As a massive fan of Mythbusters, I was sorry to see the end of the show. Not only did it entertain me, it taught me so much about science and life in general. Whether it was looking forward to Jamie’s next big boom, Adam potentially losing his other eyebrow or another way in which Tory injured himself. I loved every episode.
When Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara left the show at the end of season 13, I hoped it wouldn’t be the last we saw them. Sure, Tory and Kari did Thrill Factor on Travel Channel, but, unfortunately, it didn’t get the viewers it deserved. When I saw Kari announce that she, along with Tory and Grant, signed up for a Netlfix exclusive show, I was like a kid seeing the presents under the Christmas tree. I knew they would take their many years of mythbusting, and create something as entertaining. I was so right. The White Rabbit Project had arrived.
In typical Netflix fashion, the entire first season of White Rabbit Project, 10 episodes in total, was released at one time for us to binge on. As for the format, three of the hosts get two topics each. They start investigating and testing theories see who tops the list. In each episode, they score the chosen topics on three criteria and act out scenes to introduce the idea they are trying to test. Personally, some of the scenes don’t really work and seem a bit awkward. Except the English cockney bit, that actually made me laugh a fair bit. I’m probably a bit biased as none of the scenes have the three in them.
When Kari, Grant and Tory do their thing, they definitely show off their years of experience working on projects like Star Wars and Mythbusters. White Rabbit Project does really well to distance itself from the show that made them famous, however. Everyone thought that this was Netlfix’s Mythbusters show, but, thankfully, they have successfully created their own scientific show that isn’t just a carbon copy. The first ideas they tackle are super power tech, which is a great opener.
“Super Power Tech” takes on superpowers that you could possibly have in real life. If anything, the episode shows the chemistry that Kari, Tory and Grant have had for years. When you watch the mind control test, you’ll see exactly what I mean. In the next few episodes, the crew tests a few history-based points, including jailbreaks, crazy weapons from WWII, scam artists and heists. The format is clear from the first episode, but the three criteria they use alter slightly to fit the tested stories.
The rest of White Rabbit Project is more modern. Some explores tech that we’re supposed to have by now, like an actual hoverboard and fit in your palm record player. These episodes really show why the build team got their name on Mythbusters. Some of the things they create are fantastic and the genuine delight on their faces just make it so much more enjoyable.
White Rabbit Project finishes with the episode “Speed Freaks,” which, for me, tops off a fantastic series. I’m glad that Netflix took Kari, Tory and Grant and gave them to the freedom to continue educating and entertaining us all. I already want more. I almost wish that Netflix did a weekly episode release schedule, but then again, I’d be writing exactly the opposite if they’d have done that!
While I did thoroughly enjoy White Rabbit Project and hope that this continues for many series to come, I hope they make the dramatic sequences a little less cringe-worthy.