[01x01] November 21st, 2010

[01x01] November 21st, 2010

  • 10

    Votes: 10 1.8%

  • 9

    Votes: 14 2.5%

  • 8

    Votes: 71 12.5%

  • 7

    Votes: 145 25.4%

  • 6

    Votes: 122 21.4%

  • 5

    Votes: 71 12.5%

  • 4

    Votes: 47 8.2%

  • 3

    Votes: 33 5.8%

  • 2

    Votes: 28 4.9%

  • 1

    Votes: 29 5.1%
  • Total voters
    570
The whole thing is about personality. I would watch May, Clarkson or Hammond in anything they do - they each have strong personalities that stand up on their own (whether you like them or hate them). None of these US guys has that appeal, at least not yet. So together, they don't add up to much of an interaction. Being funny on camera is incredibly hard and rare. And then if you try to copy someone else's style, you'll NEVER be funny. But I don't have the first clue how you create a totally unique and new sort of personality threesome. I think it has to grow organically, and that takes time. But without that, it's just a show about cars, no matter how exactly you copy the quality and style of the other production values of the show. That's good enough to watch, probably, but it's not really Top Gear.

That said, I'll definitely be watching it next week.
 
So having just finished watching, I can honestly give it a solid 8. If this exact same thing had been TG UK I'd probably give it 5 or 6, but as series premiers go it was very respectable, much better than TG UK's premier.

The hosts seem to be off to a solid start, sure its not the same chemistry that the UK hosts have yet, but I see potential for it to really grow. There were some genuinely funny parts too, like when Adam was going over the SV's cupholder price, and when he and Rutledge gloated about beating Tanner

The Lambo segment was by far the best, as it had far better camera work than the Viper segment, nicer filters and effects, and felt closer to the standard we've come to expect from TG.

Also we got a nice earful of the Murcielago SV's glorious engine, which is my favorite engine note of all time.

Prior to the Lambo segment I felt that the camera work and effects were lacking, but at the end of the show I felt better.

I am so happy they lapped the Viper ACR. It's always bugged me that TG UK hasn't tested that car, especially given Jeremy's like for the Viper and the whole testing fast cars thing.

The musical scores really need to be ramped up though, they were the biggest letdown.

The in-car cameras shake too much. They should use whatever TG UK uses.

I enjoyed it though, and while of course it's no substitute for the original, I think it has its place in the TG family. Overall though I think the show is of to a very solid start, looking forward to more.

The "Big Star, Small Car" segment felt short and kinda half-assed, but I normally skip SIARPC anyway so whatever.
 
All in all not bad, far from great though. The Lambo in the ring bit was well done, the rest needs work. Better steadycam needed for sure. Music definately lacking. too annilitical need to loose up and have fun. All in all not bad but lets hope it gets better. Although I gotta say Tanner Foust just isn't funny. Isn't it a Top Gear rule that racing drivers opinions are useless?
 
It was a great 'first episode'..

3 Lambo's.. The bull, the matador.. very well thought..
Viper SRT-10 vs Cobra helicopter.. very well thought again..
Top Gear U.S. is definitely the Top Gear variation the most close to the Original in means of shooting quality, art in shooting, chosen cars etc..

If I rate all the versions on a scale out of 10:

Top Gear UK - 10
Top Gear US - 9
Top Gear Australia - 3.5-4
Top Gear Russia - 0.5

I am amazed though.. why so many people gave it 7 or 6..

EDIT:
- Better steadycam needed for sure
- camera work doesn't display a sense of speed as well

I am totally with you on this..
 
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Twerp128 said:
camera work doesn't display a sense of speed as well
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+1, although I thought they did a good job showing speed with the test track video, and there were 2 or 3 shots in the Lambo part that worked well too

I didn't like the repeated clip of the three Lambos crossing paths, which was also sped up differently each time they showed it. I feel like I saw it 20 times. Couldn't they have shown some close-ups? The beautiful engine under glass; the leather-on-everything interior; the crazy-wide rear tires; the countless air scoops and vents....

And for Host personalities - if you watch any promo videos that have been recorded in the past week or so, they've gotten much better. Nowhere near TG:UK just yet, but still much better. See the Jalopnik or the Fox News videos and you'll see what I mean.
 
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It was ok, I guess. I'll probably keep watching and not keep the files, like I did with Top Gear Australia series 1. (haven't bothered with it since, though. Did it get better?)

Thoughts on segments:

Chopper chase: skipped most of it.
Big Star, Small Car: Insanely short! They need to do WAY more than say 'you had this car, this car, this car...' Buzz inadvertently plugging Fifth Gear was nice. Haha.
Lambo segment: cool intro, boring tests, camera shake was unnecessary. We know they're fast, you don't have to pretend like they're so fast the camera is affected. How were they all slower than a Viper on the track? Just doesn't seem right.

As for the hosts, um...whatever. Hopefully their personalities will come out a bit more as time goes on. Could do without Ferrara's potty mouth. Have you never driven a car quickly before? Must you drop the f-bomb over and over? I hope that's not a trend with him.

Anyone know who this Stig is? Oh, I must say I like how the cars bounce a bit on the track sometimes. Makes them seem faster, go-kart-like. Heh.
 
Ripplin said:
How were they all slower than a Viper on the track? Just doesn't seem right.
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Because the Viper ACR is a faster car. It set a new lap record for production cars at Leguna Seca after all, so it isn't surprising in the least.
 
