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This is a list of '''cast members''' of the television series ''[[MythBusters]]'' on the [[Discovery Channel]]. In addition to the core cast members, the ''MythBusters'' team includes several honorary MythBusters as well as some recurring guests.
This is a list of cast members of the television series ''[[MythBusters]]'' on the [[Discovery Channel]]. In addition to the core cast members, the ''MythBusters'' team includes several honorary MythBusters, and some recurring guests.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
<onlyinclude>
<onlyinclude>
{{#tag:timeline|ImageSize=width:900 height:auto barincrement:24
{| class="wikitable"
PlotArea = left:115 bottom:100 top:10 right:40
|-
Alignbars = justify
! rowspan="2"|'''Cast Member'''
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
! colspan="18" |Seasons
Period = from:01/01/2003 till:28/02/2018
|-
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#Pilot episodes|Pilots]]
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2003 season|2003]]
ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:2003
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2004 season|2004]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2005 season|2005]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2006 season|2006]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" |[[List of MythBusters episodes#2007 season|2007]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2008 season|2008]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2009 season|2009]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2010 season|2010]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2011 season|2011]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2012 season|2012]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2013 season|2013]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2014 season|2014]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2015 season|2015]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2016 season|2016]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2017 season|2017]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#2018 season|2018]]
! scope="col" style="width:5%;" | [[List of MythBusters episodes#Special episodes|Specials]]
|-
! colspan="19" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Main cast
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Jamie Hyneman]]
| colspan="15" {{CMain|Host}}
| colspan="2" {{CNone}}
| colspan="1" {{CMain|Host}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Adam Savage]]
| colspan="15" {{CMain|Host}}
| colspan="2" {{CNone}}
| colspan="1" {{CMain|Host}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Kari Byron]]
| {{CGuest|Guest}}
| colspan="3" {{no2|Builder}}
| colspan="9" {{CMain|Host}}
| colspan="1" {{CNone}}
| {{CGuest|Guest}}
| colspan="2" {{CNone}}
| {{CMain|Host}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Tory Belleci]]
| colspan="2" {{CNone}}
| colspan="2" {{no2|Builder}}
| colspan="9" {{CMain|Host}}
| colspan="1" {{CNone}}
| {{CGuest|Guest}}
| colspan="2" {{CNone}}
| {{CMain|Host}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | Scottie Chapman
| colspan="2" {{CNone}}
| colspan="2" {{no2|Builder}}
| colspan="1" {{CNone}}
| colspan="1" {{CGuest|Guest}}
| colspan="11" {{CNone}}
| {{CGuest|Guest}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Grant Imahara]]
| colspan="3" {{CNone}}
| colspan="1" {{no2|Builder}}
| colspan="9" {{CMain|Host}}
| colspan="1" {{CNone}}
| {{CGuest|Guest}}
| colspan="2" {{CNone}}
| {{CMain|Host}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Jessi Combs]]
| colspan="7" {{CNone}}
| colspan="2" {{CMain|Host}}
| colspan="9" {{CNone}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Jon Lung]]
| colspan="15" {{CNone}}
| colspan="2" {{CMain|Host}}
| colspan="1" {{CNone}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Brian Louden
| colspan="15" {{CNone}}
| colspan="2" {{CMain|Host}}
| colspan="1" {{CNone}}
|-
! colspan="19" style="background-color:#ccccff;" | Assistant cast
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | Christine Chamberlain
| colspan="2" {{CNone}}
| colspan="2" style="background:#add8e6; text-align:center;"| MythTern
| colspan="14" {{CNone}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | Jessie Nelson
| colspan="4" {{CNone}}
| colspan="3" style="background:#add8e6; text-align:center;"| MythTern
| colspan="11" {{CNone}}
|}
</onlyinclude>


Colors =
==Permanent cast==
id:bars value:rgb(0.99, 0.99, 0.99)
id:host value:rgb(0.67, 0.82, 0.69) legend:Host
id:builder value:rgb(1, 0.89, 0.89) legend:Builder
id:guest value:rgb(0.85, 0.92, 1) legend:Guest
id:mythtern value:rgb(0.68, 0.84, 0.9) legend:MythTern

BarData=
bar:hyneman text:[[Jamie Hyneman]]
bar:savage text:[[Adam Savage]]
bar:byron text:[[Kari Byron]]
bar:belleci text:[[Tory Belleci]]
bar:chapman text:Scottie_Chapman
bar:imahara text:[[Grant Imahara]]
bar:combs text:[[Jessi Combs]]
bar:lung text:[[Jon Lung]]
bar:louden text:Brian_Louden
bar:chamberlain text:Christine_Chamberlain
bar:nelson text:Jessie_Nelson

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

PlotData=
color:host width:15
bar:hyneman from:23/01/2003 till:06/03/2016
bar:savage from:23/01/2003 till:06/03/2016
bar:byron from:11/01/2006 till:21/08/2014
bar:belleci from:11/01/2006 till:21/08/2014
bar:imahara from:11/01/2006 till:21/08/2014
bar:combs from:25/11/2009 till:24/03/2010
bar:lung from:15/11/2017 till:28/02/2018
bar:louden from:15/11/2017 till:28/02/2018

color:guest width:15
bar:byron from:23/01/2003 till:07/03/2003
bar:chapman from:14/11/2007 till:15/11/2007
bar:byron from:05/03/2016 till:06/03/2016
bar:belleci from:05/03/2016 till:06/03/2016
bar:imahara from:05/03/2016 till:06/03/2016

color:builder width:15
bar:byron from:23/09/2003 till:16/11/2005
bar:belleci from:08/06/2004 till:16/11/2005
bar:chapman from:08/06/2004 till:16/11/2005
bar:imahara from:11/05/2005 till:16/11/2005

color:mythtern
bar:chamberlain from:08/06/2004 till:30/05/2005
bar:nelson from:25/01/2006 till:13/02/2008
}}</onlyinclude>

==Recent cast==


===Jon Lung===
===Jon Lung===
{{main|Jon Lung}}
{{main|Jon Lung}}
Jon Lung is a [[product designer]] and [[graphic designer]] from [[Staten Island, New York]], known as a co-host on the 2017 revival of the series, which premiered November 15, 2017. Lung and his co-host Brian Louden won the hosting on the [[reality television]] competition series ''[[Mythbusters: The Search]]'', which aired in January and February 2016.<ref>[https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/mythbusters-on-science/bios/jonathan-lung "Jonathan Lung"]. [[Science Channel]]. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
Jon Lung is a [[product designer]] and [[graphic designer]] from [[Staten Island, New York]], known as a co-host on the 2017 revival of the series. Lung and his co-host Brian Louden were selected as hosts after winning the [[reality television]] competition series ''[[Mythbusters: The Search]]''. This aired in January and February 2016.<ref>[https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/mythbusters-on-science/bios/jonathan-lung "Jonathan Lung"]. [[Science Channel]]. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
</ref><ref name=CNET>Burton, Bonnie (February 28, 2017). [https://www.cnet.com/au/news/new-mythbusters-hosts-crowned/ "New 'MythBusters' hosts crowned"]. [[CNET]].</ref><ref name=Engadget>Fingas, Jon (February 27, 2017). [https://www.engadget.com/2017/02/27/mythbusters-revival-hosts-unveiled/ "'MythBusters' revival gets its new hosts"]. [[Engadget]].</ref>
</ref><ref name=CNET>Burton, Bonnie (February 28, 2017). [https://www.cnet.com/au/news/new-mythbusters-hosts-crowned/ "New 'MythBusters' hosts crowned"]. [[CNET]].</ref><ref name=Engadget>Fingas, Jon (February 27, 2017). [https://www.engadget.com/2017/02/27/mythbusters-revival-hosts-unveiled/ "'MythBusters' revival gets its new hosts"]. [[Engadget]].</ref>


===Brian Louden===
===Brian Louden===
Brian Louden is an American pilot and rescue diver from [[Houston, Texas]], known as a co-host on the 2017 revival of the series, which premiered November 15, 2017. Louden and his co-host Jon Lung won the hosting on the reality television competition series ''Mythbusters: The Search'', which aired in January and February 2016.<ref name=CNET/><ref name=Engadget/>
Brian Louden is an American pilot and rescue diver from [[Houston, Texas]], known as a co-host on the 2017 revival of ''Mythbusters.'' Louden and his co-host Jon Lung won the spots from competition on ''Mythbusters: The Search'', which aired in January and February 2016.<ref name=CNET/><ref name=Engadget/>


==Former cast==
==Former cast==
Recurring experts are also sometimes referred to as "Honorary ''MythBusters''".
Recurring experts are sometimes referred to as "Honorary ''MythBusters''".


===Jamie Hyneman===
===Jamie Hyneman===
{{Main article|Jamie Hyneman}}
{{Main article|Jamie Hyneman}}
Jamie Hyneman is a main cast member on ''MythBusters'', along with Adam Savage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Jamie|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/jamie-hyneman.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> His demeanor on the show is calm, logical and no-nonsense, in stark contrast to Savage's more animated, impulsive and energetic persona.<ref name='usatoday'>{{cite news| first=Gary| last=Strauss| title='MythBusters' is the stuff of legends, tall tales| date=January 16, 2008| publisher=USA Today| url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-01-15-mythbusters_N.htm| work=USA Today| access-date=October 7, 2010}}</ref> Hyneman is often exasperated by Savage's antics and he sometimes argues with him about the best approach to take. The two often have very different ideas for performing experiments and building devices. Hyneman's ideas tend to be more simplified than his co-host's, and he has a philosophy of reducing a solution to its most basic form, wherever possible. This difference has led to numerous competitions between the two presenters when testing myths, such as testing the "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#Goldfish Memory|Goldfish Memory]]" myth and the "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#Levitation Machine|Levitation Machine]]" myth.
Jamie Hyneman is a main cast member on ''MythBusters'', along with Adam Savage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Jamie|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/jamie-hyneman.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> His demeanor on the show is calm, logical and no-nonsense, in stark contrast to Savage's more animated, impulsive and energetic persona.<ref name='usatoday'>{{cite news| first=Gary| last=Strauss| title='MythBusters' is the stuff of legends, tall tales| date=January 16, 2008| publisher=USA Today| url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-01-15-mythbusters_N.htm| work=USA Today| access-date=October 7, 2010}}</ref> The two often have very different ideas for performing experiments and building devices. Hyneman's ideas tend to be more simple and he prefers to reduce a solution to its most basic form. These two experts have competed when testing myths.

