The Walking Dead fans, if Sunday’s Season 4 premiere has you wondering anew about stuff like the best weapon to clear a zombie horde, how to outrun the hungry buggers if you’re caught weapon-free, or whether the undead can really muster enough gumption to team up and take down a wall, MythBusters is here to ease your mind. The MythBusters Zombie Special premieres on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 10pm ET/PT on Discovery.
In this highly entertaining hour, The Walking Dead’s own dearly departed (and re-departed) Merle Dixon, Michael Rooker, joins Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman to determine whether an ax or a gun is the best killing machine in a zombie swarm, and if a throng of unthinking undead can really form a wall-busting unit just by collectively shuffling into it.
In the meantime, Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara head for the Alameda runway (with a side trip to Walking Dead executive producer/special effects guy Greg Nicotero’s KNB EFX studios for some knowledge-gathering) to make or break the myth that human beings can outrun a ravenous zombie horde. Using a smaller and smaller arena each time out to test the likelihood of survival in population-dense regions of the world — plus a few other non-weapon distractions — the trio examine several scenarios that could help them leave the undead in the dust. Fair warning, though, if you or a loved one uses a wheelchair, you might find a few moments of this one a tad offensive.
As ever, it’s great fun to watch Hyneman and Savage use their BRAAAAAAAAINS! to come up with creative ways to test their deadly scenarios without, you know, actually killing anyone — “Coming up with a face protector, just so Jami Hyneman can shoot strangers in the face for science,” Hyneman quips — and downright comical to see how the volunteer zombies unnerve the cast.
Which may prove the ultimate zombie-ism of all — they’re terrifying just because they’re there.
The MythBusters Zombie Special premieres Thursday, Oct. 17 at 10pm ET/PT on Discovery.
Photo/video: Discovery Channel
