MacGyver Trivia

A few minutiae, fine points, and other nitpicky details.

General Trivia

Mac repeatedly says that he "hates" heights.
MacGyver's friends often met with an untimely death.
Even when he wasn't on an assignment, MacGyver often found people who needed his help.
He fired a gun once: in the pilot episode.
In the pilot also, he lives in the Griffith Observatory.
In season seven, MacGyver's first name was revealed: Angus.
In season six (episode #123) and again in season seven (episode #131) it is mentioned that MagGyver is a vegetarian.
In season one, however, he eats cooked lizard (ep #4), tries some sort of meat from a stew pot (ep #6), orders a roast lamb sandwich (ep #19), and eats fried chicken (ep #51).
Early in season two (ep #24) Mac has whipped bean curd in his fridge and sings the praises of alfalfa sprouts.
In ep 77, he has yogurt and sprouts in the fridge.
Dana Elcar first appears in the pilot episode as a character named Andy Colson.
Dana Elcar first appears as Pete Thornton in episode #11.
Of his past, Mac says that he "started out in Minnesota." (ep #4)
As a child, Mac was in the Boy Scouts. (ep #4)
Mac says he'll never forget the motto his den mother taught them: be prepared. (ep #4)
Mac is a huge fan of hockey. (ep #13)
Harry is also a hockey fan. (ep #33)
Pete doesn't care for hockey. (ep #33)
Pete is a colonel. (ep #12)
Pete has been promoted to Deputy Chief of the Department. (ep #12)
Pete is later named Executive Director of Operations. (ep #15)
In season one, Pete operates out of the Federal Building.
The Phoenix Foundation is first mentioned in the first episode of season two.
Pete says when he first met Mac, Mac pulled him out of quicksand in the desert and put him on a camel. (ep #12)
However, the episode Partners tells how they met while chasing Murdoc.
Mac can greet someone in Mandarin. (ep #45)
Mac also speaks French, German, Italian and Russian. (ep #48)
Mac admits that his German isn't very good. (ep #50)
His Latin is "very rusty." (ep #84)

Season 1

Kate Conolly works in the office of the newspaper, El Tiempo. (ep #4)
Mac and his friend, Dr. Charles Alden, go on an expedition in the Amazon on behalf of the Inter-Americas Institute of Tropical Ornathology. (ep #6)
Mac is the only person who called Dr. Alden "Charlie." (ep #6)
Charlie was the second friend Mac lost on-screen.
The first friend Mac lost on-screen was Nikolai Grotsky, who was hit by a truck. (ep #3)
Mac says that he has a habit of not drinking too much. (ep #3)
Mac describes his mother as "one of the great kitchen experimenters." (ep #6)
When Mac was young, his father once took him to his favorite fishing hole: Sparrow Lake. (ep #7)
Starting in ep #9, Mac lives in a Venice Beach apartment with a balcony overlooking a beach.
Mac may have run a coffee shop/hotdog stand at the front of the beach apartment building, because he tells a guy that he forgot to pay for his coffee. (ep #9)
Mac's landlady is named Susan. (ep #14)
In Ep #15, Mac is packing to move to a different place "on the beach."
In the pilot, Ed Gantner (possibly Mac's boss) asks Mac to help rescue trapped scientists.
A Marine officer asks Mac to retrieve a chemical from a downed plane in Burma. (ep #2)
Mac phones someone with code name "Pac Man" to report that he's found a missing lady general. (ep #10)
Not much later, Mac receives a visit from a Colonel named Barney who thanks Mac on behalf of "the department" for completing another mission. (ep #10)
In season one, Mac says that he hasn't seen his grandfather since he was ten. (ep #10)
Mac then observes to Harry that it's been "sixteen, seventeen, eighteen years" since they last saw each other. (ep #10)
Mac calls his grandfather "Harry." Harry calls Mac "Bud." (ep #10)
Harry lives in a small town in Colorado. (ep #10)
Harry and Mac hide from Axminster in a deserted town called Evermore. (ep #10)
After Mac's mother died, Harry avoided seeing Mac because he didn't want to be reminded of the loss. (ep #10)
Mac recalls that Harry would take him out to pick a tree for Christmas. (ep #10)
When he was "about ten" Mac made a duck call for Harry, who says it still works well. (ep #10)
Mac says that when he was a kid, he chewed pine pitch like it was gum. (ep #10)
Amy Diane Austin is one of Mac's old girlfriends. (ep #13)
They broke up when Mac wanted to see the world, and Amy wanted to stay in Westport Beach, where she and Mac attended college. (ep #13)
Amy and Mac were both officers in the science club. (ep #13)
Mac served in Vietnam as part of a bomb-diffusing team, with a man named Charlie Robinson. (ep #14)
The ship that Mac and Charlie board is the Victoria. (ep #14)
Charlie Robinson is the third friend that Mac lost on-screen. (ep #14)
Mac first rode a merry-go-round when he was six or seven years old. (ep #16)
Penny Parker could never learn how to play chess. (ep #16)
Penny was once Queen of the Future Farmers. (ep #16)
Mac's birthdate is January 23, 1951. (ep #16)**
Mac can fly a jet. (ep #17)
Mac's Jeep is first seen in episode 18.
Mac's DXS ID number is XC4479. (ep #18)
Mac has run the South Bay Marathon twice. (ep #18)
Mac visits Leningrad for the first time. (ep #21)
Number of women Mac kissed in season one: nine
(Barbara, Reena, Kate, Chris, Karen, Amy, Victoria, Penny, Sarah)

