Celebrities
‘MacGyver’s’ 5 best life-saving hacks
On Sept. 29, 1985, a little series by the name of “MacGyver” made its television debut. It may have had a rocky start in its first season, but it didn’t take long before Angus MacGyver was a household name, with families tuning in each week to see what sort of trick he’d pull to save the world.
Not only did Richard Dean Anderson fit the role to a T, his iconic character inspired multiple “SNL” sketches, a movie inspired by those sketches (a sequel for “MacGruber” is finally in the works) and, after three decades, a new series to continue Mac’s legacy.
RELATED: Is it us or does the new ‘MacGyver’ poster look a little familiar?
The CBS series is only in its second week, but we have a feeling this younger, edgier MacGyver is going to inspire a whole new audience to tinker around with random items. To celebrate the original show’s 31st birthday, we’ve put together a list of some of his best MacGyverisms.
The tin foil and chewing gum hack
It’s one of Mac’s iconic tricks that has been referenced throughout popular culture, and even the pilot of the new CBS series. In the original series, Mac broke out this trick early on showing his way of getting a broken fuse box up and running again.
The unexpected power of a paperclip
In the show’s pilot, Mac put his skills to the test in multiple dangerous scenarios. This one in particular had our hero facing off against a bomb that was ready to explode. Unable to de-arm the missile with normal means, he ended up using a golden paperclip as a last resort. To say this was a close call would be an understatement.
The cold capsule bomb
Also featured in the show’s pilot episode, Angus uses an emptied capsule — formerly meant to fight the common cold — and fills it with sodium metal. Putting his Swiss army knife to good use, the bomb is carefully placed against the wall. Adding the right amount of water to the solution caused a chemical reaction, blowing a hole in the wall and setting them free.
RELATED: Explosive news! ‘MacGyver’ is getting a reboot from ‘Furious 7’ director James Wan
Water and oil don’t mix
In the Season 1 episode, “Every Time She Smiles,” Mac does a bit of crazy stunt work to get onto the back of an oil truck. Being pursued by some bad guys, he diverts the exhaust pipe to the water hose. The combination makes for some very slippery roads. The result: Some very dangerous driving conditions.
The unlikely marriage of hose and a ladder
In the Season 6 episode titled “Tough Guys,” MacGyver really shows his ingenuity under fire. With a bad guy continually firing his weapon in Mac’s direction, he weaves a firehose through the rungs of a ladder. And with the help of his buddy R.T. Hines (Richard Roundtree), he turns that odd concoction into the most powerful super soaker ever.