Outrageous Acts of Science (2012– ) User Reviews

Not an ordinary video listing

[christhjian · 8/10 · 3 December 2015]

Outrageous Acts of Science or You Have Been Warned is one of these shows which lists 20 Youtube videos, but not just - the show focuses more on the experiments or just situations which offer some scientific substance, at least for the most part.

There are a group of scientists explaining things happening in these videos. It is fun to test yourself and trying to figure out what is actually going on before the actual cause of the experiment is revealed. Also this show allows you to relate your own knowledge either from school or actual life to some really spectacular experiments, achievements or just unfortunate or awesome happenings.

Yes, the show has its flaws. Some of the videos don't go with the episode subtitle very well, the subtitles themselves can be a little blurry and not saying much and some videos are really rather obvious, requiring no expert analysis. But in the end of the day, these make up just minority and there really is a lot to enjoy, discover or simply make some connections between the theory and real life. That's why I think this show is really great. Plus the expert team is universally nice as well.

I've seen few of the shows on TV, which feature online videos and they've all been really rather dull. This one however is really enjoyable. In fact, I actually consider this one of the better shows on Discovery channel, so I'd really suggest to give this one a go.

8/10

Great show but..........

[rissanen · 8/10 · 14 March 2024]

A technical show like this talks about speeds and weights constantly. And every minute or two they will mention a speed or weight, then feel like they need to convert from mph to kph or lb to kg. Once you notice it, it's hard to unhear and it happens at least every minute or two. Every single short little segment they highlight is a "wonder" or something "crazy" with speed or weight or computers, so you get the idea. Constantly telling us conversions.

"This plane is traveling at 100 mph, or 160 kph." "This glider weighs 100 pounds, or 220 kilograms." Constantly.

It's an American show, so keep it simple, I can convert in my head, I'm sure others watching can as well.. Can't watch it now.

real scientists actually explain things

[badwithnames · 10/10 · 4 July 2021]

Outrageous Acts of Science offers real scientific explanation and not just conjecture. They seriously need to bring this show back.

The coolest show ever.

[trustedinstaller · 10/10 · 29 July 2021]

If you haven't seen this show you are missing out. From doing a flip over a house to a real Green Goblin board this is the coolest show I've ever seen. Love it. Thanks guys and girls.

Glorified YouTube videos

[CherryBlossomBoy · 3/10 · 2 June 2014]

It seems that traditional television has, since recently, been seeing YouTube as a pool of footage of all kinds of variety... and ostensibly free of charge, since most footage is created by proverbial nobodies that could use any kind of exposure. So how difficult it is for a TV network such as Discovery Channel to create a show out of a couple of YouTube clips?

Not too difficult, as "Outrageous Acts of Science" clearly demonstrates. Take a couple of stunts done by ordinary people, add in a couple of "extraordinary" commentators and ta-daaa: you get a show! That's what it's all about here. This show does nothing more than what you've already done yourself numerous times, if you have a taste in searching for filmed efforts popularly known as either "epic win" or "epic fail" on YouTube. The only difference is that there are now a couple of scientists and engineers trying to give a meaningful insight in what has just transpired on screen. Unfortunately, they're only pretending as there is really nothing profound for them to say. When people fall flat on their faces after trying a stupid stunt you don't need someone with PhD to tell you that gravity had some role in it. Or angular momentum, or hydraulic pressure. Well, occasionally some interesting and useful information does pop up, but science of most of achievements and failures shown is pretty basic, so guest commentators serve mostly as the filler. And I'm not too sure about their credentials either. Quick search on the Internet does confirm that they're the real deal, formally at least. But I get the impression that they are more interested in whoring themselves out in front of the camera than actually contributing to science. Some of them seem to try to give educated opinions outside of their designated area of expertise. Does a robotic engineer really have to spread wisdom on psychological issues, for instance? How hard it is to call in an actual psychologist?

As expected, given the nature of YouTube, many clips are in pretty low quality and in the Golden Age of television such material would be shunned as garbage, but nowadays anything goes. As it appears, various Internet services drive new nails in the coffin of traditional television every day, and "Outrageous Acts of Science" marks an attempt to harness the new medium and stay in touch with the times. The result comes off quite trivial and cheap on every level. The best way to evaluate it, though, is in the context of it being shown on Discovery Channel which boasts quality and scientific approach. Is it a legitimate TV show? Yes, but it would serve better as a YouTube compilation. Is science in it relevant? No. Was it necessary to do it? No.

Trust me - it's a sham and it will make you bored in no time. You're better off just entering "epic fail" or "epic win" in YouTube search.

Overall, sort of lame

[RNMorton · 4/10 · 20 February 2016]

With the grossly over-publicized demise of Mythbusters on the horizon, The Discovery Channel is cramming its schedule with this production, and desperately trying to funnel thrills fans towards this smorgasboard of natural, man-made and scientific phenomena. The hour long show gives you 20 snippets of one or another slices of "science", from blowing up a house to shooting a basketball from the top of a dam. In amongst the excitement we have a bunch of real scientists giving us the low down on what we just saw. The problem is, there's just not enough really interesting stuff to make me willing to watch the dud snippets or the sometimes absurd interjections of the experts. So while I thought that this was a potential replacement for Mythbusters (maybe one of the great background TV shows of all time), on balance it's just too annoying to watch.

Amazing...really!

[Bernie-56 · 1/10 · 1 January 2018]

This show contains a lot of stuff that's amazing, really amazing. And outrageous. And extraordinary. And really, really cool. Did I mention all the presenters think the stuff shown is amazing and cool? Amazing clips and amazing presenters with not more than a one word vocabulary. Seriously, if you're older than 14, value your time and have the slightest discernment, give this trip a wide berth.

Not funny and only common knowledge

[p-hallbus · 1/10 · 9 November 2016]

Started watching this and could not stand watching a whole episode. This program is like simple science for idiots explained by other idiots. Maybe it is aimed at children younger then 10 years old and if so why say not safe for work? As a children's show I can't really think it to be a good idea anyway. The attempted humor is also aimed at simpletons. The idea behind the show is a good one, but sadly it is not near what it could have been. First episode starts with a man spinning a sign, explaining the physics behind that is just totally pointless, it's common knowledge for anyone who's gone to school for more then 3 years. I wasted 30minutes of my life that I will never get back watching this so I wanted to write a short review to help others not waste your time on this crappy show. For some reason it has gotten good ratings and I for one can't figure out how.

Totally irresponsible. Worse than MTV's Jacka**

[baconbit · 1/10 · 24 January 2017]

IT is disgusting what the formerly educational/science channels have fallen to. This is not just like the show Jacka**...it is far WORSE. The cast/producers of the MTV show had a hard and fast rule. NO user submissions would ever be shown on the air. None would even be watched so there was nothing to be gained by doing dangerous stunts. Outrageous Acts of Science, or shows like The Science of Stupid on the National Geographic Channel, of course SAY "Don't try this at home." but the announcer may as well be winking while saying it, and follow it up with "But if you DO...you may just see yourself on this show some day!" So unlike MTV, these channels are encouraging stupid kids (who generally need no additional encouragement to be idiots) to endanger their lives with the hopes of getting their 15 minutes of fame. Totally irresponsible.