[03x01] October 19th, 2010

[03x01] October 19th, 2010


  • Total voters
    81
Sure it might look a bit goofy when he laughs at the others and blurts things out, but he genuinely looks like he's having the time of his life. I reckon his enthusiasm is great - more 'trying hard' than 'try-hard'. It could easily end up that he's not cut out for TV, but time will tell and he's in good company to learn the ropes.

And while the other two's 'presenting/acting' experience give a more polished performance, sometimes it seems they're just reading lines rather than having fun.

If you want to see awkward, take a look at James' first appearance on TGUK - and look at him now!


I agree James was super stiff on his first appearance. and look at him now he is my fav top gear presenter and I watch all his other shows as well. (actually him and clarkson are tied for first). I thought the episode was sweet I give it a 9. Also it seems people forget how $#!+ TGUK was in the beginning. the car sounds didn't match to what the car was doing on screen, the camera angles were all wrong, there was this odd fat guy as a host lol kidding. but seriously quit being so judgmental guys. and no offense I think Ewen is heaps better than warren (for some reason i hated warrens face and his kinda ponce attitude). Give it a better chance guys or else what are we gonna watch when JC JM and hamster retire eh? anyway i loved it! and i will stop babbling
 
I thought it was ok, the major gripe for me was Warne being involved! Even if you ignored the wooden performance all he seemed to do was praise the Morgan and really didn't offer much about its performance or handling. I hope that isn't a regular occurrence where rich celebrities drive super cars and give their opinions! The camera work during that segment was pretty crappy too. Which is strange because the Lake Eyre thing was wonderfully shot and really gave us the Aussie flavoured TG magic even if it was a rip of TGUK's Botswana special.

Am I the only one who couldn't believe the Star car is a bloody Falcon Ute!? I know they want to be different but a ute! Something like a Gemini or Barina would be better imo something really crappy!
 
I thought it was ok, the major gripe for me was Warne being involved! Even if you ignored the wooden performance all he seemed to do was praise the Morgan and really didn't offer much about its performance or handling. I hope that isn't a regular occurrence where rich celebrities drive super cars and give their opinions! The camera work during that segment was pretty crappy too. Which is strange because the Lake Eyre thing was wonderfully shot and really gave us the Aussie flavoured TG magic even if it was a rip of TGUK's Botswana special.

Am I the only one who couldn't believe the Star car is a bloody Falcon Ute!? I know they want to be different but a ute! Something like a Gemini or Barina would be better imo something really crappy!


I think it was more of a case of them already filming the segments, and realised there was a backlash of him being a "proper" host, so hopefully he didnt do too many segments.
 
i fell asleep

i fell asleep

The special episode was good, but it seems it was because u got JC RH and JM. This was so boring the Outback adventure was boring, long and silly. yes i wrote boring many times and that was because i got bored and then more bored and then fell asleep. the Morgan piece what was that about terrible review or fun piece and the V8 it was dull and stupid compared to Top Gears tries at that trick
 
I went back to watch TGUK season 3 after this third try for the AUS, and boy compare to it I think AUS could have just screwed up already. By the third season for the UK boys, they have started to mature into a world class tv show whereas the TGAU yet again switched for the third time their hosts. This ep they tried to be funny with their adventure, but it was just torturing. Why would they change their reasonable priced car into some horrendous used vehicle? I basically skipped through the whole show to see if anything was worth watching, but there was none. But perhaps I'm too critical, I'll say that their adventure piece was somewhat worth watching.

I doubt it, but if they can find a unique leg to stand on their own as a Top Gear show, they might have a chance at a 4th season. I'll dl and see what they will offer in their next episodes, but if they can't mature their production, I'm not sure what will happen. Hoping TGUS is better at launch.

3/10
 
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I'll have the season two lineup back, thanks.

The studio stuff is just painful. I don't see why they're really bothering having one... we spent barely any time there. They all need to loosen up - I hate Shane in the studio like he is. He feels forced and it's way too serious. Where's the laughter and the tounge in cheek fun?

And Shane fucking Warne? He's an absolute wanker... I'll be annoyed if he does any more reviews. Why, oh, why is he here and who let him?

On the plus side, I liked the adventure, but I somehow feel it's lacking something. It feels like we're watching the highlights. The voiceovers keep repeating themselves

I'll say it's a 4 for me beacuse of Warne, mainly...

Thankfully the new track is decent. I thought it was literally going to be a figure of 8.
 
That was pretty boring and far too 'blokey' TBH. Who's idea was it to put Shane bloody Warne on the show?! He is not a TV presenter and never will be! :mad: (Okay I'm kinda biased here as I really don't like him at all in general, but as people have already said, you'd get a more dynamic performance out of a piece of chalk). I know it's an 'Aussie' show but this bogan appeal thing is really grating. That said, I don't mind the choice of a RWD ute as a star lap vehicle at all, it's uniquely challenging, although the track itself isn't that great.

The 'V8 To the Rescue Segment' was funny, but they should just leave it at that, I can't see a whole series of stupid studio stuff done with a V8 engine being very entertaining for long, and we've seen the UK crew do all this already. :rolleyes:

However, don't worry it's not all bad news! I loved the camera work and editing on this ep, especially during the Lake Eyre trip film. Amazing stuff, 'like the surfce of the moon' indeed! :blink: Even if re-tracing the steps of someone who had done something like that before was pretty unoriginal, there was just enough slapstick hijinks to make it entertaining. Also, I must confess, I LOL'ed hard during the 'drag race' across the clay pan, Ewan is a complete nutter with a crazy laugh to match. He was like a 10 year old kid on red cordial! :lmao: Although I think Shane is by far the most 'natural' in front of the camera, I'm warming up to Ewan pretty quickly, Steve too if I'm honest. However, the studio bits feel so rushed that they're almost an afterthought. There's a lot of polishing required yet so that they can get the most out of the show while taking the commercial breaks into account, I guess.

