Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage serve as competition judges and executive producers
MANILA, Philippines – Discovery Channel premieres Unchained Reaction executive produced by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters that pits teams with diverse backgrounds against each other to create incredible chain reaction contraptions. Teams do not just create a mere string of dominoes – each week, teams must utilize ingenuity, innovation and know-how to build contraptions on a massive scale.
The exciting six-part series, for which Adam and Jamie also serve as judges, premieres every Friday at 10:00 p.m., starting September 14. Encores every Saturday at 2:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
For Unchained Reaction, teams made up of artists, rocket scientists, animatronic specialists, engineers and even your average Joe, are provided with identical sets of tools and materials and given five days to complete a series of mechanisms based on a specific theme. It’s the ultimate build-off pressure cooker, where refined mechanical movements, pyrotechnics and large-scale destruction are encouraged. Making a refrigerator a pendulum? Totally possible on Unchained Reaction. Catapults? Flying saucers? Guillotines? Anything goes as long as they trigger the next link in the chain.
The premiere of Unchained Reaction will feature Blecha Brothers, a team of Hollywood set carpenters who have worked in various art departments for television, and Team Crash Space, electronics experts comprised of hackers, programmers, builders, makers and artists. Along with Jamie and Adam, guest judge Adrian Hightower, Assistant Professor of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College, judge their contraptions based on the theme “Heavy vs. Light.”
Other teams, themes and guest judges this season will include:
•Team Aerospace, consisting of staffers at Edwards Air Force Base and NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, and Team NAC, a Special Effects & Prop Animation company. Guest judge is Adam Sadowsky, President, Syyn Labs. This episode’s theme is “Fire and Ice.”
•Teams Freeman, a group of friends from various engineering fields, and T-5, a group of artists who hail from Taos, New Mexico. Guest judge is Kinetick Artist Bruce Gray. This episode’s theme is “Flight.”
•Chain Crew, a team who all work in the auto parts/motorcycle mechanic field, and Team Monster Squad, creature effects specialists. W. Daniel Hillis, Co-Chairman, Applied Minds, LLC, is guest judge. This episode’s theme is “Speed.”
•Super Special, a creative “jack of all trades” team, and Juggernaut, a team of construction workers. Guest judge is Julia Greer, Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Mechanics at California Institute of Technology, and the episode’s theme is “Tools.”
•Team InSaign, a group that specialises in working with metal, and Fail Fail Fail Win, a team of mostly multi-media artists who like to break things to see what new objects they can create with the pieces. The guest judge is Rick Baker, Academy Award winning Special Effects Make-Up Artist. This episode’s theme is “Movie Mayhem.”