I did enjoy the show and I do see the need for some polishing up. If they get decent ratings then they will be able to sell advertising for more $$$$. Thus they will be able to put more money into production.
The Viper scene was impressive although like it has been said we have seen it before. The helicopter used is a retired U.S. Army AH-1F the last model of Cobra used by the U.S. Army. The civilian pilots did some nice maneuvers with the bird including a beautiful Return To Target (RTT) which is an illegal maneuver in the U.S. Army.
I enjoyed the bit where all three hosts where in the little Suzuki, that had me laughing. I think the hosts will get better as they get used to working around each other.
I also enjoyed the Zero to 60 instead of the Not to 60 and other America terms. Almost forgot what they were watching TG to much I guess.
It was pretty obvious from the dialog that this show was directed to new viewers to TG as they explained everything in detail.
I gave it an 8
 
I do hope that the "recap" between commercial breaks is only for the first few episodes. I'm intelligent enough to remember what happened between the 3 minutes of commercials.
 
I agree with the lack of chemistry. Remember the strong chemistry among Clarkson, Hammond, and Jason Dawe? I though they were gay, they were so close.
 
I gave it a 5. I know that it was the first episode of a new show, and that most people who watched this have never seen the original Top Gear. I think they should have led off the first episode with a cheap car challange instead of featuring 4 supercars. One of the reasons I like TGUK is that they have fun with cars that I can relate with. Personally, I dislike the clips featuring cars that I will never be able to drive, let alone afford. Besides, the cheap car challenges offer more chances for humor and general "cocking about".

The Lambo challenge lacked the humor and bashing that the UK hosts would have done to them. It was dry and humorless. The cinematography was all right, but I'm assuming that the shaky camera in some scenes was due to the fact that they ruined the tires, and they only had the cars for a limited time and didn't have time to put new tires on them for the high speed tests. Note to the producers...do the high speed stuff first, then shoot the hooning.

The Viper vs. Cobra clip was pretty good and fun to watch. I'm ignoring the "it's been done" comments because most of the US audience hasn't seen the original. Probably the best segment of the show.

The "Star in a small car" segment was super awkward. Badly edited, but I like the part about going through his previous cars. The UK version doesn't do enough of this. When interviewing famous people, we already know about their latest movies or their accomplishments. I love hearing about some rich and famous person's first car and car history when they weren't rich or famous.

The Stig.... poor introduction, IMHO. Say what you will about imitations, but they need to have a little more fun with his persona. Go ahead and use the "some say....." like the UK version, then make jokes and quips as he does the lap.

Some say that TGUK isn't a serous car show anymore. It's just a comedy show based on cars. That's fine. There are other dry, technical cars shows out there and thousands of sites on the internet where you can find out the cold facts about cars. I love TGUK because it's funny and because of it's non-PC "rip on everyone" kind of humor. TGUSA needs to find more humor and have more fun with everything they do.

TGUSA has the potential to be pretty good, once they find their groove and chemistry. The first season of TGUK wasn't so good either, and the previous version of it was terrible to watch. I'll keep watching, and keep an open mind and see how it goes.
 
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argatoga said:
I agree with the lack of chemistry. Remember the strong chemistry among Clarkson, Hammond, and Jason Dawe? I though they were gay, they were so close.
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Really? I thought Dawe looked awkward and uncomfortable. Although I thought he was a pretty nice guy (insights into the UK used car game, new facelifts, and all that) it just seemed that he didn't really gel well with Clarkson or Hammond at all personality wise.
 
teasers said:
It was a great 'first episode'..
If I rate all the versions on a scale out of 10:

Top Gear UK - 10
Top Gear US - 9
Top Gear Australia - 3.5-4
Top Gear Russia - 0.5
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My score:

Top Gear UK - 8ish these days
Top Gear Russia - 7. Just needs a better film crew
Top Gear Australia - 5. It was getting good until they destroyed the cast
Top Gear US - ERROR. There is no score low enough for this show
 
rickhamilton620 said:
Really? I thought Dawe looked awkward and uncomfortable. Although I thought he was a pretty nice guy (insights into the UK used car game, new facelifts, and all that) it just seemed that he didn't really gel well with Clarkson or Hammond at all personality wise.
Click to expand...

Sarcasm.
 
The Australian version is painful to watch. I couldn't help but cringe through the first episode and never watched another one again. The USA version is so bad I couldn't finish watching the whole episode. I got as far as the big star small car and then I went to sleep.
 
I really enjoyed the first episode. Like TG Australia has been doing lately, they're being their own show and putting their spin on everything, it's great.

Big Star / Small Car was great, just remember that Buzz Aldrin is 80 years old and probably doesn't have the energy of many younger guests, going through his car history was pretty cool I must say.

I met Rutledge at our NASCAR race last year and he really does have a ton of energy and enthusiasm that is hinted on the show, once all the hosts get comfortable with the show it'll be a blast.

All in all I'm excited for this, really looking forward to next week.
 
I thought it was rather enjoyable for a first episode. Yes, the hosts need to work on their chemistry, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and see if it improves later into the seasons. I liked the Lambo shootout and thought the Viper/Cobra bit was alright too even if it was a rehash of a TG UK challenge. It certainly is miles better than Motorweek or any other car review show in the US. TGUK took time to get where it is today, and the first episode I found was better than TG Australia's. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the season. I gave it a 6/10 by accident, meant to give it a 7.
 
Why didn't they compare the Viper for the Shelby Cobra they had in the studio? Would have been so much more interesting than the badly made too long helicopter chase.
The fat idiot was useless and annoying. Making fun of the others wasn't fun. Making fun of himself would have been better. Being as fast as an other presenter in a much faster car isn't cool. Blaming the Lambo for the small seats wasn't right. If the car would have been designed for fat idiots it wouldn't be awesome.
 
Because it was almost certainly a fake, or worth 1.5 million dollars, both of which would prevent them from using it on a televison show.


I liked it, dont be european snobs, this kicked the crap out of season 1 UK top gear.
 
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