Season 2

Mac dreamed of playing professional hockey. (ep #24)
Mac loves green olives with pimentos. (ep #24)
Pete discovers that he likes whipped bean curd. (ep #24)
The MacGyverism is defined: it's when Mac turns one thing into another. (ep #25)
Jack Dalton's company is Fly-By-Night. (ep #28)
Jack's left eye twitches when he lies. (ep #28)
Debra Easton is another of Mac's ex-girlfriends. (ep #29)
She left him, leaving only a note, because she knew he was going to ask her to marry him, and she wasn't ready. (ep #29)
Debra was a sprinter in high school. (ep #29)
Mac's father and grandmother died in a car crash on Dec 14th. (ep #33)
When Mac was "about ten," he got his first chemistry set. (ep #33)
Pete's ex-wife is named Connie, and his son is named Michael. (ep #34)
Mac is an avid skier. (ep #38)
If Mac recalls correctly, as a child he broke "a couple of arms, three fingers, and a toe." (ep #38)
Number of women Mac kissed in season two: five
Jill, Mike (on the cheek), Debra, Penny, Diana

Season 3

Lisa Kohler is another of Mac's ex-girlfriends. (ep #45)
Later, Mac learns that Lisa is a KGB spy who was sent to seduce him. (ep #46)
Pete's birthday is December 18, 1933. (ep #46)
Pete is a big fan of golf. (ep #46)
Mac's houseboat is first seen in episode 47.
Mac does not believe in ghosts. He believes in explanations. (ep #48)
Pete says that Mac is "an experienced woodsman." (ep #48)
Nikki Carpenter enters Mac's life after her brother - and Mac's friend - Danny Barrett is murdered. (ep #49)
Mac knows about computer hacking, and he has taught others about it. (ep #49)
Mac sends info to Danny's computer at 555-3082. (ep #49)**
Nikki says that she is divorced. (ep #49)
Nikki doesn't speak German. (ep #50)
Mac and Jack wind up in the Bayonne County Correctional Facility. (ep #51)
Jack's dream is to start Dalton Airways. (ep #51)
Mike Forrester dies in episode 52.
Mac was in the physics hall of fame at Western Tech. (ep #53)
Mac has a home remedy for colds that requires eucalyptus leaves. (ep #54)
Nikki's middle name is Anne. (ep #54)
Mac learns that Nikki's husband was killed in a car bombing in West Virginia. (ep #54)
Nikki says that the bomb was a hit meant for her. (ep #54)
Nikki babysits her neighbor's dog, Bunky. (ep #54)
Mac says that Pete is a Type A personality. (ep #56)
Pete has a boat. (ep #56)
Pete had a cabin until Murdoc burned it down. (ep #52)
Mac's high school hockey coach was Turk Donner. (ep #57)
Mac gave up a career in hockey after getting injured pretty badly while playing. (ep #57)
Mac says that he doesn't drink coffee. (ep #59)
Deborah (The Negotiator) describes Mac as "Loner. Athletic. Artistic. Intelligent." (ep #59)
Deborah observes Mac's routine: Phoenix Foundation. Art Classes. Volunteer for Handicapped. Environmental Causes. (ep #59)
Deborah has a lynx fur coat. (ep #59)
Nikki's address is 2723 Forster Lane, Apt. 206. (ep #59)
Mac plays the guitar. (ep #59)
The song he plays in episode 59 is "Eau d'Leo" - composed by Richard Dean Anderson.
Toberman's dog is named Buddy. (ep #60)
Another of Mac's ex-girlfriends is forest ranger Karen Miller. (ep #63)
Karen has an owl named Hooter. (ep #63)
Mac once wanted to be a ranger. (ep #63)
Mr. Chung's company is Jade Dragon Shipping. (ep #64)

