Asking for opinions: Was the “Do Try This At Home Special” a PR stunt?

Posted by JerryFlorg@reddit | mythbusters | View on Reddit | 6 comments

I was thinking about this recently. In an earlier episode, they tested a Dry Ice Bomb as a myth. Assam stated that they got the myth from a transaction in which Adam "went to an ice company to pick up some stuff for Jamie, this was like 20 years ago, 15 years ago, and it said: 'You cannot buy dry ice unless you are 18.'" They then prove that they work.

Later in the series was the Do Try This At Home Special, which they ended by showcasing the danger of Dry Ice Bombs. When presenting the myth, they state that many people are doing it online, whereas before Adam found the myth from a worker at an ice company when he asked why you need to be 18 or older to buy dry ice. They also make no mention that they tested Dry Ice Bombs before.

So, was the Do Try This At Home a PR Stunt/Insurance/Cover-Up/Whatever you want to call it?

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butt_honcho@reddit

Not really sure what you're getting at here. They showed that they work, and they showed that they're dangerous. Both are absolutely true. What's the coverup?

JerryFlorg@reddit (OP)

Potential accidental popularization. First, the myth comes from someone who works with dry ice. Then, it is shown that people are doing it online. It is very possible that they accidentally caused the dangerous trend.

Joates87@reddit

The thing is, there are far cheaper and more accessible ways to make the exact same device.

We made bombs like this with aluminum foil and toilet cleaner like a decade before the show even aired.

virtualadept@reddit

There were t-files going around in the late 80's about how to make and use them.

Nah, people have been making them for decades. I learned how to do it in high school theater class ten years before the show ever aired. It's the traditional way to use up whatever's left from the fog machine at the end of a show. Pretty much anybody who's ever handled the stuff has made one at some point.

Mid-90's, here. BBS party.