In numerous interviews, both Jamie and Adam have stated one of the reasons for the show's success is this dichotomy, and the fact that they can't stand each other, with their professional relationship being based more on mutual respect for each other's work. In a 2015 interview both said that they have completely separate lives, rarely, if ever, interacting with each other outside the show. Even while on set, they don't share meals or talk to each other off-camera. If there is an argument, they hash it out and move on, and they stated that while such arguments were a part of the early seasons, they successfully lobbied to have such situations on-camera significantly reduced.<ref name="2015 Interview">{{cite news| url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/10/22/9593334/mythbusters-final-season-relationship| access-date=October 22, 2015|title=The Mythbusters always had an amazing secret weapon: They can't stand each other|first=Ben |last=Kuchera|publisher=Polygon}}</ref>


In numerous interviews, both Jamie and Adam have said that one of the reasons for the show's success is their differences. In addition, they do not like each other, but they do have a mutual respect for each other's work. They do not have a social relationship outside the show. In a 2015 interview, they said their arguments were part of early seasons, but they worked to have such occasions reduced on-camera.<ref name="2015 Interview">{{cite news| url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/10/22/9593334/mythbusters-final-season-relationship| access-date=October 22, 2015|title=The Mythbusters always had an amazing secret weapon: They can't stand each other|first=Ben |last=Kuchera|publisher=Polygon}}</ref>
A distinctive part of his appearance is his dark [[beret]], white long-sleeve button-up shirt over a black T-shirt, no-rim glasses, and occasionally, mirrored sunglasses with side anti-glare guards. This, along with his [[walrus mustache|walrus-style mustache]] and deep voice, are constant subjects for jokes by co-host Adam Savage and other team members. A sign hanging in his workshop reading "Clean Up or Die", visible in several episodes, expresses his desire to keep the shop clean and tidy.


In the "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#AC vs. Windows Down|AC vs. Windows Down]]" myth, Hyneman revealed a food that he developed known as "the 444", a smoothie-like concoction of four fruits, four vegetables, and four grains. Despite skepticism by the rest of the crew, Hyneman described the 444's taste as "quite pleasant".
In the "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#AC vs. Windows Down|AC vs. Windows Down]]" myth, Hyneman revealed a food that he developed known as "the 444", a smoothie-like concoction of four fruits, four vegetables, and four grains. Despite skepticism by the rest of the crew, Hyneman described the 444's taste as "quite pleasant".
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===Adam Savage===
===Adam Savage===
{{Main article|Adam Savage}}
{{Main article|Adam Savage}}
Adam Savage has been involved in ''MythBusters'' since its creation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Adam|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/adam-savage.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> Savage's demeanour on ''MythBusters'' is animated and energetic, providing a [[foil (literature)|foil]] to Jamie Hyneman's more reserved [[Double act|straight man]] persona.<ref name='usatoday' />
Adam Savage has been involved in ''MythBusters'' since its creation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Adam|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/adam-savage.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> Savage's demeanor on ''MythBusters'' is animated and energetic, providing a [[foil (literature)|foil]] to Jamie Hyneman's more reserved [[Double act|straight man]] persona.<ref name='usatoday' />


Savage and Hyneman were the only hosts of the show for the first season of ''MythBusters''. Starting with the second season, members of Hyneman's staff were introduced and began to appear regularly in episodes; Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and [[welding|welder]] Scottie Chapman appeared in the second season. In the third season, Chapman was replaced by Grant Imahara, a [[robot]] builder and model maker.
Savage and Hyneman were the only hosts of the show for the first season of ''MythBusters''. Starting with the second season, members of Hyneman's staff were introduced and began to appear regularly in episodes; Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and [[welding|welder]] Scottie Chapman appeared in the second season. In the third season, Chapman was replaced by Grant Imahara, a [[robot]] builder and model maker.
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===Kari Byron===
===Kari Byron===
{{Main article|Kari Byron}}
{{Main article|Kari Byron}}
Kari Byron was a co-host until 2014 with fellow co-hosts of the "Build Team," Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Kari|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/kari-byron.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> She and the others also hosted their own segments. She became involved in the show after persistently showing up at Hyneman's [[M5 Industries]] workshop in a desire to get hired by his company. She and the other Build Team members were given a more prominent role beginning with the show's second season. Not having had a long history in show business, Byron at first found it difficult to act naturally with this more visible position but gradually became more accustomed to it.<ref name="Joe-Mammy">{{cite web| url=http://www.joe-mammy.com/pages/features/kari-byron/kari-byron.htm| title=The Joe-Mammy.com interview with Kari Byron| first=Joe| last=Mammy| publisher=Joe-Mammy.com| access-date=May 13, 2010| archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65pMDVyfb?url=http://www.joe-mammy.com/pages/features/kari-byron/kari-byron.htm| archive-date=March 1, 2012| url-status=dead}}</ref>
Kari Byron was a co-host until 2014 with fellow co-hosts of the "Build Team," Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Kari|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/kari-byron.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> She and the others also hosted their own segments. She became involved in the show after persistently showing up at Hyneman's [[M5 Industries]] workshop in a desire to get hired by his company. She and the other Build Team members were given a more prominent role beginning with the show's second season. Not having had a long history in show business, Byron at first found it difficult to act naturally with this more visible position but gradually became more accustomed to it.<ref name="Joe-Mammy">{{cite web| url=http://www.joe-mammy.com/pages/features/kari-byron/kari-byron.htm| title=The Joe-Mammy.com interview with Kari Byron| first=Joe| last=Mammy| publisher=Joe-Mammy.com| access-date=May 13, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326121028/http://www.joe-mammy.com/pages/features/kari-byron/kari-byron.htm| archive-date=March 26, 2012| url-status=dead}}</ref> Byron first appeared in the background of JATO Rocket Car, the first episode of the show, though her first proper on screen appearance was in episode two, where Adam and Jamie made a mold of her butt to test the myth of getting stuck on an airplane toilet.


During the second half of the 2009 season, Byron was on [[maternity leave]] and was temporarily replaced by Jessi Combs.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://twitter.com/Discovery/status/3058886718| title=Discovery Channel tweet announcing Jessi's addition to the show| date=July 31, 2009| access-date=May 13, 2010}}</ref> In 2010–2011, Byron had her own show, ''[[Head Rush (TV series)|Head Rush]]'', on the Science Channel, geared towards science education and teens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/23/kari-byron-interview-head-rush/ |title='MythBusters' Beauty Kari Byron Talks New Series 'Head Rush' |publisher=Tvsquad.com |date=August 23, 2010 |access-date=August 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/06/29/kari-byron-of-mythbusters-hosts-head-rush-on-science-channel-beginning-august-23/55652 |title=Kari Byron of 'MythBusters' Hosts 'Head Rush' on Science Channel Beginning August 23 |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.com |date=June 29, 2010|access-date=August 24, 2010}}</ref>
During the second half of the 2009 season, Byron was on [[maternity leave]] and was temporarily replaced by Jessi Combs.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://twitter.com/Discovery/status/3058886718| title=Discovery Channel tweet announcing Jessi's addition to the show| date=July 31, 2009| access-date=May 13, 2010}}</ref> In 2010–2011, Byron had her own show, ''[[Head Rush (TV series)|Head Rush]]'', on the Science Channel, geared towards science education and teens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/23/kari-byron-interview-head-rush/ |title='MythBusters' Beauty Kari Byron Talks New Series 'Head Rush' |publisher=Tvsquad.com |date=August 23, 2010 |access-date=August 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/06/29/kari-byron-of-mythbusters-hosts-head-rush-on-science-channel-beginning-august-23/55652 |title=Kari Byron of 'MythBusters' Hosts 'Head Rush' on Science Channel Beginning August 23 |publisher=Tvbythenumbers.com |date=June 29, 2010|access-date=August 24, 2010}}</ref>
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===Grant Imahara===
===Grant Imahara===
{{Main article|Grant Imahara}}
{{Main article|Grant Imahara}}
Grant Imahara joined MythBusters on the invitation of friend and occasional employer Jamie Hyneman<ref>{{cite web |first=Christian M. |last=Thomas |title='Mythbuster' Grant Imahara gives Northeast State audience lowdown on popular show |url=http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005739 |publisher=timesnews.net |date=March 29, 2008 |access-date=July 4, 2009}}</ref> and former ILM colleague Linda Wolkovitch. He joined as the third member of the Build Team, replacing former ''MythBusters'' welder Scottie Chapman. His colleagues often jokingly referred to him as the "[[geek]]" of the Build Team. He often made the robots that are needed for the show and otherwise specialized in operating the computers and electronics for the myths. On August 21, 2014, it was announced that Grant, along with co-stars Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, would be leaving ''MythBusters''.<ref>{{cite web|title='MythBusters' Cast Kari Byron, Grant Imahara & Tory Belleci Out|url=http://www.latinopost.com/articles/7844/20140822/mythbusters-cast-kari-byron-grant-imahara-tory-belleci-out.htm|publisher=Latino Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Grant|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/grant-imahara.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> He died on July 13, 2020, after suffering a brain aneurysm.
Grant Imahara joined MythBusters on the invitation of friend and occasional employer Jamie Hyneman<ref>{{cite web |first=Christian M. |last=Thomas |title='Mythbuster' Grant Imahara gives Northeast State audience lowdown on popular show |url=http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005739 |publisher=timesnews.net |date=March 29, 2008 |access-date=July 4, 2009}}</ref> and Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) colleague Linda Wolkovitch. He joined as the third member of the Build Team, replacing former ''MythBusters'' welder Scottie Chapman. His colleagues often jokingly referred to him as the "[[geek]]" of the Build Team. He often made the robots that are needed for the show and otherwise specialized in operating the computers and electronics for the myths. On August 21, 2014, it was announced that Grant, along with co-stars Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, would be leaving ''MythBusters''.<ref>{{cite web|title='MythBusters' Cast Kari Byron, Grant Imahara & Tory Belleci Out|url=http://www.latinopost.com/articles/7844/20140822/mythbusters-cast-kari-byron-grant-imahara-tory-belleci-out.htm|publisher=Latino Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Grant|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/grant-imahara.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref>
Grant Imahara died on July 13, 2020, after suffering a brain aneurysm.


