Unlike Adam Savage, who walks the Comic-Con floor every year (incognito), MythBusters‘ Jamie Hyneman generally avoids the floor because he gets stopped too often and doesn’t get anywhere. So at this year’s convention he decided to try something a bit different.
Hyneman had heard that when celebrities move through a crowd, then can do fairly well if they never stop moving and say “Yes!” to everything. That way, Jamie thought, he could be totally agreeable for fans while seeing the floor for himself. “I want to experiment… I want to see if this technique lets me penetrate the crowd, as it were,” says Hyneman.
Here’s how Jamie’s experiment went:
The myth that Jamie couldn’t walk the floor without being stopped was busted! Although watching adoring fans fall by the wayside as Jaime relentlessly pushed forward and agreed to their requests is funny and a bit sad, the experiment was a success. Of course, Jamie loves his fans and wasn’t trying to disappoint them in any way, but the man wanted to see the floor. Give him some air!
What myth would you like the MythBusters to bust at Comic-Con next year? Seeing how my voice went from normal to Batman-with-a-mouth-full-of-sand during my time there, I’d like to see a description of the microbes that make up the infamous “Con Crud.”
It’s my understanding that this was developed by John Lennon (first that I heard many years ago. There is a story that when he and Yoko were first dating they happened to walk by a basketball court, where the players realised who he was and began running to him. She, of course, had never experienced this before and began backing up. He laughed and said ‘it’s okay, don’t stop and don’t run, be agreeable…’ and he proceeded to shake everyone’s hand and just kept moving without incident. One figures that of all the people in the world to figure that out, by necessity, he simply had to.
Jamie, I don’t think you need to be in costume to be incognito. You just need to loose the baret while walking the floor, and then not have someone looking like Adam walking beside you.
Actually no baret and a different color shirt should do it. 😉
I am 6’4″, 330 lbs, but a gentle giant. I have had people follow me closely in these scenarios to get through a crowd because people usually move when they see me coming, and I have provided security for smaller statured people during signing events. A lot of times, fans do not realize how they are endangering others when they try to get closer and crush in on a celeb, I was in Thoroughbred Music in Tampa years ago, Chuck Leavell, keyboardist, was signing autographs and was getting crushed into a display by a huge crowd. Luckily, I saw him in there and shouted the crowd back, he was completely invisible. It can be dangerous to be famous. I agree with the posters that to acknowledge but give space is the cool thing to do.
Have you ever pulled the Fessic and just yelled “EVERYBODY MOVE!”? at these cons
it may be due to your walking friend looking like Adam that may of influenced the result
I would like to know what costumes can help prevent con crud. Would it require a full headpiece, mask, or just bandana across the nose and mouth?
umbrella ubcs uniform in a group
I love the “No Face” costume!
I was really excited about that one too =]
How many people said, “that is the crappiest Jamie walrus outfit I’ve seen yet! He doesn’t even have a bucket!”
I once saw Jamie shopping at the Army Surplus store in Alameda/Oakland that he evidently frequents–didn’t both him, let him shop in peace–I think it’s rather rude how people constantly bother celebs so I don’t do it. I always think how I would feel if I were in their shoes.
celebs are humans too… they have right to have some privacy. only times i go and get signature or picture with celebs, its when they have a signing and photo session for fans
I think as long as you are respectful, it’s okay to say that you’re a big fan (e.g. thank them for being awesome, etc) and then move on. If you ask to take a picture but they say no, people should respect that request and, again, move on.
I saw him at a B&B in Northern California. He was wearing the exact same thing. Pretty sure his closet is all white shirts and berets.
I actually prefer to take “action” photos like this, rather than posed ones, even though they’re more difficult to set up, especially in a crowd like SDCC caters to. The photos tend to come out with all parties in them looking more natural, and it’s a better reminder of the actual experience than a bunch of people making themselves lean into a frame and smile directly at the lens does.
Wow, the merchant’s floor is relatively empty. I couldn’t walk like that at Dragon*Con
you could with a camera crew walking ahead of you clearing the way
I would love to see the Mythbusters tackle just how safe Comic-Con really is. Send out several cosplayers, both men and women, in revealing costumes, and covertly record and tally all incidents of unsolicited touching, inappropriate comments, challenges to nerd cred, etc.
