UPDATE: Wow, reddit! Thanks for making my first solo AMA so much fun! I was just going to answer questions for 90 minutes, but couldn’t stop! And seven hours later, it's time to wrap it up.

Thanks for all your congratulations on my engagement, and for the nice words about White Rabbit Project. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, all 10 episodes are now streaming on Netflix worldwide (https://www.netflix.com/title/80091245). Watch it over the weekend and Tweet your questions or comments to @grantimahara, or save them for Kari and Tory, who will be doing AMAs next week!

See you later!

Hi, reddit, it's Grant Imahara, TV host, engineer, maker, and special effects technician. My new show, White Rabbit Project, with Kari Byron and Tory Belleci is now available for streaming on Netflix. Ask me about that, MythBusters, Star Wars, my shop, working in special effects, whatever you want.

PROOF PHOTO: https://twitter.com/grantimahara/status/807267181629095936

This is not my first AMA, but it's my first solo one, so I'm excited (and maybe a little nervous)!

Comments: 2843 • Responses: 59  • Date: 

Dacvak3705 karma

Hey Grant! I met you a few years ago after I had cancer. I was the dude who worked at reddit and came by to meet you and the rest of the build team. I gave you guys some reddit stickers, and you stuck one on the toolbox in the Mythbusters shop. You were super nice to me and said you hoped my recovery would go well.

Just wanted to let you know I'm almost 3 years in remission. :)

Hope you're doing well, too!

Grant-Imahara3415 karma

Hey man! Congrats!! BTW I still have that Reddit sticker on my toolbox.

cahaseler1752 karma

Hi Grant,

What was your favorite thing to explode?

Grant-Imahara2439 karma

It's hard to say! Probably Homemade Diamonds. But each explosive is so different. C4 is really quick pop. ANFO is what you use to move big things. Gasoline makes pretty flames.

saln1498 karma

Hi Grant,

What is your favourite book? I'm trying to find a good book for my son

Grant-Imahara687 karma

How old is he and what are his interests?

MyUserSucks677 karma

Grant, don't know if you'll read this but you're seemingly active. Thanks so much for all you did in my thrusters, I loved it!

Grant-Imahara1734 karma

OH "my thrusters" = "MythBusters" LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Grant-Imahara1378 karma

That took way too long for me to figure out.

hughkenyon383 karma

The sound of the homemade diamond explosion was unreal

atteroredivivus834 karma

I remember being in class that day. NMT, the college nearby is basically on the other side of a mountain from where the homemade diamond explosion was filmed.

I had become used to hearing explosions during the day there due to EMRTC, but this explosion was so big that the shock wave shook the building I was in and rattled the blinds in the windows. It was pretty crazy to experience.

Grant-Imahara1795 karma

Um, yeah. Sorry about that.

larryblt286 karma

But did it produce any gem stones?

Grant-Imahara879 karma

It produced industrial-grade diamonds. Not the kind you might wear in a ring. Unless you wanted a really abrasive ring.

infinitempg1458 karma

Congrats on the engagement, Grant!

Are we gonna see any new cool robots from you in White Rabbit? Looking forward to watching the show!

Grant-Imahara1739 karma

Freeze ray. Jousting simulator robot. And I might have made a flying hoverboard. But you know, you'll just have to see for yourself!

nothumbnails614 karma

You might want to let your netflix overlords know it isn't popping up in the new, recently added, or promotional spots. I only found it with the search.

Grant-Imahara732 karma

Doing press for a streaming show is very different from broadcast. With broadcast, they're all like "Coming soon..." "Coming real soon..." "Coming next week..."

With streaming, they don't want to talk about it until it's truly, actually LIVE on the site.

netuoso341 karma

I never heard of it until today on here

Grant-Imahara790 karma

Exactly. It just became available today.

Boxboy7505 karma

Freeze ray? So you main Mei I take it.

Grant-Imahara1115 karma

OH MAN I just made the connection. Overwatch wasn't as huge when we filmed this build earlier in the year. If we had done this recently, I might have gone with Mei instead of Doctor Horrible LOL

redd49721113 karma

What was your reaction when Mythbusters Inc. told you they were downsizing. Did you feel blown to the wind or did you take it as an opportunity to do a new project?

Grant-Imahara1393 karma

Both.

vVvSunDown931 karma

Hi Grant!

Long time MythBusters fan and have caught you speak at a couple cons!

