MNN - Mother Nature Network

Walter White, the meth-cooking chemistry teacher on AMC's hit series "Breaking Bad," has taught viewers a great deal about science over five seasons, but does it hold up under the lens of the "MythBusters"? Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, co-hosts of the Discovery Channel series, are about to find out. 

 

“We’ve been wanting to do a 'Breaking Bad' episode for awhile,” Savage tells Entertainment Weekly. “Obviously there’s a lot of fertile material to play with, so things that happen on the show have been ending up on our list of stories to tackle for a couple years now. And when Vince said in an interview that he’d love to see a 'MythBusters'/'Breaking Bad' crossover, we reached out to him directly and the response was overwhelming positive.”

 

The themed episode, which begins shooting in Los Angeles this week for a spring air date, will focus on two experiments inspired by the first season of "Breaking Bad." The only one they're currently letting out of the bag involves the effects of hydrofluoric acid on a bathtub. As fans of the show might remember, the bathtub scene resulted in a not-so-pleasant outcome. 

 

“Hydrofluoric acid is terrifying stuff,” says Savage. “It’s not quite like alien blood, which is what a lot of people think when they think of powerful acids. It’s poisonous in a way that is completely unique and very disturbing.” 

 

The show's creator, Vince Gilligan, and Aaron Paul (who plays Walt's sidekick, Jesse) will also join Savage and Hyneman for the special. If the episode is well-received, the plan is to explore additional experiments inspired by the series. 

 

“There’s easily one more if not a couple more 'Breaking Bad'-[inspired] episodes,” says Savage. “Those guys have been so much fun with technology and science that there’s a lot that we could do with them.”

 

But there's one aspect of "Breaking Bad" that won't be mentioned. 

 

“We have no interest in increasing the public’s knowledge about how to make methamphetamine,” added Savage.

 

Related story on MNN: Building good: Bryan Cranston unveils passive house project