Behind the scenes people are probably a bit cheaper (or maybe a lot cheaper) to employ than on-air talent. Secondly with the trio you would also have a complete second production unit (plus the cost with the second production location). With just Adam and Jamie maybe they could most of it a M5 (unless at Alameda etc) with few more people behind the scenes with a lower production cost per ep.
Well, last night was the show and it was a blast. If I had to liken it to something, I'd probably say it was a lot like a magic-show, but with science. Many of the "tricks", experiments and such they did were lifted straight from the show so for me, someone who's seen every episode, it wasn't new information but it was still fun to see in person. There was a touch of audience participation, in a few instances selecting a child from the audience. In one experiment they had a mother and daughter come to stage to interlace the pages of a phone book that was later used by Adam to be lifted by a pulley rig with Jamie pulling the ropes. The only thing holding Adam to the mechanism being the interlaced phonebooks with the covers taped down. Once at a maximum height (probably 30 feet or so) he ripped off the covers to prove they were offering no help in holding him, once back on the floor he took the book off the rig and shook them apart, further demonstrating the lack of trickery. Another experiment involved taking a tiny 8-year-old girl and pitting her against a heavy adult man in "feats of strength." First dealing with one of those carnival "strength test" bell-things. Giving the man a tiny hammer (like a judge's gavel) and trying his best with all of his force and and both hands could barely get it half-way up, the little girl was given a heavy mallet typical for the carnival attraction and Adam helped her in hand placement and swing in order for her to ring the bell. Then they had her lift the man up using a properly balanced seesaw rig and a system of pulleys. Couple demonstrations of a highspeed-camera involving audience members (child and a parent) doing funny noises and then slowing it down to watch it a normal frame rate. The funny noises being using your lips to imitate a fart-noise and another case of make a "blubbering lips" noise, one you might do in exasperation or fatigue or something. Separate Q&A with Jamie and Adam, Adam demonstrating his juggling skills, Jamie firing at someone with a four-barreled, fully-automatic, Gatling paint-ball gun firing it at a guy in a suit-of-armor facing the back of the stage. A "blast shield" placed behind him on the edge of the stage. The result being a a suit-of-armor heavily covered in paintballs and an outline of him on the lexan blast shield. Other than a couple of instances of Jamie wearing coveralls he wore his standard outfit of clean white shirt, pants and beret. Adam wore a different superhero shirt (starting with an Tony Stark/Iron Man arc-reactor shirt) in each "act" of the show along with his standard hat. About a two-hour long show, place was pretty packed, I'd say sold out, and Jamie and Adam complemented how nice the venue was compared to others they've been at. (And the theater they were in is one of nicer venues in the city.) Overall, an enjoyable show. Some swag for sale in the lobby, shirts, hats, bobble heads, signed posters. I didn't get anything, if I'm going to get an autographed poster or something of someone I want to have the honor of meeting the person in person to have it done. My seats weren't too bad for the show, pretty crowded on the street by the theater due to construction in the center/"suicide" lane and crowding as everyone was using the same entrance to the parking garage. Good show, fun, enjoyed it. If they happen to come to your area, or near it, I'd say it's worth checking out if for nothing else than just seeing them "performing" on stage. Plenty of "moments' between the two that were obviously unscripted as various tests and such didn't go 100% to plan and the chemistry between the two that's often apparent on the show came through. Only one, genuine, "trick" in the show involving Adam taking a knife to forearm in a demonstration of Jamie's knife-throwing skills. Adam was sure to point out that it was the only trick and all of the other experiments and events were genuine. As I said, it was a lot like a magic show only one using science and physics as opposed to sleight of hand and misdirection. I really liked them brining kids on stage for some of the physics experiments like the one with the pulleys and balance, a segment more-or-less devoted to F=MA. In Adam's Q&A he was asked by a second-grade teacher on what he felt was most important when it came to teaching science to children. Adam said the most important thing is be willing to say, "I don't know." Saying that even the best scientists know when they reach that point, knowing all of the effects of gravity, being able to measure it, monitor it, predict it, etc. but when it all comes down to it we don't know why any of it is that way or why it works that way. Again, good show and I had fun. FWIW, I had decent seats, stage-left section (sort of behind and obstruction on stage preventing me from seeing everything on the projector screen center-stage.) but I was only maybe 10-rows or so back from the front of stage so a good view. My tickets with taxes and the fees from the ticketing agent was around $80, parking at my venue was $10 and I paid $4 for a Pepsi during intermission. No meet-and-greet during the event, sadly. But the "chemistry" between these two played out on stage, in real life, much like we see it on the show. Some teases for what's going on with the new season starting in January, the first episode will be focused on "myths" from the A-Team TV series with Jamie dressed-up as BA/Mr. T. No mention of the Jr. Mythbusters, what happened or what's going to happen with them. Though Adam did mention Tori when recounting a story about the falling through awnings and him not being allowed to by the insurance company, meaning Tori had to do it.