My question is, do you enjoy playing any video games in your down time?

Grant-Imahara2268 karma

Not much down time these days. I'm an old school FPS guy, using mouse and keyboard. Just started playing Overwatch. Currently, JunkRat is my favorite character to play. (But I'm trying to learn all the others too.)

dicknuckle501 karma

/r/PCMR welcomes our new overlord.

mrnougatgnome879 karma

Implying we'd replace Terry Crews

KyleRaynerGotSweg301 karma

Replace? We're like the Faith of the Seven, he can just join the pantheon.

Edit: Gaben is the Father, Terry is the Warrior, Grant is the Smith, it works so well.

Markley628176 karma

The old gods and the new

Grant-Imahara360 karma

APPROVED.

jt1624450 karma

Well hey, at least it's not Mei

Grant-Imahara689 karma

Mei takes too long. I like to move around a lot.

Altair_ShepardN7182 karma

You should try Lucio then!

Grant-Imahara476 karma

Lucio is so annoying hard to hit.

HighSorcerer34 karma

Learn to play Hanzo. Pick him all the time so you can get practice. Your teammates will appreciate you.

Grant-Imahara76 karma

Really? Arrows didn't seem super effective. I'll give him another shot, tho.

J_Eldridge823 karma

Hey Grant 3 years ago when you did an AMA with Tori and Kari I asked you if you would build an Ironman suit and you replied with: EVERY. DAY.

So my question is, Hows your progress?

Grant-Imahara1604 karma

I built one of the gauntlets for a project I did with Mouser Electronics (for whom I am their "Celebrity Engineer" spokesman). It had a working laser that popped out the forearm and was able to pop a balloon across the room. So... pretty good so far.

sirukin86317 karma

Would you consider building a power assisted suit? Mini-electric motors, cables, carbon fibre and aluminum frame covered in level III/IV ballistic plates?

That'd be close enough wouldn't it? Also, a 50lb backpack full of LiPo's (or an ultracapacitor array)

Grant-Imahara480 karma

You... may be on to something there.

Bebommib722 karma

Hey Grant!! On a scale from 1-10, how excited are you for Rogue One!?!

Grant-Imahara1192 karma

1 MILLION. From the first moment I saw the trailer, it was like I was right back in my childhood. Plus, I've known John Knoll since I was at ILM. He's a good guy and he gets it. CAN'T WAIT.

QueuedeSpool477 karma

Do you feel any schadenfreude since Tory Belleci will be doing an AMA on the 16nth instead of seeing the movie?

Grant-Imahara1025 karma

HAHAHA ALL PART OF MY PLAN

luke_in_the_sky232 karma

I saw a set of pictures showing practical effects in Star Wars prequels.

Are you in this picture? How was working there?

Grant-Imahara381 karma

Yep, that's me working on a hangar bay. It was an awesome time in my life. Just wrote a post about it on the MythBusters Facebook page.

nikropht692 karma

Hey Grant do Jamie and Adam really not get along?

Grant-Imahara2108 karma

That's a common misconception. They don't "hang out" outside of work. But they respect each others' opinions and ideas and work together quite well.

smpl-jax259 karma

What if one of them got really drunk and was thrown in jail. Would they ever call the other as their "one phone call"?

Grant-Imahara1021 karma

No. However (and this goes for all of us) if we were ever abducted Taken-style, it would probably be Jamie. "I... uh... have a particular set of skills."

Grant-Imahara954 karma

TRUE STORY: Jamie used to have a vacation rental in Mexico. There was a tropical storm and he went down to check on it. He packed a chainsaw and a generator.

Grant-Imahara1424 karma

EDIT: He packed ONLY a chainsaw and a generator.

gustavfrigolit690 karma

What do you think about the giant robot fight between USA and Japan?

Grant-Imahara1072 karma

It's going to happen. Just saw the guys last week and they're moving along. It's going to happen eventually.

JoshuaMorganUSA587 karma

Hi Grant,

How did you get started in hobby electronics and do you still find time to build personal projects and the like? If not, do you miss it?

Grant-Imahara873 karma

When I started in hobby electronics, you had to subscribe to magazines for new project ideas, Radio Shack still had millions of electronics parts, and there was no internet. It was not as easy then as it is now, since there's a huge online maker community.