===Christine Chamberlain===
===Christine Chamberlain===
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===Scottie Chapman===
===Scottie Chapman===
Scottie Chapman (born 1971) is a former member of the Build Team who was called the "Mistress of Metal" for her work in welding and metal craft.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Scottie|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/scottie-chapman.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> Notable for her tattoos (which were used for a myth investigation in one episode), she departed after the third season. On her MySpace blog, she revealed that she would not be back as a regular, but appeared in the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Supersize Rocket Car|Supersize Rocket Car]]", as well as [[List of MythBusters special episodes#The Great Ice Debate|The Great Ice Debate]] myth. She also made an appearance in one episode broadcast after her departure that involved an experiment, executed over a number of months, which began when she was with the show and ended after she had left (Episode [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Breaking Glass|Breaking Glass]], Myth "Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss").
Scottie Chapman (born 1971) is a former member of the Build Team who was called the "Mistress of Metal" for her work in welding and metal craft.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Scottie|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/scottie-chapman.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> Notable for her tattoos (which were used for a myth investigation [[MythBusters (2004 season)#Exploding Tattoo|in one episode]]), she departed after the third season. On her MySpace blog, she revealed that she would not be back as a regular, but appeared in the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Supersize Rocket Car|Supersize Rocket Car]]", as well as [[List of MythBusters special episodes#The Great Ice Debate|The Great Ice Debate]] myth. She also made an appearance in one episode broadcast after her departure that involved an experiment, executed over a number of months, which began when she was with the show and ended after she had left (Episode [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Breaking Glass|Breaking Glass]], Myth "Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss"). She was formerly the bassist of the band Fuzz, which would evolve into [[Weezer]].


===Jessi Combs===
===Jessi Combs===
{{Main article|Jessi Combs}}
{{Main article|Jessi Combs}}
Jessi Combs was a cast member on the Build Team for a short time. Her arrival was announced on July 31, 2009, by the Discovery Channel when co-host Kari Byron went on maternity leave prior to giving birth to her first child.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Jessi|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/jessi-combs.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> Byron left the show on the episode "[[MythBusters (2009 season)#Episode 132 – "Dumpster Diving"|Dumpster Diving]]" and Combs replaced her on the show. Combs was an American television personality and metal fabricator who appeared from 2005 to 2008 on the [[Spike (TV channel)|Spike]] show ''[[Xtreme 4x4]]'' which is a part of the ''[[Powerblock]]'' on Spike. Combs was cast as a co-host of ''Xtreme 4x4'' along with Ian Johnson after an international search which required contestants to send audition videos to Spike. Prior to appearing on ''Xtreme 4x4'' she appeared on the [[TLC (TV channel)|TLC]] program ''[[Overhaulin']]'' as a guest fabricator.
Jessi Combs was a cast member on the Build Team for a short time. Her arrival was announced on July 31, 2009, by the Discovery Channel when co-host Kari Byron went on maternity leave prior to giving birth to her first child.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MythBusters Bios - Jessi|publisher=[[Discovery Channel]]|url=http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/bios/jessi-combs.htm|access-date=August 24, 2014}}</ref> Byron left the show on the episode "[[MythBusters (2009 season)#Episode 132 – "Dumpster Diving"|Dumpster Diving]]" and Combs replaced her on the show. Combs was an American television personality and metal fabricator who appeared from 2005 to 2008 on the [[Spike (TV channel)|Spike]] show ''[[Xtreme 4x4]]''. Prior to appearing there she appeared on the [[TLC (TV channel)|TLC]] program ''[[Overhaulin']]'' as a guest fabricator.

After high school Combs turned down a scholarship to attend an interior design school. In 2004, she graduated from [[WyoTech]] in the Collision & Refinishing Core Program at the top of her class. She also took the Street Rod Fabrication and Custom Fabrication and High Performance Powertrain programs.


After high school Combs turned down a scholarship to attend an interior design school. In 2004 she graduated from [[WyoTech]] in the Collision & Refinishing Core Program at the top of her class. She also took the Street Rod Fabrication and Custom Fabrication and High Performance Powertrain programs.
Combs died in August 2019 in a crash of a jet-powered high-speed race car in southeastern Oregon while attempting to set a new four-wheel land speed record, which was posthumously awarded to her in June 2020 by [[Guinness World Records]].<ref name=Lerten>{{cite news | last =Lerten | first =Barney | title =Well-known racer killed in Alvord Desert land speed record attempt | newspaper =[[KTVZ]] | location =[[Bend, Oregon]] | date =August 27, 2019 | url =https://www.ktvz.com/news/fatal-crash-ends-alvord-desert-land-speed-record-attempt/1114031117 | access-date =August 28, 2019 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190831015512/https://www.ktvz.com/news/fatal-crash-ends-alvord-desert-land-speed-record-attempt/1114031117 | archive-date =August 31, 2019 | url-status =dead }}</ref><ref name=Choski>{{cite news | last =Chokshi | first =Niraj | title =Jessi Combs, TV Host and Racecar Driver, Dies in Attempt at Land Speed Record: Ms. Combs died while operating a powerful jet-shaped car as she sought to claim a world record. | newspaper =[[New York Times]] | date = August 28, 2019 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/us/jessi-combs-accident-death.html | access-date =August 28, 2019 }}</ref>
Combs died in August 2019 in a crash of a jet-powered high-speed race car in southeastern Oregon while attempting to set a new four-wheel land speed record, which was posthumously awarded to her in June 2020 by [[Guinness World Records]].<ref name=Lerten>{{cite news | last =Lerten | first =Barney | title =Well-known racer killed in Alvord Desert land speed record attempt | newspaper =[[KTVZ]] | location =[[Bend, Oregon]] | date =August 27, 2019 | url =https://www.ktvz.com/news/fatal-crash-ends-alvord-desert-land-speed-record-attempt/1114031117 | access-date =August 28, 2019 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190831015512/https://www.ktvz.com/news/fatal-crash-ends-alvord-desert-land-speed-record-attempt/1114031117 | archive-date =August 31, 2019 | url-status =dead }}</ref><ref name=Choski>{{cite news | last =Chokshi | first =Niraj | title =Jessi Combs, TV Host and Racecar Driver, Dies in Attempt at Land Speed Record: Ms. Combs died while operating a powerful jet-shaped car as she sought to claim a world record. | newspaper =[[New York Times]] | date = August 28, 2019 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/us/jessi-combs-accident-death.html | access-date =August 28, 2019 }}</ref>


===Jessie Nelson===
===Jessie Nelson===
{{anchor|Jess Nelson}}
{{anchor|Jess Nelson}}
Jessie Nelson, or simply Jess, was a "MythTern" (portmanteau of ''MythBusters'' and ''intern''). She made her first appearance on MythBusters during the [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Episode 46 – "Archimedes' Death Ray"|"Archimedes' Death Ray"]] episode as part of the girls' team on the small scale build-off. She appeared again in the [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Whirlpool of Death|"Whirlpool of Death"]] myth. In that episode she assisted Adam with the building of scale models to test the whirlpool, and towards the end of the episode got to hold his hand as he vomited in the whirlpool tank, adding her own memorable quote to ''MythBusters'': "Smells like pizza". She then appeared in the [[MythBusters (2006 season)#SP9 – "Mega Movie Myths"|"Mega Movie Myths"]] episode, where she helped find a car for the use with the ejector seat myth. She also appeared in [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Air Cylinder of Death|"Air Cylinder of Death"]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Christmas Lights|"Christmas Lights"]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Hindenburg Mystery|"Hindenburg Mystery"]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 79 – "Western Myths"|"Western Myths"]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Walking on Water|"Walking on Water"]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Birds in a Truck|"Birds in a Truck"]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Bifurcated Boat|"Bifurcated Boat"]], mixing the [[non-Newtonian fluid]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 71 – "Pirate Special"|"Pirate Special"]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 90 – "Special Supersized Myths"|"Special Supersized Myths"]], and [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 86 – "Superhero Hour"|"Superhero Hour"]].
Jessie Nelson, or simply Jess, was a "Mythtern" (portmanteau of ''MythBusters'' and ''intern''). She made her first appearance on MythBusters during the "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Episode 46 – "Archimedes' Death Ray"|Archimedes' Death Ray]]" episode as part of the girls' team on the small scale build-off. She appeared again in the "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Whirlpool of Death|Whirlpool of Death]]" myth. In that episode she assisted Adam with the building of scale models to test the whirlpool, and towards the end of the episode got to hold his hand as he vomited in the whirlpool tank, adding her own memorable quote to ''MythBusters'': "Smells like pizza". She then appeared in the "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#SP9 – "Mega Movie Myths"|Mega Movie Myths]]" episode, where she helped find a car for the use with the ejector seat myth. She also appeared in "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Air Cylinder of Death|Air Cylinder of Death]]", "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Christmas Lights|Christmas Lights]]", "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Hindenburg Mystery|Hindenburg Mystery]]", "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 79 – "Western Myths"|Western Myths]]", "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Walking on Water|Walking on Water]]", "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Birds in a Truck|Birds in a Truck]]", "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Bifurcated Boat|Bifurcated Boat]]", mixing the [[non-Newtonian fluid]], "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 71 – "Pirate Special"|Pirate Special]]", "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 90 – "Special Supersized Myths"|Special Supersized Myths]]", and "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 86 – "Superhero Hour"|Superhero Hour]]".


