Ok, so I wasn't going to even give this bastardization a chance, but I just found out Adam Ferrera is one of the hosts...


DAMMIT! Now I am going to have to give it a shot... maybe History won't ruin this like they have everything else

Here's to hoping!

11/17/2010 8:56:23 AM

Are you kidding me? You really think this has a chance of being good?

11/17/2010 8:58:20 AM

I didn't at all, but I love Adam Ferrera, so I'm going to be forced to watch it... and who knows- I could be surprised. I mean, if they try to do the same stuff as their British counterparts, they will never hold a candle, but they could try to do some different stuff which might be interesting as well.

like I said, here's to hoping- but not expecting much

11/17/2010 9:02:07 AM

Apparently Tony Hawk is in one of the early episodes and posted a picture of The American Stig on his twitter account.

11/17/2010 9:06:33 AM

no big stig, no care


(i'll still watch the first couple episodes)

11/17/2010 9:20:58 AM

Will not work in the US. Thought Top Gear was mandated by the US government to be not funny and in fact "factual documentary" instead of being listed as "entertainment" after the whole "dead cow on top of car" issue. lol Best American Episode to date, Still laugh my ass off.

Plus, I love British humor; I find that not a lot of Americans like their style very much.

11/17/2010 9:29:15 AM

I absolutely love the British version of Top Gear. I just cannot see an American version working out well. I may watch the premiere, but I doubt I'll tune in any further than that.

By the by, did you know that you can get the UK Top Gear magazine at Borders?

11/17/2010 10:55:33 AM

I will give it a chance... hopefully they can get the right personalities for the US version.

11/17/2010 10:58:59 AM

yeah, I wasn't going to even do that, but like I said earlier, Ferrara is gonna force me to do it. So I guess I'll know after this sunday what I think!

and I think Leno is right about this (one of the reasons he opted not to host):

Quote :

"Leno expresses concern that an American version could lack the critical reviews the British version is known for. The British show is produced for the BBC with public funds while the American show will air on commercial television. Leno believes that the show may have to worry about offending current and potential sponsors by giving their products poor reviews, leading to a compromise in the journalistic integrity and freedom of the original show."

I also gotta say, I like tanner foust too... I don't know anything about the (assumed) May counterpart, Rutledge Wood

[Edited on November 17, 2010 at 11:08 AM. Reason : s]

11/17/2010 11:05:28 AM

Yeah that will suck, Some of the best parts of the British version are when they call a leading model of a major manufacturer "pure rubbish"

11/17/2010 11:09:04 AM

Quote :

"I absolutely love the British version of Top Gear."

11/17/2010 11:10:20 AM

This came on yesterday right? Anyone watch it? How much of a train wreck was it?

11/22/2010 9:01:23 AM

i dvred it

i'm not expecting much

11/22/2010 9:09:00 AM

First episode was a little dry and anticlimactic for a first episode. Very little humor and lack of chemistry between the hosts. Seeing the clips for the rest of the season shows some promise so we'll see how it turns out.

11/22/2010 9:29:25 AM

Cars are supremely boring and its the humor and general britishness of Top Gear that makes it a success. Top Gear without Jeremy Clarkson and James May is just a car review show. No one wants to watch that.

11/22/2010 9:48:12 AM

Chemistry will take some time - I keep trying to relate them each to the BBC host, which probably isn't fair. The little skinny dude can drive though, I remember seeing him on other car shows. I can't place the guy that looks like the GirlsGoneWild dude, but I have seen him before. The fat guy, no idea where he came from.

I am interested to hear what someone who never saw the BBC version thinks of this one.


Also... Viper ftw

11/22/2010 11:14:36 AM

^the guy you can't place is probably Adam Ferrera... he is a stand up comedian and is also the house chief in Rescue Me

11/22/2010 11:59:21 AM

Rutledge Wood (the fat guy) does a lot of Nascar stuff for Speed Channel.

It certainly wasn't very good, but I'll give it time. UK Top Gear season 1 was pretty rough as well. The Cobra helicopter/Viper race was pretty dull, no matter how many times they proclaimed it "epic."

11/22/2010 12:57:57 PM

Yeah the helicopter thing was pretty lame, but I was shocked at the lap times at the end. Thought the lambos would be faster

11/22/2010 1:37:39 PM

I didnt really enjoy it. Fell asleep around 10:45 due to general boredom.

I really didnt like how they copied almost every minute detail from the UK version even down to how they introduced the Stig.