Season 4

Penny was born on Halloween. (ep #65)
Mac grew up in a town called Mission City. (ep #66)
When Mac visits Mission City as an adult, its population is 42,597. (ep #66)
Mac's dad taught him how to shoot. (ep #66)
After Mac's friend died from an accidental gunshot, Mac no longer wanted anything to do with guns. (ep #66)
The California license plate on the Mercedes Benz is 2NUB350. (ep #66)***
In third grade, Mac's teacher, Mr. Simpson, often made Mac stand in the corner. Mac admits that he usually deserved it. (ep #67)
Jack's latest venture is Dalton Air & Sea. (ep #68)
Mac has driven race cars in competition. (ep #69)
Jack's birthday is February 3, 1951. (ep #72)
Jack is adopted. (ep #72)
Jesse Colton first appears in ep #72.
Mac and Penny view each other as brother and sister. (ep #73)
Working in disguise to set up his plan, Murdoc fell in love with Penny. (ep #73)
Mac and Natalie met at the Helsinki Ambassador Hotel. (ep #78)
Mac's mother died of a stroke while he was on assignment in Afghanistan. (ep #77)
He didn't even hear about it until the day of her funeral. (ep #77)
Mac was seven years old when his dad and grandma died in a car accident. (ep #77)**
They drowned after the car went into Miller's Creek. (ep #77)
Mac and the others hike on Mount Cascade. (ep #79)
Mac finds the bad guys at Jericho Point. (ep #81)
The sample that is stolen is Sample A7, Lot 43. (ep #82)
Deborah ("The Negotiatior") claims that she really had feelings for Mac. (ep #83)
In episode 83, the flashback of Mac and Pete in the cab is slightly different than what actually happened. Pete didn't say, "It's Murdoc!"

