None of the Above

Do you like science? Are you a Mythbusters fan? Well, if so, then National Geographic has a new show for you to check out: None of the Above, where host Tim Shaw tackles scientific principles in front of random unsuspecting audiences.

The comparison to Mythbusters is apt, but also wrong. Where as the busters take on a couple myths in depth each episode to test them out, None of the Above is a road show where Tim Shaw proposes questions or experiments to people and asks them to guess what will happen. Then he does the experiment and explains why it happened the way it did. Each half hour episode tackles three or four or more experiments. It hits each one fast and throws the science out and then moves on.

Some examples from the two episodes I was able to preview:

• Which block of ice will be hardest to break part? Pure ice, ice laced with sand, ice containing metal sheets, or ice filled with cotton balls?
• What happens if you try to cook a pig wrapped in tin foil with a Tesla coil?
• Can you put an olive into a wine glass without touching it?
• Can you pull the table cloth out from under 24 place settings without breaking anything?
• And more..

I found None of the Above to be quite engaging, even if it lacked the deep exploration of science and experimentation that Mythbusters has. But there is room for both sorts of shows on TV, and National Geographic and Tim Shaw have hit on a pretty good formula of wild setups and scientific explanations.

One word of warning though, if you watch this show with kids, some of these you won't want to try at home. They'll want to, because all of this looks like so much fun.