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| MacGyver Online Forums > MacGyverisms > Whats YOUR favourate? |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 18 November 2007 - 02:17 AM |
| I got asked this question in a live radio interview a few months back with no prior warning. I kinda fumbled through it at the time, but ever since then, it comes back to haunt my thoughts from time to time of how I should have answered.. hind-sight is always 20-20. Anyway it just popped back into my head now, so I wondered what you guys would have answered to this question with the briefing to keep answers as short and too the point as possible because they had to be translated into Spanish and your live on air. Question: Whats your favorite MacGyverism? Answer: ... ? |
| Posted by: jackwabbit 18 November 2007 - 07:30 AM |
| Hard to think of a best. Worst come to mind more easily (um...the pressure washer backpack things from 'The Stringer' volunteer)...I'd have to think on that. It'd probably be an early one...hm....no clue.... Tough one! |
| Posted by: Lothithil 18 November 2007 - 01:01 PM |
| I love what Mac does with that monk's habit. It might not be the flashiest or most ingenius, but it is always the first thing I think of when someone asks me this question! |
| Posted by: MacGyver 18 November 2007 - 02:20 PM |
| The one where MacGyver saved the world and nobody died. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 18 November 2007 - 03:11 PM |
| The car parachute from The Heist. The bed slingshot from Nightmares. Two of my favourites but also the later ones are cool. |
| Posted by: MacGirl 18 November 2007 - 03:47 PM |
| Hmm... probably the glider from Legend of the Holy Rose and the flying apparatuses from The Wasteland and To Be a Man. For some reason, there's just something I love about seeing someone make something like that that actually works. |
| Posted by: MacsChick 18 November 2007 - 06:56 PM |
| I like the homemade plane in Holy Rose, too. |
| Posted by: trtlsoup 18 November 2007 - 07:10 PM |
| My favorite was in the pilot episode. Chocolate bar sealing an acid leak. It's always the first one I remember. |
| Posted by: perfectlykevin 19 November 2007 - 10:18 AM |
"Give me a couple of buttons and your bobby pins..." (I'm paraphrasing here ) The one where the term "MacGyverism" came from. Now if I could only recall the name of the episode...  Edit, got it..."Twice Stung" Kev |
| Posted by: Berni 19 November 2007 - 12:26 PM |
| All the different things he used the map for in the opening gambit of "The Gauntlet". And the hot-air balloon he "improvised" in "GX-1". Those are my favourites. Question is really tough though. I read your post last night so it took me very long to think of some favourites. And I can't decide on one as usual  All the things you mentioned by now were great too  |
| Posted by: A. MacGyver 29 January 2008 - 01:58 PM |
| I've always liked the one where he attaches 2 rockets to an old jeep to make it run. Or when he fixes a car's fuel line using a ball point pen (actually works) |
| Posted by: jknnej 30 January 2008 - 03:22 PM |
| Hmm, it would have to be when he puts the map on the hot air balloon that was shot. Love that one. In fact, that entire episode from season one, don't know the name, he uses the map throughout the episode several times...to slide down the sand, to get a key out of a lock, etc. It's maybe the second or third episode. Anyway, I love it. Why were you on a radio interview? |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 30 January 2008 - 04:15 PM |
That's not an episode on it's own, its the opening Gambit to the Gauntlet episode.  The interview was because the radio station was doing a look back at 80's TV shows and they contacted me through this site and asked if I could talk to them about MacGyver. |
| Posted by: jknnej 31 January 2008 - 02:00 PM |
| Oh wow how cool is that!!?! That happened to me once with Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I was quoted in the New York Times after they found me in the forum!! How funny!! |
| Posted by: MacGyverGrrl 31 January 2008 - 11:47 PM |
| The scene in Partners where Mac uses the wrench, his shoe lace and a paper clip to create the escape mechanism for the car. I also really like the gas cylinders used to push the heavy wine cask through the wall to rescue Pete. Very cool because gas cylinders really do rocket if the regulator valves are damaged. |
| Posted by: A. MacGyver 1 February 2008 - 05:07 AM |
| The look on Pete's face was hilarious when Mac came up with the escape plan from the car. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 1 February 2008 - 12:17 PM | ||
I don't remember that one. What episode is it from? |
| Posted by: Lothithil 1 February 2008 - 12:23 PM | ||||
He does it to an airplane in 'Wing and a Prayer'... but not a jeep. You get a Darwin Award for trying a JATO with a auto!  |
| Posted by: A. MacGyver 1 February 2008 - 04:56 PM |