Season 5

When Mac was a senior in high school, Zoe Ryan was in seventh grade. (ep #84)
Zoe lived next door to Mac in Mission City. (ep #84)
Zoe's office at the university is number 311. (ep #84)
Zoe hides Diana's mirror in a personalized souvenir pillow from Istanbul. (ep #84)
On the flight to London, Mac reads Ambrose Alchemist - Guardian of Peace. (ep #84)
The abbey is located at section 2, lot 5, parcel 16 in Chelsea. (ep #84)
The abbey is currently the home of "Bodin's Chamber of Torture." (ep #84)
While posing as a museum employee, Von Leer's associate has her actual name - Eunice - on her name tag. (ep #84)
In episode 86, Mac has a '46 Chevy truck that belonged to his grandfather.
Sophia's code name is Dolphin. (ep #86)
The phone number of the booth that Sophia uses is (213) 555-8181. (ep #86)
Area code 213 is in California.
Deegan poses as "Sgt. Murphy" to trace the number Sophia called. (ep #86)
Pete's office phone number is 555-3493. (ep #86)
Sophia's address is 312 Elm, Apt A, Los Angeles, California. (ep #86)
Sophia's phone number is 555-2225. (ep #86)
Frank Colton hates fish. (ep #86)
Sophia waits for Mac at Flo's Diner. (ep #86)
Mac uses the teeth of a sheephead fish to cut himself free. (ep #86)
Mac sets a trap for Deegan in the Space Track booth at the Urban Adventure Arcade. (ep #86)
Jesse's wallet contains a "Vista" credit card. (ep #88)
Skinner gives Willie $500 for unlocking the clinic door. (ep #88)
Wanda Trie Tran, Willie's mother, lived from 1953 - 1989. (ep #88)
Mac's neighbor, Milt Bozer, has a boat called the Skippy II. (ep #89)
Mac's belongings are found at the hangar near a "Move-Your-Self" rental truck. (ep #89)
Mac finds the hearse at Haven's Rest Cemetery. (ep #89)
Murdoc has had plastic surgery to remove the burn scars on his face. (ep #89)
Nicholas Helman, of HIT, taught Murdoc everything he knows. (ep #89)
Mac poses as an employee of To Die For catering with a casket full of food. (ep #89)
Murdoc is in costume as the Grim Reaper. (ep #89)
Murdoc is petrified of snakes. (ep #89)
Mei Jan arrives at Mac's place in an Advance Cab company taxi. (ep #90)
Mac sponsored Sue Ling for years as part of a foster child program for orphans. (ep #90)
We see the bedroom in Mac's houseboat for the first time in episode 90. (ep #90)
Mei Jan says that she and Sue Ling attended Beijing Teachers' College. (ep #90)
Mac sneaks into the consulate on top of a truck marked "Tai Wa Produce."(ep #90)
The California license plate on the van is 2NUB350. (ep #90)
Ladysmith's real name is Anton De Bruin. (ep #91)
A sign at the entrance of Nabo Ranch says "All Rights Reserved for Rhinos."(ep #91)
The sugar refinery is at the Kambezi River Depot. (ep #91)
Chan and Ladysmith are to meet in the Safari Room at the Gold City Hotel at 5 o'clock. (ep #91)
Chan's room is number 580. (ep #91)
Billy donates his part of the reward money to the cause of the rhinos. (ep #91)
At the auction, the Rubens painting that Pete wants is item #52. (ep #92)
The opening bid is $300,000. (ep #92)
Pete's auction fan is #29. (ep #92)
Pete wins the painting with a bid of $425,000. (ep #92)
At the jail, Sam was in "holding three."(ep #92)
The address of Hoggart Realty is 2884 Oxford. (ep #92)
The video is shot at Lake Shore Studios. (ep #93)
Carla's house is #3253. (ep #93)
Rogan's license plate number is CHN 438. (ep #93)
As a kid, Mac would wrap presents for his mom in old comic book pages. (ep #94)
