'MythBusters' to settle 'Titanic' debate: Did Jack have to die?

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Published on October 4, 2012 04:21PM EDT

On Oct. 7, MythBusters hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman take on the most requested myth in the Discovery show’s history: Did Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) needlessly die in James Cameron’s Titanic, or could he and Rose (Kate Winslet) have both survived on that wooden board? Cameron himself appears in the episode, explaining that rereleasing the film in 3D reignited the heated debate and he’d like to know whether he or the fans are right, and providing key information for the experiments. Adam and Jamie have to test whether the board could have supported both Jack and Rose until they were rescued (you don’t want to miss “Jack Savage” and “Rose Hyneman” in the water), but also whether Jack and Rose would have died from hypothermia regardless. In our exclusive clip below, Adam and Jamie prepare for the latter test — which will involve ThermoMan, a dummy Jamie creates with gelatin flesh and a heated copper cardiovascular system that is rigged to monitor body temperature. ThermoMan doesn’t make the clip, but trust us, Adam is right when he describes him as “creepy, and upsetting, and awesome all at the same time.”

MythBusters airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery.

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