| I can't remember the name of the episode, but I remember Mac being stuck in a wooden shed with a 4X4 with no engine. He finds some explosives of some type, makes a rocket launcher and straps them on the back of the car. Once ignited, it has enough boost to crash through the locked shed's door and Mac escapes. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 1 February 2008 - 05:02 PM |
| thats from the "Lost treasure of Atlantis" movie |
| Posted by: Lothithil 1 February 2008 - 05:23 PM |
| *facepalm* Yes of course. I wasn't even thinking of the movies! LOL! D'oh! |
| Posted by: A. MacGyver 2 February 2008 - 01:52 AM |
I knew I had seen it somewhere... Thought I was going crazy there  |
| Posted by: Issus 20 March 2008 - 04:16 AM |
| I like the one in "Target Macgyver" where he uses the pine stuff to make a mine. He was right. It burns a lot better than it tastes. I'll take his word that you can actually make make a mine out of it. |
| Posted by: Liz1976 11 June 2008 - 12:05 PM |
| Top ten Favorite MacGyverisms: 1. Hershey bars to stop the acid leak in the pilot 2. The map in the Gauntlet 3. The escape from the car in Partners using shoelaces, a monkey wrench and a paper clip 4. The SOS call in the Widowmaker using Nikki braclet and the phone wire 5. The hot air balloon that he makes in GX-1 6. The reconstruction of the skull of Betty Parker in the Secret of Parker House 7. Mac's plan to get him and Pete out of the pit in Survivors with the rope and hammer. 8. His elaborate job in Deadly Dreams to show Dr. Zito's guilt--how Dr.Zito got the chemicals to Cross to cause his alcohlosis--using the roll of toilet paper 9. The plane with bamboo, duct tape in Legend of the Holy Rose 10. The stunning of the bad guys in Blind Faith |
| Posted by: SHEILA 11 June 2008 - 07:38 PM |
| I would have to say number 6. |
| Posted by: Liz1976 13 June 2008 - 03:10 AM |
| Yeah, the escape from Partners using Jack's cab, shoelaces, a rusty monkey wrench and a paper clip is my favorite I think. I watched it last night--still love it! |
| Posted by: MACGYVERISMYDAD 13 June 2008 - 04:02 AM |
| The one where he sticks his hand in a puppet at the toy store and punches the guy out when he walks past, for some reason that was always funny to me The one where he fixes the break line with a ballpoint pen Most of the macgyverism from the endangered |
| Posted by: SHEILA 17 June 2008 - 08:19 PM |
| I alson like the candle wax enhanced printingon burned matchbook in the hood.That has always fascinated. |
| Posted by: Liz1976 20 July 2008 - 05:47 PM |
| Another great one is in Halloween Knights with the melted wax and the fingerprint trick. The look on Murdoc's face when Mac tells him to melt wax is priceless!! |
| Posted by: zigimer 24 July 2008 - 03:51 PM |
| There are a lot of great MacGyverisms in 139 episodes & 2 movies. My preferable is the unbelievable way that Mac has passed the trapped wires using his gun and burning the gunpowder in "Strictly Business". That's amazing. When I was watching this scene for the first time I was stumped. I could'n imagine, before the scene, how will get over the obstacle. Excellent MacGyverism accompanied by great music clip in this scene. |
| Posted by: MacDriver 3 August 2008 - 08:44 PM |
I like the Two Percent Solution where he was being gassed to death and pulled the gas tube on through the wall, poked a hole in the door, stuck the gas line in the hole, and allowed the door to fill with gas. Then, of course, he busted the light bulb against the door, shattering the bulb and igniting the gas inside the door, blasting his way out to safety. Always will be my favorite. Pretty rough on the SAK, btw >_>  |
| Posted by: John Litteral 5 December 2008 - 11:05 AM |
| My favorites are his timing devices, such as the one in Bushmaster with the machine gun. They are all about the same. I also like the one where he started a hovercraft with 2 bags of water and a couple of pieces of wood. |
| Posted by: Liz1976 5 December 2008 - 02:06 PM |
| Favorite MacGyverism? Probably Partners where Mac and we first meet Murdoc and then Mac uses a paper clip, a monkey wrench, a shoelace and Jack's cab to take out Murdoc's cronies who had bazookas. |
| Posted by: SMeeceymouse 22 January 2009 - 07:31 AM |
| Using the blood pressure cuff and the alarm clock to make a lie dectetor. |
| Posted by: lucky charley 30 January 2009 - 01:22 AM |
the bamboo ultra light in The legend of the holy rose part one  |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 30 January 2009 - 02:59 AM |
| I just realized that I haven't actually come up with an answer to this question yet, so after having had some time to think about it... That scene in Lost Love where MacGyver sprinkles cleaning powder over the laser beams so he could climb in between them. That whole scene epitomizers MacGyver for me. |
| Posted by: Murdoc12 11 March 2009 - 11:40 AM |
I like the credit card making the traffic lights go nuts in "The Thief of Budapest."  |
| Posted by: macsgirl1 9 June 2009 - 10:27 AM |
The one where he uses the barrel of a ball point pen to fix a brake line. This one saved my hide once. Except I wasn't hanging on to the front of a speeding car when I did it.  |
