diff --git a/pykafka/balancedconsumer.py b/pykafka/balancedconsumer.py
index 3fce1fc54..b96938e28 100644
--- a/pykafka/balancedconsumer.py
+++ b/pykafka/balancedconsumer.py
@@ -535,15 +535,7 @@ def _set_watches(self):
         self._setting_watches = False
 
     def _add_self(self):
-        """Register this consumer in zookeeper.
-
-        This method ensures that the number of participants is at most the
-        number of partitions.
-        """
-        participants = self._get_participants()
-        if len(self._topic.partitions) <= len(participants):
-            raise KafkaException("Cannot add consumer: more consumers than partitions")
-
+        """Register this consumer in zookeeper."""
         self._zookeeper.create(
             self._path_self, self._topic.name, ephemeral=True, makepath=True)
 
diff --git a/pykafka/simpleconsumer.py b/pykafka/simpleconsumer.py
index 9f787312e..d16f9141d 100644
--- a/pykafka/simpleconsumer.py
+++ b/pykafka/simpleconsumer.py
@@ -227,9 +227,8 @@ def _raise_worker_exceptions(self):
             raise ex
 
     def _update(self):
-        """Update the consumer and cluster after an ERROR_CODE
-        """
-        # only allow one thread to be updating the producer at a time
+        """Update the consumer and cluster after an ERROR_CODE"""
+        # only allow one thread to be updating the consumer at a time
         with self._update_lock:
             self._cluster.update()
             self._setup_partitions_by_leader()
diff --git a/tests/pykafka/test_balancedconsumer.py b/tests/pykafka/test_balancedconsumer.py
index 0ab92b94e..4b4fd3dc3 100644
--- a/tests/pykafka/test_balancedconsumer.py
+++ b/tests/pykafka/test_balancedconsumer.py
@@ -170,6 +170,42 @@ def get_balanced_consumer(self, consumer_group, **kwargs):
             **kwargs
         )
 
+    def test_extra_consumer(self):
+        """Ensure proper operation of "extra" consumers in a group
+
+        An "extra" consumer is the N+1th member of a consumer group consuming a topic
+        of N partitions, and any consumer beyond the N+1th.
+        """
+        group = "test_extra_consumer"
+        extras = 1
+
+        def verify_extras(consumers, extras_count):
+            messages = [c.consume() for c in consumers]
+            nones = [a for a in messages if a is None]
+            successes = [a for a in messages if a is not None]
+            self.assertEqual(len(nones), extras_count)
+            self.assertEqual(len(successes), self.n_partitions)
+
+        consumers = [self.get_balanced_consumer(group,
+                                                consumer_timeout_ms=5000)
+                     for i in range(self.n_partitions + extras)]
+        verify_extras(consumers, extras)
+
+        # when one consumer stops, the extra should pick up its partitions
+        for i in range(extras):
+            removed = consumers[i]
+            removed.stop()
+            consumers = [a for a in consumers if a is not removed]
+        self.wait_for_rebalancing(*consumers)
+        self.assertEqual(len(consumers), self.n_partitions)
+        verify_extras(consumers, 0)
+
+        # added extra consumers should idle
+        for i in range(extras):
+            consumers.append(self.get_balanced_consumer(group, consumer_timeout_ms=5000))
+        self.wait_for_rebalancing(*consumers)
+        verify_extras(consumers, extras)
+
     def test_rebalance_callbacks(self):
         def on_rebalance(cns, old_partition_offsets, new_partition_offsets):
             self.assertTrue(len(new_partition_offsets) > 0)