Top gear is a buddy show disguised as a car program. Driving skill is only one part of the equation.

Being entertaining is, too. They seem to lack that part.

Eh, it's coming together. Last night's episode was a good amount better than last week. The fat man was a lot better this time around. There were still a few things about his segment that annoyed me, but overall it was still enjoyable. The blind drift challenge was pretty entertaining, too, but it could have been a bit longer.

I think random ass american venues as well as canadian venues would make it a bit more entertaining.

I think the best thing they can do (and make it the finale of the season) is to do a cross country expedition to the SOUTH POLE! Talking shit about the brits the entire time. This time use an american truck to do so.

Has a truck ever been to the south pole?

I just watched the first episode last night, and I think you nailed it.

In part, it seemed formulaic and derivative. Ok, so the first ever challenge was a fast car being chased by a helicopter gunship to see if it can achieve missile lock. Hmm. Where have we seen that before?

Parts of it seemed labored, like the interview with Aldrin... Man, that was just painful. This guy walked on the frakking MOON, and you can't find anything interesting to talk about?

And c'mon, guys, you don't have to explain to us at every single point what you're planning to do and why, just go out and do it. I think that even Americans will be able to figure out what the guy in the white suit is for by themselves without you having to describe him to us.


But the biggest problem was that they just weren't funny.


There was no chemistry. None. They're all too similar, I think. One of the things that makes Jezza, Hamster and May interesting to watch is that they're all so radically different and they disagree, argue, and insult one another about absolutely everything. These three just seem to get along too well. It's like dropping a Mentos candy into a glass of water rather than a glass of diet coke- nothing happens.


Weirdly, I disagree re: moleman. I honestly thought that he was the best presenter in terms of entertainment value. I mean, his commentary while doing the standing mile in the Lambo consisted entirely of "Fuck! (...) Fuck! (...) Fuck! (...)" and it was easily the funniest thing I'd seen or heard in the whole 45 minutes.


I guess I'll watch EP2 tonight and see if anything improves. To be fair, the bar has been set pretty high. Anybody remember what BBC Top Gear looked like in Series 1, before they replaced Jason Dawe with James May? It was pretty awful. :rolleyes:

I just finished watching today's dose of the original top gear. I honestly "lol" every 2 minutes on average.

Joe I love all your similes and metaphors.


That guy was terrible.

If it gets picked up for a second season, maybe someone will leave/be tossed, and well get someone that fits in better. They are copying everything else TGUK does, so why not that?

I feel the same way about this show as I feel about GT5. Word.

Just watched EP2.

It's not getting any better.

"Hey, let's take a fast AWD car up to a snow covered mountain and then race to the bottom against two guys on skis!"

I think maybe that's been done before somewhere?

"Uhm, ok, how's this for originality- we'll put a blind man behind the wheel of a car and coach him around a track!"

Er.....


This just isn't working. Seeing these folks review a pair of Aston Martins reminded me of being in elementary school when, as a special treat, you'd get to watch a grainy old 8mm film about the lifecycle of the eastern white pine tree. There are colorful moving things and sounds, and it's sort of like entertainment in some remote way, but damn that lunch bell for taking so long to roll around.


The only funny part of the entire show - the only part that even made me chuckle just a little bit - was when the blind man's dog urinated on the logo at the very end.

Next they will have a competition with grandmothers doing doughnuts.

I feel like this is the South Park episode where every plan that Butters comes up with is met with "The Simpsons did it."
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clip...ng-out-the-sun

I think the second one showed a marginal improvement, tho still doesn't make for great tv. I hear the third should be a lot better, probably should have been the first episode.

They might come up with some original ideas for challenges, but that's not going to change the underlying fact that the presenters are boring to listen to and lack any sort of chemistry.

TGUS could air a whole hour of nothing but Molly Lewis, Felicia Day and Natalie "Kommodore" Thompson wrestling naked in a vat of Jell-O, and I don't think I could watch it if I were forced to listen to Tanner Foust and Rutledge Wood provide analysis and color commentary throughout the entire event.

The hosts from that metal show would be a huge improvement.

Thought this episode was pretty good. My absolute favorite thing about the UK shows is the used car challenges. So to see them use the cars that I have to avoid to get to work is awesome. Rut is defiantly my favorite, Tanner has loosened up some and seems more natural.

still seem douchey. I also dont like fake races like the EVO BS.

I fell asleep during last night's episode. More because I was tired as fuck from not getting much sleep the night before than because the episode was boring. Anyone have a link to it maybe?

the evo race is just as faked as all the other races that the BBC does. i still liked it, and it makes me want to take my evo out to the snow.

Last night's show was actually rather funny. i thought they were just carrying water, until they started spitting it into the fire and were causing fireballs. I thought it was a rather good show last night. No car for the stig last night seemed like something was missing...

I mean seeing the EVO like that made me want it more. They are on my list, and that just bumped it up.

But i didn't like seeing shots of the car with cameras attached and then the next shot they weren't. Then the whole jumping over the car was retarded. Like don't go as far as having the car sit in traffic and then magically it's perfectly synced choreography.

Then not seeing it on the hot lap was a kinda weak. and why not the v8 Vantage as well?

I would have loved to see the evo on the hot lap, but whatever.

The thing is, it was just like how they do it on the BBC version. I remember one little out run spot they did with bmx bikers, and there was several choreographed spots with the bikes jumping over the car.

I'm just glad they didn't do it with the Evo MR with the slappy paddle gear box. Foust would just bitch about that the entire time.

I forced myself to watch, but it really is bad. The hosts suck, plain and simple. In the BBC version, I can watch them arguing over where a car fits on the "cool" board, and it's entertaining. The US version shows a friggin' Aston Martin, and they still bore me to tears.

Bottom line, the hosts suck, and should die.