I think that could be hard to do. For example, I thought I caught a glimpse of the bunny girl who was hurt at SDCC this year in one of the shots of Jamie walking (it was just big red hair and white rabbit ears from an oblique behind angle, so I couldn’t tell for sure if it was her). However, she wasn’t hurt until after hours, and in the hotel instead of on the convention floor. How would they be able to scientifically measure whether her costume led to her getting hurt or not?
I think it’s an interesting idea, and it might provide some back-up for the women who file complaints or want to file complaints but are afraid they don’t have enough proof, but I’m not sure how well it’d do at giving hard data for an experiment.
I think they could just limit it to things that happen on the convention floor. You could broaden the net, too: have a man and a woman in very revealing cosplay, a man and a woman in conservative cosplay, and a man and a woman in regular clothes.
Keep a tally for each of unsolicited touching, derogatory remarks, explicitly sexual remarks, nerd cred challenges, etc.
You could then compare those tallies for both men and women across the board and for different types of costumes. Find out if there is much incidence of those kinds of behaviors at all, if there’s a different between men and women and different types of costumes or clothes, etc.
I’m sure the folks with Mythbusters could come up with something better, which is part of why I’d like to see them tackle it.
So, in other words, “Hey Mythbusters, prove my feminist rhetoric for me!”
Yog-Sothoth:
OR…disprove it. I’d honestly be interested to see their results either way.
4 people. 2 girls, 2 boys. one of each in a revealing and one in not-so-revealing. limit it to convention floor and associated events/activities. not hotel or during travel. keep a tally. it could work. i like this idea since many of my friends cosplay and have heard this topic getting worse every year. i hope they do it.
I like this idea, I am not sure I would tie it to safety, but just how much the outfit makes a difference on interactions you get.
You sound like…a real nervous person that only sees the bad side of the costuming that goes on….with the recent event in light…which ended up being the girl slipping by the pool and hurting herself rather than being physically attacked. Realistically, a lot of that does not happen at these events. These events are not typically drawing that kind of person…because it is “a bunch of nerds and geeks”…and jerks like what you are worried about dont want to be identified with this culture.
Not so much. With the growth of movements like Cosplay is NOT Consent and others, I’d just be really interested in seeing what someone might find if they actually set out to properly gather data. Comic-Con, with its size, seems like an especially good one. I’d also be very interested in seeing any differences between what happens with women and men (and if there is a difference).
I’m interested in seeing the Mythbusters take it on because it seems like the kind of thing they might be interested in tackling, and also because of a few things that happened in the video for Adam Incognito this year. He specifically mentioned how safe it is to go out in costume on the floor at Comic-Con, but in the video, you actually see people waiting for him to turn his back before touching him.
So, what would they find? Would it turn out that it is really safe and friendly? Would it turn out that there is a lot of harassment of varying levels, and if so, is it mostly hitting women or men or is it evenly distributed? Is there a difference depending on how revealing the costumes are?
Whatever the results, I think it would be really interesting, and I’d genuinely like to see the Mythbusters tackle it.
sure in a perfect world it doesn’t happen but dressing in very revealing outfits and going out into an army of guys is just plain foolish.
since when is i’m wearing a costume an excuse for dressing like a hooker?
i was downtown SD for ComicCon and saw women walking in crowds wearing outfits with thongs that went straight up their stuff, no tights and 5 inch heels.
its just wrong.
in the bedroom with your partner, have at it. on the crowded streets of a major city, you are inviting trouble.
after all, do you really expect everyone in a crowd of thousands to be:
1. socially appropriate2. sober3. free of mental illness
that is a lot to expect.
plus on any given day in San Diego, then homeless are likely yo give you trouble walking in your usual attire.
sorry cosplay ladies… keep the boobs moderately covered and keep your pants on.
How awesome would Comic Con be if folks just let the celebs pass by, but gave them a head nod along the way. Nothing wrong with a little recognition, but seriously–don’t be the overeager fan who has to snap a celebrity selfie at every opportunity.
Confirmed!
Next one could be just hanging about the floor and telling people your wearing a costume and your not Jamie
When I saw the original thumbnail for the article, I thought the experiment they were going to try was for a famous duo to split up and walk around with cosplayers of the alternate partner. That guy looks like a giant Adam!
Brilliant!