| Posted by: SMeeceymouse 9 June 2009 - 12:42 PM |
I like the jet powered jeep in Lost Treasure of Atlantis. How Mac was able to steer that thing I'll never know. But it was a cool trick.  |
| Posted by: Beachbead 9 June 2009 - 01:32 PM |
| made an arc welder from car antenna, jumper cables, some wire and car battery in the widowmaker |
| Posted by: macsgirl1 9 June 2009 - 04:46 PM | ||
He's MacGyver, he can do anything.  |
| Posted by: SMeeceymouse 10 June 2009 - 09:21 AM |
I don't think it was as easy to drive as he made it out to be.  |
| Posted by: macsgirl1 13 June 2009 - 08:41 PM |
| Judging by the look on his face it wasn't easy! But I stick to my word, he is MacGyver and he can do anything! |
| Posted by: Ignus 21 June 2009 - 12:39 AM |
| Was there an instance where he's tied up, one hand loose and he opens the SAK one-handed? I was told he does that once, but I never managed to pinpoint what episode. That alone is mega-cool in my book! |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 21 June 2009 - 01:52 AM |
| He does that in the Golden Triangle episode. When's he tied up on the rake, the kids gives him his SAK and he has to open it in one hand. Very hard thing to do. I'm not even sure it's actually possible. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 21 June 2009 - 01:55 AM | ||
Neither was MacGyver I don't think. He used the pen to fix a fuel line in Hell Fire and didn't he swap the oil leads around while hanging on the front of the car in The Enemy Within episode? |
| Posted by: Pepino1309 9 August 2009 - 09:33 PM |
| Definitely the hot-air balloon in the episode GX-1. As they were working on it's construction, it took me a bit to realize what they were making. When I did, I was incredulous! |
| Posted by: Liz1976 10 August 2009 - 03:36 AM | ||
Yeah I watched Mybusters last night which was a trubute to MacGyver and MacGyverisms and they tried to recreate the ultra light bamboo plane using the same stuff that Mac did----and flying it off a cliff ----without live human passengers---good thing too because it crashed!!! LOL. |
| Posted by: MacDriver 2 November 2009 - 02:04 AM | ||
Id you'd like a demonstration, I'd happily oblige And now that you mention it, I think that is my favorite scene as well- I wore that tape OUT- everything from the tape/knife trick over the vent getting in, to the remote winch, to the dust and lasers, to the picking the lock with a SAK(with the sole appearance of the Sportsman), to the huffing on the glass and writing numbers in it- that whole scene probably takes the cake for me too. The classic caper scenario, as only MacGyver could do it. Oh, and speaking of that, I have something to add to the Mac/M:I thread |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 2 November 2009 - 01:17 PM | ||
I think we'd all like to see that. |
| Posted by: Meok 14 December 2009 - 09:12 AM |
| This is a really difficult question. 1. The Bamboo Ultralight Plane - Legend of Holy Rose 2. Flying Machine - Wasteland 3. Periscope from Rear view mirror and compact - The Gauntlet 4. Made bomb with camera flash - The Gauntlet 5. Defused bomb by vaporizing mercury with current - Hell Week There were so many great ones, this list doesn't even do justice EDIT: Nearly forgot the Explosive Nitroglycerin Paste in "For Love or Money" |
| Posted by: MacLovin 14 February 2010 - 01:30 PM |
The one where he took off his pants. Forget what it was and what it accomplished, but who cares?  To answer seriously, I'd say the tear gas hot water bottle from Blowout was too cool. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 14 February 2010 - 03:00 PM | ||
He does that again in Deadly Silents. Making a canon from a muffler in Three For The Road is also one of my favourites. |
| Posted by: Flyboy16 28 February 2010 - 05:03 PM |
| when he made the jet pack thing outta a fan |
| Posted by: MacClimber 17 April 2012 - 09:32 AM |
| You’ve all come up with so good ones! The way he used the map in “The Gauntlet” is absolutely fabulous. And it’s so cool how he could turn the situation and use the gas that was supposed to kill them in “The Ten Percent Solution” to instead save them. I like the ones when he uses simple things, like someone’s earrings or his precious duct tape. Especially I like when Mac stops the bomb from going off with his ticket in “Phoenix Under Siege”. His situation gets so hilarious; should he take his ticket and follow his grandpa to watch the ice hockey game, but risk blowing up the building, or just leave the ticket there and miss the game?  |
| Posted by: MacGyverisms 23 February 2013 - 09:26 PM |
