[14x06] December 27th, 2009 [South America Special]

[14x06] December 27th, 2009 [South America Special]


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Great episode. I gave it a 9 just because I didn't laugh out loud as much as Vietnam and Polar specials. IIRC, I was wiping tears from my face during the Vietnam special :D... this one just got a few chuckles.

I imagine there was a stuntman involved and a safety cable attached to Jeremy's Range Rover during that one scene where he's right at the edge of the road? I can't see them risking his life like that and it made the scene feel a little over the top.

A totally minor critique though. Fantastic episode that kept my attention from start to end.
It almost seems like the Toyota Sequoia was a production vehicle. You see another white Sequoia that passes James at 42:53, again at 50:50 when they are in a convoy in the left lane on the highway and 57:51 when they are parked (at the very left). Maybe it's the one that travels ahead to get shots of them as they pass by.

Still though, quite a the frightening experience nonetheless!

10/10 episode! On par with the Botswana, North Pole, America and Vietnam specials!
 
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Utterly, utterly brilliant - nothing more to add: 10/10
 
One thing I noticed when Jeremy was on the edge of the gulch is that he run up against a big new car with a V8. although it may be possible that bolivians own a car like that it's more likely that the car was property of the filming crew.

I don't want to moan (and I'm not) about scripted parts, it's just a thing I wanted to report.

EDIT. OK, I didn't see the message some posts above. LOL
 
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What a great episode! But Richards "Missing-Handbrake-Joke" at the end was totally unnecessary and killed a little bit of the fun...
 
I think people are being a bit too harsh on Hamster, I don't think he "messed" anything up. Yeah, it would have been nice to see the Land Cruiser finish, but still, it hardly detracts from the epic-ness of the rest of the episode. :)
 
Who cares if some of it or all is scripted O.O
It was a great show, and for me it's a 10

I vote 10 for those Top Gear episodes that you just cant miss. And this is definitely one of them...

Stop over analyzing everything people. You'll enjoy things more

A soulmate. Thank you.:)
 
Quite simply some of the best television I've ever seen. With the exceptions of
the Toyota rolling down the dune and being set on fire, and Jeremy's Road of Death bit
it was free of the kind of bits that are so easy to suspect have been set-up, and which damage the audience's belief in the programme's veracity so much, and the tension raised when the guys were in genuine danger was incredible. In the other big trips they've done there's always been the overriding sense that, being TV, nothing bad would ever really happen (even with the rednecks in America). There was no such feeling here, and even though I knew that everything would be okay, I was on the edge of my seat, so brilliantly did the episode heighten the presenters' peril. Who knows whether,
when Jeremy was passing the car on the Road of Death, he was actually much safer and well-protected than he seemed, with the long shots being taken separately, that sort of thing
- the effect was profound and I didn't even begin to think whether it had been set up. Only on repeated viewing have I thought about that, and so what? I'm glad that this episode was made. What a superb example of excellent television. Hats off to everyone involved.

But - why the hell didn't Hammond shave sooner? He looked ridiculous with that little beard thing.
 
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Having just recently been to Bolivia I can answer that. It is a programme of the Bolivian Government to teach Bolivians how Zebra crossings work (both pedestrians and drivers)

Also people start to suffer the effects of altitude sickness from about 2,500 m. It effects people differently, generally if you are old, sick, overweight you get affected worse (and at lower altitudes).

As for the episode it was good. Although I wish they went to salar de Uyuni although sometimes the antics of Hammond went overboard.

Thanks for that nugget of info Khaine.
 
absolutely brilliant

would have gave it 12/10 but i can't heh

one of the best episodes of the show ever, great great stuff
andes are beautiful just WOW
 
holy crap! epic...just epic..didnt know what to expect from this ep. unfortunately they had to mince it together in a hour and some special..it couldve been a 3 hour special..or more lol....this one alone brings this season above most others..!!!!
 
If you're reading this Andy (and crew), yes you have totally kicked our arses.. :)

Fantastic job, now for season 15... there's this really big place called Australia and there's a record for getting from Sydney to Perth. hint, hint. ;)

But back to this epeside, another classic to add to the other classics, its impossible not to love TopGear after watching these.
 
totally epic.... having to re-watch again, and again, and again.

was awestruck for the whole episode. Amazing stuff really. Well done Andy & the boys!

Parts in the rainforest reminded me of Apocalypse now, rambo etc
 
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brilliant episode. hopefully when they eventually release it on dvd they do the same as they did with the Vietnam special. that is commentary etc etc etc.
 
epic! solid 10 :D polar special is the only episode i like more..
 
The bit on death road was completely set-up and the other Toyota was almost certainly a production car. This is TV, there's no way theyed get all those shots on something that happened spontaneously. But it worked, great dramatic effect.

Bits that spoilt it for me was the boat, they had 15 extra minutes and they wasted most of it getting off that bloody raft and there was no sense of distance to most of the Jungle stuff, it al could have been filmed within a few miles of the raft. Probably too much time spent on initial location, then rest rushed due to delays mentioned by Andy.

To dismiss La Paz (and it's culture and people) in one sentence was a bit cruel. At least in Vietnam you felt they interacted with the people - I would have loved to see them eat Guinea Pig or Coca tea.

And they should of just (openly) pushed the Landcruiser down the dune at the end to show what could happen. It's obvious it would never make it and being open topped not worth the risk. I would have preferred it if Hammond had jumped in shotgun in one of the cars instead to make it a real team finish.

Overall though top TV, not quite Botswana or Polar, but still great fun in the most part. Look forward to a director extended version, there's obviously a much larger story/journey to tell.
 
The bit on death road was completely set-up and the other Toyota was almost certainly a production car. This is TV, there's no way theyed get all those shots on something that happened spontaneously.

Do you realize that there was a part of the crew with Clarkson as he drove on? Do yo think that he would risk his life and that that was staged just for a bit of a laugh?

THIS kind of BS is what pisses me of the most on these forums...************.
 
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