A whole generation grew up watching the magic that was “Mythbusters” on TV. Just as the show’s title states, a team was in charge of busting some of the most famous myths with science. Granted, the results weren’t always expected or even concluding, but were undoubtedly entertaining, fun, and nerdy cool.
One of the most unforgettable “Mythbusters” stars is Kari Byron, who was the ‘crash girl’ part of the show’s ‘Build Team’, alongside Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci, who never failed to deliver more of those inventive experiments tfor which the show gained its fame.
Although Kari Byron and her two teammates left the show long ago in 2014, there’s no shortage of questions regarding not only her exit from “Mythbusters,” but also her whereabouts and what projects she’s been involved in since then.
Are you also interested in the iconic Kari Byron’s whereabouts? Keep with us to learn more about her!
Why Did She Leave “Mythbusters”?
We can only theorize about what caused Kari Byron’s and her fellow Build Team mates’ exit from “Mythbusters”. After 10 years of appearing in the show and bringing top-notch science-centered entertainment to uncountable audiences, in August 2014 it was announced that Kari, Tory Belleci, and Grant Imahara were no longer part of the show starting from the 13th season.
Though nothing was ever confirmed, the trio’s exit didn’t seem a decision on their part, but from the show’s production. As Kari wrote on Twitter (now X) at the time, “Mythbusters” was ‘taking a new direction’. She also thanked the show for the experience she got by being in it, and the fans for their support, affirming that it had been an ‘amazing run’ and a ‘sad’ ending.
Kari’s former Team Build mate Tory also had similar words to describe his experience in the show. On top of that, “Mythbusters” original hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman confirmed in a now-disappeared video that the show was ‘going back to its origins’ and described the trio as their ‘friends’, so it didn’t seem that there was any bad blood between the parties.
While at the time of the decision to let Kari, Tory, and Grant go, it isn’t far-fetched to think that the show’s production was experimenting with the format. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to play out in the end, as “Mythbusters” was canceled in 2016, after airing its 14th season.
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Return To TV
After being a “Mythbusters” crash girl for a decade, it isn’t surprising that Kari Byron found other TV jobs after her exit from the iconic show. The first was in 2015, when Kari and her former “Mythbusters” cast mate Tory Belleci became the “Thrill Factor” hosts.
The then-new Travel Channel’s show was centered around Kari and Tory as they explored many adventures in amusement parks and similar adrenaline-inducing places. This show was similar to “Mythbusters” in the sense that it involved science, fun, and entertaining situations, yet it only lasted one 11-episode long season.
Later in 2016, Kari, Tory, and Grant Imahara reunited again to host “White Rabbit Project”, a Netflix-produced show that combined everything we loved about the former “Mythbusters” Build Team, but this time they combined their scientific knowledge with general culture and history to explore some interesting and attention-catching mysteries. Their goal was to ‘go down a rabbit hole’ of researching technology, weaponry, internet mysteries, and a lot more.
“White Rabbit Project” was surely a sight to behold for “Mythbusters” fans, who not only missed seeing Kari, Tory, and Grant together on TV, but also wanted them to create some amazing builds to demonstrate, and sometimes negate their points. Sadly, the show only lasted one season before being canceled.
Other Projects
In 2018, Kari Byron published her book “Crash Test Girl: An Unlikely Experiment in Using the Scientific Method to Answer Life’s Toughest Questions”. This work uses her learnings about scientific methods to explore diverse everyday topics and find answers to them.
I haven’t been this excited to get stickers since I was a kid! @CrashTestShow #crashtestworld pic.twitter.com/2Rnhob32DR
— Kari Byron (@KariByron) May 27, 2020
A year later, Kari became the host of “Crash Test World”, which is part of the documentary ProjectExplorer series, exploring stories around the world and making short films about them. Kari’s “Crash Test World” was filmed in several locations in the US, Qatar, and other countries, shedding some light onto students and communities developing projects related to technology, environmentalism, sports, cuisine, and a lot more.
“Crash Test World” lasted one six-episode long season, aired in excerpts on separate occasions in New York, online, and by Discovery Channel throughout 2019, 2020 and 2021. Around those years, Kari launched the online streaming service EXPLR Media, which is focused on creating educational content about technology and environmental preservation.
The company is nowadays called EXPLR, and organizes the annual National STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Festival, with Kari as its co-founder and global vice president of production. These days, Kari is also a public speaker who travels around the US spreading the word about EXPLR’s mission and her support of STEM-centered educational projects for children and teens.
Besides her passion for science, Kari is also an artist. One of the reasons she ended up in “Mythbusters” was because she was pursuing a career as a sculptor, but not even her success in the science field stopped her from exploring her art in other ways, such as creating artwork for books.
Personal Life
While Kari Byron has seen herself grow as a supporter of STEM, and a TV personality away from “Mythbusters”, not many people are aware of the personal highs and lows she’s experienced in recent years.
Kari separated from Paul Urich, with whom she had been married since 2006. The pair welcomed a daughter together in 2009, but not many other details about her relationship with the artist are known ,except that their marriage was dissolved in California in early 2020.
What Happened To “Mythbusters”?
After over a decade on air, “Mythbusters” officially ended in 2016. The cancellation was followed by the premiere of a spin-off called “The Search”, which lasted for one season and focused on finding new people to host a new generation of the show – no one from the original cast was included in it.
Later in 2018, Adam Savage joined the cast of “MythBusters Jr”, which served as a revival of the original show, but just like its predecessors, it only lasted one season on air. In 2021, Tory Belleci became the host of the automotive-centered spin-off “Motor MythBusters”. However, no revival with the original “Mythbusters” cast has been created since 2016.
Sadly, Grant Imahara died from an aneurysm in July 2020 at 49 years old. In a public letter in his honor, Kari described Grant as someone with whom she experienced great adventures , and her relationship with him and Tory as ‘siblings’.
All in all, Kari and the rest of the cast’s time in “Mythbusters” is long gone, but there’s no denying that the show brought them and us many good moments and memories.
