The WORST episodes of Adam Ruins Everything

Every episode of Adam Ruins Everything ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Adam Ruins Everything!

In Adam Ruins Everything, host Adam Conover employs a combination of comedy, history and science to dispel widespread misconceptions about everything we take for granted. A blend of entertainment and enlightenment, Adam Ruins Everything is like that friend who knows a little bit too much about everything and is going to tell you about it… whether you like it or not.

Last Updated: 11/6/2024Network: truTVStatus: Ended
The Copernican Ruin-aissance
star
7.42
113 votes

#1 - The Copernican Ruin-aissance

Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/17/2018

Adam sheds some light on Copernicus, who was actually supported (NOT persecuted) by the Catholic Church. Plus, a rogue dwarf revolutionized what we know about anatomy, and just wait until you hear about Tulip Mania!

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Adam Ruins the Future
star
7.44
178 votes

#2 - Adam Ruins the Future

Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 11/7/2017

Adam explains that unregulated food expiration dates lead to waste and that your 401(k) won't be enough to support your retirement. Plus, Adam's girlfriend Melinda proves that even with research, the future is unpredictable.

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Give Me Liberty or Give Me Truth
star
7.45
133 votes

#3 - Give Me Liberty or Give Me Truth

Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/20/2018

Adam Conover undermines everything you thought you knew about the American Revolution with startling facts about George Washington, Paul Revere's overrated ride, and the tale of a slave who helped America win.

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Adam Ruins Going Green
star
7.46
369 votes

#4 - Adam Ruins Going Green

Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 12/27/2016

Adam meets a young dad on a personal mission to save the world and end climate change...until Adam turns his world upside down. Find out why electric cars and green products don't make the impact you've been promised.

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Mutually Assured Ruination
star
7.46
128 votes

#5 - Mutually Assured Ruination

Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/3/2018

Adam reveals that the United States kicked off the Cuban Missile Crisis; a lone female politician stands up to Joseph McCarthy; a bureaucratic mistake brings down the Berlin Wall.

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An Ancient History of Violence
star
7.47
116 votes

#6 - An Ancient History of Violence

Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/10/2018

Adam shares that it was against the rules for gladiators to kill opponents, and tells the story of a Celtic woman who brought the Roman Empire to its knees. Plus, the brave "300" Spartans numbered closer to 7000.

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Adam Ruins Little Bugs
star
7.48
85 votes

#7 - Adam Ruins Little Bugs

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/17/2019

All New Don't let Adam's facts bug you as he uncovers the benefits of spiders, serves up knowledge on why we should be eating more bugs as a protein source, and illustrates the benefits of little bugs on your gut health.

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Adam Ruins a Murder
star
7.51
92 votes

#8 - Adam Ruins a Murder

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 9/3/2019

Adam shines a light on why drivers are rarely prosecuted for car accidents that result in death; he breaks down border patrol's search policies; Adam examines the messed-up history of corpses and medical studies.

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Adam Ruins a Sitcom
star
7.53
129 votes

#9 - Adam Ruins a Sitcom

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/15/2019

Adam tackles classic television stereotypes, from the racism behind public pools, to the model minority myth of Asian Americans, to the on-screen toxic masculinity that's masking the problems young men face today.

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Adam Ruins America
star
7.55
99 votes

#10 - Adam Ruins America

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/13/2019

Adam lets his freedom flag fly by examining why America doesn't have higher rates of social mobility. He then uncovers the flaws within our constitution and examines our country's progression and regression.

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Adam Ruins Spa Day
star
7.55
220 votes

#11 - Adam Ruins Spa Day

Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 10/17/2017

Pricey "detoxifying" treatments cleanse you of cash (and may do more harm than good), while MSG's scary reputation is undeserved. Plus, the placebo effect is way more powerful than you think!

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Adam Ruins the Suburbs
star
7.56
248 votes

#12 - Adam Ruins the Suburbs

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/26/2017

Adam explains how the idealized lawn is an unnatural monstrosity, and that the design of the suburbs is slowly killing you. Plus, the racist history of suburban planning led to today's institutionalized segregation in schools.

