Stars - Who You Gonna' Call?

"Mythbusters" puts Alameda on the map.

By Daniel Jewett

When the stars of the Discovery Channel's hit show Mythbusters need to blow something up, the first place they think of is Alameda. With its long runways and wide-open spaces, the former Naval Station at Alameda Point is the perfect place for co-hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage to hold urban legends and myths up to the scrutiny of the scientific process and see what shakes out. "We love working in the Bay Area. It's got high tech, mountains, oceans, everything we need," Hyneman says. "It's beautiful out there on the runway with that great view of the city," Savage adds. The two San Francisco residents may have one of the best jobs in the world, as they and co-stars Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara determine whether a myth is "busted," "plausible" or "confirmed" by devising scientific experiments that often include themselves or their crash-test dummy, Buster. Experiments include everything from testing the shock value of throwing a hair dryer into a bathtub and shooting a vehicle gas tank to see if it will explode to trying to "pancake" a car by crashing two semi-trucks into it from either side.

But don't try this at home. These guys have spent decades building up the unique set of skills needed to be a Mythbuster. "Between the two of us, we have done hundreds of commercials and many feature films," says Hyneman, owner of M5 Industries, a San Francisco company that fabricates props and toy prototypes. Indeed, many members of the Mythbusters team, including Savage, have spent time working at M5 with Hyneman as their boss.

This fact might help explain the interesting dynamic between Hyneman, the serious, stoic partner with the large moustache and trademark beret, and Savage, the fun-loving, boyish counterbalance who doesn't think twice before asking Hyneman to shoot him in the derriere with a nail gun. "I can take it," he says. The interaction between the two is so entertaining that it rivals the experiments for pure entertainment value and, according to Hyneman, is a chemistry that benefits the show.

"We rely on our differences to give us a perspective," Hyneman says. "We are sometimes irritated by each other, but we use it as a strength. If we were the same, our problem-solving capabilities would be diminished."

Problem-solving skills seem to be in ready supply on the Mythbusters set where Hyneman and Savage share more than 30 years of combined experience in animatronics, model building and special effects. And they are fast, turning around most episodes in a week, although they do spend much more time, sometimes many months, on research. The show has enjoyed a steady rise in popularity since its debut on the Discovery Channel in 2003 and has grown to become the flagship show on the science and education entertainment channel. "The show is watched by all ages and both sexes; that is why Discovery loves us," Savage says. "It is the top show on the network and the channel's marquee brand because it is the show that best represents what they are all about ... education and science mixed with entertainment." Hyneman says most people want to know where their ideas come from and whether Hyneman and Savage think they'll run out of material. As for those ideas, a loyal fan base constantly sends suggestions, and Savage is emphatic when he says the Mythbusters read every one. It wasn't until after the first season, Hyneman says, that anyone expressed a concern over a lack of ideas.

"[After the first season] we thought 'That was fun;' we thought it was going to be over," he says. But the show was a success, and the team was forced to go beyond the obvious pop rocks and soda brand of urban myth. "We now have a huge ongoing stash of stupid stuff. It's a self-renewable medium really."

With all the success, the mythbusting team hasn't forgotten its roots, with Hyneman and Savage taking a break out of their busy schedule to do a March 25 special presentation benefit for Encinal High School, where Hyneman's wife, Eileen Walsh, is a teacher.

"The benefit was a great chance to give back to our community," Hyneman says.

"The audience at Encinal was incredibly warm," Savage added. "We've spoken to louder crowds, but we've never spoken to a more generous crowd than these kids."

It appears the Mythbusters do have a weak spot after all.

Watch the Mythbusters new season on the Discovery Channel at 9 p.m. Wednesdays or check out their fan website at www. dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/ mythbusters.html.