Sliced

Coin operated games have been around for nearly 50 years. Since the beginning, players found tricks to beating the odds and keeping their quarters. Manufacturers have countered with special features to stop cheating. Host John McCalmont dissects a pinball machine, a slot machine and a pool table to determine if it's still possible to cheat games--or if the cheat is always on you.

When armored vehicles first rolled into battle nearly a century ago, a large steel plate blanketed the entire car. Today's armored vehicles are the ultimate in stealth--they look like ordinary cars but just beneath the surface is a full array of technological advances that enables passengers to survive direct assaults.

They may seem childlike on the outside, but what's on the inside of toys will surprise kids of all ages. Are the odds against you when you consult the Magic 8-Ball? Which toy car is fastest in a head-to-head race? And why does shaking erase an Etch-a-Sketch? John McCalmont takes apart our favorite childhood icons to discover the secrets inside the toys we never outgrew.

The average person spends about seven hours a day in their kitchen. But to most of us, the inner workings of our appliances remain a mystery. In this episode, John unveils the insides of refrigerators, stoves, and a garbage disposal. He's slicing and dicing to find the secrets of our hottest, coldest, and most dangerous kitchen machines. Kitchen Confidential, no longer.

Humans have been using tools since the Stone Age. But adding electric power just over a century ago changed our tools--and our lives--forever. To find out how, John's putting them to the test--chainsaws, nail guns, and power lifters. He'll discover which tools are up to the challenge and which ones don't make the cut.

Fire fighting has come a long way since the bucket brigade. To answer your burning questions about fire trucks, John's slicing up the loudest sirens and the strongest water pumps. And he's topping it off with his biggest challenge yet--slicing a full-size fire truck in half!

The bathroom--where water and electric appliances come together--can be the most dangerous room in your home. To discover the dirty secrets hidden inside your bathroom, John's cutting into toilets, hairdryers and a shower. He'll debunk the myths and shed light on the shocking dangers--so you don't have to learn the hard way.

We've been drinking beer for over 10,000 years. But we're still searching for the secret to pouring the perfect pint. John's stepping behind the bar at his local watering hole to dissect beer taps, shred a jukebox, and carve up a mechanical bull--all to find out what lies within. Then he'll put his skills to the ultimate test--riding a real rodeo bull.

The first spy movies appeared about a century ago. But since the 1960's, no spy flick was complete without a tricked-out spy car. John had a custom spy car built--loaded with super-secret spy-tech straight from a Hollywood movie. John's going to cut into this car to find out if a flamethrower, smokescreen, oil slick, and stealth mode are for real, or if spy car technology is pure fiction.

Since the game of golf appeared over 600 years ago, golfers have searched for techniques to improve their game. Over the last century, new technology has put a new spin on this old game, but does it really improve your scorecard? From golf balls and clubs to electric carts, John's out to discover the secrets to staying out of the rough.

American cities began collecting trash over 200 years ago. But the compacting garbage truck--invented in 1938--opened the door to widespread waste management. Now, John's got one of these ultra-modern compactors at his disposal. He's going to put this massive machine to the test. Can it eat a limo? How much can it hold? And can a garbage truck really be clean?

The first vending machine was built in Greece nearly 2000 years ago and sold Holy Water. But today, there's a vending machine for almost everything from packed snacks to home made ice cream. John cuts behind the face to reveal how these once simple machines are simple no longer.

In 1909, the first off-road vehicles crawled across snow-bound roads in Russia. Today, millions of people ride high-powered machines to burn around curves, skim over waves, and churn through mud. To find out what they're capable of, John's putting the pedal to the metal on a Jet Ski, an ATV, and a racing motorcycle. He'll slice open the secrets to their power and speed.

Humans have been bowling for over 5000 years. But the popular indoor version we all know didn't appear until 1840. Today, nearly 100 million people worldwide bowl every year. To discover the secrets at the end of this dark alley, John's slicing up bowling balls, a bowling alley, a ball return, and the mysterious pinsetter.

Every year, there are nearly 10,000 bank robberies and more than 1.5 million home burglaries in the United States. But how hard is it to break in? John's slicing into locks, safes, and bank vaults to find out the secret to keeping valuables in and the criminals out.

What's the best way to understand how something works? Slice it in half! John McCalmont and Budd Kelley use a variety of incredible tools to literally slice objects apart, layer by layer, and explore their inner workings.

The first robots were simple machines built by the ancient Greeks. Today's advanced robots perform thousands of human-like tasks. But are they artificially intelligent ... or just intelligently designed? To find the secrets behind the circuits, John's slicing a Roomba, a fortune-telling Zoltar, an industrial robot arm, and some terrain-exploring toy robots.

The first gas pump appeared in 1885. Today, the United States has over 117,000 gas stations--pumping nearly 400 million gallons of gasoline. But how safe are gas stations, and the tankers that deliver gasoline? What technology is in place to prevent a spill ... that could lead to a deadly explosion?