Adam and Jamie's fun new show: Unchained Reaction

[Video Link] Our MythBusting pals, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, have a new series on the Discovery Channel called Unchained Reaction. It airs Sundays at 10PM (the new season of MythBusters is on Sundays, too). Here's an exclusive peek at the upcoming episode, which features a team of engineers from NASA vs. a team of Special Effects & Prop Animators. The theme is "Fire & Ice".

Each week's episode pits two teams from different backgrounds (rocket scientists, special effects masters, construction workers, engineers, among others) to build a wild and elaborate chain reaction contraption. The teams receive identical materials and five days to complete their journey before series judges Jamie and Adam, and a guest judge each week decide the winner. The guest judges range from Academy Award winning special effects make up artist Rick Baker to engineering professor Adrian Hightower from Harvey Mudd College. The program also features Charles Haine who serves as a mentor to the contestants.

It's a fun show that will not disappoint anyone interested in math, science, engineering, special effects, fire, technology, construction, design, explosions, and bigger than big chain reaction machines.

Unchained Reaction

• [Christopher Ross]

  I love Mythbusters.  This… is the perfect example of why I have TiVo. Jump right to the end to see the final machine run.

  I’d bet this is off there air within the next few episodes.  

  • [xzzy]

    No way.. the build is the best part. Watching the thought process and seeing how they solve problems is a lot of fun, and is sadly something that’s gotten less and less airtime as Mythbusters has aged.

    I just hope the editors don’t focus on the “drama” as in the preview clip. If every episode is some old guy whining that stuff isn’t going to be done on time, it’s really going to end up as nothing but a dreary reality show. 

    Focus on the “ah hah!” moments and it’s a lot more fun.

• [Rider]

  I can bet it’s already cancelled.  Sunday at 10pm is where Discovery puts stuff to die.  Just ask Phil Plait. 

  • [Ant]

    But new MythBusters episodes are before that hour IIRC starting this Sunday!

• [Jay Rendon]

  The host totally left Mr. Cranky Pants hanging at the end of the clip.

• [ǝɔʎoſ ʇʇɐW]

  Heh when we were doing make:nyc we ended up doing similar stuff.  It’s always a blast to watch the results.  This is going to rock.

• [mudsock]

  They worked really hard to not mention Rube Goldberg during the entire episode I watched. They did some fancy dancing to describe these contraptions without a nod to the cartoonist who has inspired generations of DIYers to have fun while inventing. Must be a rights thing.

• [Knitasha]

  My boyfriend and I watched this and we both decided we would have liked to have seen more of Adam and Jamie in the show (either actually interacting with the teams during the build phase or possibly competing along side them like Iron Chef). Also, it would have been interesting if both contraptions not only needed to showcase the theme but also have a definite end (you must find a way to make this firework go off, etc). Without a common ending, it felt a little random.

• [Over the River]

  I loved Junk Yard Wars so this sounds like a winner. I’ll be there.

  • [Ethical Cannibal]

    I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought of Junk Yard Wars. I loved that show. 

    • [Robert Baruch]

      Junk Yard Wars (Scrapheap Challenge) was awesome. Why was it cancelled?

• [eithion]

  Where can I sign up a team?!

• [glatt1]

  Seems a lot like Design Squad for grown ups.   PBS has been doing an awesome teenager version of this show for like 5 years.

• [west]

  Mythbusters has lost some of its edge.  I used to love this show but, let’s face it,  some of the “myths” are just  plain boring.  Hopefully this new show will be better.