Carol finds Breeze at Joe's Pool and Snooker. (ep #94)
The Christmas show at the Challengers' Club is the 14th Annual. (ep #94)
Mac's mother had a stroke the day after Christmas. (ep #94)
When Pete drops Mac off, Mac's Jeep and '46 Chevy truck can be seen in the parking lot. (ep #95)
In the message she leaves for Mac, Penny says that she's in a show at Frontier World. (ep #95)
Jack wants $2500 in cash for the ranch, but he agrees to Mac's offer of $1700 in gold coin. (ep #95)
The old-time Mac served under Sherman and then with the Ninth Calvary in Texas. He "carried a gun for four years." (ep #95)
Old-time Billy Colton was a slave in Dixon Holding, Alabama. (ep #95)
Old-time Mac spends $3.20 at the general store. (ep #95)
The street number of the Sheriff's office is 38073. (ep #97)
Foxworth's company is Half-Moon Logging. (ep #97)
Betsy is the name of Braddock's truck. (ep #97)
The tag number of the vehicle Mac drives in Oregon is TFH 4L8. (ep #97)
Maria's father worked at the University of San Marcos. (ep #98)
The tag number of the Jeep Mac drives in Peru is IL-9428. (ep #98)
The gang looks for the treasure at the Sarra Yahta ruins. (ep #98)
Mac first uses the Dexter persona in episode 99.
Jenny's Chance is the name of a racehorse. (ep #99)
Pete (as Harry Boyle) offers Henderson $200,000 for Jenny's Chance. (ep #99)
Mick follows Harry Boyle to the Derby Grill. (ep #99)
The password for the ERMA operations disk is NAUTILUS. (ep #100)
Nick's company is Shark Submarines, Inc. (ep #100)
Gwen's husband, Larry, had died six years earlier. (ep #100)
While in jail, Banniker reads a newspaper called The Observer. (ep #100)
The story about Dexter is on the front page: Computer Thief Nabbed. 'Genius' Hacker ripped off millions from the Pacific East Bank.(ep #100)
Shark Submarines is located at 1178 Alamo Road, Santa Luisa, CA. Their phone number is 555-5012. (ep #100)
Mac and Pete track Nick to a boat called the Windward Isle, at pier nine. (ep #100)
Mac stops to buy a newspaper called The Observer. (ep #101)
Sal's Pawn Shop is owned by Izzy's cousin. (ep #101)
The 20's bash is held at the Speakeasy Nite Club. (ep #101)
Mac and Lulu dance while the band plays "Every Little Breeze Seems to Whisper Louise."(ep #101)
Arnold Tubbs card lists his business address as 2117 Lermont St., Santa Luisa, CA. (ep #101)
Lulu drives a car belonging to the Abutus Driving School, phone number 555-7826. (ep #101)
Mac packs a white #11 jersey and a Kings jersey. (ep #102)
Lisa and Ingrid dance around to a song called "One More for the Road." (ep #102)
The call to test the tracking system comes from 213-555-4566, Telephone District #208, 7000 Block Fairdale, Intersection: Bronson. (ep #102)
Travers calls Eric from 213-555-4691. (ep #102)
The kidnappers originally ask for $3 million. (ep #102)
Eric is told to bring the money to the flag pole in Observation Park. (ep #102)
The murder was committed at the intersection of Main Street and Olive Boulevard. (ep #103)
The "Bird Lady" lived in apartment 2B at 500 Olive Blvd. (ep #103)
She had lived in that apartment for forty years. (ep #103)
Her real name was Belinda Jones. (ep #103)
Mac's bail is $2500. (ep #103)
The DA's office is number 2258. (ep #103)
Baron reports for Channel 12. (ep #103)
The earliest available flight to Minneapolis is at midnight. (ep #104)
The netherworld ship is called Osiris. (ep #104)
Mac's hospital room is ICU 3. (ep #104)

