New Cast Top Gear America!

Just read up on the new cast of Top Gear America. Actual car guys with flamboyant personalities.Gotta say, I'm definitely looking forward to it.

https://www.motor1.com/news/385859/top-gear-america-returns-motortrend/

Frito Pendejo! That should be a funny group. 

I recently saw somewhere on the internet that Dax has a sleeper, woodgrain Roadmaster wagon making something like 700 hp 

Can't be worse than the original. I know Jethro Bovingdon from Motor Trend. Dax Shepherd I just know from starring in some E36 M3ty movies. No clue who the third guy is.

John Welsh said:

I recently saw somewhere on the internet that Dax has a sleeper, woodgrain Roadmaster wagon making something like 700 hp 

If you've ever seen the movie "Hit and Run", several of his actual cars are in it. He's a genuine car guy, and grew up about 10 miles from me.

Having said that, this is what, the fourth try at Top Gear USA? The Wood/Faust/Ferrera version wasn't bad, but none of the others have clicked. And burying it on MT's streaming service means I won't even give it a chance. Sorry.

Shows you what I know...I have no clue who any of those people are.

Rob Corddry is an interesting choice. His work in Upright Citizens Brigade ought to add a clever improvisational element.

Had no idea he was a car guy.

I like these choices.  But the original TGUSA was 2/3 on decent hosts...can't stand Adam what's-his-face.  Rut Wood and Tanner were alright.  

Love me some Dax Shepard.  Didn't know Corddry was a gearhead.

In reply to Jumper K Balls (Trent) :

Yeah, Rob's a big car guy. He was on "Ballers" with Dwayne Johnson, and he'd talk about the cars they'd get to drive around for the show and how he'd put his two cents in on the choices. He's a pretty funny guy in real life. Hoping it translates to the screen.

Wow, I guess I didn't know there was a Top Gear America with Antron Brown and two other people I've never heard of from July 2017 to September 2017. I only knew of the (dreadful) Top Gear USA version with Tanner Foust.

The big thing that the TGAmerica keeps missing is the comradery needs to be realistic and cannot be rushed.  One of the reasons TGUK and The Grand Tour have is that Clarkson, May and Hammond have built up such a great friendship what they do isn't forced.  I gave up on the TGUK this season.  After Joey Tribbianie left after his third year and they moved the Rory Ried off the new guys just tried to hard.  They just didn't mesh and didn't have the time.  Matt Leblanc, Rory and Chirs Harris had started the bond and the show was getting better.  

When you look back at the first Top Gear America, after half way through the second season the bond between the hosts was there.  You could see it and feel that they respected each other and had fun doing the show.  

Didn't even know there was another try at it.   

From what I recall, Leblanc quit on his own, but I agree they were just starting to mesh.

Could this version of TGUSA be a success?  Sure, if they give it time to gel.  Putting it specifically on the MT app will either mean it'll never gain an audience and get canceled within a month or so OR putting it there without the pressure of advertisers to be a success from day one will give them all time to build a camaraderie.  I think the TGUSA always struggles because they need to be like the original, yet they will never be so they should develop their own show.  But, most people won't give them time to develop their own show and will crow that it's nothing like the original. 

I applaud any car based show, so I'll watch it if I don't have to buy a MT app subscription.......

-Rob

I highly recommend Dax Shepard's podcast, Armchair Expert. He usually plays a meathead, but he's actually pretty smart, and he definitely knows his cars. 

The episode with Seth Green in which they talked about the press junket for Without a Paddle had me in tears.

Jethro can wheel and is a fantastic writer. I'm interested in how he comes across on camera. It won't be with an American accent though :)

dculberson said:

Frito Pendejo! That should be a funny group. 

Im glad I'm not the only one. 

I have to pay for ANOTHER streaming service to watch it...

Not interested.  None will ever be as good as the original, you can't script the chemistry they have.

I have liked Dax for a while. My SIL loved his podcast. I have caught a couple of them and they are pretty good.