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Adam Ruins College
star
7.59
254 votes

#13 - Adam Ruins College

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/22/2017

Adam explains why the odds of becoming a dropout billionaire are not in your favor, how manipulated school rankings have little to do with education quality and why the privatization of student loans created a massive debt crisis.

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100 Years Ago Today
star
7.60
126 votes

#14 - 100 Years Ago Today

Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/24/2018

Adam digs into the Panama Canal, where Teddy Roosevelt formed a new country to snag free land. Plus, one man fought to keep food from killing us, while the Spanish Flu killed more Americans than all 20th century wars combined!

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Adam Ruins Guns
star
7.60
91 votes

#15 - Adam Ruins Guns

Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 11/27/2018

Adam Conover is back to take aim at critics on both sides of the gun debate in America. He explains why an assault weapons ban would not be effective and demonstrates how the Second Amendment has been twisted to fit the NRA's agenda.

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Adam Ruins Halloween
star
7.61
212 votes

#16 - Adam Ruins Halloween

Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 10/24/2017

Adam reveals why you have nothing to fear from strangers with candy and how the "panic" over Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast was the clickbait of the 1930s. And, mediums and séances have a long history - of being fake.

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Adam Ruins the Economy
star
7.62
238 votes

#17 - Adam Ruins the Economy

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 10/3/2017

Adam explains why lobbying makes filing your taxes so complicated, and why the economic numbers we focus on don't provide the whole story. Plus, American manufacturing can't come back because it was a fluke to begin with.

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Adam Ruins Art
star
7.62
272 votes

#18 - Adam Ruins Art

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/8/2017

Adam poses the question of what makes great art and shows why pieces visible to the masses are revered, regardless of artistic merit. He then exposes the masters as copycats and reveals that today's art market is a moneymaking scheme.

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Adam Ruins Justice
star
7.63
355 votes

#19 - Adam Ruins Justice

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 12/13/2016

After getting Emily out of prison, Adam and his sister Rhea take on the justice system; shining a spotlight on the infamous McDonalds hot coffee lawsuit and the substantial problems with the jury duty system.

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Adam Ruins His Vacation
star
7.63
257 votes

#20 - Adam Ruins His Vacation

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/19/2017

Adam Conover and his girlfriend take a journey across America, where he reveals that Mount Rushmore was built on stolen Native American land, Vegas slot machines are purposely designed to be addicting, and a whole lot more!

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Adam Ruins Dating
star
7.63
303 votes

#21 - Adam Ruins Dating

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/1/2017

Adam swipes right on knowledge by exposing the flaws in dating sites; the existence of alpha males (and wolves); personality tests.

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Adam Ruins Science
star
7.64
199 votes

#22 - Adam Ruins Science

Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 10/31/2017

Testing mice means wasted resources because what works on them often fails on humans. Scarce funding stops scientists from seeking cures, and there's no money in reproducing results, even though it's essential in proving findings.

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Adam Ruins a Night Out
star
7.64
87 votes

#23 - Adam Ruins a Night Out

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/20/2019

Adam and Emily prepare for a big night out by revealing the marketing ploy that led to women shaving and the fashion agendas that created pockets. Then, the two friends pour back the truth on alcohol consumption.

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The First Factsgiving
star
7.64
121 votes

#24 - The First Factsgiving

Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/27/2018

The Pilgrims didn't break bread with Native Americans, but did dig up their graves! There was no romance between Pocahontas and John Smith, and cities in the New World rivaled London in scale before their "discovery."

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Adam Ruins Doing Good
star
7.67
87 votes

#25 - Adam Ruins Doing Good

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/27/2019

Adam takes down the do-gooders and reveals how Teach For America is harmful to both students and teachers. He then uncovers the ineffectiveness of recycling and calls out the billionaires who create charities for tax breaks

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