Most people watch TV shows for the sheer entertainment that they provide, whether it’s action, comedy or romance. While some shows are more informative than others, it’s very unlikely for people to think that what they usually watch on TV might come in very handy in the future, especially in emergency situations. However, this was exactly the case for some people who were able to recall TV shows that they watched to save their own lives or others.
'MythBusters'
“Mythbusters” is a science program that ran for 15 seasons on the Discovery Channel. During its run, the show was hosted by special effects experts Adam Savage and Jaime Hyneman, who conducted various types of experiments.
One experiment, in particular, was the one where Savage tried to escape from a sinking vehicle. Savage was able to get out of the car while the vehicle was submerged by easily opening the car’s door after waiting for the pressure inside the car to equalize.
Theresa Booth, together with her nine-month old daughter, faced a similar situation when the car she was driving fell into a watery ditch in April 2007. She was about to panic when she tried to open the door and the door wouldn’t open. She then recalled the experiment from “MythBusters” and waited for the pressure to equalize, after which the door was easily opened.
'The Simpsons'
The iconic TV show has been around for more than two decades.
You probably think that this dysfunctional family could not possibly save a life.
In December 2007, 10-year-old Aiden Bateman was able to save the life of his friend, Alex Hardy, also 10 years old, after performing the Heimlich maneuver on him when he was choking on a ham sandwich.
Bateman learned the Heimlich maneuver after watching an episode of the “The Simpsons” titled, “Home at the Bat.” In this episode, Homer was choking on a doughnut while his coworkers tried to think of a way to save him.
However, a poster of the Heimlich maneuver was right behind homer.
'SpongeBob Square Pants'
This TV series is highly popular and primarily focused on kids, although some adults have confessed to watching the cartoon on a regular basis.
Andrew Gentile, 5-years-old, would have drowned in a lake but for the quick thinking of his friend, 8-year-old Reese Ronceray.
When Gentile was struggling to stay afloat, Ronceray recalled an episode of “Spongebob Square Pants” titled, “SpongeGuard on Duty” where a lifesaving scene was shown.
Ronceray jumped into the water and grabbed his friend and started to swim to shore. Both of them briefly went under water but Ronceray was persistent and kept his arms and legs moving and eventually made it to shore.