I have a personal shop where I make things for myself and friends. Recently, I made a Ghostbusters reboot pack scaled down for my friend's 6-year-old daughter.

fwmcginnis209 karma

Shop tour?

Grant-Imahara650 karma

I have a Ricoh Theta S 360 camera. I'll post some pictures later on my FB page!

SavourTheFlavour98 karma

Is there a subreddit for hobby electronics other than /r/electronics? I'm wondering if there is somewhere that has a list of cool finished products along with their components so you can try to replicate them?

Grant-Imahara248 karma

I would try the forums at SparkFun and Adafruit. Lots of cool project blogs there along with parts.

Wolverigne373 karma

Hi Grant, huge fan.

On a scale of 1-10, how hot do you think Kari Byron is?

Grant-Imahara1560 karma

Austin Powers voice She's 98.6 degrees, baby!

akosijomel332 karma

hi grant, what multitool/knife do you always carry?

Grant-Imahara499 karma

I started with a Leatherman Wave and had that for many years. Then I started carrying the Charge ALX because it had more tools like allen wrenches.

angelorphan307 karma

Hi Grant!! Years ago,I remember you had trouble in Myspace probing you're real Grant,which I was touched.Now social media grew huge size,Do you have same passion to connect watchers?

Grant-Imahara333 karma

Yes, of course! Through Reddit, Twitter and Facebook, I can reach out immediately and directly to fans.

dhjin303 karma

Hello grant. First congratulations on getting engaged. Second why is the netflix show called white rabbit? Also I will watch it soon. I'm in at work at the moment but is it available for us in Canada yet?

Grant-Imahara500 karma

  1. Thanks! I was nervous, but we had a blast.
  2. White Rabbit is a literary reference to Alice In Wonderland. You follow him down the rabbit hole to the unknown. That's pretty much what we do on the show.
  3. WRP should be available to watch globally right now! Enjoy!!

burk-reddit292 karma

What is your favorite car you have driven and what do you have now?

What would be some potential myths you would have liked to test if you would not have been under the constraints of a family friendly show, or in short what nsfw myth would you have tested?

Grant-Imahara680 karma

I used to have a Porsche Cayman. I miss that car. It never met a curve it didn't like at any speed. I miss my Toyota Tacoma truck. It was raised and had a lumber rack. I currently have a Tesla Model S. It's smooth and powerful, although a bit large for my taste.

mindragon183 karma

Do you have the autopilot?

Have you hacked the car in any way?

Grant-Imahara430 karma

I tried an early version of autopilot. Decided I would wait for a later software update. I am happy with how the car works now. No need to hack it LOL

FotlNoN275 karma

No need to hack it LOL

This is not the Grant I know and love.

Grant-Imahara352 karma

Though it is basically a giant robot, safety first!

squeaky19222 karma

Hi Grant, how is the new show going to be similar to and yet different from Mythbusters?

Grant-Imahara817 karma

White Rabbit Project will have me, Tory and Kari. We'll be building things, talking to interesting people, goofing off, and telling stories that are implausibly weird. Pretty much what you have come to expect from us. But the new show is slicker, prettier, the stories are bigger, and most importantly, everything on our show is based on fact. Unlikely historical events that ACTUALLY happened. Real cutting-edge tech that EXISTS or is about to exist. SCIENCE that is happening now. Interesting pop culture phenomenon.

Phydeaux110221 karma

Hi Grant, will we ever se Geoff Peterson ever again? I miss that lovable guy.

Grant-Imahara277 karma

Geoff is safely in storage. All he needs is a battery charge and he'll be ready to go!

atlaseyes208 karma

I don't have netflix...can I borrow your username and password to watch this show?

Grant-Imahara452 karma

No. But you can join FREE for a month!

Nobiting201 karma

Hi Grant,

Congrats on your engagement! You seem to have a brilliant electrical and mechanical mind but something we do not see much of is your programming mind. Do you enjoy programming and if so which languages?

Grant-Imahara300 karma

Thanks! I usually leave programming to the end, since I find it pretty straightforward. I like it because it's pretty clean and easy to modify. Moving a hole on a piece of aluminum or re-soldering a circuit board is an extra level of pain in the ass. I can program most variations of BASIC in my sleep, and I'm reasonably good with C but I need to get better.

kglinnen199 karma

Whose idea was it for this new show? You 3, or were you all approached with the idea?

