Mythbusters

About

Mythbusters is a TV show produced by Beyond Television Productions for Discovery Channel. However, the term "Mythbusters" is also used to refer to the hosts of the show, originally Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, with Kari Byron (and Jessi Combs while Byron was on maternity leave), Tory Belleci, and Grant Imahara joining in later seasons. The show spotlights popular urban legends or folklore, and "[puts] them to the test" to see if the scientific principles behind the premises will support them in real situations.^[1]

History

First conceptualized in 2002, the show premiered in 2003 on the Discovery Channel, and has since aired on several stations, including many of the Discovery Channel's international stations, 7 Mate, and even a 30-minute version on BBC Two for a period of time. Adam Savage had previously hosted the popular show "BattleBots," and Jamie Hyneman, a prominent special effects artist, were recruited to host the show together.

In 2016, the show announced that it would cease creating new episodes, ending its 13 year-run with a total of 238 episodes.

Format

At the beginning of the show, Hyneman and Savage discuss a myth they would like to test, explaining it and any origin they might know to the audience. The pair then work together at M5 Industries, which is Hyneman's special effects company, building anything they need to test the myth using his equipment and staff. In addition, the team consults with experts in specific fields, like guns and ammunition, to figure out how they can test the myth. They also devise a scientific method for testing the result of the experiment that's appropriate to the myth. The climax of each episode is when the experiment is performed and the results determined.

Online Presence

Because of the show's speed of growth in popularity, the show and its hosts have gained a strong backing on the internet. The forum, located on the Discovery Channel's website, currently has over 1 million registered members. The subreddit /r/mythbusters has over 17,000 members. On Twitter, the show has over 1.72 million followers, and 6.9 million people follow their official Facebook page.

Fandom

It is also common to find fanart of the show on DeviantART and fanfictions (Usually NSFW) on LiveJournal^[3] and FanFiction.net.^[2]

All of the hosts on the show have very iconic behavior, and tend to have relaxed, fun attitudes that come out in quirky lines and actions. Because of this, it is common to see one or more of the hosts in pictures or gifs for the sake of humor. An especially strong example of this is Jamie as a Walrus.

Because of Jamie's prominent moustache, he has often been compared to a walrus on-air by Adam, and can often be seen represented as a walrus wearing a beret and glasses.

Catchphrases

Many phrases, such as "I reject your reality and substitute my own!", are direct quotes from the show that are easily remembered for their humorous circumstances or irony. Below is a list of other notable phrases:

Note: not all of these are Mythbusters originals, however they made them notable.

Search Interest

External References