We Love Kari Byron

The addition of Kari Byron to the cast of MythBusters has changed the show in ways that the producers and directors probably never intended. The MythBusters program started out as a male oriented experience, as the admittedly geek oriented formula, established early on in the show’s first episodes, has been focused on almost exclusively.

While many shows tend to dress everything up and make it more attractive, the MythBusters didn’t bother, allowing the viewer to see endless shelves of junk, old beaten up tools and less than glamorously dressed hosts. This emphasis on function over form and practicality over pampering has been the basis of the show’s formula from the very start. Adding an attractive young female to the predominantly male cast was a galvanizing decision by the casters and producers of the MythBusters television program, and was surely not arrived at easily. But it was clear to all that the addition of Kari Byron was extremely successful, as new viewers flocked to the Discovery Chann l to catch the redhead and her exuberant personality.

But the powers that be at the MythBusters office very likely had no idea what type of impact the decision to add Kari Byron to the MythBusters cast would have. The entire demographics of the program have changed as new users and younger viewers began to flock to the Discovery Channel network and set their TiVos and personal video recorders religiously to record the MythBusters program, not wanting to miss a moment. This fascination with the sexy and alluring Kari Byron has been responsible for a large portion of the jump in ratings that the MythBusters program has experienced. While the program has remained basically the same, exposing myths as myths and proving out those that are true to be true, in addition to this basic formula, the inclusion of the clearly and obviously female Kari Byron has garnered many more new viewers of the male demographic, specifically viewers between 18 and 35, that block of younger males that television networks and executives are so desperate to a contract.

While the impact on the show and a change in the method of filming has been largely superficial, the long-term nature of these changes can not yet be determined until after a few years of successful ratings that can be compared to the previous years of broadcast ratings. This comparison, while not yet complete, will very likely show a tremendous leap in ratings after the addition of Kari Byron to the MythBusters cast. This leap in ratings is specifically due to the fact that the producers and editors had the foresight to include a sultry young female to the cast, a big selling point for many young male viewers who may have lost interest or not bothered to view the show in its earlier seasons.

This new attraction of younger viewers is a blessing for any show, especially the MythBusters program with its extremely focused niche audience. Only time will tell how successful the MythBusters formula will be now that the luminous Kari Byron has been added to the mix.