About this season
Exploring the exciting world of thrill rides, waterslides and other heart-pumping experiences through a scientific lens, hosts Kari Byron and Tory Belleci dive into the engineering and physics that explain why these rides excite adrenaline junkies.
Episodes (11)
1. Fear of Falling 355 Feet
Aired 12 August 2015 • 30 min
Tory & Kari examine how drop rides are designed to exploit riders’ natural fear of falling. The two use themselves as test subjects as they plummet 335 feet on Falcon’s Fury, the tallest freestanding drop ride in North America.
2. Battle of the Sexes
Aired 12 August 2015 • 30 min
Kari & Tory conduct a battle of the sexes to determine which gender handles the rush of extreme thrills better. They will test groups of men and women on the launch coaster Thunderbird - going upside-down through 160-ft loop.
3. Kari Has No Sense
Aired 19 August 2015 • 30 min
Tory experiments with Kari senses as she rides Colorado's Glenwood Canyon Flyer ride, which swings riders over a 1,300-foot cliff. She'll be vision and hearing deprived, testing how sight and sounds add to the thrills of a ride.
4. In The Hot Seat
Aired 19 August 2015 • 30 min
Tory and Kari use accelerometers and state-of-the-art eye-tracking equipment to determine the best place seat on a roller coaster. Their laboratory is Hades 360 in Wisconsin, the only wooden coaster that has a corkscrew.
5. Tory's Terrifying Jump
Aired 26 August 2015 • 30 min
Tory and Kari are on a scientific quest to find out if there really is such a thing as an adrenaline junkie.
6. Surviving the Apocalypse
Aired 26 August 2015 • 30 min
Tory and Kari step aboard an epic coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California called Apocalypse to see what physiological effects thrill rides have on the body.
7. In The Drivers Seat
Aired 2 September 2015 • 30 min
Tory & Kari set up shop trackside at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA, where Tory enrolls in racing school at Simraceway Performance Driving Center.
8. Slippery When Wet
Aired 2 September 2015 • 30 min
Kari heads to Wet 'N' Wild in Palm Springs, CA to learn the science behind waterslides.
9. Air Heads
Aired 9 September 2015 • 30 min
Kari & Tory climb aboard specially outfitted acrobatic aircrafts to test how intense g force conditions affect a person's body and mind.
10. Bobsled Shred
Aired 9 September 2015 • 30 min
Kari & Tory ride down a bobsled 60 mph around dangerous curves at Lake Placid, NY, a training ground for Olympian bobsled riders. However, will the thrill of the bobsled match that of the traditional roller coaster ride?
11. Fall Frenzy
Aired 25 October 2015 • 30 min
Kari & Tory travel across the US, exploring the fun of fear as they enter two of the country's most notorious haunted houses. Along the way, they examine the science behind some of the country's most epic fall traditions.