In many films, hapless characters meet their untimely demise in a lethal pit of quicksand. It's a gruesome, undignified end -- but is it realistic? Josh and Chuck tackle the properties of quicksand -- and how to escape it -- in this episode.
AI Summary
In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly underwhelming reality of quicksand, debunking all those dramatic movie and TV scenes that made us think it was a deadly trap waiting to swallow people whole. They explore the science behind how quicksand actually forms, why humans can't really sink and die in it like Hollywood suggests, and share some hilarious examples from shows like Gilligan's Island and The Simpsons that used quicksand as a plot device. The episode wraps up with a fun listener Q&A session pulled from their Facebook fans, covering everything from their college majors to hypothetical life-and-death scenarios.
Blazing Saddles
1974
1h 33m
★ 7.2
"Josh Blazing Saddles, of course. I always mention one of my favorite films had a quick sand scene early on. — Chuck mentions this Mel Brooks comedy as one of his favorite films that features a quicksand scene."
— Chuck
Creepshow
1982
2h 0m
★ 6.9
"you're in big trouble, especially if you've seen Creepshow. You know what happens to Ted Danson. — Josh references the horror anthology film to describe a character being buried in sand up to his head."
— Josh
"It's like the movie Dune or something, like you would be swallowed into the very sand. — Josh compares dry quicksand to the sand-related dangers depicted in the science fiction film Dune."
— Josh
"three episodes of Dynasty — Josh mentions the prime-time soap opera as having used quicksand as a plot device in three episodes."
— Josh
General Hospital
1963
★ 5.8
"Four episodes of General Hospital. Has it really? — Josh expresses surprise that the long-running soap opera has featured quicksand in four episodes."
— Josh
Gilligan's Island
1964
★ 7.4
"So Chuck, have you ever seen Gilligan's Island? — Josh brings up the show to discuss how it frequently used quicksand as a plot device in multiple episodes."
— Josh
Knock at the Cabin
2023
1h 40m
★ 6.3
"From M. Night Shyamalan. Your family must sacrifice one of the three of you to prevent the apocalypse. — This appears to be an advertisement for the M. Night Shyamalan film that played before the podcast episode."
"it's been in one episode of MacGyver — Josh lists TV shows that have featured quicksand episodes, mentioning MacGyver had one such episode."
— Josh
"Magnum PI, you want to talk about this one? — Josh brings up a specific episode of the detective series that featured a quicksand scene."
— Josh
"Have you seen that man versus wild segment where he's in quicksand? — Josh references a survival show segment where Bear Grylls demonstrates how to escape from quicksand."
— Josh
Sherlock Holmes
2009
2h 9m
★ 7.2
"Have you seen Sherlock Holmes? — Josh mentions the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movie when discussing actors making comebacks."
— Josh
The Acid Eaters
1968
1h 2m
★ 4.0
"There was one movie called The Acid Eaters, aka The Acid People from 1967. — Josh describes this obscure 1967 film that features a quicksand scene during a topless catfight."
— Josh
The Benny Hill Show
1969
★ 7.2
"three episodes of Benny Hill — Josh mentions that the British comedy show featured quicksand in three episodes."
— Josh
"we'll close out with three episodes of The Simpsons — Josh discusses how the animated series has referenced quicksand in three different episodes."
— Josh
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