Kari: I have to say the TV skills are learned...
Grant: ...acquired
Kari: Yes, when we first started it was really hard for us to get in front of the camera.
Tory: That was the hardest part to adjust to. Imagine being at work with a cameraman following you around all day, and when you make a mistake, not only do they record it but they are excited about it and make a big deal of it on the show. Your worst possible nightmare comes to fruition and how do you deal with that?
I would say you all deal with it very well! I don’t remember ever seeing any of you angry, or even miffed.
Kari: One of the reasons the show is successful is because we have a natural chemistry. Everybody knew each other to start with and were already friends and had a deep respect for each other. So it’s not like you’re casting people to be on the show: you’re filming people who would have been working together anyway.
I think showing the mistakes humanizes you. No one is perfect, and you guys are shown to be secure enough that you don’t let it bother you. And it reinforces the “don’t try this at home” message as well, which I imagine is insisted upon by your insurance company.
Kari: There are a lot of things we really don’t want you to try at home!
Tory: Yes, try it at your neighbor’s house.
Any particular changes or evolution ahead for the show?
Kari: We trying to bring MythBusters to the classroom, package it up for classroom consumption.
Tory: So often we get stopped by fans who are teachers who say they use the show in their curriculum to get students excited about science. You can’t ask for a better compliment than that.
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Article comments
1 - Dawn
Awesome interview with a group of really cool cats! It's great to have a show which uses real science, stunts and creativity to entertain. Our kids have learned more about the nature of the world around them on this show, than a year's worth of science class.
2 - Mark Saleski
did you guys know what kari byron was their second choice? they wanted lindsey lohan but she was too broken up to work after reading some nasty article written about her on the internet. ;-)
p.s. great interview. love this show. they make me jealous, havin' way too much fun at work dammit!
3 - Eric Olsen
thanks Dawn and Mark - it was a blast talking with them, super nice and interesting!
4 - John Bantayan
As what I have read on other comments it is clearly stated that a lot of people like this show and I believe I am one of them.
5 - littlejohn
I wish the subject of religion had come up. Jamie and Adam are prominent outspoken atheists. I wonder if the other three share that view. I also wish they the guts to test religious myths, such as the efficacy of prayer. It would be an easy experiment.
6 - slydog66
UGH! I'm so JEALOUS! Seriously, I'm a huge fan of the show... I wish them all continued success.
To "littlejohn"... I agree, but being that it's a family show, they'll never be allowed to tackle religion. Too controversial.
7 - Eric Olsen
thanks guys, I hadn't thought about the religious angle - not sure how you would "scientifically test" elements of religion, as I would think it lies outside the realm of empirical cause and effect. It would be fun to see some smiting, though!
8 - Eric Olsen
they were all really funny and friendly - one of my favorite interviews ever!
9 - ballson
Rigorous experimentation? Scientific analysis? Come on Eric.. MythBusters is great, but let's be honest: it certainly doesn't fall under either of those two categories.
10 - Dr Dreadful
Why not? Building (for example) various designs for a leather cannon and loading them with explosive charges and cannonballs to see if they work qualifies as rigorous. And devising (for example) multiple experiments to test whether an empty beer bottle is more lethal than a full one is analytical, and certainly in the spirit of scientific inquiry.
Mythbusters is tongue in cheek, yes, and you can't really present the scientific method in full in a one-hour show. But it has more scientific integrity than 99% of everything else on TV.
11 - Eric Olsen
I agree DD, they clearly take the scientific aspects very seriously and it's important to them that this be recognized
12 - Erhan Ozkan
I like the show very much. I think it is a great show but I wonder how they will or will they get into the religious matters.
13 - Eric Olsen
hey, don't forget MythBusters marathon this Sunday from 9am to 3am, with the "MacGyver Myths" ep airing at 10pm - I love that one!
14 - Phillip Winn
THough the three mythketeers may be able to keep their anger and frustration off the show via editing, Adam and Jamie sure got into it on the episode in which they attempt to salvage a boat using ping-pong balls. Lots of bleeping!
15 - Eric Olsen
they show a wider range of emotion, shall we say
16 - Jamie Teachey
In the first few seasons, the producers encouraged more antagonistic behaviour, and we saw more anger and frustration on the show. This kind of contrived drama and tension is very popular in reality TV. But clearly the cast wasn't comfortable with it, and thankfully that aspect of the show went away.