"all we know, is we call him The Stig".

Lame.

And a viper? Really? Thats the first car they show on thier first episode?

Buzz Aldrin? Really? Thats the celebrity they show on thier first episode?

11/22/2010 3:05:55 PM

if you all thought this was terrible you should check out the original cast from the british top gear. jason was terrible.

i hope that rutledge wood goes the way of jason and is replaced

11/22/2010 3:32:11 PM

I'm watching it right now... I will agree with whoever said they don't like how they copied every little detail from the British version

and it seems to be exactly what I thought it would be. I will give this season a chance

11/22/2010 3:52:23 PM

It also seems like it doesn't flow very well... definitely seems like a first episode (hopefully it will get better as the season goes on)

the buzz aldrin interview was almost painful to watch

11/22/2010 4:18:15 PM

I mentioned this in the garage thread. British humor only works when delivered by British people. The chemistry, personalities, and enthusiasm are what makes the UK version click. To me last night's show felt way to forced. I'll try again in a couple weeks, maybe over time it will grow into its own. But I don't have very high expectations.

11/22/2010 7:02:05 PM

that was miserable - the hosts are dull and monotone

11/22/2010 7:02:48 PM

Quote :

"It also seems like it doesn't flow very well..."

Definitely agree. The pacing was awful. The helicopter segment needed to be shorter. The Lambo segment was a good length, but short on content. We didn't need to see the entire length of the standing mile plus part of the return. Shorten that and put in another head-to-head challenge for the Lambos.

Just for reference, if anyone cares, Top Gear UK episode 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy5kRAhbbbI
Look at how small the audience is.

11/22/2010 8:36:24 PM

How was the camera work? Those uk camera guys are awesome. Also anywhere online to watch it?

11/23/2010 7:29:28 AM

http://www.history.com/shows/top-gear/videos?paidlink=1&vid=HIS_SEM_Search&keywords=top%2Bgear%2Bamerica&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=top%20gear&utm_term=top%20gear%20america#top-gear-cobra-attack

Long link is long


The behind the scene segments are kinda fun.... kinda



Also, Adam Corolla should have been a host IMO

[Edited on November 23, 2010 at 9:30 AM. Reason : e]

11/23/2010 9:09:58 AM

meh- I like ferrara... I mean, I like corolla too, but he always seems like he is stoned and in slow motion whenever he opens his mouth

11/23/2010 10:38:37 AM

OK; I have just watched the rerun on inDemand at the parents house. There are some clear problems that need to be worked out. But I think they're in good shape. The hosts have character, and as we get to know them and their sense of humor (via some crazy challenges instead of just track work) this will come together nicely.

The first is the freaking AUDIO. It is JACKED up. Sounds like they filmed the thing with radioshack lapel mics.

Second, and this is the true key of taking boring pans of cars and track and making it into screen magic, is some lens filters. The only thing used in the first episode was a basic sky filter. No color, no gradients, no funky camera work (cranes, side mounts, fly-by, etc.) - all this translates into absolutely no style. It was just visually bland. It was like they were filming the pilot with a prosumer camera instead of the 20-man camera crew that's behind the scenes with Top Gear UK.

But like I said - I think it's got promise. As long as it doesn't turn into the drift hour I think we'll be in good shape.

[read the thread again]
ScubaSteve has it figured out. Camera work and equipment can make or break this show. And my only fear here is that History channel is used to shooting things like auction houses and pawn shops - artificial lighting you can setup in advance and you really don't need the $1500 filter to get the great shot. Now you're hinging on the great outdoors - clouds, rain, and 45 minutes can wreck your shot. You get only a few chances to nail it, and nail it down hard - that's why the UK version has so many camera people. You hope someone got the shot.

[Edited on November 24, 2010 at 2:27 AM. Reason : moar]

11/24/2010 2:20:30 AM

adamn is way funnier in the behind the scenes clips, maybe some of that natural humor will come out during the rest of the season. The first episode his humor seemed forced.

11/24/2010 9:50:39 AM

they area really missing that top gear look, they need some damn filters. i've enjoyed this episode but it looks so much cheaper than british top gear because of the lack of camera work and filters.

11/28/2010 10:55:28 PM

Cheap american knockoff. Why watch some douchebags imitate the original british guys when you could just watch the british show? They aren't doing anything differently.