==Staff==
==Staff==


===Robert Lee===
===Robert Lee===
Robert Lee (born {{Birth date|1957|9|25}}) is the narrator of the series, who shares the job of explaining experiments and facts with the hosts, often using a copious number of [[pun]]s and humor. In some regions—such as the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Scandinavia]]—he is replaced by Irish and British narrators [[Robin Banks]] or [[Daisy Beaumont]]. [[Rufus Hound]] narrates the version of the show that aired on the [[BBC]]. Lee returned to narrate the revival ''MythBusters: The Search'' as well, and followed this with the narration for Mythbusters Junior. This makes him the longest continuous serving member of the franchise.
Robert Lee (born {{Birth date|1957|9|25}}) is the narrator of the series, who shares the job of explaining experiments and facts with the hosts, often using a copious number of [[pun]]s and humor. In some regions—such as the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Scandinavia]]—he is replaced by Irish and British narrators [[Robin Banks]] or [[Daisy Beaumont]]. [[Rufus Hound]] narrates the version of the show that aired on the [[BBC]]. Lee returned to narrate the revival ''MythBusters: The Search'' as well, and he followed this with the narration for [[MythBusters Jr.|''MythBusters Jr'']] and ''Mythbusters: There’s Your Problem!'' This makes him the longest continuous serving member of the franchise.

=== Heather Joseph-Witham ===
Heather Joseph-Witham is a professional [[Folklore studies|folklorist]] who appeared on-screen during seasons 1-2.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-09-02 |title=Filmography |url=https://heatherjosephwitham.wordpress.com/filmography/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Heather Joseph-Witham, Ph.D. |language=en}}</ref> Her role was to explain the background and urban legends that the myths were based on, but was later dropped as the stories tested became more absurdist. She received her doctorate from the now defunct Folklore and Mythology Program at UCLA in 1998, and is currently an associate professor at [[Otis College of Art and Design]] in Los Angeles, California.


===Eric Haven===
===Eric Haven===
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{{more citations needed section|date=February 2018}}
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2018}}
Many people have come on the show to provide assistance with the myths.
Many people have come on the show to provide assistance with the myths.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Frank Doyle}}''': Frank Doyle is a retired FBI agent who appeared in the myths "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Cement Mix-Up|Cement Mix-Up]]", "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Exploding Gas Tank|Exploding Gas Tank]]", "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Exploding Pants|Exploding Pants]]", "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Episode 59 – "Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 2"|Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 2]]", "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Exploding Nitro Patches|Exploding Nitro Patches]]", "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Voice Flame Extinguisher|Voice Flame Extinguisher]]", and others. Frank assisted the MythBusters by helping load a cement truck with 850 pounds of explosives to cause its destruction. He also provided the [[tracer ammunition]] for the revisit of the myth that shooting a gas tank can cause it to explode [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Car Capers|"Car Capers" revisit]]. He also supervised the making of the explosives for the "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Exploding Pants|Exploding Pants]]" myth. Doyle has since become somewhat of a regular on the show, helping with many explosives that are used.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Heather Joseph-Witham, Ph.D.|Heather Joseph-Witham}}''': Heather Joseph-Witham is a [[folkloristics|folklorist]] whose extensive research in urban legends, myths, and folklore led her to be tapped for information by the ''MythBusters'' team. She appeared on camera in the three pilot episodes and the entire thirteen-episode first season. Joseph-Witham's role on the show ended after the third episode of the second season. She received her doctorate from the now defunct Folklore and Mythology Program at UCLA in 1998. She is currently an associate professor at [[Otis College of Art and Design]] in Los Angeles, California.<ref>[https://www.otis.edu/faculty/heather-joseph-witham Heather Joseph-Witham Ph.D]</ref>
* '''{{Visible anchor|Frank Doyle}}''': Frank Doyle is a retired FBI agent who appeared in the myths [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Cement Mix-Up|"Cement Mix-Up"]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Exploding Gas Tank|"Exploding Gas Tank"]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Exploding Pants|"Exploding Pants"]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Episode 59 – "Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 2"|"Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 2"]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Exploding Nitro Patches|"Exploding Nitro Patches"]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Voice Flame Extinguisher|"Voice Flame Extinguisher"]], and others. Frank assisted the MythBusters by helping load a cement truck with 850 pounds of explosives to cause its destruction. He also provided the [[tracer ammunition]] for the revisit of the myth that shooting a gas tank can cause it to explode [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Car Capers|"Car Capers" revisit]]. He also supervised the making of the explosives for the [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Exploding Pants|"Exploding Pants"]] myth. Doyle has since become somewhat of a regular on the show, helping with many explosives that are used.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Erik Gates}}''': Erik Gates was a rocketry expert who appeared in the episodes [[List of MythBusters pilot episodes#P1 – "Jet Assisted Chevy, Pop Rocks and Soda"|JATO Chevy]], [[MythBusters (2004 season)#Ming Dynasty Astronaut|Ming Dynasty Astronaut]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Chain-Straight 360|Swingset 360]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Episode 40 – "Confederate Rocket"|Confederate Rocket]], and [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Salami Rocket|Salami Rocket]]. Erik provided rockets and his rocketry expertise in several myths, starting with the very first experiment—the legend of the [[List of MythBusters special episodes#P1 – "Jet Assisted Chevy, Pop Rocks and Soda"|Jet Assisted Take-Off Chevy Impala]]. Gates died in a construction accident unrelated to rocketry on December 20, 2009, at the age of 47.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/dec/21/worker-who-died-in-fall-in-newbury-park/|title= Man killed in accident T.O. businessman|last=Rochester|first=Teresa|date=December 21, 2009|publisher=[[Ventura County Star]]|access-date=December 29, 2009}}</ref> The episode [[MythBusters (2009 season)#Episode 136 .E2.80.93 Mini Myth Mayhem|Mini Myth Mayhem]] was dedicated to his memory.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Erik Gates}}''': Erik Gates was a rocketry expert who appeared in the episodes [[List of MythBusters pilot episodes#P1 – "Jet Assisted Chevy, Pop Rocks and Soda"|JATO Chevy]], [[MythBusters (2004 season)#Ming Dynasty Astronaut|Ming Dynasty Astronaut]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Chain-Straight 360|Swingset 360]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Episode 40 – "Confederate Rocket"|Confederate Rocket]], and [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Salami Rocket|Salami Rocket]]. Erik provided rockets and his rocketry expertise in several myths, starting with the very first experiment—the legend of the [[List of MythBusters special episodes#P1 – "Jet Assisted Chevy, Pop Rocks and Soda"|Jet Assisted Take-Off Chevy Impala]]. Gates died in a construction accident unrelated to rocketry on December 20, 2009, at the age of 47.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/dec/21/worker-who-died-in-fall-in-newbury-park/|title= Man killed in accident T.O. businessman|last=Rochester|first=Teresa|date=December 21, 2009|publisher=[[Ventura County Star]]|access-date=December 29, 2009}}</ref> The episode [[MythBusters (2009 season)#Episode 136 .E2.80.93 Mini Myth Mayhem|Mini Myth Mayhem]] was dedicated to his memory.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Sgt. J. D. Nelson}}''': [[Sgt. J. D. Nelson]] is the Alameda County sheriff sergeant and EOD team leader who appeared in the myths [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Exploding Pants|Exploding Pants]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Dynamite Paint Job|Dynamite Paint Job]], and others. "JD" supervises the use of the [[Alameda County Sheriff's Office|Alameda County Sheriff Office]]'s bomb disposal range in [[Dublin, California]] for many of the explosives episodes.
* '''{{Visible anchor|J. D. Nelson}}''': J. D. Nelson is the Alameda County sheriff sergeant and EOD team leader who appeared in the myths [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Exploding Pants|Exploding Pants]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Dynamite Paint Job|Dynamite Paint Job]], and others. "JD" supervises the use of the [[Alameda County Sheriff's Office|Alameda County Sheriff Office]]'s bomb disposal range in [[Dublin, California]] for many of the explosives episodes.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Lt. Alan Normandy}}''': Initially introduced as Sgt. Alan Normandy, and now a South San Francisco police lieutenant and court-certified firearms expert, he appeared in the myths [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Blown Away|Blown Away]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Finger in a Barrel|Finger in a Barrel]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Catching a Bullet in Your Teeth|Catching a Bullet in Your Teeth]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Bullets Fired Up|Bullets Fired Up]], [[List of MythBusters special episodes|Mega Movie Myths]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Firearms Folklore|Firearms Folklore]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Episode 38 – "MythBusters Revisited"|Myths Revisited]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Exploding Tire of Death|Exploding Tire of Death]], [[MythBusters (2008 season)#Episode 84 – "Viewers Pick Special"|Killer Cigarette Butts]], and others. Lt. Alan Normandy frequently assists the MythBusters by supplying modern firearms—including fully automatic weapons—to evaluate myths and legends about guns. A 29-year Police Veteran, Chief Firearms Instructor, former SWAT Officer and Police Sniper, Alan often assists the MythBusters as a Range Safety Officer, and also provides some legal and firearms expertise. A regular guest and often referred to as an "old friend," Alan has been a consultant to the production even before the first episode aired.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Alan Normandy}}''': Initially introduced as sergeant Alan Normandy, and now a South San Francisco police lieutenant and court-certified firearms expert, he appeared in the myths [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Blown Away|Blown Away]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Finger in a Barrel|Finger in a Barrel]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Catching a Bullet in Your Teeth|Catching a Bullet in Your Teeth]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Bullets Fired Up|Bullets Fired Up]], [[List of MythBusters special episodes|Mega Movie Myths]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Firearms Folklore|Firearms Folklore]], [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Episode 38 – "MythBusters Revisited"|Myths Revisited]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Exploding Tire of Death|Exploding Tire of Death]], [[MythBusters (2008 season)#Episode 84 – "Viewers Pick Special"|Killer Cigarette Butts]], and others. Normandy frequently assists the MythBusters by supplying modern firearms—including fully automatic weapons—to evaluate myths and legends about guns. A 29-year police veteran, chief firearms instructor, former SWAT officer and police sniper, Normandy often assists the MythBusters as a range safety officer, and also provides some legal and firearms expertise. A regular guest and often referred to as an "old friend," Normandy has been a consultant to the production even before the first episode aired.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Dr. Roger Schwenke}}''': Dr. Roger Schwenke is an acoustician for Meyer Sound who appeared in the myths "[[MythBusters (2003 season)#Does a Duck's Quack Echo?|Does a Duck's Quack Echo?]]", "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Brown Note|Brown Note]]", "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Breaking Glass|Breaking Glass]]", and "[[MythBusters (2011 season)#Sounds Bogus|Sounds Bogus]]". He was called an Honorary MythBuster by Adam in the "Breaking Glass" myth. He also helped bust the "Does a Duck's Quack Echo?" and [[brown note]] myths as well as demonstrating how to shatter glass using only sound waves.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Roger Schwenke}}''': Roger Schwenke is an acoustician for Meyer Sound who appeared in the myths "[[MythBusters (2003 season)#Does a Duck's Quack Echo?|Does a Duck's Quack Echo?]]", "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Brown Note|Brown Note]]", "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Breaking Glass|Breaking Glass]]", and "[[MythBusters (2011 season)#Sounds Bogus|Sounds Bogus]]". He was called an honorary MythBuster by Adam in the "Breaking Glass" myth. He also helped bust the "Does a Duck's Quack Echo?" and [[brown note]] myths as well as demonstrating how to shatter glass using only sound waves.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Sanjay Singh}}''': Sanjay Singh was an emergency medical technician who appeared in the episodes [[List of MythBusters pilot episodes#Episode P3 – "Poppy-Seed Drug Test"|Poppy Seed Drug Test]], [[MythBusters (2004 season)#Episode 14 – "Myths Revisited"|Myths Revisited]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Episode 53 – "Exploding Pants"|Exploding Pants]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 92 – "Pirates 2"|Pirates 2]], and others. He worked in Alameda County and was on several episodes of MythBusters beginning with the third episode until his death in 2010. He provided first aid back up to the show's hosts. The episode [[MythBusters (2010 season)#Episode 149 – Storm Chasing Myths|Storm Chasing Myths]] was dedicated to his memory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/MythBusters/posts/121553387900882|title=Tonight's new episode is in memory of Sanjay Singh, EMT and Honorary MythBuster.}}</ref>
* '''{{Visible anchor|Sanjay Singh}}''': Sanjay Singh was an emergency medical technician who appeared in the episodes [[List of MythBusters pilot episodes#Episode P3 – "Poppy-Seed Drug Test"|Poppy Seed Drug Test]], [[MythBusters (2004 season)#Episode 14 – "Myths Revisited"|Myths Revisited]], [[MythBusters (2006 season)#Episode 53 – "Exploding Pants"|Exploding Pants]], [[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 92 – "Pirates 2"|Pirates 2]], and others. He worked in Alameda County and was on several episodes of MythBusters beginning with the third episode until his death in 2010. He provided first aid back up to the show's hosts. The episode [[MythBusters (2010 season)#Episode 149 – Storm Chasing Myths|Storm Chasing Myths]] was dedicated to his memory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/MythBusters/posts/121553387900882|title=Tonight's new episode is in memory of Sanjay Singh, EMT and Honorary MythBuster.|website=[[Facebook]] }}</ref>
* '''{{Visible anchor|Dr. Stephen C. Smith}}''': Dr. Stephen C. Smith is an aeronautic engineer that provided expertise on the Concrete Glider episode, the "Plywood Parachute" portion of the Beat the Radar Detector episode, and the formation flying portion of the Toilet Bomb episode.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Stephen C. Smith}}''': Stephen C. Smith is an aeronautic engineer that provided expertise on the Concrete Glider episode, the "Plywood Parachute" portion of the Beat the Radar Detector episode, and the formation flying portion of the Toilet Bomb episode.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Jaime Vendera}}''': [[Jaime Vendera]] is an author, television personality and voice strengthening coach. He appeared on the myth "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Breaking Glass|Breaking Glass]]".


