TV fans were hit with a pretty heavy blow today when news broke that television personality and stuntwoman Jessi Combs had died following a tragic accident. Television audiences may remember Combs from Overhaulin' or her guest spots on Jay Leno's Garage, but many will remember her from her stint as a guest host on Mythbusters.
Jessi Combs took the place of co-host Kary Byron for 12 episodes during Season 7 of Mythbusters while Byron was on maternity leave. Mythbusters icon Adam Savage (who has been plenty busy with various projects since exiting the series as host) was among the first of the show to relay the news of Jessi Combs' death and eulogized the professional driver and auto enthusiast on his social media.
Savage didn't mention Jessi Combs' work on Mythbusters specifically, but rather spoke to the talent and skills she brought to television as a whole throughout her career. Beyond her work on the Discovery series and appearance on Jay Leno's Garage, Combs was also a host on All Girls Garage and another Discovery Channel show called Break Room.
As someone who filled in for Kari Byron, Jessi Combs filmed a number of segments with Mythbusters co-hosts Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara. Belleci (who recently joined a new show coming to Amazon) shared a couple photos of himself and Combs on social media and stated he was "absolutely gutted" by the news of her passing.
Jessi Combs died on Tuesday, August 27 in an attempt to break her own land speed record. Combs set the women's 4-wheel land speed record in 2013 with the record set officially at 398.954 mph with a top speed of 440.709 mph.
It’s no surprise Jessi Combs found her way onto Mythbusters, and was an integral part to the team during her 12-episode stint. Former castmember Kari Byron, whom Combs stood in for, was one of the first to memorialize Combs when she learned of the news.
Though her time on Mythbusters was short, it does seem Jessi Combs made a lot of friends on the show. She also seemed to earn a lot of fans, as many on social media mourned her death.
Even those from Mythbusters' new generation paid their respects, as the rebooted show’s host Brian Louden honored Jessi Combs. Louden accompanied the post with one of Combs' final posts on the internet, which was shared in reference to her attempt of the land speed record.
A documentary of Combs' journey was in the works at the time of her death, and according to a member of her team, that documentary will be completed. Meanwhile, expect more members of the Mythbusters family and other shows that Jessi Combs was involved in to reach out and pay their respects to "the fastest woman on four wheels."
CinemaBlend would like to extend its condolences to the family and friends of Jessi Combs, and wish them all well during this troubling time.