| Top 20 Favorite MacGyverisms: 1. Hershey bars to stop the acid leak in The pilot 2. The map in The Gauntlet 3. The escape from the car in Partners using shoelaces, a monkey wrench and a paper clip 4. The SOS call in the Widowmaker using Nikki braclet and the phone wire 5. Messed up traffic signal with slices of credit card from Thief of Budapest 6. Parachuting car from The Heist 7. Mac's plan to get him and Pete out of the pit in Survivors with the rope and hammer 8. Bed slingshot from Nightmares 9. The plane with bamboo, duct tape in Legend of the Holy Rose 10. Termite torch from Last Stand 11. Finding hidden laser with cleaning spray in Lost Love Part. 1 12. Used cylinder of compressed gas to escape from boat in Pirates 13. Knocked out lights with window cleaner spay from Murderer's Sky 14. Compressed nitrogen escape from Obsessed 15. Used rifle to prop up booby trap wires in Strictly Business 16. Explosive & detonator from grenade to blow out door in Easy Target 17. Repelled snakes using kerosene in Halloween Knights 18. Used flare, oxygen, and wire to escape from submarine in Deep Cover 19. Uzi wrench from Tough Boys 20. Disarm missile with paperclip in The Pilot -Parker  |
| Posted by: MacFan092985 24 February 2013 - 08:22 AM |
| "Every Time She Smiles", when and Penny stretched the clothes hangers into multiple figure eights and then lassoed the conveyer belt to escape from the holding room in the Bulgarian airport. |
| Posted by: MacGyverisms 25 February 2013 - 06:37 PM |
| I like that MacGyverism to MacFan092985. |
| Posted by: MacFan092985 1 March 2013 - 06:02 PM |
What always gets me about that particular MacGyverism is the force at which the chair breaks through the wall does not match the speed or force the moving conveyer belt would generate.  |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 1 March 2013 - 07:12 PM |
| I guess you could argue that the pressure/force would have built up as the conveyer belt pulled harder and harder until the wall gave way. Although I personally think the belt would have just stopped moving. Those belts only work on tension against the drive rollers I think so if something obstructs it the belt stops but the drive rollers can keep turning. |
| Posted by: Scwilson 2 August 2013 - 07:29 PM |
| the one where Mac makes a hot air balloon out of materials laying around when trapped in East Germany in Gx-1. |
| Posted by: pipedreams 6 December 2013 - 07:43 PM | ||
This is the one that I always remember first, too. Although, I probably would have eaten all the chocolate before I reached the leaking acid tank. |
| Posted by: YopeGyver 7 December 2013 - 11:10 AM | ||||
LOL!  |
| Posted by: MACGYVERISMYDAD 9 December 2013 - 09:19 AM |
| Welding with the quarters and the jumper cables Sliding the map under the door and collecting the door lock key with it |
| Posted by: denizen 12 December 2013 - 12:01 AM |
I still love the Human Factors MaGyverisms. The newspaper and the lense to make a scope, using the dust & jacket for the hand scanner. The rope for crossing the floor to the entrance & the magnets in the paper, setting them alight and throwing them on the heat seaking drones. Marvellous!  |
| Posted by: Matt 9 January 2014 - 02:49 PM |
| I really liked how he used the flare pistol to escape the small submarine after being locked in it by the villains in "Deep Cover" (Season 5 Ep. 17). Also, another favorite of mine is in "The Gauntlet" (Season 1 Ep. 4) when he slides the map under the door and then pushes the key out on the opposite side, landing on the map. He then pulls the map out from under the door with the key on it. While nowhere near as dangerous as some of the other ideas, I always thought this one demonstrated how powerful an idea can be when thinking in such a way to solve a problem that may sometimes seem difficult. |
| Posted by: Matt 9 January 2014 - 02:51 PM | ||
Those are both great In fact, I just posted the one with the map as one of my favorites too. |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 9 January 2014 - 06:43 PM | ||
Totally agree. Those are the types of MacGyverisms which I like too. One of my all time favorite MacGyverisms is from Lost Love where MacGyver is testing the security system of the Ming Dragon. The security guy says "They can't avoid the lasers because they can't see them" to which MacGyver grabs a hand full of soap powder out of a nearby cleaning cart and throws it into the laser making the beam visible and responds "They can now." and proceeds to climb between the now visible laser beams. For me that scene is iconic to the show. Dressed in bomber jacket and light tan trousers, taking a simple every day item and using it imaginatively to overcome a situation without even blinking an eye. |
| Posted by: Matt 10 January 2014 - 12:20 PM | ||
I see that Macgyverism the same way. Some of the ideas that didn't directly involve any villains or immediate danger are just as important to me as the ones that did because of the way they demonstrate Mac's way of thinking so clearly. Of course, RDA wearing the classic outfit always helps too |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 17 September 2015 - 01:00 AM | ||
Same with me....I NEVER would have thought of this one! |
| Posted by: Widowmaker 20 July 2016 - 02:31 PM | ||
It probably wasn't all that realistic, but I really liked the plane from the beginning of Legend of the Holy Rose. |