Best Top Gear Episode for a New Viewer?

"Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito" (breakfast-burrito) 12/28/2013 at 15:45 • Filed to: None

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Got into a conversation with the girlfriend the other day about our favorite TV shows and naturally, Top Gear came up for me. I told her something to the effect of "Don't worry, I don't expect you to watch it with me. It's just a car show." However, her being the awesome girl she is, told me that if I liked it so much, she'd like to try it.

So now I'm at a loss of what to show her. She's a big Friends fan so we agreed we'd watch the Matt LeBlanc episode and one of my choosing to see if she'd like it. I wanna show her an episode that really gets at the heart of what Top Gear is. I want an episode that shows Jeremy, Richard, and James' characters, how different they are, and how entertaining they are together. Ideally it'd be a challenge episode, but two-part specials are also a nice loophole to the two episode agreement.

I've seen practically every episode of Top Gear, but trying to remember the best one is like trying to remember my favorite commute to work. So I turn to you Oppo, what's the best episode to introduce a new, non-gearhead viewer to Top Gear?

Brian Silvestro > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 15:50

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Any of those specials, I like Africa and most of the American ones.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 15:52

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Show her something old. Like at least 3-4 years old. The car vs other forms of transportations are some of the best episodes ever of TG. Also the Cheap cars Challanges. The supercars and the one about old British junk cars are hilarious. The truck challange is also a very funny episode.

P.S. The supercars episode was from Series 7, Ep 4. As Forgerful said the Millau Viaduct it is from the same Series. The Amphibious car challange in Series 8, Ep 3. In Series 9 is the funniest of the US Specials, Botswana SPecial and British Leyland challange are in Series 10, Ep 4 and 7. I think this is enough great episodes to show how awesome TG is.

Forgetful > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 15:53

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Millau Viaduct episode. It makes the case for supercars.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 15:56

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I'd go with the one with Jeremy racing the guys to the mountaintop resort in the Ferrari 575.

Pineapple Speedboat > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 15:57

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The one with the unbreakable Hilux comes to mind, and the race to Mexico in the Viper, LFA, and Vanquish is a new one that's pretty good.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:01

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Hmm...the cheap car challenges are hilarious. It's hard to decide. But the ones older are amazing.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Brian Silvestro 12/28/2013 at 16:02

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Oh yeah, those are awesome as balls. Even non enthusiasts can relate to those amazing roadtrips, and the cars are as much protagonists as the presenters themselves. This is definitely the right choice!

EL_ULY > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:02

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Season 12 Episode 3
It has everything that make Top Gear great.
Follow that by a Top Gear Special, I recommend Bolivia

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:03

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Hmm...the cheap car challenges are hilarious. It's hard to decide. But the ones older are amazing. The DIY stretched limos and the VW Advertisments are my favorites.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Brian Silvestro 12/28/2013 at 16:05

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The first one is the really good one. It was just absolutely hilarious, in Top 10 TG episodes ever. The next ones are not so good.

BlazinAce - Doctor of Internal Combustion > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:05

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Like Brian Silvestro said, the road trip specials are the way to go, but the "car under X pounds" challenges might be a good option as well. they show the guys having fun with cheap old cars and are a good argument about being able to enjoy a car, even if they wreck them in the end.

Cars for 17 year olds, cars under 1000 pounds, Supercars under 10000, those are all fun to watch, the only one that could leave non enthusiasts a little clueless is the RWD vs FWD challenge.

Also, back on the subject of roadtrip specials, Clarkson's Motor World episodes could be a good choice as well. It's not as humorous, and there's only Clarkson, but it's a great way to explain why enthusiasts like cars by comparing a country's culture and car culture.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > Pineapple Speedboat 12/28/2013 at 16:07

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That Viper/LFA/Vanquish episode is one of the worst to showcase waht TG is all about. Too much artificial acting and script.

PushToStart > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:12

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They're all so good it's hard to pick, but the US cheap car challenge episode is funny as hell, so I recommend that one. The one where Jeremy drives the Reliant Robin is pretty good too. Honestly I'd say start with a random season and just watch the whole thing, and then pick another season after you finish the other one and do the same. You can't really go wrong!

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:17

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botswana/usa specials perhaps?

Chase > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:18

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cheap car challenges are good, so are the specials. despite not having cars, the Vietnam special is pretty cool

hike > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:23

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Can't remember what season it is, but supercars in France was a great episode. It's one of the earlier road trips and had some beautiful cars and great scenery and camera work. I believe they specifically went to see some really big bridge over a valley.

Klaus Schmoll > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:27

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I'd say Botswana or the US cheap car challenge. Those two are the easiest for a non car-person can relate to. The US challenge might be the best if she can take the stereotypes with a grain of salt and laugh about them.

Singhjr96 > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 16:45

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OH OH OH, watch the top gear Botswana special. It was by far one of the funniest. The super car shootout was good also, not sure what episode or series, but look it up it's a popular one. the Africa special was also really good too. they turn the back of their estate cars into mini house while they went and searched for the true source of the river Nile. The mobile home challenge is one I would recommend too.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > EL_ULY 12/28/2013 at 17:06

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I disagree with you there. Episode 6 of the same season with the Communist cars is a better choice.

Pineapple Speedboat > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 12/28/2013 at 17:08

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Isn't it about making money now, anyway?

LeadfootYT > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 18:40

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First episode: Hilux
Second: One of the big trips (DB9 vs train, SLR vs boat, 612 vs plane, but if they're in the mood to sit, Veyron vs. James' plane)
Third (once they know the guys): North Pole Special

Sean > Singhjr96 12/28/2013 at 20:39

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+11111111111 !!!!!!!

911e46z06 > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 12/28/2013 at 22:05

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http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/best-episodes-…

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I'll just leave this here. Careful asking questions like that dude, sometimes you end up with 375 responses to read.

e3pres > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 12/28/2013 at 22:48

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Wasn't that a 612 Scaglietti?

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > e3pres 12/28/2013 at 23:10

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Was it? My bad.

merkyg > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 01/01/2014 at 06:51

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The episodes with the cheap beater car challenges are always the best, the 'lets take the latest Porsche, Ferrari and Lambo somewhere' ones are pretty boring IMO. The US one with the cheap cars is one of the best. That said, though I love the show, the presenters are all kind of annoying in their own way. Did find the Saab tribute quite touching though.

HijabiRockstar > Breakfast Burrito: The True Resident Burrito 01/10/2014 at 20:05

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I'm completely stupid about cars, but I watched the two-part "kill a Toyota pickup" episode and I was hooked. And then I got everyone in my effete, non-car-appreciating family into it with the same episode, so I recommend that one.