===Celebrities===
===Celebrities===
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2018}}
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2018}}
In addition, several celebrity guests have been brought in to guest on the show, either for their high level of skill or knowledge in a certain area.
In addition, several celebrity guests have been brought in to guest on the show, either for their high level of skill or knowledge in a certain area.
* '''{{Visible anchor|President Barack Obama}}''': U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] asked Jamie and Adam to meet him in the White House Library, to which they happily obliged. He gave them the "[[MythBusters (2010 season)#Archimedes Solar Ray 3.0|Archimedes Solar Ray 3.0]]" myth, asking them to revisit for the third time the "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#Ancient Death Ray|Ancient Death Ray]]" myth and report the results, and was once again busted.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Barack Obama}}''': U.S. president [[Barack Obama]] asked Jamie and Adam to meet him in the White House Library, to which they obliged. He gave them the "[[MythBusters (2010 season)#Archimedes Solar Ray 3.0|Archimedes Solar Ray 3.0]]" myth, asking them to revisit for the third time the "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#Ancient Death Ray|Ancient Death Ray]]" myth and report the results, and was once again busted.
* '''{{Visible anchor|Ricky Jay}}''': [[Ricky Jay]] is a world-record-holding [[Card throwing|card thrower]] from the myth "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#Killer Deck|Killer Deck]]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Ricky Jay}}''': [[Ricky Jay]] was a world-record-holding [[Card throwing|card thrower]] from the myth "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#Killer Deck|Killer Deck]]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Roger Clemens}}''': [[Roger Clemens]] is an [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] [[starting pitcher|pitcher]] from the episode "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 83 – Baseball Myths|Baseball Myths]]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Roger Clemens}}''': [[Roger Clemens]] is an [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] [[starting pitcher|pitcher]] from the episode "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Episode 83 – Baseball Myths|Baseball Myths]]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Ray Guy}}''': [[Ray Guy]] is an [[NFL]] [[Punter (football position)|punter]] from the myth "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Helium Football|Helium Football]]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Ray Guy}}''': [[Ray Guy]] was an [[NFL]] [[Punter (football position)|punter]] from the myth "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Helium Football|Helium Football]]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Shirley Eaton}}''': [[Shirley Eaton]] is a [[James Bond]] actress from the myth "[[List of MythBusters pilot episodes#Goldfinger|''Goldfinger'']]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Shirley Eaton}}''': [[Shirley Eaton]] is a [[James Bond]] actress from the myth "[[List of MythBusters pilot episodes#Goldfinger|''Goldfinger'']]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Jon Fitch}}''': [[Jon Fitch]] is a [[Mixed martial arts|MMA]] fighter from the myth "[[MythBusters (2008 season)#Coffin Punch|Coffin Punch]]".
* '''{{Visible anchor|Jon Fitch}}''': [[Jon Fitch]] is a [[Mixed martial arts|MMA]] fighter from the myth "[[MythBusters (2008 season)#Coffin Punch|Coffin Punch]]".
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{{unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}
Simulaids are Buster's family of at least four dummies, dubbed "Randy" or "Rescue Randy" (father), "Jane" (mother), "Suzy" or "Simulated Suzy" (daughter), and an unnamed son. Rescue Randy has also been referred to as "Ted" (for Bus-Ted, Annihila-Ted, Humilia-Ted, and so on). These were added partly because Buster (even after his redesign) was becoming increasingly difficult to repair, and also because not all myths can be accurately tested with Buster due to his size, weight, and other factors. For instance, Suzy (a child dummy) was used to test the myth that a child could go 360 degrees around a swing set. Being representative of an adult man, Buster would not have properly fit the criteria for the myth. The Simulaids were first introduced in the [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Killer Brace Position|Killer Brace Position]] myth, primarily because multiple dummies were needed for testing. At least one Simulaid has been destroyed in the course of subsequent experiments (In the "Point Break" trilogy the Simulaid was destroyed when it hit the ground from 4000 feet).
Simulaids are Buster's family of at least four dummies, dubbed "Randy" or "Rescue Randy" (father), "Jane" (mother), "Suzy" or "Simulated Suzy" (daughter), and an unnamed son. Rescue Randy has also been referred to as "Ted" (for Bus-Ted, Annihila-Ted, Humilia-Ted, and so on). These were added partly because Buster (even after his redesign) was becoming increasingly difficult to repair, and also because not all myths can be accurately tested with Buster due to his size, weight, and other factors. For instance, Suzy (a child dummy) was used to test the myth that a child could go 360 degrees around a swing set. Being representative of an adult man, Buster would not have properly fit the criteria for the myth. The Simulaids were first introduced in the [[MythBusters (2005 season)#Killer Brace Position|Killer Brace Position]] myth, primarily because multiple dummies were needed for testing. At least one Simulaid has been destroyed in the course of subsequent experiments (In the "Point Break" trilogy the Simulaid was destroyed when it hit the ground from 4000 feet).

Additionally, a dummy named Ariel (pun on "aerial") was used testing [[MythBusters (2009 season)#Seesaw Saga|whether a human in a freefall could propel a six-year-old girl off a seesaw onto a 7-story building]].