Grant-Imahara332 karma

Our executive producer from MythBusters John Luscombe approached us with a project idea for Netflix. We worked together with Martyn Ives (another MB alum) and Ryan Senter to develop White Rabbit Project.

sagiezz165 karma

Will you take part in this new Mythbusters project of finding new mythbusters?

Grant-Imahara308 karma

No, that is a new thing, and I likely won't be participating.

jtg93164 karma

What sort of things were you able to do on this new show that weren't possible on MythBusters? And/Or, how will White Rabbit Project be different from MythBusters?

Grant-Imahara304 karma

We are able to delve deeper into our stories. Also, we get to be "inside" of the re-creations. For example, I walk through a prison and ride in a helicopter as I talk about Pascal Payet, the guy who broke out of prison with a helicopter.

Thebeardedmage153 karma

What format do you play most, and what's your favorite deck?

Grant-Imahara369 karma

Red Goblin deck. Overrun them. Or Red/Green or White/Black. Never Blue.

MoltoAllegro103 karma

Hi Grant!

My question is, how often did things go wrong on Mythbusters? What was the biggest build failure and how was it fixed?

Grant-Imahara209 karma

With MythBusters, we tried to fail often and early. Everything starts with a mockup or a small scale experiment. In ten years, we had very few mishaps happen, which is a very good ratio indeed.

TheWarDoctor97 karma

DragonCon again next year?

Grant-Imahara185 karma

Possible! Unless I go back to Burning Man.

CreatureMike9491 karma

Hey Grant! If season 1 of White Rabbit project does well, can we expect to see a white rabbit project season 2?

Grant-Imahara209 karma

We can only hope! This sort of thing needs to gain momentum to signal to Netflix that people want to see more. So tell your friends!

PugParty2991 karma

Hi Grant, what was the worst injury you ever had on Mythbusters?

Grant-Imahara192 karma

Thankfully nothing super bad. Which is pretty good considering we routinely worked with all sorts of explosive, large machinery, prototype robots, firearms, and flames. I think I sprained my ankle dropping down through a roof in my underwear on the safety mat that was supposed to protect me. (The underwear was because of trying to fool a thermal security sensor.)

mowglicious90 karma

i'm always amazed by your builds in mythbusters simple or complex. i always enjoy your work. so my question is at what age did you start building robots? what inspired you to build one? are you still creating battle bots?

Grant-Imahara171 karma

Started building when I was very young. LEGO is a tremendous tool. As I got older and more experienced, my access to tools got better, and the robots became more complex. Retired from BattleBots. Currently.

DaleGribble8886 karma

Hi Grant, what is your favorite science fiction movie? Alternatively, do you have a favorite star trek episode? Can't wait to see you on White Rabbit!

Grant-Imahara209 karma

Hard to say. My top three are: Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, Empire Strikes Back, and The Matrix. Fave Star Trek episode: Inner Light (TNG) with a close second Darmok.

lama579123 karma

Temba! His arms open wide.

Grant-Imahara85 karma

NICE

kilot1k43 karma

Grant! My favorite mythbuster! I can tell a lot from a person from one question. What's your all time favorite movie? The one you can basically quote every line from.

Grant-Imahara99 karma

I can quote three: Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Speed. (*Speed is because when I used to work at THX, we did laserdisc quality assurance, so I watched it like 25 times.)

-Sharpshooter41 karma

Hi grant, me being a firearms guy, I was curious if you own any firearms or have a favorite model?

Grant-Imahara78 karma

Although I don't own any, I was super impressed with 9mm Glocks. The SIG Sauer P228 and Beretta 92FS are my other faves (smaller grips).

wraith82521 karma

Hey Grant,

It looks like Kari and Tori will be doing AMAs later. What are you doing to ensure that your AMA has at least 40% more explosive power than Kari or Tori's AMA?

Grant-Imahara42 karma

ALREADY DONE.

Flying_FLIcker20 karma

Hello Grant,

With all the media hyping it up, how frightened of the Y2K bug were you? Were you "Cool as a cucumber, or Hot like a Jalapeno"

Grant-Imahara39 karma

I bought a case of Ensure (you know, for nutrients) and took a bunch of cash out of an ATM. So uhhhh....

sharkuppercut6 karma

Probably a bit of a personal question, but how did you and your wife-to-be meet?

Grant-Imahara18 karma

At San Diego Comic-Con in 2011. We were at the Discovery Channel party late at night.