BusterCon 1.0 Now a Pleasant Memory

Come along as one member describes the evening's events in detail along with some memorable pictures and comments from fans and special guests alike.

The Cast listens to Kari's response to an interesting question. (Picture courtesy Mycroft)

The Reception Gets Things off to a Good Start

The evening started with a "meet and greet" reception for members of the club to mingle.  For most, this was the first time they had ever met face-to-face with other members of the club. Katherine Nelson, VP of Communications for Discovery and Science Channels commented on how special this part of the event was.  Paraphrasing..."I found it very interesting to see how well people who knew each other only through the web really connected once they recognized each other's handles."

The Reception is in high gear! (Picture courtesy trish1972)

Everyone enjoyed these encounters and were genuinely pleased to meet one another. Speaking for myself it was nice to finally put a face to a name so to speak..

During this "meet and greet", Lt. Alan Normandy, our favorite firearms expert, former Mythtern Jess Nelson, Rob Lee, the instantly recognized voice of the Mythbusters, Grant Imahara joined the party. Several of the crew of the show began trickling in. After turning down the invite to Bustercon 1.0 due to another commitment, Tory Belleci made an unannounced entrance and was, of course, warmly greeted by all.

The Dinner

The one person missing in the room was Adam Savage who, after a quick phone call, was said to be enroute and expected to show up "anytime now".  However, with a nervous catering manager worrying about the prepared dinners expiring (otherwise known as turning into shoe leather) everyone took their seats and started dinner without Adam.  As if on cue, a few minutes into the dinner "You started dinner without me!" was heard as Adam finally arrived.

Dinner progressed as everyone at each table enjoyed each other's company as well as that of the cast members and crew.  'Nor, of course, insisted that Adam join her as it was obvious she was enjoying herself!  This member definitely enjoyed the opportunity to chat with fellow club members Waddlesk and his wife, Corsilab and, of course, Grant, his lovely girlfriend and Matt Jenson, the sound man from the show. As dinner wound down another surprise guest arrived, none other than Kari Byron!

The Main Attraction Begins 

As the last of the desserts were consumed the evening's highly anticipated special activities finally got underway.  With myself as "Master of Ceremonies--in training" the evening continued with special acknowledgments of the special guests present.  In addition to the cast and crew of the show, other notable guests included the Honorable Mayor of South San Francisco, Rich Garabino and his lovely wife, Discovery Channel's own Katherine Nelson, and Kristine Lomasney. All  were greeted with an enthusiastic round of applause from the club members.   
Next the Mythbusters Fan Club's Benevolent Dictator herself, "BlackWidowNor" was asked to step up to the mike and say a few words.  'Nor took a few minutes to thank everyone for coming and a pronouncement that "everyone enjoy the evening".  Later, 'Nor was relieved that, in her words "I did not pass out at the podium."

The Blue Angels crash the party 

It was about this time a few of the Navy's aerobatics team, the Blue Angels popped in to see what the ruckus was all about.

Team members of the Blue Angels drop by. Tory and Kari can be seen talking to the guys. (Picture courtesy Mycroft)

By coincidence, BusterCon 1.0 occurred the same weekend as San Francisco's annual Fleet Week featuring the Blue Angels. Needless to say, the team members were invited to stay and enjoy the evening's activities.

Meeting the Crew of Mythbusters

With acknowledgments out of the way, and after the the stern "no video taping allowed" warning, the evening got off to a great start when the Mythbusters crew members, Matt Jenson, Tim Alewood, Alice Dallow, Dennis Quan, Tabitha Lentle and Scott Sorenson were asked to step forward for a Q&A session. The crew was gracious enough to put themselves "in harm's way".  Questions such as  "Does the crew ever play practical jokes on the the cast?" provided some revealing responses.

The crew about to answer some questions during their Q&A with the fans. (Picture courtesy Mishabear)

Let the Videos Begin! 

After a round of applause and Adam's pronunciation that "without these folks the show would not be possible" it was time for the videos!  First up, were the Buster: the Real Life Story webisodes, two of which had not been aired at the time of the event followed by a "Behind the Scenes" of the making of these webisodes.

The next two videos presented were the "Blooper Reels", the first of which had been aired at the recent DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia.  However, the second reel, unbeknownst to the cast, was one prepared by Discovery channel specifically for the BusterCon event. This reel resulted in some obvious embarrassment on the part of the cast. No bleeped words here. Needless to say, this reel is not likely to see the light of day after this event.  In fact, once the blooper DVD was played, Discovery Channel's Kristen Lomasney insisted that Grant return the hot DVD back to her right then and there...really!

And Now Presenting... the Cast of Mythbusters!

Tory answers a fan's question. (Picture courtesy Wandering Skeptic)

Next up, was the main course, the much anticipated cast Q&A.  Adam, Grant, Rob, Tory, Kari, Alan and with a little coaching from Adam, Jess made their way to the front of the room, girded their loins to ready themselves for the onslaught of questions.  Given the audience, the questions were a bit more "insider" in tone triggering a variety of memorable responses and some real surprises (can you say depleted uranium?)

Before calling it a night, 'Nor returned to the podium to present some gifts to everyone.  The evening's attendees were presented with bags of nasty smelly ping pong balls actually used in the "Raising the Mythtanic" episode as a thank you and personal memento from the event. Each cast member also received a special gift in the form of handmade "post apocalyptic" clocks made from recycled computer parts and roofing copper created by one of the club members.

The Cast examines the MBFC gift. (Picture courtesy Wandering Skeptic)

Good Night... Almost

After a warm reminder to drive home safely, the official event concluded and an impromptu photo op and autograph session ensued.  This unplanned portion of the evening turn out to be quite special as it was a wonderful opportunity to talk one on one with cast and crew, get autographs and personal pictures in a very casual environment.  The cast very gracious and patient with the room full of fans all vying for their attention and several stayed for quite some time.

Adam pictured with BlackWidowNor with Kari in the background. (Picture courtesy Wandering Skeptic)

There is no doubt everyone who participated in this once-in-a-lifetime event went away with wonderful memories. And, as with all good things, the evening finally drew to a close with last minute goodbyes and "we'll see you next year".