I already have the MotorTrend subscription anyway so I will definitely be checking it out. 

That is a good sign right there. ^

rob_lewis said:

From what I recall, Leblanc quit on his own, but I agree they were just starting to mesh.

Could this version of TGUSA be a success?  Sure, if they give it time to gel.  Putting it specifically on the MT app will either mean it'll never gain an audience and get canceled within a month or so OR putting it there without the pressure of advertisers to be a success from day one will give them all time to build a camaraderie.  I think the TGUSA always struggles because they need to be like the original, yet they will never be so they should develop their own show.  But, most people won't give them time to develop their own show and will crow that it's nothing like the original. 

I applaud any car based show, so I'll watch it if I don't have to buy a MT app subscription.......

-Rob

 

Matt quit because his family is all in California and between doing the travel for the show and filming the studio bits in england, he was never able to get home.  Understandable, TG has a pretty brutal filming schedule to get all of their various segments together.  I think Rory quit for the same reason, he's got a young one or two and he was worried about missing out on the important years.  I don't know if he's still doing extra gear.

Chris is the only one remaining from the reboot cast, and while he's great, they can't keep hiring random tv personalities to work with him.  Freddie Flintoff?  Really?

Anyway, as for MToD, I already subscribe to it for the live motorsports streams (although half of them are just restreamed youtube stuff, I guess it helps the older/less obsessive people to have them all in one place rather than a dozen different series youtube channels) so this plus the complete US version of TGUK is just a nice bonus.  I've never really watched any of their other content.  V8 Supercars, Le Mans and Hot Rod Drag Week have made it worth a fiver a month.

Dax is obviously a car guy, Jethro is a great choice and Rob has always been one of the funnier people I remember from the Daily Show and other things from a while back, had no idea he was a car guy but it bodes well that everyone is very comfortable on camera and at least two out of the three are experienced at comedy.  That, and they all have the knowledge to just drop it in conversation.  Hopefully MToD throws money at it.

I like Adam Ferrara but the script they give him on Top Gear sucked. I'm looking forward to seeing how this latest attempt works.

Also my B-body wagon wants to be as cool as Dax's when it grows up.

Mndsm said:

dculberson said:

Frito Pendejo! That should be a funny group. 

Im glad I'm not the only one. 

Dax is a funny motherberkeleyer. "Let's Go to Prison" is a hilarious sleeper if you haven't seen it.

Here's an educational video about TGUSA and the previous hosts: How TG Challenges really work

After listening to that guy I felt bad for Adam and plaid-shirt guy. They were never really allowed to show their true selves and the show sucked because of it. Tanner...well, he is what he is, apparently.

ddavidv said:

Here's an educational video about TGUSA and the previous hosts: How TG Challenges really work

After listening to that guy I felt bad for Adam and plaid-shirt guy. They were never really allowed to show their true selves and the show sucked because of it. Tanner...well, he is what he is, apparently.

Haven't watched the video, but I'm going to guess that the challenges were rigged to favor Tanner. Every time the "prize" was getting to drive some supercar, Tanner won. Which makes sense, he's the actual racing driver and could do all the drifting and cool on-camera stuff that they want. But then, why make it a "competion" in the first place?

....and "The Stig" was Tanner Foust ? I suppose now you're going to spoil Christmas too, by telling me Santa is a myth?

The TGUS three get a bad rap because the first season was so stilted and contrived. But anyone who criticizes them for that needs to go watch the first two seasons of TGUK with Clarkson, Hammond and May - it was equally painful to watch.  But the US guys became (and still are) friends and by the end of the show, the sequences and banter was a lot less scripted than the the UK show ever was.  They worked with a much smaller budget and production team and kinda made it up as they went. Adam has described how the show eventually worked a few times during FB live chats. They've talked about trying to get a new show together with the three of them, but so far it hasn't happened. 

I wish the new TGUS show success if only because it may get the first trio their own show again, which I'd definitely watch.