Just when you thought it was safe not to watch an American bastardization of the UK's famously infamous Top Gear TV show, NBC and the BBC are proud to announce that they've put the defanged version into production. What's more (or significantly less), they've also revealed the final lineup: radio funny guy Adam Carolla, drift king Tanner Foust and TV construction guru Eric Stromer [pictured]. While we understand that Stromer has better abs than the nets' first choice, ace auto scribe Dan Neil, calling the failed soap opera star a car guy is like calling Vlad the Impaler a genial party host. To wit: "He’s a regular on Adam Carolla’s nationally-syndicated radio show giving out construction advice, and also appears on TLC’s “Clean Sweep,” NBC’s “Three Wishes” and is a special correspondent for “The Insider.” Stromer prefers his Camry hybrid." To… what? No, don't answer that. Please. But don't worry: there won't be any "real" car reviews. The press release says the hosts will simply "drive the world’s most amazing cars, go on incredible road trips and blow stuff up." We can hardly wait. Oh wait; we can. [Fair disclosure: I applied for the job– and fell down.]
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It’s a winner with the hosts that make the show, Clarkson, Hammond and May.
It’s not Top Gear any other way.
Automotive Televisual Montparnasse.
So which of these is calculated to attract a female audience?
Faust already has his own “drive expensive cars like a maniac show”, Supercars Exposed on SPEED. And he’s certainly good at showing off, but I haven’t heard him ever say a single negative thing about what he’s driving.
Carolla’s the only one of these douches who would actually tell it like it is, ASSUMING he’s allowed to, which I doubt he will.
This doesn’t bode well.
In the meantime, I’ll just sit back and enjoy the eleventh series of Top Gear UK, soon to be broadcast!
I’ve already read about one stunt to be broadcast (SPOILERS):
Jeremy Clarkson in the Nissan GT-R Vs the Shinkasen Bullet train
(SPOILERS END)
I can’t wait! ^_^
Katie do you know how big and heavy and un-fuel efficent the GT-R is?
DrBrian,
Yes I do, but what has that got to do with this post? Or more accurately, MY post?
It looks like it’ll flop – normally the copy never meets the expectations of the original anyway. Neither of those hosts are the level of enthusiasts that the original. With Jay Leno – that would be a good start.
But Adam Corolla? Yes he was funny on “The Man Show” but he also had a heavy hitter of Jimmy Kimmel keeping his career alive. Now a drifter (questionable) and eye candy construction buff (FAIL). The only thing that could make it survie is if the synergy of their personalities can make up for the lack of passion and knowledge.
Top Gear UK is so successful b/c of a trio of varying comedic and knowledgeable personalities. Clarkson is well to UK to car lovers as Hershey’s is to chocolate. He’s brash, witty and careless. Hamster is well – their crash test dummy and often does the tests the others won’t do (youth – and concept of immortality go hand in hand) – and James works well in the mix b/c of his entirely different viewpoint. Then we add in the Stig – to the point racing driver – results are all that matters – not a bunch of puffery.
The Top Gear team we all know and love had to start somewhere too… give these guys a few years to gel.
It’s the content I’d worry about. Top Gear UK started as a car review show with the occasional funny stunt, and they slowly adjusted their content to match what people enjoyed. This new show is trying to forgoing the whole car show thing and skipping straight to the fluff. It’s going to be hard to take that seriously.
I’ve said it before, but I think the US version can (no guarantee) be good. I’ve been a British TG fan for years, and even terrible cars have something positive said about them (BMW 1-series).
Take the comparison between the RX-8 vs. Audi TT vs. Alfa Brera last season. It was brilliant! Everyone got their shots in, but I seriously doubt that Mazda, Audi, or Alfa would object to the content.
Top Gear (entertainment) has little to do with automotive journalism (information). Clarkson has said it before, there hasn’t been a single fact included in Top Gear since Jason Dawe left. And it’s gotten much better since.
“And today we’ll be testing Chevrolet’s revolutionary new Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid with the Chevrolet GreenPower ™ drive against Ford’s world beating Ford Excursion Henry Ford anniversary edition with the FordStrong ™ engine, but first a word from our sponsors”.
Count me out. They probably won’t have any tigers chasing badgers either.
sitting@home
You forgot to mention segment regarding the class-leading Sebring that runs on $2.99 Chrysis Gasoline ™.
sean362880,
I wouldn’t put too much faith in Jason Dawe. From every review or interview I’ve seen with this guy, he knows approximately jack about cars.
I remember once I saw him driving a Toyota Prius and he said (paraphrasing) “This particular model has a manual gearbox….”
That’s amazing, considering that model (2nd generation) doesn’t come with a manual gearbox!
If any facts are to be garnered from Top Gear UK, it’ll be from Captain Slow.
He does know a thing or two about cars…..
In fact, all three know their stuff about cars. It’s just they decided to deliver what people wanted. Let’s face it, car shows are ten a penny. For Top Gear to take an enthusiast’s topic and make it mainstream worldwide…..
That’s some feat!