===Ted===
===Ted===
Ted is an extra crash-test dummy used in the show. In addition to this, any full-size human made from ballistics gelatin is usually named Ted, from the last syllable of bus-ted, annihila-ted, exploi-ted.<ref>As explained in the "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#22,000 Foot Fall|22,000 Foot Fall]]" myth.</ref> One instance of Ted's use was in the "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Train Suction|Train Suction]]" myth, in which he played the unsuspecting commuter.
Ted is an extra crash-test dummy used in the show. In addition to this, any full-size human made from ballistics gelatin is usually named Ted, from the last syllable of bus-ted, annihila-ted, exploi-ted.<ref>As explained in the "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#22,000 Foot Fall|22,000 Foot Fall]]" myth.</ref> One instance of Ted's use was in the "[[MythBusters (2006 season)#Train Suction|Train Suction]]" myth, in which he played the unsuspecting commuter.


=== Buster 4.0 ===
Buster 4.0 is an extra crash-test dummy, noted for his skin made out of leather. He made his debut in episode 184, where the build team used him to test the myth of "[[MythBusters (2012 season)#Driving in Heels|Super Adhesive Seatbelt.]]"

=== Mini Buster ===
Mini Buster is the generic name given to human analogues used in small scale, most often associated with wooden mannequins. In all other cases, the figures used are either modeled after team members (by sticking a picture of their face to the doll,) or given no name at all.

=== Thermo-Man ===
Thermo-Man is a dummy made out of [[Ballistic gelatin|ballistics gel]], filled with copper piping to simulate a human body's circulatory system. He was first used in the "[[MythBusters (2012 season)#Titanic Survival|Titanic Survival]]" myth, where Adam and Jamie used him to test the possibility of the film's main characters, [[Titanic (1997 film)#Fictional characters|Rose and Jack]], dying of hypothermia.
===Deadblow===
===Deadblow===
{{Main article|Deadblow}}
{{Main article|Deadblow}}
Deadblow, Grant Imahara's [[battlebot]], has been used to aid the MythBusters in various ways, such as measuring vibrations in the ground (for the "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Chinese Invasion Alarm|Chinese Invasion Alarm]]" myth) to being a cat decoy (in the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Beat the Guard Dog|Beat the Guard Dog]]" myth). Grant temporarily renamed the robot "Blinky" and fitted it with a set of headlights to simulate an oncoming vehicle for the "[[MythBusters (2009 season)#Driving in the Dark|Driving in the Dark]]" myth.
Deadblow, Grant Imahara's [[battlebot]], has been used to aid the MythBusters in various ways, such as measuring vibrations in the ground (for the "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Chinese Invasion Alarm|Chinese Invasion Alarm]]" myth) to being a cat decoy (in the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Beat the Guard Dog|Beat the Guard Dog]]" myth). Grant temporarily renamed the robot "Blinky" and fitted it with a set of headlights to simulate an oncoming vehicle for the "[[MythBusters (2009 season)#Driving in the Dark|Driving in the Dark]]" myth.

===Earl===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}
Earl was a Cadillac donated by MythBusters fan Ben Rillie who had been used in many episodes such as the "[[MythBusters (2004 season)#Car Capers|Car Capers]]" myth. Originally destined to be destroyed by the exploding gas tank, its failure to explode allowed Earl to be used to test myths in subsequent episodes. It was finally destroyed when it was dropped nose-down from 60 feet in the air to test the resilience of a remodeled Buster, and to satisfy the cast's promise to Ben that they would do their best to destroy the car.


===Sparky===
===Sparky===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}
Sparky was a robot used multiple times on the show. In the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Gunpowder Keg|Gunpowder Keg]]" myth, Jamie took the motor and wheels from an electric wheelchair and fitted it with a metal hood for protection, a remote control, and a stand for a keg of gunpowder. The MythBusters drilled a hole in the keg and lit the ensuing trail of gunpowder on fire to see if the fire would travel up the falling stream of gunpowder and explode the keg. After many trials, the myth was called plausible, and Sparky survived. Sparky was used again in both the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Hot Bullets|Hot Bullets]]" and the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Campfire Chaos|Campfire Chaos]]" myths to drop bullets of various caliber as well as aerosol cans into a campfire to see if they could cause serious injury or death. Sparky was not damaged, but it was determined that both bullets and bug spray could cause injury but would be unlikely to kill someone if dropped into a campfire.
Sparky was a robot used multiple times on the show. In the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Gunpowder Keg|Gunpowder Keg]]" myth, Jamie took the motor and wheels from an electric wheelchair and fitted it with a metal hood for protection, a remote control, and a stand for a keg of gunpowder. The MythBusters drilled a hole in the keg and lit the ensuing trail of gunpowder on fire to see if the fire would travel up the falling stream of gunpowder and explode the keg. After many trials, the myth was called plausible, and Sparky survived. Sparky was used again in both the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Hot Bullets|Hot Bullets]]" and the "[[MythBusters (2007 season)#Campfire Chaos|Campfire Chaos]]" myths to drop bullets of various caliber as well as aerosol cans into a campfire to see if they could cause serious injury or death. Sparky was not damaged, but it was determined that both bullets and bug spray could cause injury but would be unlikely to kill someone if dropped into a campfire.

===Chip===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2017}}
Chip was the [[ballistic gelatin|ballistic gel]] dummy who assisted in testing the "[[MythBusters (2005 season)#Phone in a Thunderstorm|Phone in a Thunderstorm]]" myth. Chip was placed inside a miniature faux house built by the Mythbusters which was placed within a facility used to test the effects of lightning. After attaching a monitor to detect the amount of electricity running through Chip's heart, he was attached to a phone and placed in the shower with running water in separate experiments while simulated bolts of lightning struck wiring which lead directly into the house. The fuse was blown on the meter attached to Chip during each experiment, which led the team to assume the amount of electricity through Chip's heart was deadly. Thanks to Chip's sacrifice, the team concluded that the "Phone in a Thunderstorm" myth was confirmed as being potentially deadly, and the Shower in a Thunderstorm myth was deemed plausible as a dangerous or even deadly situation.


===Mythdog Bo===
===Mythdog Bo===
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{{Commons category|MythBusters}}
{{Commons category|MythBusters}}
{{Wikiquote|MythBusters}}
{{Wikiquote|MythBusters}}
* {{Official website|http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters}}
* {{Official website|https://go.discovery.com/show/mythbusters-discovery}}


{{MythBusters|state=autocollapse}}
{{MythBusters|state=autocollapse}}

Latest revision as of 20:26, 3 June 2024

This is a list of cast members of the television series MythBusters on the Discovery Channel. In addition to the core cast members, the MythBusters team includes several honorary MythBusters, and some recurring guests.

Cast

[edit]

Recent cast

[edit]

Jon Lung

[edit]

Jon Lung is a product designer and graphic designer from Staten Island, New York, known as a co-host on the 2017 revival of the series. Lung and his co-host Brian Louden were selected as hosts after winning the reality television competition series Mythbusters: The Search. This aired in January and February 2016.[1][2][3]

Brian Louden

[edit]

Brian Louden is an American pilot and rescue diver from Houston, Texas, known as a co-host on the 2017 revival of Mythbusters. Louden and his co-host Jon Lung won the spots from competition on Mythbusters: The Search, which aired in January and February 2016.[2][3]

Former cast

[edit]

Recurring experts are sometimes referred to as "Honorary MythBusters".

Jamie Hyneman

[edit]

Jamie Hyneman is a main cast member on MythBusters, along with Adam Savage.[4] His demeanor on the show is calm, logical and no-nonsense, in stark contrast to Savage's more animated, impulsive and energetic persona.[5] The two often have very different ideas for performing experiments and building devices. Hyneman's ideas tend to be more simple and he prefers to reduce a solution to its most basic form. These two experts have competed when testing myths.

In numerous interviews, both Jamie and Adam have said that one of the reasons for the show's success is their differences. In addition, they do not like each other, but they do have a mutual respect for each other's work. They do not have a social relationship outside the show. In a 2015 interview, they said their arguments were part of early seasons, but they worked to have such occasions reduced on-camera.[6]

In the "AC vs. Windows Down" myth, Hyneman revealed a food that he developed known as "the 444", a smoothie-like concoction of four fruits, four vegetables, and four grains. Despite skepticism by the rest of the crew, Hyneman described the 444's taste as "quite pleasant".

Adam Savage

[edit]

Adam Savage has been involved in MythBusters since its creation.[7] Savage's demeanor on MythBusters is animated and energetic, providing a foil to Jamie Hyneman's more reserved straight man persona.[5]

Savage and Hyneman were the only hosts of the show for the first season of MythBusters. Starting with the second season, members of Hyneman's staff were introduced and began to appear regularly in episodes; Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and welder Scottie Chapman appeared in the second season. In the third season, Chapman was replaced by Grant Imahara, a robot builder and model maker.

Kari Byron

[edit]

Kari Byron was a co-host until 2014 with fellow co-hosts of the "Build Team," Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara.[8] She and the others also hosted their own segments. She became involved in the show after persistently showing up at Hyneman's M5 Industries workshop in a desire to get hired by his company. She and the other Build Team members were given a more prominent role beginning with the show's second season. Not having had a long history in show business, Byron at first found it difficult to act naturally with this more visible position but gradually became more accustomed to it.[9] Byron first appeared in the background of JATO Rocket Car, the first episode of the show, though her first proper on screen appearance was in episode two, where Adam and Jamie made a mold of her butt to test the myth of getting stuck on an airplane toilet.

During the second half of the 2009 season, Byron was on maternity leave and was temporarily replaced by Jessi Combs.[10] In 2010–2011, Byron had her own show, Head Rush, on the Science Channel, geared towards science education and teens.[11][12]

Byron has also hosted the 2010 and 2011 editions of Large, Dangerous Rocket Ships for the Science Channel. She and Belleci made a guest appearance on the October 3, 2012 episode of the Discovery series Sons of Guns. They test fired some of the weapons in the Red Jacket shop and watched as the staff retested a myth previously busted by the Build Team: that a propane tank could explode if struck by a bullet. On August 21, 2014, it was announced that Byron, along with co-stars Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci, would be leaving MythBusters.

