I could have sworn there was already a thread for this, but I can't find it... maybe on another forum.
first episode is already uploaded on final gear in torrent form if you haven;t seen it.
I would suggest not reading below this if you wish to watch the show without first reading my take on it.
Anyhow, here are my observations from the first episode and how it compares to the original. I did my best to be fair, but many things below are just my opinions:
1. not as polished as the original... yet. There were several awkward pauses and segments that were drawn out too long, but I expect this will be fixed .
2. Annoying use of speeding up the film to make the cars appear as if they are going super fast while they aren't in several cut-scenes. Probably the thing that annoyed me the most about the show.
3. The hosts: Did not try to be Clarkson, Hammond, and May. Very thankfully. They are their own people with their own personalities. Seemed uncomfortable at times in the role of presenting a TV show, but I have high hopes that they will improve. They each showed brief flashes of brilliance in the show. And equally all had awkward moments.
4. Tanner Foust: cannot drive in a straight line to save his life. The 2-time American Drift champion and rallycross gold medalist is true to form, putting everything in sight sideways and backwards. He definitely knows his sh*t though. Gained major kudos with me for describing the Viper as hard to drive and his knowledge of shifting from hearing a Lamborghini almost a mile away. An automotive purist with gasoline in his veins. Not comfortable as a presenter yet, he had several very awkward moments. However, he showed occasional brilliance that gives me hope he will grow quickly into that role. He will be the first to tell you that your million dollar baby is complete sh*t, but may stumble a bit on how to tell you that.
5 . Adam Ferrara: the comedian is the best presenter of the three. Had some genuinely funny moments, very smooth delivery most of the time. His interview of Aldrin started out well, but the second half got awkward. I would bet he has almost never, if ever, done an interview before though, I have high hopes he will pick up the skill quickly. Most likely to just sit back and enjoy the ride, but also most likely to make the viewers enjoy the ride.
6. Rutledge Wood: the one presenter that hasn't already started to carve out a warm fuzzy place in my heart. He's not all that bad a presenter. And he knows a bit about cars. I just found nothing to really connect with in the first episode from him. Maybe he'll grow on me, or he may become the one I always root against in challenges. Annoying at times, seemed somewhat uncomfortable presenting on the fly. Had some good moments though, creamsicle and bananorama was pretty good. Most Southern of the three, I actually thought he seemed too polished for his own good. A little more rough and tumble good ol boy would do him well.
7. American Stig needs more hype. He didn't really get a proper introduction.
8. I am a huge fan of the British Top Gear. I love the back and forth between the hosts. But there was a sense of familiarity about having American presenters for me that just felt good somewhere in my heart. I can only hope that the presenters will in time pick up the same level of simultaneous camaraderie and hatred that the Brits present.
9. Some technical difficulties. Cameras in car very vibrate-y. I heard that there were technical problems in the studio during the filming of the studio sections. Not really all that surprising and should be ironed out soon I would guess.
10. I hate commercials.
11. It's not British Top Gear. thank god. Or at British Top Gear's standard or really anywhere near it. yet. There are huge improvements to be made for sure. But I saw enough things that give me hope. I will definitely be watching this from now on, hopefully I will watch it progress quickly.
12. I don't expect the British/ other Europeans to ever like it as much as their own familiar version. And I expect many will bash it from the very start and never give it a fair chance.
13. Parts of it appeared way too scripted. I am absolutely certain the "chase" of the Viper was a whole lot of driving around at moderate speeds on roads with a Cobra helicopter following behind.
I could go on forever but my hands are tired of typing now.
So yeah did anyone else watch this? opinions?
first episode is already uploaded on final gear in torrent form if you haven;t seen it.
I would suggest not reading below this if you wish to watch the show without first reading my take on it.Anyhow, here are my observations from the first episode and how it compares to the original. I did my best to be fair, but many things below are just my opinions:
1. not as polished as the original... yet. There were several awkward pauses and segments that were drawn out too long, but I expect this will be fixed .
2. Annoying use of speeding up the film to make the cars appear as if they are going super fast while they aren't in several cut-scenes. Probably the thing that annoyed me the most about the show.
3. The hosts: Did not try to be Clarkson, Hammond, and May. Very thankfully. They are their own people with their own personalities. Seemed uncomfortable at times in the role of presenting a TV show, but I have high hopes that they will improve. They each showed brief flashes of brilliance in the show. And equally all had awkward moments.
4. Tanner Foust: cannot drive in a straight line to save his life. The 2-time American Drift champion and rallycross gold medalist is true to form, putting everything in sight sideways and backwards. He definitely knows his sh*t though. Gained major kudos with me for describing the Viper as hard to drive and his knowledge of shifting from hearing a Lamborghini almost a mile away. An automotive purist with gasoline in his veins. Not comfortable as a presenter yet, he had several very awkward moments. However, he showed occasional brilliance that gives me hope he will grow quickly into that role. He will be the first to tell you that your million dollar baby is complete sh*t, but may stumble a bit on how to tell you that.
5 . Adam Ferrara: the comedian is the best presenter of the three. Had some genuinely funny moments, very smooth delivery most of the time. His interview of Aldrin started out well, but the second half got awkward. I would bet he has almost never, if ever, done an interview before though, I have high hopes he will pick up the skill quickly. Most likely to just sit back and enjoy the ride, but also most likely to make the viewers enjoy the ride.
6. Rutledge Wood: the one presenter that hasn't already started to carve out a warm fuzzy place in my heart. He's not all that bad a presenter. And he knows a bit about cars. I just found nothing to really connect with in the first episode from him. Maybe he'll grow on me, or he may become the one I always root against in challenges. Annoying at times, seemed somewhat uncomfortable presenting on the fly. Had some good moments though, creamsicle and bananorama was pretty good. Most Southern of the three, I actually thought he seemed too polished for his own good. A little more rough and tumble good ol boy would do him well.
7. American Stig needs more hype. He didn't really get a proper introduction.
8. I am a huge fan of the British Top Gear. I love the back and forth between the hosts. But there was a sense of familiarity about having American presenters for me that just felt good somewhere in my heart. I can only hope that the presenters will in time pick up the same level of simultaneous camaraderie and hatred that the Brits present.
9. Some technical difficulties. Cameras in car very vibrate-y. I heard that there were technical problems in the studio during the filming of the studio sections. Not really all that surprising and should be ironed out soon I would guess.
10. I hate commercials.
11. It's not British Top Gear. thank god. Or at British Top Gear's standard or really anywhere near it. yet. There are huge improvements to be made for sure. But I saw enough things that give me hope. I will definitely be watching this from now on, hopefully I will watch it progress quickly.
12. I don't expect the British/ other Europeans to ever like it as much as their own familiar version. And I expect many will bash it from the very start and never give it a fair chance.
13. Parts of it appeared way too scripted. I am absolutely certain the "chase" of the Viper was a whole lot of driving around at moderate speeds on roads with a Cobra helicopter following behind.
I could go on forever but my hands are tired of typing now.
So yeah did anyone else watch this? opinions?
Constant yakking throughout the lap (the awkward? silence would have been better) didn't make the segment any better too...