When the MythBusters then analyzed food-free contact plates that had spent two- and six-second intervals on a contaminated surface, the "five-second rule" quickly crumbled. Even if something spends a mere millisecond on the floor, it attracts bacteria. How dirty it gets depends on the food's moisture, surface geometry and floor condition - not time.
That spells sad news for clumsy eaters everywhere: The "five-second rule" myth is busted.