Tory Belleci

[edit]

Tory Belleci is often considered by fellow MythBusters Kari Byron and Grant Imahara to be more of a daredevil and, as such, often performs the more dangerous stunts when testing a myth.[13] These have included: testing the "Red Flag to a Bull" myth; testing the myth that a human's tongue will instantly stick to a frozen pole, in the "Frozen Tongue" myth; and the "Underwater Blow Dart" myth. One of his more popular stunts, shown several times on the show, was an attempt to jump over a toy wagon on a bicycle; the attempt failed, resulting in Belleci flipping forward, landing on his face and skidding across the pavement, only to immediately respond with an "I'm okay". As a result of doing these stunts, he is often involved in comical accidents while testing myths.[14] According to the October 28, 2012 episode of MythBusters, he suffers from acrophobia.

During the "Fall Guys" myth, Belleci fell off a roof, and despite being strapped into a safety harness system, landed in an open window ledge below the drop point, and injured his leg causing substantial bleeding.[15]

He and Byron made a guest appearance on the October 3, 2012 episode of the Discovery series Sons of Guns. They test fired some of the weapons in the Red Jacket shop and watched as the staff retested a myth previously busted by the Build Team: that a propane tank could explode if struck by a bullet.

On August 21, 2014, it was announced that Belleci, along with co-stars Byron and Imahara, would be leaving MythBusters.

Grant Imahara

[edit]

Grant Imahara joined MythBusters on the invitation of friend and occasional employer Jamie Hyneman[16] and Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) colleague Linda Wolkovitch. He joined as the third member of the Build Team, replacing former MythBusters welder Scottie Chapman. His colleagues often jokingly referred to him as the "geek" of the Build Team. He often made the robots that are needed for the show and otherwise specialized in operating the computers and electronics for the myths. On August 21, 2014, it was announced that Grant, along with co-stars Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, would be leaving MythBusters.[17][18]

Grant Imahara died on July 13, 2020, after suffering a brain aneurysm.

Christine Chamberlain

[edit]

Christine Chamberlain was a "MythTern" (portmanteau of MythBusters and intern) who joined the MythBusters team as a result of a Discovery Channel contest and was present for the second season of MythBusters.[19] She was mostly Jamie and Adam's assistant in myths[20][21] and stayed on the show until season 3.

Scottie Chapman

[edit]

Scottie Chapman (born 1971) is a former member of the Build Team who was called the "Mistress of Metal" for her work in welding and metal craft.[22] Notable for her tattoos (which were used for a myth investigation in one episode), she departed after the third season. On her MySpace blog, she revealed that she would not be back as a regular, but appeared in the "Supersize Rocket Car", as well as The Great Ice Debate myth. She also made an appearance in one episode broadcast after her departure that involved an experiment, executed over a number of months, which began when she was with the show and ended after she had left (Episode Breaking Glass, Myth "Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss"). She was formerly the bassist of the band Fuzz, which would evolve into Weezer.

Jessi Combs

[edit]

Jessi Combs was a cast member on the Build Team for a short time. Her arrival was announced on July 31, 2009, by the Discovery Channel when co-host Kari Byron went on maternity leave prior to giving birth to her first child.[23] Byron left the show on the episode "Dumpster Diving" and Combs replaced her on the show. Combs was an American television personality and metal fabricator who appeared from 2005 to 2008 on the Spike show Xtreme 4x4. Prior to appearing there she appeared on the TLC program Overhaulin' as a guest fabricator.

After high school Combs turned down a scholarship to attend an interior design school. In 2004, she graduated from WyoTech in the Collision & Refinishing Core Program at the top of her class. She also took the Street Rod Fabrication and Custom Fabrication and High Performance Powertrain programs.

Combs died in August 2019 in a crash of a jet-powered high-speed race car in southeastern Oregon while attempting to set a new four-wheel land speed record, which was posthumously awarded to her in June 2020 by Guinness World Records.[24][25]

Jessie Nelson

[edit]

Jessie Nelson, or simply Jess, was a "Mythtern" (portmanteau of MythBusters and intern). She made her first appearance on MythBusters during the "Archimedes' Death Ray" episode as part of the girls' team on the small scale build-off. She appeared again in the "Whirlpool of Death" myth. In that episode she assisted Adam with the building of scale models to test the whirlpool, and towards the end of the episode got to hold his hand as he vomited in the whirlpool tank, adding her own memorable quote to MythBusters: "Smells like pizza". She then appeared in the "Mega Movie Myths" episode, where she helped find a car for the use with the ejector seat myth. She also appeared in "Air Cylinder of Death", "Christmas Lights", "Hindenburg Mystery", "Western Myths", "Walking on Water", "Birds in a Truck", "Bifurcated Boat", mixing the non-Newtonian fluid, "Pirate Special", "Special Supersized Myths", and "Superhero Hour".

Staff

[edit]

Robert Lee

[edit]

Robert Lee (born (1957-09-25)September 25, 1957) is the narrator of the series, who shares the job of explaining experiments and facts with the hosts, often using a copious number of puns and humor. In some regions—such as the United Kingdom and Scandinavia—he is replaced by Irish and British narrators Robin Banks or Daisy Beaumont. Rufus Hound narrates the version of the show that aired on the BBC. Lee returned to narrate the revival MythBusters: The Search as well, and he followed this with the narration for MythBusters Jr and Mythbusters: There’s Your Problem! This makes him the longest continuous serving member of the franchise.

Heather Joseph-Witham

[edit]

Heather Joseph-Witham is a professional folklorist who appeared on-screen during seasons 1-2.[26] Her role was to explain the background and urban legends that the myths were based on, but was later dropped as the stories tested became more absurdist. She received her doctorate from the now defunct Folklore and Mythology Program at UCLA in 1998, and is currently an associate professor at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California.

Eric Haven

[edit]

Eric Haven is a former comic book artist who draws the blueprint drawings used to introduce each episode, as was revealed in the 2012 season's "Mailbag Special". He took over the job from the MythBusters (Savage and Hyneman) and the former Build Team (Byron, Belleci, and Imahara).

He has been a researcher for the program for 33 episodes from 2004 to 2005 and served as an associate producer from 2005 until 2012 for 143 episodes. Since the broadcast of Season 13, he has been credited as a producer for the show.[27]

Guests

[edit]

Helpers

[edit]

Many people have come on the show to provide assistance with the myths.

  • Frank Doyle: Frank Doyle is a retired FBI agent who appeared in the myths "Cement Mix-Up", "Exploding Gas Tank", "Exploding Pants", "Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 2", "Exploding Nitro Patches", "Voice Flame Extinguisher", and others. Frank assisted the MythBusters by helping load a cement truck with 850 pounds of explosives to cause its destruction. He also provided the tracer ammunition for the revisit of the myth that shooting a gas tank can cause it to explode "Car Capers" revisit. He also supervised the making of the explosives for the "Exploding Pants" myth. Doyle has since become somewhat of a regular on the show, helping with many explosives that are used.
  • Erik Gates: Erik Gates was a rocketry expert who appeared in the episodes JATO Chevy, Ming Dynasty Astronaut, Swingset 360, Confederate Rocket, and Salami Rocket. Erik provided rockets and his rocketry expertise in several myths, starting with the very first experiment—the legend of the Jet Assisted Take-Off Chevy Impala. Gates died in a construction accident unrelated to rocketry on December 20, 2009, at the age of 47.[28] The episode Mini Myth Mayhem was dedicated to his memory.
  • J. D. Nelson: J. D. Nelson is the Alameda County sheriff sergeant and EOD team leader who appeared in the myths Exploding Pants, Dynamite Paint Job, and others. "JD" supervises the use of the Alameda County Sheriff Office's bomb disposal range in Dublin, California for many of the explosives episodes.
  • Alan Normandy: Initially introduced as sergeant Alan Normandy, and now a South San Francisco police lieutenant and court-certified firearms expert, he appeared in the myths Blown Away, Finger in a Barrel, Catching a Bullet in Your Teeth, Bullets Fired Up, Mega Movie Myths, Firearms Folklore, Myths Revisited, Exploding Tire of Death, Killer Cigarette Butts, and others. Normandy frequently assists the MythBusters by supplying modern firearms—including fully automatic weapons—to evaluate myths and legends about guns. A 29-year police veteran, chief firearms instructor, former SWAT officer and police sniper, Normandy often assists the MythBusters as a range safety officer, and also provides some legal and firearms expertise. A regular guest and often referred to as an "old friend," Normandy has been a consultant to the production even before the first episode aired.
  • Roger Schwenke: Roger Schwenke is an acoustician for Meyer Sound who appeared in the myths "Does a Duck's Quack Echo?", "Brown Note", "Breaking Glass", and "Sounds Bogus". He was called an honorary MythBuster by Adam in the "Breaking Glass" myth. He also helped bust the "Does a Duck's Quack Echo?" and brown note myths as well as demonstrating how to shatter glass using only sound waves.
  • Sanjay Singh: Sanjay Singh was an emergency medical technician who appeared in the episodes Poppy Seed Drug Test, Myths Revisited, Exploding Pants, Pirates 2, and others. He worked in Alameda County and was on several episodes of MythBusters beginning with the third episode until his death in 2010. He provided first aid back up to the show's hosts. The episode Storm Chasing Myths was dedicated to his memory.[29]
  • Stephen C. Smith: Stephen C. Smith is an aeronautic engineer that provided expertise on the Concrete Glider episode, the "Plywood Parachute" portion of the Beat the Radar Detector episode, and the formation flying portion of the Toilet Bomb episode.

Celebrities

[edit]

In addition, several celebrity guests have been brought in to guest on the show, either for their high level of skill or knowledge in a certain area.

Non-human assistants

[edit]

Buster

[edit]

Buster is a Hybrid II model crash test dummy that plays an important role in many experiments by taking the place of a human subject in the more dangerous myth tests.[30] The first and most recognized of the dummies used in the show, Buster was introduced in the beginning of the first season for the "Exploding Toilet" myth. Savage had purchased the dummy to take the place of Hyneman (who had second thoughts about testing the myth because he realized the foam he would be using was flammable), and Hyneman gave it its name.