Season 6

Coco was formerly the leader of the Rolling Thunder gang. (ep #105)
The Tough Boys are ambushed at the Billingsgate Fish Co. (ep #105)
When Mac and Pete arrive in Bucharest, the clock on the building shows the time to be around 12:25. (ep #106)
Victor lived in barracks K-11. (ep #106)
Victor's childhood friend was named Nicolae, which was also Ceausescu's name. (ep #106)
Rudy and his cohort flee in a beige 1976 Dodge. (ep #107)
Senator Harrison was assassinated in 1968. (ep #107)
Richard Cromwell was the name of the officer that Rudy killed. (ep #107)
Breeze's bail was set at $25,000. (ep #107)
Maddox offers Breeze $1,000 for info on the whereabouts of the Harrison gun. (ep #107)
Todd calls Maddox from his home phone, number 555-6572. (ep #107)
Todd demands $50,000 for the gun. (ep #107)
Lisa has had 15 unexcused absences from school. (ep #108)
Lisa and Holly attend Jackson High School. (ep #108)
Holly is a senior, and head cheerleader. (ep #108)
As a child, Mac and his friend Freddy drank a six-pack in less than an hour. (ep #108)
Brett's computer access code at the travel agency is b-1. (ep #108)
The Woodman house is number 4769. (ep #108)
Brett and company break into the house of Mr. and Mrs. David Sanford, 210 Sunset Lane, Royal Beach. (ep #108)
In Germany, Mac stays at the Hotel Konigsadler. (ep #109)
Mosel works with the Citizen Freedom Committee. (ep #109)
Maria asks for "three quarters" to buy a root beer from a vending machine. (ep #109)
Mac and Maria had a "Hawaiian pizza" with pineapple. (ep #109)
The street number of Romberg's Toys is 321. (ep #109)
Ruth O'dell is the judge at Zito's trial. (ep #110)
The Bailiff's Lounge is room 206 in the courthouse. (ep #110)
Zito's library card number is 23-7530. (ep #110)
Pete's license plate number is 2MTW648. (ep #110)
Pete's parking space number is 20. (ep #110)
Mac arrives at the lawyer's office one minute early for his 7:00 am appointment. (ep #111)
Mac picks up the Nomad from Mel's Storage at 1420 Menton. (ep #111)
The Minnesota license plate on the Nomad is number 1B0JKR. (ep #111)
Young MacGyver is number 11 for the hockey team, the Wildcats. (ep #111)
On the wanted poster, a $500 reward is offered for Maria. (ep #112)
The town of Kasabian has a population of 2,571 and is at elevation 1150. (ep #113)
Mac finds the Fixx hidden in containers labeled "Maple Syrup". (ep #113)
Nick had borrowed Hector's jacket (and lost a button from it) on the night Nick killed Tony. (ep #113)
Mac paid $245 for a new generator. (ep #114)
The old generator was only a month old. (ep #114)
Phil offers Mac the Vortex 6000, the "next generation in household care appliances." (ep #114)
Rigel is a star in the Orion constellation. (ep #114)
The Rigels' tag number is 308 4R6. (ep #114)
Mac's bail is $1000. (ep #114)
Mama Colton arrives home in a Liberty Taxi. (ep #115)
Frank and Jesse were called away from the family reunion on a big "jump bail case". (ep #115)
Wendy says that Frank's baseball collection is worth over $50,000. (ep #115)
Wendy lives above the Ngai Lum Musical Society. (ep #115)
During college, Mac ushered at Met Stadium. (ep #115)
Mama named her computer after Alexandre Dumas. (ep #115)
Mama Colton lives at 415 Maple. (ep #115)
Marsh paid $50,000 for Novus Riley's gambling markers. (ep #115)
Dexter meets Eli in room 3008. (ep #115)
The "Jackson Collection" is from the final game of the 1977 World Series. (ep #115)
The phone number for Home Run Printing is 555-8172. (ep #115)
Nikolai wore jersey number 16. (ep #116)
Ellen has been with Jerico Broadcasting for 8 years. (ep #116)
Mac has a yearbook called Eyrie from a high school with initials M.C.H.S. (ep #116)
Ellen was head cheerleader for the class of 1968. (ep #116)
Ellen and Mac were in a group called Students for Gun Control. (ep #116)
Willis' device detects 76 millirads of radioactivity at The Wasteland site. (ep #117)
Upon completion Bartlett City would have supported 15,000 people. (ep #117)
The Wasteland is about 40 miles away from Bartlett's office. (ep #117)
The bomb goes off when the van's odometer hits 26055. (ep #117)
Beth only saw her father three times while she was growing up. (ep #118)
The phone number of The Handle Bar is 555-5214. (ep #119)
The Handle Bar is located at 3217 Oakdale. (ep #119)
Kluge retrieves Dent's "trike" from impound. (ep #119)
Hinkley has a stash of 200 pounds of crystal meth. (ep #119)
Father Jim served at the Santa Luisa Mission. (ep #120)
"Black and blue" was a code phrase - meaning "help" - from when Mac and Father Jim played hockey together. (ep #120)
Doc, a former English teacher, reads 2000 words a minute with 100% comprehension. (ep #120)
Danny is taken to Sunningdale Manor. (ep #120)
Mac drives a Liberty Taxi, with phone number 555-2951. (ep #121)
The phone number at the safehouse is 555-6978. (ep #121)
Lacey House was established in 1859. (ep #122)
Leo had stolen approximately $1 million from his employers. (ep #122)
Murdoc's sister Ashton was the last member of his family. (ep #123)

Acknowledgments

** Many thanks to ~Starre~ for correcting one of my ep 77 trivia lines, to Atomic Punk for the addition to the ep 49 trivia, and to Bandit for sending Mac's birthdate!

*** Many thanks to David C. for pointing out that the plate from ep 90 appears in this ep!

If you have any trivia to add, please let me know!

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