Top Gear USA -- The latest revision.

[IBCoupe]

Just finished the second episode. Is it crap compared to TGUK? Yes. Is it watchable? I think so. The Evo race was dumbish. The "drift" competition was stupid. I was still entertained though. Hopefully they step it up and the hosts actually become halfway decent drivers.

This.

[Chaotic_Warlord]

It's amazing how none of you guys know any of the hosts, the drift fans know Tanner Foust, unless you've watched Rescue Me or seen his stand up you'll never know who Ferrerra is and Wood is popular with the NASCAR crowd. I knew Ferrarra and Foust and had know clue who Wood was. I was more than unimpressed with the second episode, I see this tanking before the first season is even halfway through. I am however looking forward to this weeks episode as they will be actually destroying cars while recreating the birth of NASCAR and the ways of the moonshine runners.

I don't think any of them have actually watched a season of Top Gear UK let alone an episode. The executive producer for this is the same Executive Producer for the UK version, so the direction and formula are there, they just need to get the production and hosts in line.

[flohtingPoint]

the direction and formula are there

Very wrong. The direction/formula couldn't be farther off.

What makes Top Gear a good show is the challenges (has communism ever made a good car, building the eagle-eye thrust geoff, making car-boats, etc) . On the whole, Top Gear is rather boring. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car is bleh, news is hit or miss, the Stig lap is worthless because they insist in using stock tires (which means nothing and ruins the test). The challenges MAKE the show, especially the specials they do once or twice a year. This past season of Top Gear was quite terrible because of lack of interesting challenges...

[Mr1der]

I wouldn't say anything BUT the chemistry of the three hosts on the UK version make the show.

[Red coupe]

So did everyone give up for the third show?

Was actually not bad. I had a few laughs and in the end it was probably more entertaining then what I turned off to watch it.
Calling it Top Gear is almost a disservice, there is really no point in comparing and it is not like you have to chose between the two.
It is and will be much better when it is allowed to just be its own show.
Not perfect, but worth watching.
You can stream in reasonable quality on the history channels site...
http://www.history.com/shows/top-gear/v ... pe-deville
$1000 car bootleg challenge.

[Jesda]

A couple interesting moments. Maybe next time they'll talk more about the cars.

[audtatious]

They are trying hard to be like the Brit show and get the audience to become better acquainted with the hosts at this point.

[EvilPanda]

i like the moonshine challenge they did. i'm not giving up on the US version yet, it keeps getting better imo.

[LocAL_anarchy]

I thought this third episode showed potential.

But then I watched a UK epsiode tonite. An hour and 40 minutes of them in Boliva. Traveling 1000 miles in crap 4x4's. F'in awesome. US series has no chance, at least until they get better hosts.

[Bubba1]

i like the moonshine challenge they did. i'm not giving up on the US version yet, it keeps getting better imo.

I dunno, 15 minutes of spitting moonshine on a campfire kinda bored me. The J turn stuff just proved the other two guys cannot drive at all. I'm still hanging in for awhile longer but I don't see it surviving unless the hosts get a personality transplant.

[BusyBadger]

I dunno, 15 minutes of spitting moonshine on a campfire kinda bored me.

^ ^ This ^ ^

Episode 2 was better than 3. Evo action in the snow and blind drifting trumps stuff I can see on most weekends any day. And Rutledge, aka Captain Flannel, needs to turn in his man card for puking after a swallow of shine, that goes double since he's always bumping his gums about being from the south.

The US isn't going to see any great episodes unless the beancounters at History decide TG-USA is worth dumping money into. And unless more people watch (and watch consistenly) that's not going to happen.

[srphoenix]

Seems like the show is steadily getting better and better. I just hope they don't fall into the trap of trying to be too much like Top Gear UK. You're right about the campfire spitting thing, looked like something clarkson would do... except May's hair would catch on fire because of it and it'd actually be funny.

[bigbadberry3]

Is the show suffering due to the ads? UK TG gets a full 60 minutes for a smooth pace, is US TG rushed due to commercials?

[bersh240]

imo...
Wood, Foust, Comrie-Picard

ACP is the missing captian slow...
only thing is.. its top gear usa... and hes from canada.

[Red coupe]

Is the show suffering due to the ads? UK TG gets a full 60 minutes for a smooth pace, is US TG rushed due to commercials?

I don't think.

So far the show is suffering due to it not being good yet, but it is getting better quick.
Missing out on 20 minutes of material is the least of their worries, and if nothing else means they only fir 2 bits into the show, not three.

[Jesda]

Apparently Adam Carolla isn't on this version of the show because he did a pilot for another TV series.

[Red coupe]

Apparently Adam Carolla isn't on this version of the show because he did a pilot for another TV series.

*points to page 1*

[Jesda]

I only read posts that have pics in them.

[Red coupe]

I only read posts that have pics in them.

*points to page 1*

[IBCoupe]

I fell asleep about 35 minutes in (because the semester is starting to get to me, not because of the show). I didn't get to see the end of the moonshine challenge. I saw the star-in-a-suzuki segment, and then turned it off, and I thought it was better than the past interviews.

I think the best part of the episode, because it seemed to give the greatest insight into the three guys as a team of cohosts, was the banter around the Mustang.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

One can kinda tell that Ferrerra really knows absolutely nothing about cars, and is trying way too hard. I have friends that act like that sometimes... we all know the type.

[Mr1der]

if only he were more snobbish...

this week was better, but the show still feels stiff and scripted.

[Bubba1]

if only he were more snobbish...

this week was better, but the show still feels stiff and scripted.

I think you hit it right on the nose. I had watched an interview with Clarkson and he noted that there are essentially no bloopers on the UK show. That's because all the spontaneous mistakes automatically make the show, the more embarrassing the better. The US show looks like they rehearsed with a script. To me, the fact that they wasted so much time spitting moonshine into a campfire meant they did not have enough decent material to fill the hour. I would equate show three to Nala's last date. Lotsa buildup, lame story line, followed by failure.

[troskinatior]

One can kinda tell that Ferrerra really knows absolutely nothing about cars, and is trying way too hard. I have friends that act like that sometimes... we all know the type.

I got in a big argument with one of those friends today and it was about the same thing I got banned for

[Mr1der]

what REALLY REALLY bugs me about the show is the dubbed in laughter.

in the UK version you can see the audience laughing like retards.

[Razi]

They have dubbed in laughter?
D:<

[Mr1der]

I hope it is.

because the thing the crowd laughs at just isn't funny.

watch the crowd in the background when you hear laughter

[Loki]

Still need to watch the 3rd ep. Started watching Sons of Anarchy though, so it's a hard choice. lol.

I had a thought. Are we all agreed that this is better than TGAUS?

[LocAL_anarchy]

Still need to watch the 3rd ep. Started watching Sons of Anarchy though, so it's a hard choice. lol

No choice there at all. SOA ftw

[Jesda]

They need to get their facts straight. The SLS AMG was not developed from scratch by AMG like they claim. Daimler took the next-gen Viper and adopted its architecture then developed it further to create the SLS.

Kid Rock has a 1930 Cadillac Sixteen! I got to see one running, in person, one time three years ago.