zombies.

Went right through that door, no effort at all.

Being on the zombie side of the equation for this experiment,

Fantastic because I'm choosing a side in this battle,

But it's not with the living.

I reached that door with my zombie brethren behind me,

And I don't think I actually even broke stride.

I touched the door, zombies touched me,

And "whoomp," we were through, and we were headed for Jamie.

That was stunning.

Can't wait to see what a stronger door gives us

In terms of a challenge.

With a mixed body bag of results...

...The myth that outrunning

Rather than outgunning a zombie horde is up for grabs.

Zombie food!

Kari managed to distract with a decoy, but up next is Grant.

And as you might expect, he came prepared.

Are you going to be inside this?

No. My double will.

As far as he's concerned,

When it comes to evading the apocalypse,

Robots are the answer.

So this is my zombie-distraction technique.

Now, yes, it's going to employ distraction

Just like the others, but it's a little bit different.

This is a robot that has light and sound.

And it's going to have a mannequin that looks like me.

So, Grant has a very complex strategy here.

When I'm ready to deploy, I'll turn on the lights,

Turn on the sound.

It's going to scream just like me.

It's going to look just like me.

And it's going to draw all the zombies over there,

And I'll run the other way.

Hello, zombies!

Here I am.

Come and get me!

My brain is juicy and delicious.

And Grant plays it perfectly,

Waiting until all the zombies within hearing distance

Are sucked in...

And delicious.

Come and get me.

...So that when he finally makes a run for it,

He has a clear path to freedom.

Yeah! I made it!

Whoo! Ah!

The first day, Grant didn't quite make it,

So he had more motivation than any of us

To make this distraction work.

And it worked really, really well.

My brain is juicy and delicious.

Come and get me.

He did it Grant style.

He pulled out a robot with lights and noise and yelling.

All of the zombies horded in on it,

And Grant could sneak around the side and get to freedom.

Yeah! I made it!

So it's Tory's turn.

And back when he visited greg nicotero,

He had a zombie makeover master class...

It looks like you're done.

...That gave him the idea

For his deceitful distraction technique.

Let's see if I can blend in with them.

Yep.

Tory is attempting to hide in plain sight.

Before the zombies dispersed, he hid in one of the car wrecks.

Now he has to get back to the start line

Before completing his lap of the field.

Will the volunteers recognize the human dressed as a zombie?

Will his bloody, decomposing disguise stand up to scrutiny?

Tory's made it all the way here.

What?

He's made it all the way here, and is --

Where? He's heading back.

But halfway to the finish line...

...He's discovered.

Whoa!

Oh! No!

I'm dead!

Back!

Back!

Back! Back!

Back, zombies! Fire!

Back! Fire!

Back! Oh, my God.

Oh!

Well, it kind of worked at first.

I mean, I was able to sneak through the horde,

But then at one point, a zombie recognized me,

And then it was all over.

They were all on to me.

But it doesn't matter because as long as one of us

Made it through in one experiment,

That means it works and it's it busted.

That's right.

Distraction is a technique

That allows you to escape the horde.

This myth is busted.

Totally busted.

Busted, and you could say the team

Is, uh, thriller-ed with the result.

When I first heard that we were going to test zombie myths,

I had two reactions.

One was, "Oh, my God. This is the best day ever."

But then, my next reaction was,

"How are we going to test this scientifically?"

But we actually came away with some results.

Now, it was difficult,

And the more condensed they got, the harder it became

Until it was impossible.

However, Grant did figure out a way to distract the horde

In order to escape, so it's busted.

This is the most fun I've had in so long.

What is a zombie?

A zombie is a mindless, reanimated corpse

With the hunger for human flesh.

How to kill a zombie --

You cannot kill a zombie, for they are already dead.

But you can stop them by destroying the brain.

One misconception about zombies is that they only eat brains,

But zombies have an appetite for all human flesh.

How to be infected by a zombie --

The most common way of infection is through a bite from a zombie.

If you do encounter a zombie,

Run away and contact your local authorities immediately.

Is it true that a mass of zombies

Can combine their push pressure into a door-busting force?

Jamie, Merle...

Come on! You want some of this?

...And Savage head of the undead Adam...

...Are attempting to find out.

So far, unlike the door...

Oh-ho!

...This movie myth is bearing up.

Jamie, go now!

But our human survivors aren't going down without a fight.

Suppose their hideout wasn't such a rickety old barn.

So, Jamie, what do you think about this new door?

Well, it's a lot tougher than the last one.

This is a proper gate.

It's got carriage bolts at the corners

Of all the main structural members.

Something is going to have to snap for them

To make it through that.

Okay, Adam.

Huh, what a sight.

Halt.

We're coming for you, old man.

Here we go! Three, two, one.

Push!

Yep.

The new and improved door isn't nearly strong enough.

Halt! Zombies, we made it!

Whoo!

Not quite because Jamie has something

Up his sleeve that's make-or-break for this myth,

Literally.

So here's the scenario.

You've got 100 hungry zombies after you.

You've got a barn to hide in, and we've already shown that

That many zombies can exert an enormous amount of pressure

On something they push against.

So what are you going to do?

What they do in the movies

Is they grab every spare piece of lumber they can find

And they nail it all over the doors and windows.

I don't trust those hinges.

That's what I'm going to do.

We've already built a sturdy gate,

But it's not quite sturdy enough.

So I'm just going to nail the crap out of it,

And we'll see whether I can't hold them off that way.

Let them sink their teeth into that.

This is the part of the episode where things get exciting.

Are you ready?

Do your worst.

I'm coming back with friends.

We did some door reinforcement, and now as to whether or not

We will be able to make it through this door

With our collective amount of force, I have no idea.

I'm actually really curious

About how good Jamie's reinforcements are

And how much power we can bring to bear.

This is awesome.

Halt!

Ready? On the count of three.

One, two, three!

Ugh! Hold! I heard some cracking. Hold on.

We're going to try that one more time.

The same thing again.

One, two, three! Ugh!

Oh, oh.

Hold! One more time.

I think we'll go through this door.

You are meat, Hyneman.

Hold on. Three, two, one. Go!

One, go!

Oh! It's repelled us.

And that's bad news for the myth.

Unlike the movies, despite all the creaking and cracking,

Jamie's barn-door defenses are holding.

We're coming for you, old man.

But if there's one thing zombies have got, it's persistence.

There's brains in there!

Three! Two! One!

Go!

Huff and puff they might...

Yes! Yes!

Yes! Push!

...But the door remains tight.

And Jamie does his victory dance.

Never going to happen.

Zombies give up, Jamie.

We give up.

Zombies, let's go home!

The zombies give up.

Jamie's defenses held up,

And our victor lives to fight the living dead another day.

The door was actually really frightening me.

It was bowing quite severely, and we had screws pop out.

The hinges themselves are starting to curl

And come inward.

Three! Two! One! Go!

But despite being compromised,

It was never breached.

I have to tell you, having been right there

At the center of all the action, there was a couple of times

I thought it was going to give way.

But there was enough pieces of wood

That even with the cracking and the splitting

And the bending and the unrolling,

I could still tell that we could have batted

On that all day long.

We weren't going to make it through.

So where do we stand

On the collective power of zombies?

Well, it does add up if you have enough of them,

But it's not limitless.

No, it's not.

Yep.

And with the myth that zombie-power can always pop

Your hastily reinforced portal well and truly busted,

The day of the dead is done.

Do you know what I'm really glad about?

What's that? That zombies don't exist.

What do you mean?