I'm prepared to give this ep. a 4. I just hope there's improvement as the series progresses, but seriously, they need to understand that this show needs to have a broader appeal than this or it just won't survive on a profit-driven commercial network once the post first-episode hype ratings drop off. All that said, I'll give it some time.
 
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Wow, I can't believe how negative this has been getting.
I mean, I was in a shitty mood last night, so my wording was harsh.
But the opinions still stand.

Give the show back to SBS I say haha.
 
A Professional and hopefully Constructive Critique

Things that pretty much already work and will surely improve in time - IMHO
* The Presenters are good - the boys all know their stuff and are very entertaining and personable.
* The Track is fine - The cones are odd but it's fine.
* The Ute is fun - I like the ute. At least it's not an Chinorea Hatchback.

The Real Problem - IMHO

Q: Would you buy this episode on DVD with real money? A: No.

It's the exact same issue that's haunted the last 2 seasons. The Challenges are crap . Full stop.

The cars were too good.
Nothing went wrong.
Nothing fell off.
They didn't do anything out of the ordinary.
There was no drama.
There was no suspense.
There was no thought to setup 'opportunity' for failure.

They simply drove to Lake Eyre. And then they got there. That's it.

However, I think I know why. It's because the production budget only allowed for a certain number of days travelling and shooting - with no room in the budget for any REAL unforeseen vehicle failures.

They could only afford to drive up there without any problems. And, good for the production crew, that's what happened.

However, bad for us, it was as boring as bat-shit.

If you compare a UK challenge and an AU challenge (yes I am, because I think it's relevant) then the difference is stark. And I also say bugger the budget difference, because I make interesting stuff happen on absolutely no budget every day. I simply think a bit harder.

Bolivia ------------------------------------ Lake Eyre
Bought terrible cars sight unseen ------ Bought 'mint' cars sight unseen*
Spent a day getting off the raft --------- Drove away
Spent a day battling the jungle -------- Drove along a dirt road
Had car failures "Sit-Rep!" ------------- Had a loose sun visor
Had their cars modified ----------------- Put boats on the roof
Had drivelines fall off ------------------- Had boats fall off
Drove along deadly mountain passes -- Drove down a gully
Drove beyond breathable air ----------- Drove on a dirt road
Had cars fail - Abandoned mission ---- Drove on a clay pan
Drove down a HUGE sand dune -------- Carried some boats
Wrapped up with a chat ---------------- Cut back to the studio

The problem is deep inside Freehand. They think because they actually get something in the can then it's job done. I can't believe that anyone at the edit session seriously went "That's fucking brilliant!" If they really did, then they're playing with themselves because that would never leave my studio like that. Full stop.

The producers are actually surrounded by clever, talented people, but they're not listening.

Ewen Page knows the difference between a good story and a turd after a stellar career as a car journo and editor.
And Shane know what makes a good story, and so does his brother Clay. They both made Kenny and Clay won Tropfest for Chrissakes!

Freehand simply need to get their head out of their production arses and start listening to the real writers, or it's going to be game over very, very soon.

Thankyou, Icedvovo
Writer, Director


(* Ewen did mention the car was better than presented in the online ad.)
 
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New configuration for test track:

Hopefully this'll work:
tga-trackii-3985.jpg
 
Freehand and Nein both need a smack. :idiot:

Shane Warne. Shane Fucking Warne. Thank Christ that Nein/Freehand didn't go ahead with him as a host. I couldn't figure out what was more wooden: the Morgan or Warnie.

The Lake Eyre challenge was a cut and paste of Botswana.

The new test track layout sucks balls.

The ute is a steaming pile of cliche.

Way too much emphasis on 'stars'.

Freehand STILL have the boys on too tight a leash. And it needs Warren. I don't care if Shane or Ewen get the chop to get him back on board, TGA is NOTHING without Waz.

2/10
 
6/10 for me, a little above average but no much more.
What was with the last 1/4 and sticking in the ads? Typ Ch9. And warnie talking about himself in the 3rd person- Tool (hopefully we'll see no more of him)
Unfortunately I forsee the SIARPC/Ute/whatever being a cross-promotional tool for C-grade 9 celebrities.
Liked the trip to Lake Eyre but that was about it for this episode.
 
I am going to coin a phrase that describes the reason why Top Gear is sometimes shit.

The Top Gear Dichotomy

Producers like to have every part of the production process scripted, controlled and predictable.
Viewers like to believe that every part of the show is unscripted, out of control and spontaneous.

The Top Gear Dichotomy
 
Perhaps I'm being too generous but...

I gave it 8/10.

I think the 3 new presenters have a LOT more chemistry than any of the previous host combinations did. Ewen Page surprised me as well, as he often times seemed very genuine when he's behind the wheel.

This past June and July, I spent almost a month in Australia with my wife driving 2500 Km across Australia from Darwin to Cairns, through what's called the "red centre." Seeing all those great shots from South Australia was really cool, reminded me a lot of our trip, and inspired me to return. (we had our own 4wd and camped the whole way)

Also, I've never seen so many ute's in all my life!! You just don't see those at all here in the States, so it was interesting to see what a cultural icon that is to the Aussies. The Star-Car being a ute could not be a more appropriate option! This, to me, shows that TGAu is trying to be unique and stand apart from TGUK.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. I think TGAu has a future if they keep up the good work :)
 
Also, I've never seen so many ute's in all my life!! You just don't see those at all here in the States, so it was interesting to see what a cultural icon that is to the Aussies.


El Camino??
 
i must say, that was a very smart selection for the Star Car. so, if something goes wrong with it (it will) do they have a back up just like it? i doubt it.
 
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