MYTHBUSTERS Busting Titanic's Jack and Rose... Again!

You still have time to tune in or set the DVR! Mythbusters is revisiting one of its most popular myths tonight, as James Cameron, the director of Titanic himself, joins the Mythbusters team in their pursuit of the truth. Last time, when they looked at whether there really should've been room on that plank for both Rose and Jack, they busted Titanic for choosing drama over reality. In other words, they decided there was no good reason for Jack to die in those icy waters, because he should've fit nicely right there next to Rose on the available piece of flotsam.

Or that's the conclusion Mythbusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage came to the first time they experimented with the size of the board and the size and shape of the lovers from Titanic, played by Kate Winslet and Leonard DiCaprio. Will they repeat their experiment and come to the same conclusion? Or will Cameron's presences (and inside info) make it come out differently this time?

I have to be honest, I wondered about the experiment the last time, since it didn't seem to matter whether the flat plane of the board was big enough for two bodies. I wanted to know whether two people would be too heavy for the wooden plank, not too broad.

I'm happy to say that Mythbusters has heard the complaints of kvetchers like me, and that's part of what Cameron, Hyneman and Savage will be looking at this time. Entertainment Weekly reports that they will consider two questions: Was the oak plank sufficient to sustain the combined weight of Rose and Jack? And would they have died of hypothermia whether they were on top of the board or not? EW has an exclusive clip from the show at the link, showing the parameters of the hypothermia question, which involves dummies, tanks of freezing water, gelatin flesh, a copper cardiovascular system, and a whole lot of ice cubes.

The Discovery Channel site also has video explaining cube roots, how to scale down Rose and Jack and their handy board, and whether they have a shot at floating. Not looking good for Jack's survival, I'll tell you that. But that's not the whole story...

So set the DVR now! Mythbusters and their Titanic iceplay appear on the Discovery Channel at 7 pm Central Time.