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[02x09] February 14th, 2012

[02x09] February 14th, 2012

  • Total voters
    120
Decent episode, though I've got to say I have no idea how they convinced MDOT, the Michigan State Police (neither known for their sense of humor) and a few federal agencies (ditto) to let this episode happen. I mean letting three improperly licensed and untrained guys drive full-size tractor-trailers on public roads is baffling enough but doing it with a trailer containing a HAZMAT load of explosives AND OPEN FLAMES is not only dangerous but flatly illegal. Not to say it wasn't fun to watch. :) But as a former long-haul driver I was amazed watching them break one law after another while driving around. History must have some deep pockets for permits/fines/bribes... :blink:
 
8/10 for me.

Really solid episode, didn't realise until watching this episode just how much I'd missed Top Gear USA, the three have a great chemistry. Have to admit I did skip over the guest and worried a little bit with the car being hit, I'm assuming it was scripted although that comment at the end about a New Yorker made me think it was the couple they showed's car. Fireworks too were starting to push it abit, but they didnt dwell on the jokes/scripted bits as much as TG UK might do at times.

Actually enjoyed watching this episode more than last week's Top Gear with the stupid car chase piece. It's great to have both Top Gear back on TV at the same time though.
 
8/10 Top Gear US is surprisingly entertaining. The large lack of health and safety just makes it more entertaining because they can seriously get away with a lot more daft and dangerous explosions. I can't believe they were allowed to take Rut's trailer on open roads.
 
7/10

I liked the big rig test. The whole thing felt real, except for the bit with the car getting run over and the fireworks going off, both those were too perfectly setup and filmed to pass as believable.

I didn't really watch the BSSC segment, since I didn't know the guest and he didn't say anything interesting quick enough to stop me leaving the room for another beer.

I guess my only complaint about this episode is how brief it seemed. It was just the big rigs and the guest. But I suppose that's better than trying to cram 3-4 super short segments into one episode.
 
LazarusMP said:
Decent episode, though I've got to say I have no idea how they convinced MDOT, the Michigan State Police (neither known for their sense of humor) and a few federal agencies (ditto) to let this episode happen. I mean letting three improperly licensed and untrained guys drive full-size tractor-trailers on public roads is baffling enough but doing it with a trailer containing a HAZMAT load of explosives AND OPEN FLAMES is not only dangerous but flatly illegal. Not to say it wasn't fun to watch. :) But as a former long-haul driver I was amazed watching them break one law after another while driving around. History must have some deep pockets for permits/fines/bribes... :blink:
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That's because it didn't happen. No way, no how did any of that section of the challenge actually happen the way they showed. Completely, totally, unequivocally staged.

The three may have driven the rigs across the state... but there is no chance, absolutely none, that they had what they said were in them (especially Rutledge's).
 
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The New Yorker was definitely scripted. Not only was it parked in a no-parking zone (and if you look carefully, you can see a fire hydrant that it's blocking), but if you look at it before it's hit, you can see that the wheel covers are just sitting on the curb, propped up against the wheels.

I wouldn't be surprised if Tanner and Adam really did have those loads in their trailers for the drive, but I'll bet you anything the footage from inside Rut's trailer was shot at Eaton. The footage of the "on the road" fireworks explosion was shot at exit 104 on I-94, while depending on where their destination yard is, Kalamazoo exits start at 81 and end at 72 (westbound). There's no way that there would still be any fireworks left after things settled down enough to close the trailer again plus an additional 20 minutes' drive. (I'm pretty sure the smoke-from-the-trailer shot was done with some small smoke bombs that could be triggered remotely by the producers, which *would* take a lot less work to get permitted, particularly if their convoy had an MSP cruiser following it to keep traffic a safe distance behind in that lane.)

Interestingly, most of the fireworks seen in that trailer are illegal in Michigan unless you're a professional pyrotechnician, so I'm damned sure they wouldn't be letting them roll down the highway with them on board and an amateur driver. Still, I'm just impressed that they went to the trouble of finding a location that was actually along their route to shoot the first fireworksplosion, and except for a very few shots, kept the footage in what felt, to a local, like it was at least close to chronological order. (I know, a lot of the stuff would have been gotten in reshoots later, but as someone who knows the area reasonably well, there weren't any really jarring moments of "wait a second, they just warped ten miles back down the road" in this film.)
 