Tanner? Rutledge? Talk about fruity names

11/28/2010 11:20:30 PM

because we need something to fill the gap until the next season of real top gear and fifth gear sucks

11/28/2010 11:25:08 PM

I feel like they just missed on the most important aspect of the show: the hosts. The Tanner guy seems like he knows what he's doing and I don't mind him, but the other guys I guess I just don't get. The jokes really aren't funny and they come off as nerdy not in a self aware Mysthbusters (or something) kind of way but in a failing at being cool way.

The production value might be ok except everyone is comparing it to the British version which is simply spectacular. So it just comes off looking like a cheap knockoff.

I'm also not sure why they decided to do the same challenges as the British version. Show us something new.

I guess I'll check out a few more episodes but it's not looking promising.

11/30/2010 10:22:15 PM

I do like that Tanner said that all Mustangs just look the same and he doesn't like them. Amen.

12/8/2010 12:14:13 PM

the chemistry in the moonshine budget car challenge was good, and i noticed they found a lens filter for the intro footage

12/8/2010 12:56:57 PM

^ I watched that one last night. The whole bit where they were doing laps on the dirt bike track was really lame in that they would cut to the two guys watching doubling over and saying "WHOAAAA!" in shock, but not actually show anything that would have caused such a reaction.

12/8/2010 1:27:05 PM

yeah, they do have a tendancy to ham it up

12/8/2010 2:08:09 PM

i watched the moonshine one... i enjoyed it for a bit... went to bed after they were spitting it into the fire

did it continue or was that the end of it?

other than that, i agree that it just feels kinda cheap...

i feel like they could have solved that problem by making it seem more modest... and not kind of like a cardboard cutout of the moon landing and trying to live up to the bbc version

12/8/2010 3:11:47 PM

I would like to get a bit more perspective on their personalities... like what they actual use for daily drivers, what their dream car is, worst car, etc.

We may find all this out in a year or so of watching the show, but it would be more helpful right now and help the audience relate a little better.

12/8/2010 3:19:58 PM

I feel like I know a good amount about the tastes of Tanner and Rutledge due to there background in the car industry, but Ferrera, being a comedian- i've got nothin on him (but he seems to be part Clarkson, in terms of wit, and part may, with his seemingly poor driving capabilities)

12/8/2010 4:10:24 PM

In the moonshine one, that isnt a dirt bike track... that is a 4x4 off roading race track, I've worked a few races there and ran it my self. It was crazy to see URE Stables on the show, but apparently they had to be hush hush about it fliming there until the show aired. Cool none the less.

12/8/2010 4:49:23 PM

yeah, that seems to kinda be the clincher... concentrate on the idea of what the American driving history and experience is... maybe not abandon all that super-euro car stuff, but really get to doing those regional USA stories and experiences

the moonshine stuff was a good start

12/8/2010 5:40:27 PM

I loved the last episode. I was laughing out loud several times during the course of it, and I thought it was entertaining, humorous and had just a wee bit of real information mixed in there.

Tanner is the stick in the mud of the show, but I think a season or two on television will loosen him up (much in the same way as James May), and Ferrara is already starting to get in his groove. Rutledge is, to me, the "Mikey" of the show, and as he is starting to get comfortable in front of the camera, I really like him too.

I agree with you guys about moving away from the cookie cutter set/segment/plot of the BBC show. I think these guys should do it more American style, either host the show from a Tavern (Anyone remember the man show?????), or do it more of a US Late-Night studio style.

12/8/2010 6:21:17 PM

i think a tavern-style would be good, though they'd probably couldn't sit around drinking beers, considering the alcohol/cars connection with sponsors/censors... i think you're on to something tho

wouldn't want it to be TOO man-show (isn't that sort of what happened with adam corolla in one of the first incarnations of US top gear?,) cause i do like the way the UK version does triumph machismo while at the same time not celebrating the meathead lifestyle

something else that happened with the UK version is that women like to watch the show too, but they didn't have to necessarily sacrifice the assplay

12/8/2010 6:52:00 PM

Okay I'm lolling at this Alaska one I dvr'd

1/20/2011 8:29:00 PM

The alaska one was definitely hilarious.

1/20/2011 8:35:39 PM

Rutledge Wood's dead, motionless, expressionless eyes bother me

1/20/2011 8:37:55 PM

Every episode has gotten measurably better, more funny and more entertaining.

I think by season 3 they'll be up to competitiveness with the original. Comparing this show to the progression of top gear Australia, the us show is making worlds of progress

1/20/2011 8:43:15 PM