Ciencia para torpes

I'm an American, and to my knowledge this show hasn't yet made it to US TV so I can't actually review it. I've only seen their now infamous clip on alkali metals.

Last night I saw the Mythbusters demonstrate that Brainiac faked their spectacular explosions with rubidium and cesium metal. I have to say that I'm more than a little dismayed. Like many people, I'd been taken. I remember thinking that the rubidium and cesium explosions seemed well out of proportion to the much less violent lithium, sodium and potassium reactions. But hydrogen/air/heat mixtures are highly unpredictable, and besides who can argue with empirical evidence?

Lying just isn't cool, even (especially) in the cause of science education. There's no greater sin in science and engineering than faking a demo.

Now I fully understand that "Brainiac: Science Abuse" is more about entertainment than science, and some forms of entertainment such as magic rely entirely on deception. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that as long as you label it as such.

But just as the occasional magician crosses the line when he claims real supernatural powers, so does an show like Brainiac when it claims to be doing real science experiments.

Now if I ever do get to watch this show, I'll be too busy continually wondering if what I'm seeing is real or fake to enjoy it. It will certainly ruin whatever educational value it might have had.

Shame on you guys.

It is rather dumb! Compared to the obvious other show it is compared to Mythbusters it lacks a scientific basis. Also really tits and explosions.. so what?

Then again if you are coming from your boring job, just been through bad traffic and the neighbours freaking dog can't stop barking. Yeah I see the position of this kind of television show. It is for when you want to switch of your brains :)

Hell there are whole themed television channels where you can simple switch off your thinking, drink beer and be entertained.

Now what I miss is the sticking factor. I mean really with brainiac you can only say "Hey seen that explosion on Brainiac" and what do you get back "What of the 10?"

Some might feel hurt by what I am saying now but it is moronic. I remember that after a good Mythbusters and during I and the ones I life with actually talk about how we would do it? How we can see a thing to work, very interactive!

You know that is why it gets a 3, it is entertainment and it works. But you simply forget it exists! It doesn't leaves anything behind! There is no sticking power no deeper thoughts. 3 out of 10 it is!

It was great to watch as a kid in the noughties but most of the "Science Facts" have been proven wrong over the past 15 years. The show is more than dead now. Even the "Things that make you go hmmm" segment is easily explainable now thanks to quick easy internet.

I suspect from other reviews that some overseas viewers are not seeing the full show which (with ads) runs to an hour in the UK, not half-an-hour.

Yes there is some silly stuff. Indeed some really stupid and utterly pointless stuff. But buried in there are the occasional titbits of real science - generally science of the more pyrotechnic variety, but nonetheless it is there. They do often explain why the bang happens, for example! A rip off of Mythbusters? No. Brainiac aired in the UK before the latter show arrived. Actually its rather more clearly a development from Richard Hammond's other show - BBC's Top Gear - which frequently includes utterly pointless and silly items, like - well - playing conkers with caravans and seeing how much damage a Toyota pick-up truck could take before it died. Such items would not be out of place on Brainiac.

The great thing about it is that it makes science fun and accessible - even cool. Which is no bad thing.

this show is by far the worse i've ever seen. it tries to be a show of entertainment mixed with science but in fact it isn't entertaining at all because the ''acting'' is just too bad, the things they show are pretty common, the scientific method is nonexistent, and the science itself is ridiculed, even the explosions aren't funny on this show and that's quite an achievement because explosions are always a lot of fun. the brainiacs are picked i don't know how but they get ridiculed on TV to prove nothing at all and the things that the show talk about are completely random and completely useless. it's a complete waste of time and believe in me when i say that you are probably better off.