so anyone still watch Top Gear US?

My parents enjoy it, and the new stuff is better. I just don't watch much broadcast TV. Last thing I watched was the Gold Medal men's basketball game. Otherwise anything else is just what someone else in the room is watching.

I still watch it. Every episode. Every time. DVR it. I LOL constantly. Haters gonna hate. LOL I love it more than the UK version. Yeah, I'm one of THOSE guys...

I fell asleep last night or I would have watched it. Long week already.... but I will catch it later this week on a rerun. Love the show.

They both have one big problem: they've become sitcoms. TGUK is scripted to a fault, and they brought that sitcomishness to TGUS. I'd like the US version much more if they'd just act normal. As it is, I can't work up the effort to watch any of it.

octavious wrote: I think I'd watch it more if they replaced Foust.

I'm with this guy , i've been saying since day one they need better host. I think they should ditch Foust and get John Mcenroe. Why you may ask, for the sake of entertainment lol

I don't mind Foust. I don't really mind any of the hosts and in a way I'm glad they didn't try to deliberately copy the UK hosts with US versions. They each have their own personality.

What makes the UK version work so well is the chemestry the hosts have developed over the years. As such they can play their roles more spontaneously and that takes time to happen. Some of the skits in the US version have shown the hosts can do that. Unfortunately, it's painfully obvious when what they are doing is scripted and they need to work on that.

I watch all of then. Really enjoyed the police car one. I find them thoroughly entertaining. Obviously scripted, but thats how they make it funny.

N Sperlo wrote: Obviously scripted, but thats how they make it funny.

Exactly. Even the UK one wouldn't be as entertaining if they took the challenges seriously and didn't build off-the-wall contraptions that are doomed to fail in a spectacular (and usually amusing) way.

pinchvalve wrote: I'm watching. Its a show about cars. No one gets voted off, there is no fake drama, and no one pretends to hate each other and fights. They could replace the hosts with robots or poop and I'd still watch. Because it's about cars. And no one gets voted off.

Pinchy gets it, I am fully in agreement

I was thinking more about it and I think the reason (aside from the hosts) that I like UK better is because I get to see all the cars that I don't get to see living in the US.

TGUS they, for the most part, just drive/use/race/test cars available in the US market. And living in Fairfax VA there is no $$$ supercar I haven't seen a dozen times probably, all these rich fools around here, and commuting on the beltway there is no wierd POS I haven't seen probably - all these poor fools living in the exurbs and inner-city.... So I don't get as psyched to see them test/race/etc cars that I see every day maybe. Hell, I even see an XR4Ti almost every day on my commute......

So basically, if TGUS hosts were doing it in Europe, I'd probably watch regardless of the hosts :)

Come to think of it, TG Africa would be awesome. Random beat-up and "improvised" cars from all over the world, terrible roads, random roaming militias, old Chevy Citations with machine guns mounted on the roof, no traffic laws, possibility of wild animals attacking you at a rest stop......and great nature scenery everywhere.

aussiesmg wrote:

pinchvalve wrote: I'm watching. Its a show about cars. No one gets voted off, there is no fake drama, and no one pretends to hate each other and fights. They could replace the hosts with robots or poop and I'd still watch. Because it's about cars. And no one gets voted off.

Pinchy gets it, I am fully in agreement

Yup, this. Also, the 'original" TGUS episodes are really berking good. (See first car challenge, worst car challenge, best 4x4 Alaska trip, and the best new HD pickup episodes, plus the cop cars from a few weeks ago). I see cars, I get to laugh (and the best movie cars episode where Rut beats Tanner is hilarious), and nobody gets voted off.

I watch it. Sure, it's aimed more toward the mainstream audience. If it wasn't called Top Gear, it would be better. Americans, on average, have lame tastes in cars and motorsport. From that point of view, it's better than average.

My DVR faithfully records both TGUS and TGUK, but I rarely watch either. When I have time to watch TV that doesn't involve SWMBO I usually catch up on all the road racing that is waiting on my playlist. I typically watch about 5 minutes of a TGUK episode and none of the US ones.

I find the show to be way too contrived and just plain fake. At least when it comes to the "competitions" the three guys have. The thing is, they'd be so interesting if it weren't fake or turned into a silly game where everyone just cheats. I understand they're trying to be funny but that ruins it for me.

I'd have loved to see a real head-to-head with the Merkur XR4ti, Cadilac Alante and the Subaru SVX. But it just gets turned into three kids beating on cars and screwing around. All this would be fine if I didn't love all three of those cars (or at least two!)

First, it's Adam CARolla. He was in the TGUS pilot but had a scheduling conflict. I dug his show on Speed and listen to his podcasts

I've been to a taping of TGUS, everything is scripted including the interviews.

Btw Drive channel on YouTube is better in general

I don't go out of my way to watch (or any TV show) but I'll catch it when its on. Also the car show was way better but it needed Alonso Boden instead of the NBA player, he used to have a funny car review show on too.

I like them both. I really need to catch up with TGUSA.

JK949 wrote: First, it's Adam CARolla. He was in the TGUS pilot but had a scheduling conflict. I dug his show on Speed and listen to his podcasts I've been to a taping of TGUS, everything is scripted including the interviews.

Adam CARolla makes me want to claw my eyes out and shove pencils in my ears to make it go away.

Most recent TGUS was ok... I'm not sure i like the new format.

I'm also pissed that i can't find an XR4Ti for $600. Let alone one that looked as mint as that one.

My wife enjoys it, it's about cars and she enjoys it. I'm happy to watch it with her, cause the alternative is an episode of cupcake wars. It has it's moments where I think it's damn funny. I loved the racing grannies, and the episode with the loosened trailer cracked me right up. If we had to worry about some idiot copying something they saw on TV that was dangerous, we could never have anything fun on TV.

I find it strange that Foust is always driving with his tongue hanging out. He's going to bite that thing off in a rallycross if he isn't careful.

"So anyone still watch Top Gear US?"

Nah, it's sucks, big time ! !

So does that lame show about re-building Mopars. They one where the "mechanics" never seem to ever do any work . . .

TeamEvil wrote: "So anyone still watch Top Gear US?" Nah, it's sucks, big time ! ! So does that lame show about re-building Mopars. They one where the "mechanics" never seem to ever do any work . . .

I'll agree on the first and disagree on the second. On the first, I can say I've watched it, but I can't make it through a whole episode before the need to change the channel hits. As to Graveyard Carz, that is there thing, old Mopars. What I like about it, besides they are damn good at turd polishing, is the way they find out how to get them back on the road. Sure there is a lot of American Chopper-esqe acting going on, but they are also rebuilding cars, not new, chinzy cookie cutter motorcycles.

I watch it, I do get an occasional laugh, but it seems like they are just trying too hard and treat it as too much of a car review show. If you watch TGUK when chosing a car, you're a berkeleying idiot.

Its a comedy with cars thrown into the mix. TGUS isn't that....its more like 5th gear, just with less sense.

FWIW, the (skinny) guy bidding on the Merkur is a member of Corner-Carvers, and he says all the bidding and sales were legit. Rut wanted that car and bought it. He had it shipped home and is now ordering parts for it.