MYTHBUSTERS: SHARK SPECIAL
Premieres Sunday, July 27, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Get a reminder.
Do dogs attract sharks? Do the vibrations caused by a flapping injured fish attract sharks? Does chili powder repel sharks? And hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman create the ultimate SHARK WEEK build – a 16-foot-long robo-shark!

Allright, here are the big myths they’re testing tonight:

Could you reach a shark’s eyes to stop a shark attack?

This one comes complete with a 16-foot robotic Great White shark, and a full mouth of rubber shark teeth! Poor Tory got shoved in the jaws of a robot shark and given a good shake around.

Since the team couldn’t test whether eye-poking works on a real Great White shark, they settled for testing whether it was possible to reach the eyes, and to do it while being shaken around.

Can a person reach the shark’s eyes? Definitely. Could a person figure it out fast enough? Probably not. Could a person who knew to reach for the eyes even get the eyes fast enough when they’re being attacked? Maybe, but it’s all a matter of luck and how the shark grabs you.

MAYBE: the Mythbusters say it’d be too hard to do, but it’s worked before…

Are sharks repelled by magnets?

The Mythbusters team ran tests on both juvenile and full-sized sharks to determine how the magnets affected them. The results were odd: the juvenile shark they tested was very clearly repelled by the magnet and wouldn’t cross a line of them in his pen.

However, with full-sized lemon sharks, they found that the magnets did nothing to repel them, even with the team’s most powerful magnets. That could be because the adult sharks weren’t as sensitive, or could also be because they were in  feeding mode because of the fish-bait. Very cool test.

MAYBE: juveniles are, but adults might not be bothered

Can playing dead save you in shark-infested waters?

Based on the famous shipwreck of the USS Indianapolis during World War II, the worst shark attack in history, the team tested this one by putting two guys in the water and having one of them flap around. The sharks were clearly more interested in the flapping guy, and they confirmed this myth as true. However, would the sharks have been interested in the other guy if there hadn’t been someone else flapping nearby? They never covered this, so we don’t know.

MAYBE: sharks are more interested in a flapping person, but the test was incomplete

Are sharks attracted by swimming dogs?

For this one, they built a dog-like robot - looks like a dog, swims like a dog, and is even full of liquid from real dog’s anal scent glands. So will it work?

Apparently not - the only thing that got any response was releasing a bit of blood in the water, but the sight, smell and motion of the robot dog didn’t get the sharks to do anything.

Is that because sharks aren’t attracted by dogs, though? Or do they just dislike dog-robots? Unfortunately, there’s not really a good way for the show to test this one.

BUSTED: the sharks didn’t respond to the robot at all

Are sharks attracted to flashlights?

This one was a definite “yes.” The sharks were all over the team as soon as they turned their flashlights on. They saw more than twice as many sharks as the previous night, when there was only ambient lighting. Additionally, when the flashlights were on, the sharks came straight at the testers instead of just hovering in the area. Very cool, the sharks got so excited the Mythbusters got scared and cut the test short, getting out of the water ASAP.

DEFINITELY: the sharks went bonkers for the Mythbusters with flashlights

Are sharks repelled by chili peppers?

This one was inspired by a Native American legend, according to the show. They filled balloons with pureed habanero chilis. This one was a total bust - the sharks chomped down on the balloons and showed no sign of being bothered, even coming back for a second pass to try to find out what was going on.

BUSTED: the sharks weren’t repelled; in fact, they ate it right up

Are sharks more attracted to flapping fish than dead ones?

Yes, but only if they can see and hear them. This one was tested first with dead fish, but they realized the sharks could just be coming for the scent of food. However, even when they tested this with plastic fish models, the sharks came right over. When the sharks couldn’t see the fish decoy, though, they came right up to the boat, but didn’t strike.

DEFINITELY: the sharks even went after the fake fish they splashed against the surface.

Stay tuned for Tuesday night’s coverage of “Surviving Sharks,” with Les Stroud from Survivorman!

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