Kari Byron

Kari Elizabeth Byron[1] (born December 18, 1974) is an American television host, best known for her role on the Discovery Channel show MythBusters and Netflix's White Rabbit Project.

Kari Byron
Byron at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Kari Elizabeth Byron

(1974-12-18) December 18, 1974
Santa Clara County, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSan Francisco State University
OccupationTelevision host
Years active2003–present
Television
Spouse(s)
Paul Urich (m. 2006)
Children1
Websitekaribyron.com

Early life

Byron was born in Central California. She graduated from Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, California and studied at San Francisco State University, graduating in May 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in film and sculpture.[2] She spent the following year backpacking, primarily in South Asia, and was involved in a number of art projects.[3]

Career

MythBusters
See also: List of MythBusters cast members

Byron was a cast member on MythBusters from Season 1 until Season 12. Along with fellow cast members Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara she was part of what is commonly referred to as "The Build Team" or B Team. This Build Team worked with Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman to test the plausibility of various myths throughout their tenure with the show.[4] 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.[5]

During the second half of the 2009 season, Byron was on maternity leave and was temporarily replaced by Jessi Combs.[6] From 2010–2011, Byron had her own show, Head Rush, on the Science Channel, geared toward science education and teens.[7][8]

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 re-tested a myth previously busted by the Build Team: that a propane tank could explode if struck by a bullet. She left the show in 2014.

Byron and Belleci hosted coverage of Pumpkin Chunkin on the Science Channel from 2011 to 2014. In 2015, Byron and Belleci hosted Thrill Factor, a new show for the Travel Channel.

White Rabbit Project

Byron, along with Imahara and Belleci, hosted the Netflix production White Rabbit Project,[9] released on Netflix on December 9, 2016. The series focused on unusual aspects from history and pop culture.[10]

Crash Test World

Byron is currently host of the ProjectExplorer produced series Crash Test World.[11] The first season of six episodes airs on Discovery Channel in late 2020.[12]

Personal life

Byron married artist Paul Urich in March 2006. They have a daughter.[13] In May 2020, Byron described herself as a "single mom" in an interview.[14] She was previously a vegetarian, but now describes herself as pescetarian.[15] Byron continues to create art, including paintings created by igniting gunpowder.[16] In 2018 she published a memoir Crash Test Girl, with HarperOne.[17]

References
  1. "California Births 1905–1995". Family Tree Legends Records Collection. Pearl Street Software. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  2. "Kari Byron". Archived from the original on 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  3. "SBS: MythBusters: Kari Byron". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  4. "MythBusters". Discovery Channel. 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
  5. Mammy, Joe. "The Joe-Mammy.com interview with Kari Byron". Joe-Mammy.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  6. "Discovery Channel tweet announcing Jessi's addition to the show". July 31, 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  7. "'MythBusters' Beauty Kari Byron Talks New Series 'Head Rush'". Tvsquad.com. August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  8. "Kari Byron of 'MythBusters' Hosts 'Head Rush' on Science Channel Beginning August 23". Tvbythenumbers.com. June 29, 2010. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  9. "Netflix Orders White Rabbit Project Starring Mythbusters Build Team". September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  10. Fitzpatrick, Kevin (December 8, 2016). "Ex-'MythBusters' Attempt Mind Control in Netflix 'White Rabbit' Clip". ScreenCrush. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  11. "Kari Byron Brings West Coast Premiere of "Crash Test World" to San Francisco". OneDubin.org. February 5, 2020.
  12. "Discovery picks up 'Crash Test World' for North America". Television Business International. February 20, 2020.
  13. Discovery Channel US (June 29, 2009). "How about some GREAT NEWS?". Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  14. Busting Quarantine Boredom with Mythbuster's Kari Byron! (After12 · E12) (video). 2020-05-07. Event occurs at 7:51. Retrieved 2020-05-19. I'm a single mom that entertains a 10-year-old girl.
  15. Suicide Girls (March 28, 2011). "Interviews > Kari Byron". Retrieved 2011-03-30.
  16. The Verge (December 20, 2016). "Even after MythBusters, Kari Byron is still explosive".
  17. Times Record News (October 26, 2019). "Mythbusters host Kari Byron next guest of Artist-Lecture Series".
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