Thought it was quite funny how much more genuine this felt compared to the last TG UK ep, even though a large portion of it was obviously scripted or rehearsed. For me, that's proof that the notion of scripting/rehearsed stuff isn't itself what's ruined TG UK, but more specifically what is scripted and how it's presented.

Obviously Tanner didn't just crash some into some guys car accidently, but they didn't hang around for 10 minutes trying to convince us with stupid dialogue either. It was just done and gone. I also think Adam is fantastic now, and I admit I wasn't a fan in the early days. He clearly has no idea what he's doing anytime he gets behind the wheel, but damn it makes some good viewing :thumbsup:

7/10
 
Gave it six, shows promise.

Really dumb that they went all that trouble with Rutledge's trailer, and didn't bother to wait for the sun to go down, so the effects would be maximised!
 
I liked the episode, this is a good show. I just wish they'd cater a little more to car enthusiasts (I would have liked to hear more technical goodies about the trucks, what they're like to drive, etc). It seems like they're catering more toward a generic reality TV audience, which is understandable ($$$!) but makes the show less informative.

LazarusMP said:
I mean letting three improperly licensed and untrained guys drive full-size tractor-trailers on public roads is baffling enough but doing it with a trailer containing a HAZMAT load of explosives AND OPEN FLAMES is not only dangerous but flatly illegal.
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Not sure how it is up there but in Georgia you can drive anything up to 26,000 lbs. with a normal license (an empty big rig could be in that range). I'm sure the fireworks were just clever editing :)
 
The New Yorker also had a space-saver spare tyre on the left rear. It was probably a non-runner.

http://img822.imageshack.**/img822/9871/screenshot20120219at956.png
 
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rdfox said:
The New Yorker was definitely scripted. Not only was it parked in a no-parking zone (and if you look carefully, you can see a fire hydrant that it's blocking), but if you look at it before it's hit, you can see that the wheel covers are just sitting on the curb, propped up against the wheels.

I wouldn't be surprised if Tanner and Adam really did have those loads in their trailers for the drive, but I'll bet you anything the footage from inside Rut's trailer was shot at Eaton. The footage of the "on the road" fireworks explosion was shot at exit 104 on I-94, while depending on where their destination yard is, Kalamazoo exits start at 81 and end at 72 (westbound). There's no way that there would still be any fireworks left after things settled down enough to close the trailer again plus an additional 20 minutes' drive. (I'm pretty sure the smoke-from-the-trailer shot was done with some small smoke bombs that could be triggered remotely by the producers, which *would* take a lot less work to get permitted, particularly if their convoy had an MSP cruiser following it to keep traffic a safe distance behind in that lane.)

Interestingly, most of the fireworks seen in that trailer are illegal in Michigan unless you're a professional pyrotechnician, so I'm damned sure they wouldn't be letting them roll down the highway with them on board and an amateur driver. Still, I'm just impressed that they went to the trouble of finding a location that was actually along their route to shoot the first fireworksplosion, and except for a very few shots, kept the footage in what felt, to a local, like it was at least close to chronological order. (I know, a lot of the stuff would have been gotten in reshoots later, but as someone who knows the area reasonably well, there weren't any really jarring moments of "wait a second, they just warped ten miles back down the road" in this film.)
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The laws were revised last summer.

Good to see another Michigan native on here.
 
t3h r0x0rs said:
Loved it. Thought it was going to be another re-hash of TG UK's big rig challenge, but I was pleasantly surprised. 8/10
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Me three, I think it was even better and funnier than then the "original"

narf said:
Rut's trailer, probably. Just not filled with what we're made to believe. Editing is king.
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Shhh! you're ruining it with German-ness! The parked car was also very obviously fake, and the fire dept was there in 10 seconds flat when that grass burned....
 
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