Because of the nature of the situations in which the MythBusters use him, Buster has been subjected to forces and situations that far exceed his original design parameters as an automobile crash test dummy. As a testament to the danger of the tests in which he is used—often resulting in his being broken into pieces, burnt, or otherwise mutilated—Buster has had to be extensively repaired and rebuilt over the course of the series to the point that the episode "Buster Special" was devoted to his being completely redesigned and rebuilt as "Buster 2.0". Buster was designed with quick and simple repair in mind, and boasts improved joints, with a more realistic range of movement, and easily replaceable poplar wood "bones". Poplar was chosen because its shear strength was very similar to human bone, providing an accurate gauge of how bones would react in experiments. Buster's new flesh (with the exception of his face, hands, and feet) is made of a silicone marketed for use in animatronics called Dragon Skin. Buster's original head was retained when he was rebuilt, but it had to be replaced after it was shattered during a mishap on the "Escape Slide Parachute" myth. His original face was retained to fit over his replacement head. They tested Buster 2.0 by dropping him 60 feet (about 20 meters) off a crane while inside a donated Cadillac named Earl.

The MythBusters have at times adapted Buster to fit specialized equipment or give him new functionality. For myths involving holding onto things (such as "Plywood Builder"), his hands are replaced with clamps or quick-release rigs. For myths involving falls (like "Hammer Bridge Drop"), monitoring equipment, such as accelerometers or shock gauges, is installed on or within his body. He was also attached to a pneumatic system at one time so he could punch sharks for the "Shark Punching" myth.

Just before testing the revisited "Jet Taxi" myth, Buster spoke two lines as chosen by fans: "Adam, I am your father," followed by "I wonder if Mike Rowe is hiring," a reference to the host of Discovery's other popular show, Dirty Jobs. In October 2007, the fan site also uploaded a video spoof of Buster's life[31] narrated by Jim Forbes of Behind the Music and starring Tory, Grant, Kari and Adam.

As Grant once noted, there are very few times when Buster is actually used for his original purpose (a crash test dummy) on MythBusters.

Since his introduction on the show (in something of a running joke) the cast refer to Buster as if he were an actual living person, and consider him a full member of the cast in his own right. On several myths that involved long drops or intense forces in which Buster was damaged, Adam and others expressed dismay and concern over Buster having been damaged so extensively, most notably during the "Escape Slide Parachute" myth.

On the "Viewer Special 2" episode, a new Buster was introduced. This Buster is a former crash test dummy provided by Dayton T. Brown, Inc. The new Buster was named "Buster 2.0"—not to be confused with the remodeled "Buster 1.0". The original Buster has been retired. During the James Bond special, Buster was dressed up in a tuxedo when he was used for the exploding propane myth. In most myths involving people, Buster is usually dressed in whatever clothes are relevant to the myth (e.g. a police uniform, farmer's overalls, etc.) to give him more character and an air of faux authenticity.

In more recent episodes, the hosts of the show as well as the narrator appear to have taken up a policy of calling any human-analogue "Buster" (not just the specific crash test dummies given the name). However, this practice is very rarely, if at all, applied to dummies made out of ballistics gel or otherwise used to represent human tissue (such as pigs).

In the series finale, Buster is attached to a rocket sled and launched toward a concrete block wall at a speed of over Mach one, disintegrating on impact. Adam subsequently recovers some of the fragments and gives them to Jamie and the Build Team in a follow-up reunion special.

Simulaids

[edit]

Simulaids are Buster's family of at least four dummies, dubbed "Randy" or "Rescue Randy" (father), "Jane" (mother), "Suzy" or "Simulated Suzy" (daughter), and an unnamed son. Rescue Randy has also been referred to as "Ted" (for Bus-Ted, Annihila-Ted, Humilia-Ted, and so on). These were added partly because Buster (even after his redesign) was becoming increasingly difficult to repair, and also because not all myths can be accurately tested with Buster due to his size, weight, and other factors. For instance, Suzy (a child dummy) was used to test the myth that a child could go 360 degrees around a swing set. Being representative of an adult man, Buster would not have properly fit the criteria for the myth. The Simulaids were first introduced in the Killer Brace Position myth, primarily because multiple dummies were needed for testing. At least one Simulaid has been destroyed in the course of subsequent experiments (In the "Point Break" trilogy the Simulaid was destroyed when it hit the ground from 4000 feet).

Ted

[edit]

Ted is an extra crash-test dummy used in the show. In addition to this, any full-size human made from ballistics gelatin is usually named Ted, from the last syllable of bus-ted, annihila-ted, exploi-ted.[32] One instance of Ted's use was in the "Train Suction" myth, in which he played the unsuspecting commuter.

Buster 4.0

[edit]

Buster 4.0 is an extra crash-test dummy, noted for his skin made out of leather. He made his debut in episode 184, where the build team used him to test the myth of "Super Adhesive Seatbelt."

Mini Buster

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Mini Buster is the generic name given to human analogues used in small scale, most often associated with wooden mannequins. In all other cases, the figures used are either modeled after team members (by sticking a picture of their face to the doll,) or given no name at all.

Thermo-Man

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Thermo-Man is a dummy made out of ballistics gel, filled with copper piping to simulate a human body's circulatory system. He was first used in the "Titanic Survival" myth, where Adam and Jamie used him to test the possibility of the film's main characters, Rose and Jack, dying of hypothermia.

Deadblow

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Deadblow, Grant Imahara's battlebot, has been used to aid the MythBusters in various ways, such as measuring vibrations in the ground (for the "Chinese Invasion Alarm" myth) to being a cat decoy (in the "Beat the Guard Dog" myth). Grant temporarily renamed the robot "Blinky" and fitted it with a set of headlights to simulate an oncoming vehicle for the "Driving in the Dark" myth.

Sparky

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Sparky was a robot used multiple times on the show. In the "Gunpowder Keg" myth, Jamie took the motor and wheels from an electric wheelchair and fitted it with a metal hood for protection, a remote control, and a stand for a keg of gunpowder. The MythBusters drilled a hole in the keg and lit the ensuing trail of gunpowder on fire to see if the fire would travel up the falling stream of gunpowder and explode the keg. After many trials, the myth was called plausible, and Sparky survived. Sparky was used again in both the "Hot Bullets" and the "Campfire Chaos" myths to drop bullets of various caliber as well as aerosol cans into a campfire to see if they could cause serious injury or death. Sparky was not damaged, but it was determined that both bullets and bug spray could cause injury but would be unlikely to kill someone if dropped into a campfire.

Mythdog Bo

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Mythdog Bo is a small dog that appears in the 2017 revival of the show. She does not provide much help and only appears when she walks on set, and her random appearances have caused some jokes.

Buster II/Jr

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Buster Jr is the version of Buster in the 2017 version of the show. He was introduced in the second episode, where they needed a criminal to block a propane chimney. They needed the replacement after the original was fired into a brick wall with a rocket.

References

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  1. ^ "Jonathan Lung". Science Channel. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Burton, Bonnie (February 28, 2017). "New 'MythBusters' hosts crowned". CNET.
  3. ^ a b Fingas, Jon (February 27, 2017). "'MythBusters' revival gets its new hosts". Engadget.
  4. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Jamie". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Strauss, Gary (January 16, 2008). "'MythBusters' is the stuff of legends, tall tales". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  6. ^ Kuchera, Ben. "The Mythbusters always had an amazing secret weapon: They can't stand each other". Polygon. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  7. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Adam". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  8. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Kari". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  9. ^ Mammy, Joe. "The Joe-Mammy.com interview with Kari Byron". Joe-Mammy.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  10. ^ "Discovery Channel tweet announcing Jessi's addition to the show". July 31, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  11. ^ "'MythBusters' Beauty Kari Byron Talks New Series 'Head Rush'". Tvsquad.com. August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  12. ^ "Kari Byron of 'MythBusters' Hosts 'Head Rush' on Science Channel Beginning August 23". Tvbythenumbers.com. June 29, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  13. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Tory". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  14. ^ Cabera, Marc (October 4, 2010). "The Beat: Local boy paid to blow stuff up". Monterey County Herald. Northern California Network. Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  15. ^ Snyder, Steven James (March 25, 2010). "MythBusters: An Appreciation. You Can Bust My Myth Anytime". Techland. Time. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  16. ^ Thomas, Christian M. (March 29, 2008). "'Mythbuster' Grant Imahara gives Northeast State audience lowdown on popular show". timesnews.net. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
  17. ^ "'MythBusters' Cast Kari Byron, Grant Imahara & Tory Belleci Out". Latino Post.
  18. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Grant". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  19. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Christine". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  20. ^ "Exploding Jawbreaker"
  21. ^ "Ping Pong Salvage"
  22. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Scottie". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  23. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Jessi". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  24. ^ Lerten, Barney (August 27, 2019). "Well-known racer killed in Alvord Desert land speed record attempt". KTVZ. Bend, Oregon. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  25. ^ Chokshi, Niraj (August 28, 2019). "Jessi Combs, TV Host and Racecar Driver, Dies in Attempt at Land Speed Record: Ms. Combs died while operating a powerful jet-shaped car as she sought to claim a world record". New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  26. ^ "Filmography". Heather Joseph-Witham, Ph.D. September 2, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  27. ^ Eric Haven - IMDb. Retrieved on August 29, 2013
  28. ^ Rochester, Teresa (December 21, 2009). "Man killed in accident T.O. businessman". Ventura County Star. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  29. ^ "Tonight's new episode is in memory of Sanjay Singh, EMT and Honorary MythBuster". Facebook.
  30. ^ "MythBusters Bios - Buster". Discovery Channel. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  31. ^ "Behind the Story"
  32. ^ As explained in the "22,000 Foot Fall" myth.
General references
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