Windmill + Acetone + Celluloid + Firing Pin - S4-E4
Factual error: While the collapsed building is described by Matty to be located in Karlsruhe, it's actually in Heidelberg (as seen by the famous castle on the left and the river Neckar with its bridges). (00:05:15)
Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan - S4-E5
Other mistake: A spectator has a vuvuzela in his hand. This is a horn that emits a very loud monotone. It is common at soccer matches where he is. But what is he doing with it? He is looking through it as if it were a telescope. (00:32:05)
Father + Son + Father + Matriarch - S4-E8
Factual error: Mac and Desi have been invited to a "pop-up" restaurant. There aren't many limitations on pop-up restaurants when it comes to choosing a location. You could host a pop-up in another restaurant's kitchen during off hours. Or you could set up shop on a city rooftop, at an apartment complex, or in an unconventional space. What is NOT a location is a place with swanky double entrance doors with the name of the pop-up restaurant in custom etched or frosted glass on them. Really? (00:06:10)
Loyalty + Family + Rogue + Hellfire - S4-E12
Character mistake: Maddy is talking about "sending in the calvary." It should be "sending in the cavalry." (00:09:10)
Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness - S5-E1
Plot hole: Paula Matos comes into her room and surprises Desi and Riley. Paula has a gun. Riley asks her if the gun is ceramic, as no guns are allowed in the hotel past security. It is not answered, but it would be the only way Paula could have a gun. So far so good. But later when they have made a deal, and they are leaving the room, Riley tells Paula to leave the gun behind because there might be metal detectors along the way. If it is indeed ceramic, then there is no need to leave it behind. And if it is metal, how did it get past the metal detectors in the first place? One or the other premise is wrong. (00:24:05 - 00:26:00)
Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness - S5-E1
Factual error: MacGyver and Russ are locked in a hotel room. They cannot use their comms. MacGyver says it is because the room is secure with reinforced walls to keep comms blocked. But there is a big glass window with only bars on it. If the room were indeed secure to comms there would be a screen to complete a Faraday Cage and prevent radio frequencies from passing through. (00:26:45)
Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness - S5-E1
Character mistake: "The Butcher of Brazil" walks into the "Spa" at the Zurich Grand. Instead of saying Boa Noite (proper Portuguese), he says "Buenas Noches" (in Spanish). (00:27:00)
Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness - S5-E1
Factual error: Riley and Desi pick the locks on a safe deposit box and extract a hard drive. They then are going down some stairs with Jane when Jane menaces them with a gun and asks for the hard drive. Riley tells Desi not to worry and shows her the actual disk in her hand. We're later shown she opened the casing with her bare hands and the disk dropped out - not at all possible. (00:29:30 - 00:32:00)
Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness - S5-E1
Factual error: MacGyver and Russ are bringing two large oxygen cylinders into a room. From the way they handle them to get them off the cart and onto the floor, you can tell they are empty. To make matters even funnier, MacGyver manages to break off the valves on both tanks at the same time with just one stomp of his foot. That is physically impossible. Continuing the farce, the tanks pretty leisurely rocket away, lifting all present slowly to the skylight. I have seen a video of just one small air tank break a valve. It shot across the room, through the wall, flew through the air, and embedded itself three feet in the ground over 40 feet away. Believe me, not at all how depicted here. (00:35:20 - 00:36:20)
Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma - S5-E3
Character mistake: MacGyver is explaining the jamming of a tracking signal. He states that the tracking device is emitting an RIDF signal. He should have said an RFID signal. (00:26:20)
Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason - S5-E4
Factual error: The whiz kid is attempting to remote control a car. He asks Mattie for her cell phone, and then opens it with his hands. That is impossible. It takes a lot of effort and tools to do so. (00:12:44)
Banh Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason - S5-E4
Factual error: A tracker is found in the engine compartment of a government car. To disable it, it is stomped on. And sparks fly. Inert electronics do not emit sparks when crushed. It was powered by the car battery. (00:16:20)
Rails + Pitons + Pulley + Pipe + Salt - S5-E9
Factual error: Mac's "cutting torch" was supposed to weaken the lock, and the pressure difference would do the rest, since there was "no air in the room." However, the door swings outward. If there is no air in the room, the higher pressure outside the room would keep the door closed, working against him, rather than for him. Besides this, the arc from a 12v car battery is unlikely to considerably weaken a steel lock. (00:01:15)
Rails + Pitons + Pulley + Pipe + Salt - S5-E9
Factual error: Every time the Phoenix Foundation airplane is shown, it has absolutely no markings. Every aircraft has to be registered somewhere and display its registration prominently, and no aircraft can fly in a country's airspace without a registration number at the very least. (00:01:55)
Rails + Pitons + Pulley + Pipe + Salt - S5-E9
Factual error: MacGyver is using an improvised cutting torch to weaken a lock on a door. When he thinks he has cut enough he drops the torch and immediately holds on to the lock to open it. If It has been subject to a cutting torch long enough to weaken it, he would not be able to grasp the lock with his bare hands without seriously burning them. (00:15:00)
Diamond + Quake + Carbon + Comms + Tower - S5-E10
Other mistake: MacGyver makes a diamond in his kitchen to mount on a ring to propose to Desi. He shows it to Bozer, and - miracle of miracles - it is already faceted. (00:01:30)
Diamond + Quake + Carbon + Comms + Tower - S5-E10
Continuity mistake: MacGyver is running in Mexico City and runs into a car with driver coming down the road. When he gets up, the car is parked and no-one is inside. It is the same car with the same license plate. (00:10:10)
Barn Find + Engine Oil + La Punzonatura + Lab Rats + Tachometer - S5-E13
Factual error: MacGyver is wearing what is supposed to be a US Navy uniform. But he has the shoulder epaulets of a Lieutenant Commander, and is wearing a Chief Petty Officer service cap. (00:00:30)
