Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This?
File:ITAGITMTtitlescreen.png
Title screen for "Is It A Good Idea to Microwave This?"
Created byJonathan Paula
Presented byJory Caron
Jon Paula
Riley McIlwain
StarringJory Caron
Jonathan Paula
Riley McIlwain
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons10
No. of episodes342 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time3–11 mins
Production companyIdeo Productions (Now Jogwheel Productions)
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseJuly 1, 2007 (2007-07-01) –
July 18, 2011 (2011-07-18)

"Is It A Good Idea to Microwave This?", also known to fans as "The Microwave Show" for short, is a bi-weekly internet experiment/comedy based web-series on YouTube. Launched on the "JPizzle1122" YouTube channel on July 1, 2007 - the show slowly rose to internet prominence, and has since been viewed over 30 million times world wide.[1]

The show was created by and stars Jory Caron and Jonathan Paula. Through the first 180+ episodes of the series, Jory and Jon have been joined by multiple co-hosts, known as "Sidekicks" on the show.[2] Zach Schiffman, Ezra Horne, Ryan Lewis, and currently, Riley McIlwain have served as the show's third co-host. In each episode, the team microwaves anything from a common household object to the more bizarre donations they receive from their wide fan base, known as "MicroKnights". The popularity and draw of the show comes not only from the interesting and often explosive results of the item being microwaved, but also from the humorous banter the hosts share with each other. At the conclusion of each episode, Jory declares, often without reason or pattern, whether it was a good or bad idea to microwave the episode's item.

As of November 2009, the channel is the #93 most subscribed channel of all time with over 173,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Cast

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The main cast and their main roles are as follows:

  • Jory Caron: Host
  • Jonathan Paula: Co-Host, director, camera.
  • Riley McIlwain: Sidekick, additional camera.

Jory Caron Laboratory

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Filming for the show has taken place at a few locations, referred to as the "Jory Caron Microwave Laboratory". The first season was filmed in room 825a of Emerson College's "Little Building" dormitory, located in Boston, MA. Since the second season, the show has been filmed in the backyard of the Paula family house, in Nahant, MA. Occasionally, larger and more dangerous items have been filmed in more remote areas. In the last two seasons, Jonathan Paula relocated the Jory Caron Microwave Laboratory to his deck on his new house in Portsmouth, NH.

There have been many versions of the lab from season to season, along with the introduction of new features or the modification of current ones used inside of it. The most regular of these features being the "Victims Tray", which is used to hold experiments once they have been microwaved and the "Tin Foil Shielding" around the door leading into the lab to protect the observers from possible microwave radiation leakage. Another main feature are the fans, used to circulate the air during and after experiments due to the fumes generated from them. Up until season 6 the fans were varied in the quantity and size used. Season 7 saw the introduction of a much larger industrial fan which vents the lab more efficiently. A siren light is paired with the fan which lights up while the fan is in operation.


Accidents

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During the show's run, there have been a few occasions where physical harm could have (and has come) to Jory. Season 6 saw two occasions, both in relation to batteries exploding. One was a small button battery inside a musical pen and the other in an mp3 player. The most memorable of these accidents so far occurred in the first episode of Season 7 involving an Airbag module from a car. Jory had just activated the microwave with the airbag inside, and proceeded to make a hasty retreat to the safety behind the tin foil shielded door. As the door was closed the airbag deployed inside the microwave, sending the contents inside towards the area where Jory had just been. The aftermath was mostly centered around the lab's door, where the first pane of glass on the double glazed window had been shattered due to a large piece of microwave plate which had struck it. Another notorious one was in experiment #299, the pull string mechanism was not working so Jory had to manually push the start button on the microwave and he could've been hurt if he had not ran fast enough.

References

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  1. ^ Press, Associated (2009-02-27). "YouTubing for dollars". BostonHerald.com. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  2. ^ "When it's Not a 'Good Idea to Microwave This'". News.tubefilter.tv. Retrieved 2009-11-22.


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