I wish I could have been there. He does nice model-making work--casts his own Maltese Falcon replicas.
There's a new EW interview with Jamie shedding light on the upcoming season and why Grant, Tory, and Kari left. Link I was surprised to read that Jamie and and Adam don't consider each other friends, even after all this time working together.
Thanks for that. The interview is with Adam, though (with some quotes from Dan Tapster before it). A mismatched pair who happen to be good friends may be a popular fictional trope, but in real life, people that different won't necessarily get along, even if they work well together professionally. I guess it's fitting that Adam and Jamie's relationship is, in and of itself, the busting of a myth. From the interview: A shame, but understandable. At least, if this is right, it means they left by choice, rather than being forced out as some of the initial rumors implied. More educational is good. They did rather drift away from education in favor of explosions. Now, if only they could get the rest of the shows on the now totally misnamed "Discovery" to follow their lead. Good. Hopefully whatever they end up doing will be educational as well, rather than something like Punkin Chunkin'. Adam: Good. It bugged me that the trio were willing to sell out and do "mythbusting" as a car commercial, or as whatever else they've done. I like them, but they did compromise themselves when they did that. I'm glad A&J stick to their guns on this. (And apparently Grant did a McDonald's commercial too? Can't recall if I've seen that one.) They're doing a Simpsons-myths episode? That should be interesting. I loved reading about the steps they took to prepare the myth, and I can't wait to see the result. And an A-Team myth? That's almost as perfect for Mythbusters as doing MacGyver myths. But, given that the A-Team built a makeshift weapon or vehicle in practically every single episode, I wonder how they chose the specific one they're going to test. Sounds great. But can they do high-speed shots...? I love the Indiana Jones clip. Excited about the new season now.
Suprised that after all this time, people have never come across references to Adam and Jamie not getting along personally but working very well together. You don't have to look to far to find the comment and interviews where it's raised but I guess you do have to look. Though never read anything about any sort of dislikes between Kari/Tori/Grant.
Well I always knew that they butted heads a lot but I still always assumed they had become friends despite their differences.
How many people make close friends with people they work with? I have only one or two in many decades. I LIKE the people I work with fine, and we spend 8 or so hours a day together, getting along fine. But we don't socialize at all.
I believe they were friends before the show started, and that their relationship soured over time from Adam copping attitude from living in Jamie's shadow, so to speak.
It shouldn't matter to us if they're friends. All that matters is whether they're a good team, and they certainly are that. They respect each other as professionals, they agree about their approach and goals for the show, they work together well, and they make a good on-camera contrast to each other as hosts and personalities. Whether they socialize off-camera is irrelevant to us, because we don't see them off-camera. Their social lives are their own business.
Since Adam brought it up it is fair game. But yeah, I really don't want to discuss it either. <bites tongue> I just want a good show, that is what is important.
Yeah, during a Q&A bit on the show I went to it seemed implied, from Adam, that he and Jamie aren't friends but are more of co-workers. They work well together, get stuff accomplished and have a good relationship but seem to be more "work friends" than friends outside of work.
And that's fair enough. I guess I think that way because I have made quite a few good friends through work.
Well, I have co-workers I consider to be friends but I almost never communicate with them outside of work, aside from casual stuff on social media. Jamie and Adam could be very close and "friendly" with one another but just not "friends" in the strictest sense where, perhaps, the word is overused to the point as having lost all meaning. On the show we obviously see them working together and enjoying one another's company and that much was evident on stage last week. But having a good working relationship doesn't necessarily have to be you're friends.