It seems fair to say that Kari Byron really had to work to be accepted by the show Mythbusters since she was so persistent in showing up at the place that they eventually hired her on. She was on the show from season 1 to 12 and was a big part of the cast for nearly the entire time. In 2009 she had to be replaced for the last half of the season due to the fact that she went on maternity leave, but she did manage to come back eventually. Along with Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci she was released from the show in 2014 though, and fans were outraged. One of the man reasons was that she was the only woman on the show and she served as a positive role model to show young women that it was possible for women to be involved in science and to be every bit as good at it as men. In fact a petition was actually created to bring her back, but at this point we know how well petitions work when there’s not enough leverage for them to be effective.
Don’t feel too bad though, Kari landed on her feet after being let go from Mythbusters.
Mythbusters
Don’t let the clip fool you, Kari did plenty of things on the show with all of her clothes on and proved that she was fully capable of proving the scientific methods that allowed the team to either debunk or prove the myths that were presented on the show with every episode. In this one she was testing out the effect of putting aluminum on her body by mixing it with lotion and paste to see what the effect might be. The practice stemmed from the act of putting it on the original Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, and while that actor suffered a very negative effect Kari didn’t really suffer at all except from a slightly elevated heart rate after some good-natured ribbing from her colleagues. She did perform like a true professional however and managed to debunk the myth, though it could have been that the aluminum was tempered by the fact that it was incorporated into the paste that was covering her body, thereby dampening any effect.
Thrill Factor
It wasn’t too long after she was let go from Mythbusters that she found another show to focus on, and she even got to work with Tory again for the show Thrill Factor. The main point of this show was to use the scientific methods they’d learned and apply them to what happened to the human body when it’s put through intense situations as can happen on a thrill ride such as a rollercoaster. This show didn’t seem destined to last too long since there are only so many rides and theme parks around the nation that could offer a very different perspective on the same thing. But the idea of it was pretty cool since we never really seem to think about what happens to our bodies and why when we’re riding on a rollercoaster or being flung through the air by one attraction or another. It’s easy to feel and understand the trepidation and the outcome once one is put through the wringer, but the science behind it is pretty interesting really.
White Rabbit Project
This show reunited Tory and Kari with Grant and together the three of them began to explore various ideas and items that were seen in pop culture and throughout history. Jail breaks, unusual weaponry, and other such subjects were the norm with the trio and were actually very popular with many people. In a way it was almost a though they were taking the idea of Mythbusters in a new direction and applying it to the mainstream. Unfortunately Netflix did not pick up the show after the first season and the trio had to find something else to do with their time after the show ended in 2016.
It’s not really known what she’s doing at this point but one thing is certain and that’s the fact that she’s still pursuing one of her passions, which is to create art in one form or another. This is one of her biggest passions and she’s fully admitted that she can’t really get through her day without creating something. A lot of people can likely understand this compulsion as it becomes such a habit to do something constructive that unless it’s done each and every day a person can get a bit antsy.
The idea to bring her back to Mythbusters has so far been, well, a bust. But there’s no reason to believe that she’s going to stay down anytime soon since Kari has already proven she has the kind of spirit that allows her to keep getting back up to try something new.
