[02x05] June 8th, 2009

[Richmondgal]

7/10 with three marks off to lameness, scriptedness and annoyance, but hey, the episode was funny (james in a hippy costume LOL), the car review was informative and SIABSC was great, but I wish he stopped talking at some point. Yeah that ford ad was trippy and the mobility scooters seemed okay at the start, but the end you felt that you wanna have a go at them. Can't wait for that Phase III review.

They're making progress and that's good.

[QSanity]

Originally Posted by babylon

HG nelson was the best interview yet... he and warren are clearly mates... and the fact he vomited on the top gear track!!! awesome! he's an aussie legend and his upchuck should live in TGA folklore... name a corner after the incident... brilliant...

+1, like how they named the last corner Gambon in TGUK after the bloke lost two wheels going round it.

9 from me. This is probably the pinnacle of TGA so far. They weren't afraid to go absolutely nuts shooting the living life out of the cars, and the HG interview was just brilliant! He really pulled his commentary skills for that lap true HG style.

now we need to bring on the other half of the duo... RAMPAGIN' ROY SLAVEN!!!!

[nouseferaname90]

Gave it an 8. Lookin forward to the America trip.

[Icedvovo]

Only 7/10 this week.

The challenges are a non-event.

I know they try and have budget issues but if you put the armoured car challenge against the TG UK stretch limo challenge you'll see the contrast.

The difference is all on the PRE-production whiteboard. TG UK plan and script their challenges properly before they leave the office. TGA just grab some cars and cameras and make it all up on location. They study for the big test on the bus on the way to school.

TG UK have 2 DVDs full of the best challenges. I can't think of one TGA challenge I'd bother to watch again.

Hire me guys. I'll fix your show.

[GerFix]

I enjoyed everything about this episode except the "challenge", which was over-the-top staged ... if you are going to test something against an angry mob, you need an angry mob .. not a bunch of stage hands in hoodies. They are building interesting stuff for the challenges, but failing to challenge them .. and they are not quantifying the results like Top Gear do (I think this is one thing that they need to start copying).

HG was great .. but I always knew he would be. Pity they couldn't have got Roy Slaven as well.

[Wyvern]

Would have been an 8.5 for me, but as we can't do that, I've rounded up.

This series is just going from strength to strength. Steve is getting really good at powertests, and the Elfin segment was bloody great - very nicely shot, informative, detailed and best of all, entertaining.

Liked the challenge. Was really good to see the three of them doing something deeply silly together, and hippie!James cracked me up. It shows how different this team dynamic is - I really can't imagine Charlie putting on Lennon glasses and a muumuu (though I don't suppose he would have needed the wig). They work together and I think they've gelled in a way that TG Aus 1.0 never did. Admittedly, I think the challenge could have done with a bit more of a solid conclusion, but to my mind, it was the best one yet.

I never thought I'd see anything that made me want to play with a mobility scooter, but they've done that too. I know it was scripted, I know it was silly, but it cracked me up.

And that Escort ad... WTF? Were they selling cars or extra-strength skunk? When they find off-the-wall stuff like that, I think that segment actually works quite well.

Overall, well balanced, well presented and a lot of fun. I think now might be the time to start letting SBS how much we think the show has improved and ask them to keep things going!

Originally Posted by tone76

The mobility scooter race was hilarious. Whilst one does have to wonder if the result is pre-determined (i.e. did Steve already film the GTHO review BEFORE the race?)

According to Steve's Twitter today, they filmed the GTHO story last week. He linked to a pic - http://twitpic.com/6ylza

[stiggie]

Originally Posted by Wyvern

According to Steve's Twitter today, they filmed the GTHO story last week. He linked to a pic - http://twitpic.com/6ylza

And they are filming the studio bits about a month before they air, so the scooter race would have been well before the GTHO review.

[Doctor Blade]

I liked it alot. James' Combi van bit was the best part.

[stevanford1]

Originally Posted by Wyvern

According to Steve's Twitter today, they filmed the GTHO story last week. He linked to a pic - http://twitpic.com/6ylza

=

[stiggie]

And at Bathurst.

[nameless1]

top gear australia is becoming a serious competitor for the fifth gear

[logifuse]

Well I thought that was the best TGA episode to date, a 9(+) from me. About the only let down was the Kombi getting off scot-free - like an earlier comment, I thought they may have blown it up at the end.

As for the Statesman not blowing up when the tank was hit, Mythbusters couldn't even do it with tracer rounds, so I would've been disappointed if they did blow it up.

The attack on Warren's Ned Kelly periscope was classic. His attempts to repel the masses with the "water cannon" was gold.

Elfin review was superb. The V8 looks, sounds & goes great (in a straight line), but it copped it round corners - good, honest review.

Presumably the Lotus isn't getting a full review, shame, but hey it was a good comparison.

Don't know if Warren was in the Army (reserve maybe?), but he looks to me like he's done a bit of pig shooting in his time. I didn't realise that the Malabar rifle range was still in use - you learn something new every day!

Great episode, more please!

By the way, I'd love to see Roy Slaven go around too, but it won't be this series as he's overseas ATM.

[flydiscovery]

Originally Posted by Wyvern

According to Steve's Twitter today, they filmed the GTHO story last week. He linked to a pic - http://twitpic.com/6ylza

Thanks for posting that. I had pretty much decided I wasn't liking TGAu until I looked through those Twitter pictures and found myself smiling. I'm thinking things must be getting better (or I have a secret crush on Steve, perhaps).

[Armunn]

Originally Posted by logifuse

Well I thought that was the best TGA episode to date, a 9(+) from me. About the only let down was the Kombi getting off scot-free - like an earlier comment, I thought they may have blown it up at the end.

As for the Statesman not blowing up when the tank was hit, Mythbusters couldn't even do it with tracer rounds, so I would've been disappointed if they did blow it up.

The attack on Warren's Ned Kelly periscope was classic. His attempts to repel the masses with the "water cannon" was gold.

Elfin review was superb. The V8 looks, sounds & goes great (in a straight line), but it copped it round corners - good, honest review.

Presumably the Lotus isn't getting a full review, shame, but hey it was a good comparison.

Don't know if Warren was in the Army (reserve maybe?), but he looks to me like he's done a bit of pig shooting in his time. I didn't realise that the Malabar rifle range was still in use - you learn something new every day!

Great episode, more please!

By the way, I'd love to see Roy Slaven go around too, but it won't be this series as he's overseas ATM.

I would of liked to seen the Elfin go around the track with the same tyres as the Lotus. Doing things like that would help separate TGA from TGUK. Becoming an informative show as well as entertainment

[Khaki]

I gave it a 6, mostly because of the really annoying 'jiggle' effect the editors added when they were shooting up their armoured cars. It really irritated me for some reason.

[MrBooby]

wow this episode really surprised me. Def the best they have done so far. It was really hard to get through the first 4 episodes but this one wasn't bad at all. Now onto the 6th one...

[Aston Martin]

Now this was proper TG!

Best TGA episode ever, it was soo funny. Throwing the peppers.

"Purple haze, i'm being attacked by Jimi Hendrix"