The Day I Was That Odd Little Kid Again

I showed up on the MythBusters set feeling awesome ... until I got out of my car and the crew saw me.

Most of you know that I love costumes. So it stands to reason that, for the MythBusters Dumpster Diving shoot in 2009, I was going to HAVE to dress up. The myth we were testing was whether a person who jumps from the roof of a building into a full dumpster could survive and run away like they do all the time in the movies.

The episode had two parts, training and testing. For the training section I decided Jamie and I should wear sweatsuits with letters on them that said “stunt trainee.”

Courtesy of DCL Courtesy of DCL

For the second half, I decided to dress as Neo, Keanu Reeve’s character from the The Matrix. Why? C’mon! I loved his long trench coat and his boots, and I especially thought it would look awesome on camera (particularly the high-speed) when I jumped down into the dumpster wearing them — not unlike in the movie. Also as a boy I always wanted to dress up like an action hero.

So that day I showed up on set feeling awesome … until I got out of my car and the crew took one look at me in my Neo get-up, and could barely contain their snickering. I felt totally embarrassed.

But I pushed on.

Of course, the slo-mo playback proved that I was 100% right — the coat looked amazing on camera; it flowed behind me dramatically and looked cinematic — as everyone on the crew agreed.

But for a moment there I definitely felt like I was that odd little kid again, not quite fitting in.

Comments (20)

20 thoughts on “The Day I Was That Odd Little Kid Again

  1. “The day” i don’t think you are being exactly honest there

    “One of the days” would be more accurate

    Though i will admit when i watched that episode i thought nice jacket, cool boots and at no point did i think Neo the matrix

    But most things do pass me by completely

  2. I enjoy being the odd “kid”, its become bit of a trademark so far as when I was doing my exams… many odd years ago… my mother even bought me a lil black sheep plush for good luck.

    And if you look back though history it was always the black sheep that changed things. They were the ones that saw things differently, had new ideas and changed ways we thought of things. Following the same path to and fro everyday with everyone else will never lead to anything new, its the black sheep that wonder off that path the find the most exciting stuff.

    Black Sheep and Proud!

  3. This is one of my favorite Adam in costume episodes. I wanted to be right there with you in costume jumping.

  4. First, I’m sorry you were embarrassed, Adam. Been there (often). It sucks. I’m glad you were vindicated in the end.

    Second, when I saw that episode, I got you were in an action movie outfit of some kind, but didn’t make the Matrix connection until (I think) you mention it on camera, and I think it’s because of your hat. Perhaps the out-of-place-hat is what caused the group chuckle, rather than your stylin’ threads. Imagine if you’re wearing a spot-on C-3PO costume, but you throw your standard hat on top. Instant comedy, unintentional though it may be.

    To everyone who has felt that “odd little kid” feeling (including me and you, Adam), try to remember that even if nobody in your immediate area may be on your wavelength at that moment, there are THOUSANDS of people all over the world who will think whatever you’re doing/wearing/creating/etc. is downright awesome.

  5. Hi, Adam! I’m one of the ones who has always been odd, weird, strange, bizarre and was called crazy (as well as many other names.) Odd little kid, odd big kid, odd adult. It’s because I’m autistic. I was the one in the audience in Vancouver with the t-shirt that said “Autism is not a tragedy. Running out of bacon is.”

    I am commenting here to let other “odd” people know that they’re not alone. I eventually found my own cadre of odd people among not only other autistic people, but among people who would be called geeks and nerds. When you’re geeking out over Doctor Who or Star Trek or Firefly, it doesn’t matter how odd or weird you are. You fit in! I think you fit in too, Adam.

  6. Thanks Adam for being that odd little kid and doing awesome stuff despite others, so the rest of us odd little kids have someone awesome to look up to.

  7. I don’t get it. The myth was motivated with a story about movie heroes jumping into any dumpster and walking away unharmed. Of course, you needed to wear a hero costume.

    Great boots, where did you get them?

  8. My first thought was “woah why doesn’t Adam wear that more often? He looks like a total badass in it!”

  9. I felt just like that when I tried cosplay for the first time. In the parking lot there were looks and snickers, but within a few minutes of getting in the convention I had a person come up and compliment the costume, and ask for a picture. After that I was feeling pretty good about it, whatever anyone else would say. I’m glad you kept dressing up!

  10. I was that weird kid as well, it was pretty rough as a child
    but I figured it out. The hardest part
    for me is the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. It has been hard watching my oldest son
    growing up facing those same issues. They
    can’t yet comprehend the big world and the fact that like others have said,
    there are thousands out there and you just got to find the like-minded souls. He grew up with Mythbusters , he turns 14
    this year as well, been great seeing you be yourself!

  11. This is hands-down the most touching article that’s been posted on Tested. Thanks for sharing with us, Adam. Glad to know we’re not alone in being the weird kid.

  12. Face it… Jamie, Tory, Grant and Kari are all those kids that didn’t quite fit in. Those kind of kids only fit in with each other. The “cool” kids never understood the world and how wonderful it really is.

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