Incidentally, listen to their reviews again, they do include stats and facts about the cars. It’s just the cars they drive aren’t relevant to normal folk and that’s one bug bear I have about Top Gear UK.
Dan Neil would have been perfect. He’s way better-looking than Stromer, 100 times as funny and a thousand times as smart. We’ve shared enough cars on the dreaded press junkets that I know he’s a better driver than Clarkson, too.
The world already has Top Gear, why do we need a bootleg of it? The hosts make the show what it is, without Clarkson, May and Hammond it simply isn’t Top Gear.
It would be like Car Talk without Tom and Ray, without them it’s nothing. People tune into that show on NPR because of Tom and Ray.
As much a I love Adam Carolla (and he’s a real piston head) – no way this thing will fly on US commercial television. Ad dollars will either crush the content or leave the show hanging.
But I wonder about Showtime or HBO…
What the hell is wrong with showing the BBC Top Gear, unedited, in the United States? It would be a smash hit.
I agree with altoids, Spike TV or a premium channel like HBO could make Top Gear big.
NBC, not so much.
Katie –
My point was that British TG hasn’t focused on the practical side of buying cars in some time. The presenters are all heavily opinionated, but it’s not their job to evaluate cars for buying purposes, the way Farago does in a review, or even the way Clarkson does in the Times.
Top Gear is about a bloke-ish viewpoint on life, and the content is at least 90% entertainment. That’s why I think US Top gear still has potential.
As an aside, Andy Wilman (producer) wrote a great piece on US/Australian versions of the show.
http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/127-tgtv-updates-the-foreign-editions/
Actually Clarkson seems to make a game of his print reviews, spinning wild, metaphoric non-sequiturs for eight tenths of the review, and then mentioning the car in passing at the end. As wanks go, they are somewhat entertaining, but mostly uninformative.
The Clarkson formula is two parts obscurity, two parts irrelevance, two parts outrageous opinion (not about the car of course), two parts humour, one part review and a summation of varying impact.
It definitely works if I am in the mood, but I have frequently cursed his self indulgence.
I hope they at least think about using Dan Neil as a script writer. I just read his Pontiac G8 review in the LA Times and it’s the only review of it I’ve read that 1) didn’t sound like a press release regurgitation and 2) was entertaining without sounding forced.
Too bad Leno didn’t want the job; he’s a genuine gearhead and he’s genuinely funny. His stature would have attracted a wider (‘casual’ i/o ‘gearhead’) audience, and I think he could have made the show a hit.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Carolla-hater. I’ve laughed myself sick at some of the bombs Adam Carolla used to drop on “The Man Show” and back when he was the foil to Dr. Drew’s straight man on “Loveline.”
But cable TV and syndicated radio can take a lot of risks that network TV won’t tolerate, and I haven’t seen Carolla succeed with the tamed-down (and dumbed-down) content that the networks permit.
On the positive side, maybe they’ll bring the audience into the act. I’d spin the Wheel of Destiny for a chance at a prepaid 1-year Gallardo lease…unless the other option was smoking a bowl of Adam’s ass hair, as it was on “The Man Show.”
Sometimes, maybe tamer is better after all…
Torrents and Google are your friends, people. UK Top Gear is easily found and downloaded.
I also recommend The Apprentice (UK), The F Word, and River Cottage.
Well I can hardly wait for this. I think I’ll go do a Snoopy dance.
Off topic:
Other good UK TV shows are:
Jonathan Creek
Peep Show
Derren Brown
Derren Brown is particularly good. He played Russian Roulette live on TV…..
its not going to be UK-TG good. but im sure its going to be infinitely better than “Two Guys Garage” or “MotorWeek TV”. Even if US-TG doesnt do one honest review they can still have a hugely popular and entertaining show.
There are plenty of products besides cars that will hit well with the target demographic so if they simply do not take any auto related ads they might be able to get away with more then we think.
Per Andy Wilman’s column:
“So we’re looking for that elusive third person, and the relationship is everything.”
Exactly what Contractor McBeefcake brings to the relationship is anyone’s guess…
yournamehere:
They could run auto-related ads, as long as they aren’t for OEMs. Motor oil, insurance, satellite radio and the like wouldn’t stand to lose face if (when?) the hosts lambaste the Aveo, for instance.
tom – very true. there is plenty of people that would love to get in on it. the show is a hit already and its not even really televised here. NBC has a chance to score a gigantic bulls-eye with this show. i think the idea that they need to understand is…dont try and copy the UK-TG. keep the ideals in mind but do there own thing.
In my mind, the American show Gear looks to have all the hallmarks of Top Gear series 8 and 9 in which the boys were more worried about being on the “cutting edge of cocking about” than actual cars. Of course, this was a deliberate grab at ratings. And they hated it. So series 10 saw a return to roots as it were. In this view, I’m sure Gear will be a commercial success despite being a betrayal to the essence of Top Gear.
Why do I think this is going to end being ‘Jackass’ meets ‘UK Top Gear’.
What a joke this is going to be.
Can’t wait to see who’s gonna play The Stig.
Morons.