Watching Top Gear USA

"SlickMcRick" (slickmcrick)
02/22/2015 at 03:13 • Filed to: None

Don't even ask why because I have no real answer for you. Honestly it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Prior to this weekend I'd only watched one episode.

DISCUSSION (12)

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > SlickMcRick
02/22/2015 at 03:29

Its actually quite good in its own right, you just cant compare it to TG:UK.

Birddog > SlickMcRick
02/22/2015 at 03:31

It's been on for five years now. It's not UK Top Gear but it's good.

If anyone is waiting for an American Clarkson they'll turn purple and die from holding their breath.

Unless..

Maybe they need Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh as the show's lead.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > SlickMcRick
02/22/2015 at 03:36

i like it as a show, its pretty good, they should change the name, because it really isn't half bad, I think just because it has the name top gear makes it so much harder for it to be rated decently, out of all of the seasons so far, season 3 has to be my favorite, it was the season where they started doing their own thing and not trying to blatently copy Top Gear UK, although I do have a particular affinity for the off-road racing episode in season 4, because the race between the rally car, aston martin vantage, and jet boat was filmed about half an hour away from me.

my favorite of all of the presenters has to be rutledge, he just seems like an overall good guy. I would get rid of tanner, its always annoying that he wins everything.

SlickMcRick > Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
02/22/2015 at 03:43

I kind of like Tanner. And it definitely seems the trio has worked on their chemistry over the years. I must agree that this show should be named something else because we have certain expectations when we hear the name Top Gear. Think I may actually have to sit back and catch up on this show. So far so good.

SlickMcRick > Birddog
02/22/2015 at 03:44

Yeaaa I was waiting to see if any would fill that role and I'm still waiting. I think I gave up hope already.

Birddog > SlickMcRick
02/22/2015 at 03:47

No way we get our own JC.

JasonStern911 > SlickMcRick
02/22/2015 at 04:42

I love Top Gear USA and honestly believe that had it been called "The Car Show" (subtle jab at the Adam Corolla of car shows) instead of Top Gear, everyone else would, too. the first season wasn't great, as they tried to pull in a lot of Top Gear gimmicks that didn't always work. but the chemistry with the cast is amazing, and it's a lot more entertaining than another show where people buy storage units or crap at auctions.

911e46z06 > SlickMcRick
02/22/2015 at 08:54

One of the front page authors did a post recently about how Top Gear UK has gotten away from what made it great through over-production and scripts that don't have a feel for reality. That's the problem TGUSA has had from the beginning. All the tests seem pretty fake/scripted, and they're super arbitrary about picking 'winners' for the challenges (my theory is that they don't want to risk alienating people by declaring, for example, a Ford superior to a Chevy). Also, they have (or had at one point) their own test track, but they never use it, which is weird. Also, there's no competitive balance, since Tanner is a stud race car driver, and the other two are just kinda dudes.

That said, the hosts are pretty good, and the show definitely has its moments. It's worth 60 minutes of DVR space.

Henri915 > SlickMcRick
02/22/2015 at 09:02

I'll echo previous sentiment - if there weren't a British Top Gear in the first place, I would think this show was fun. But there IS a British Top Gear and because of that I'm prejudiced. I like it though.. it's fun and they cover car topics U.S. style - how many people drive luxury pickup trucks in the UK in the first place?

Let the personalities be who they are. No kidding they're not analogs of Clarkson, May and Hammond. A carbon copy wouldn't work anyway. I found myself not liking that at first and I realized I wasn't letting them just be who they are. It's a lot of fun!

911e46z06 > Birddog
02/22/2015 at 09:09

I don't know, Rut seems to take on the Clarkson role pretty well. Different personalities. I'd buy Rut a beer if I saw him in a bar, while I would stay far, far away from Clarkson's wrath if I ever saw him in public. But they're both likeable, funny, knowledgeable, quirky front-men.

I think the big difference is in the supporting cast. Adam and Tanner are ok in their own ways, but for a long time the show kind of held Tanner out as the star, and he just isn't. There also isn't really anything weird about Tanner. Rut has his hipster thing, and Adam has his American iron and his kill/maim/destroy attitude, but Tanner is just kind of a hyper-competitive and very capable racecar driver. They can't hold a candle to James and Hamster. TGUK is so awesome because all 3 hosts have their very consistent and very conflicting ideologies and eccentricities, and it's interesting to see them clash.

SlickMcRick > Henri915
02/22/2015 at 11:29

To that I must agree. They definitely do it the American way. And they do seem to have their own thing going with their own personalities. I kinda like Tanner because of his competitiveness and his ability to actually give Stig a run for his money.

450X_FTW > SlickMcRick
02/22/2015 at 18:43

I've found 3 episodes that were watchable, only because they weren't a direct copy of the UK version. 1) Death Valley to Vegas without touching pavement, 2) Alaska truck challenge, 3) van off roading up the mountain episode.

If I hadn't watched every episode of Top Gear UK I'm sure the US version would be more entertaining