Chris Hackett uses junk to fabricate quirky inventions for modern life. Abandoned in the desert and determined to stay cool, he melts bullets, explodes a solar chimney and assembles a propane-powered flamethrower in an effort to beat the heat.
Alone in an abandoned rail yard, Hackett uses the old train wreckage around him to motorize a Victorian hand cart, fire up a super-hot invisible hydrogen flame, and turn wood into an explosive gas - all in an effort to build his own personal locomotive.
Hackett is stuck in a junkyard and everything's filthy. Hackett doesn't have an industrial washer/dryer, so he sets out to make one out of an old American clunker.
Hackett ends up in a creepy abandoned hospital with no heat, no working lights, and no other people - he hopes. As the sun starts to set, he must create a source of light - or be swallowed by the darkness.
Hackett is at an abandoned suburban house in the middle of the desert. Rather than pay an outrageous electric bill, he's going to make his own power. He may be "off the grid", but that's not going to stop him from enjoying all the modern conveniences of suburbia.
Hackett finds himself in a plane graveyard. But, overpriced peanuts and in-flight movies aren't for him. Since the junkyard is on the edge of a dry lake bed, he decides to make a dirt boat, which is a boat on wheels that skims across the land at breakneck speeds.
Hackett's decided that fast food isn't fast enough. So, with a machine shop at his disposal, he gets to work creating really fast food. With a makeshift cannon and 5000-degree fire, the burgers and potatoes won't know what hit them.
Hackett finds himself at an abandoned RV camp in the woods. There's no shower, no toilet, and no ways he's staying here unless he figures out a way to make these things. With a shallow river and a kiddie bike at his disposal, Hackett's determined to not only create plumbing, but heated plumbing.
Hackett finds himself surrounded by toxic waste in an abandoned munitions factory and does what any normal person would do: he creates his only holiday. No "Hackestivus" would be complete without fireworks. Using a deadly combination of chemicals, he races to finish before nightfall.
Hackett heads to the mountains, but he's picked the worst time of year - Winter. Buried under snow in a dinky cabin with no heat, he has to keep warm. Using what's at his disposal (sun and ice), he decides to build an outdoor hot tub.
