♪♪
Narrator: TESTING THE IDIOM
"STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW"...
SO CLOSE!
...MEANS JUMPING THROUGH
A WHOLE LOT OF HOOPS.
-YAY!
-BRILLIANT!
AND THE WEAPON OF CHOICE
IS A COMPOUND BOW.
WE ARE ALMOST THERE,
AND NOW IT'S TIME TO DIAL
IN THE AIM ON OUR COMPOUND BOW,
AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT WITHOUT
DESTROYING A TON OF ARROWS,
WE'VE SCOOCHED
EVERYTHING TO THE RIGHT.
WE'VE PLACED THIS AIMING HOLE,
WOW, EXACTLY 12 INCHES
TO THE RIGHT,
THAT WE HOPE TO DO, LIKE,
95% OF OUR DIALING IN
WITHOUT THE DANGER
OF THE AXES IN THE WAY,
SO THAT WHEN WE'RE DONE,
WE SCOOCH THE WHOLE
RIG BACK 12 INCHES,
AND FIRE IT THROUGH
ALL THE RINGS, IN THEORY.
IN PRACTICE, QUITE HONESTLY
I HAVE NO IDEA
IF WE'RE GOING
TO BE ABLE TO DO IT.
Narrator:
IF A TEST ARROW CAN MAKE IT
CLEAN THROUGH THE YELLOW RING,
AND GO ON TO HIT THE BULL'S-EYE,
THEY KNOW THAT AT LEAST THEY
HAVE A CHANCE TO MATCH ODYSSEUS.
AFTER ONE OR TWO
DEFT ADJUSTMENTS...
-REALLY LINED UP.
-REALLY GOOD.
OKAY, I'M GIVE IT
ONE MORE LITTLE BUMP, HERE.
Narrator:
...THEY'RE SET TO FIRE.
RANGE IS GOING HOT.
ALL RIGHT.
FIRING IN THREE, TWO, ONE...
COME HERE, LOOK!
WE ARE VERY, RESPECTABLY CLOSE.
-WE DIDN'T HIT...
-WE TOUCHED THE RING.
Narrator:
IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
THEY'LL HAVE TO RELOAD,
RECALIBRATE, AND TRY AGAIN.
Adam: TWO, ONE...
DUDE!
IT DESTROYED
THE PINEAPPLE.
IT JUST, "PHEW!"
LINING UP THIS ARROW HAS PROVEN
TO BE A LOT MORE DIFFICULT
THAN WE WERE EXPECTING
BECAUSE NORMALLY YOU AIM
FOR THE THING THAT'S AT THE END
OF THE ARROW'S FLIGHT,
LIKE OUR TARGET,
BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE SOMETHING
THAT'S IN THE MIDDLE
OF ITS FLIGHT,
WHICH IS OUR RING THAT
WE'RE TRYING TO GET IT THROUGH,
IT'S PROVING TO BE A LOT
MORE DIFFICULT TO LINE IT UP.
Narrator: BUT EACH SUCCESSIVE
SHOT GETS THEM CLOSER
AND CLOSER, UNTIL...
FIRING IN THREE, TWO, ONE...
-OH!
-THAT WAS...
-YES!
-DUDE.
THAT LOOKS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
Narrator:
AND JUST AS IMPORTANT,
DID THE ARROW SAIL
THROUGH THE RING?
OH, MY GOODNESS.
IT DIDN'T TOUCH IT.
Allie: RIGHT THROUGH
THE MIDDLE. WOW.
-IT DIDN'T TOUCH IT.
-GOOD.
-THAT'S IN OUR ZONE.
-YEAH.
-I THINK IT'S TIME.
-PERFECT.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S MOVE THE WHOLE RIG OVER.
-YEAH.
-OKAY.
Narrator:
SO, IT'S WITH EXTREME CARE
THAT THEIR FINELY CALIBRATED
SHOOTING RIG
IS MOVED BACK IN LINE WITH THAT
OMINOUS ARRAY OF STEEL RINGS,
AND DON'T FORGET,
THE ONLY CHARACTER
TO EVER MAKE THIS SHOT
WAS FICTITIOUS.
[ SIGHS ] IT'S GO TIME.
OUR AXES ARE LINED UP.
OUR BOW-SHOOTING RIG
HAS BEEN AIMED
TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES,
ADJACENT TO THE AXES,
AND NOW IT'S BEEN
MOVED INTO LINE
SO IT'S LOOKING DOWN
THE THROAT OF HISTORY.
ODYSSEUS, HERE WE COME.
Narrator: IT'S WORTH RECALLING
THAT THIS CHALLENGE
IN ITSELF IS A MYTH.
THERE'S NO RECORD OF ANYONE
BEFORE BOW MASTER
BYRON ATTEMPTING IT,
AND NO EXPECTATION THAT
IT'S ACTUALLY POSSIBLE.
RANGE IS GOING HOT.
Adam: HERE WE GO.
ODYSSEUS SHOT.
FIRING IN THREE,
TWO, ONE...
WHAT?!
-DID IT DO IT?
-NO WAY!
-DID IT DO IT?
[ SCREAMING ]
WE HIT THE TARGET!
COME HERE! COME HERE!
COME HERE!
COME HERE! COME HERE!
-WE JUST HIT THAT TARGET!
Narrator:
IT'S A ONE-SHOT WONDER.
ACTUALLY, IT'S MORE
LIKE A MIRACLE.
WHAT IN THE WORLD?
HIGH-FIVES!
OH, MY GOD!
CRAZY!
Allie: THAT IS SOME
WICKED SETUP WE HAVE.
Elijah: I DID NOT EXPECT
THAT THE FIRST TIME.
THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE WORKED
LIKE THAT.
NO!
THIS WILL GO DOWN
IN MYTHBUSTER HISTORY!
I NEED TO CHECK THAT HIGH-SPEED.
I NEED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED.
Rachel:
THIS IS MESMERIZING.
I DON'T BELIEVE MY EYES.
THIS IS LITERALLY
A MYTHOLOGICAL SHOT.
♪♪
Adam: ALL RIGHT, GUYS.
IT'S TIME
TO CALL THIS ONE.
DOES AN ARROW
ACTUALLY FLY STRAIGHT?
WELL, ODYSSEUS USED A LONG BOW,
AND WE WERE ONLY ABLE
TO ACCOMPLISH THIS
WITH A COMPOUND BOW.
THIS IS TRUE.
AND I'M PRETTY SURE ODYSSEUS
WASN'T A ROBOT.
I HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU
ON THAT ONE.
EVERY ARROW
THAT WE DID SHOOT
HAD OSCILLATION
AND WIGGLE TO IT.
BUT WE DID JUST SHOOT
THE STRAIGHTEST SHOT
THAT WE COULD EVER SHOOT.
-THAT'S TRUE.
AND EVEN IF WE USED
MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN THIS,
WE STILL WERE ABLE
TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FEAT.
ALL RIGHT.
I THINK THAT MAKES IT
OBVIOUSLY PLAUSIBLE?
PLAUSIBLE.
-ODYSSEUS WASN'T A ROBOT?
-NO!
-WHY WOULD HE BE A ROBOT?
-NO.
♪♪
