NBC releases details on US version of Top Gear

TinmanMS6

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Television and radio comedian Adam Carolla, champion rally and drift racer Tanner Foust, and TV construction guru Eric Stromer, will lead NBCs pilot of the international smash hit series Top Gear. The production will begin later this week.
Produced by BBC Worldwide America, the U.S. version of the hit franchise will mirror the UK shows irreverent humor and camaraderie between the three presenters, epic races, outrageous stunts and challenges, unique celebrity guest participation and eccentric methods of testing cars.

"This franchise is a proven winner worldwide and the hosting team of Adam, Tanner and Eric that we have brought together for the U.S. version offers a perfect match of humor, insider know-how and priceless track experience," said Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment. "We are going to create a high-powered show that, like the original, will keep viewers in every demographic clutching the edge of their seats."

These three guys will get to drive the worlds most amazing cars, go on incredible road trips and blow stuff up. Its a dirty old job but someone has to do itwhy didnt I get the job?! said Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, TV Sales and Content & Production, BBC Worldwide America.

Jeremy Clarkson, executive producer and host of the UK Top Gear said: This is fantastic news - but how on earth you lot are going to do it on the wrong side of the road Ive no idea.

Adam Carolla

Television and radio personality Adam Carolla is host of the daily, nationally-syndicated radio program The Adam Carolla Show, based out of Los Angeles KLSX 97.1/ FREE FM. With partners Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison, Carolla created Jackhole Industries where he produced and starred in two hit Comedy Central shows, "The Man Show" and "Crank Yankers." Carolla also co-hosted the nationally-syndicated radio program Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky for 10 years, as well as its TV version on MTV. Carolla also recently wrote and starred in the independent, award-winning feature film, The Hammer. In season six of Dancing with the Stars, Adam became the first ever contestant to complete a Paso Doble on a unicycle. Carolla is an avid car collector and owns several classic collectible Lamborghinis, Maseratis, two Ferraris and an Audi S4.

Tanner Foust

Tanner Foust is in high-demand as a stunt driver, with film credits including The Bourne Ultimatum, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and The Dukes of Hazard. Foust is a winning competitor in rally, drift, ice racing and time attack with multiple champion podium placements including the 2007 X Games Rally Champion and 2007 Formula Drift Pro Drift Champion. His varied race experience includes open wheel competition, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb (2002 - 2004), five Ice Racing championships and the 2005 PGT Rally Championship. He also holds class lap records at numerous U.S. road courses in Time Attack. In addition, Foust also hosted Supercars Exposed for the SPEED channel. Fousts car of choice is a tricked-out M3.

Eric Stromer

Eric Stromer, host of the HGTV show "Over Your Head," started life in construction and remodeling houses after a short acting career as a soap opera hunk was abruptly ended by a Styrofoam boulder on the set of Santa Barbara. For 20 years he ran a successful building company before becoming the face of HGTVs hit show. Hes a regular on Adam Carollas nationally-syndicated radio show giving out construction advice, and also appears on TLCs Clean Sweep, NBCs Three Wishes and is a special correspondent for The Insider. Stromer prefers his Camry hybrid.

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Apparently reports of the US version's death were incorrect.

Eric Stromer lost me at "HGTV"...and the Camry hybrid isn't helping either.
 
i think it will be interesting. the hard part will be to treat it as a new show instead of comparing it to the original. they should call it something totally different than Top Gear to help with that.

also if they can't give honest reviews of cars it's going to be super boring
 
I'll watch it, but theres no way in hell they're going to match the UK version.
 
One positive is that I won't have to put up with watching reviews of cars I couldn't buy here, even given the cash. I mean, that Chevy in "Star in a reasonably priced car" makes me green with envy every time!
 
I'd rather hear cat's mating than Carolla's commentary... funny or otherwise.
 
I'll only watch if they used words like "boot" and "bonnet".
 
got a thing for cats eh?

More appealing things come to mind than hearing Carolla's nasally opinion. Dentist drills. Fingernails on a chalkboard. Screaming firetruck sirens.
 
i think it will be interesting. the hard part will be to treat it as a new show instead of comparing it to the original. they should call it something totally different than Top Gear to help with that.

also if they can't give honest reviews of cars it's going to be super boring

I guess calling it Top-Gear gives it instant name recognition. Besides, if they called it something else, people would be saying it rips off topgear.

I'm actually excited for this because Top Gear is the greatest automotive show ever. I just hope it keeps the UK versions high production values, brilliant races and segments, and witty fun banter.

As stated, brutal honesty about the cars is also a must as the UK guys pull no punches if a car is crap. They bury it.
 
One positive is that I won't have to put up with watching reviews of cars I couldn't buy here, even given the cash. I mean, that Chevy in "Star in a reasonably priced car" makes me green with envy every time!

The Suzuki Forenza?

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The Suzuki Forenza?

2004-suzuki-forenza-20040720020240330.jpg

Sarcasm.

The show doesn't have to be the same show as UK Top Gear to be good. It just has to have good hosts that aren't afraid to tear a bad car a new asshole. I'm not convinced it will hit on either of those, but I'm at least going to give it a chance.
 
Im going to have to agree w/ you... I doubt "the network" will let these guys be as opinionated about cars they hate as Clarkson can be sometimes. The networks make way too much money off of car companies advertising dollars to let that happen...
Sarcasm.

The show doesn't have to be the same show as UK Top Gear to be good. It just has to have good hosts that aren't afraid to tear a bad car a new asshole. I'm not convinced it will hit on either of those, but I'm at least going to give it a chance.
 
Oh boy, here comes the demise of the show because americans get to give their take on cars along with australians having their own version too... The reason Top gear was so great was because it is the only 1 of its kind and they had their own track to test the cars properly... This is going to just be another nascrap filled show with lots of "muscle cars"
 
Top Gear USA free to criticize cars at will

When I was a kid there was this terrible car show on television that was sponsored by a certain automaker that shall remain nameless. Every week - that is, every week I could bear to watch it, at least - the hosts would review a car from that company, and guess what? They always liked it! And that's what makes Top Gear such a hit. Because the BBC is publicly-funded, they don't have advertisements. (Notice that downloaded episodes of Top Gear run an actual full hour, instead of the usual "hour-long" shows that run 45 minutes.) Without advertisers, Clarkson and company are free to say what they want about whatever car they're reviewing, and so journalistic integrity remains intact, even as they catapult caravans and play soccer (sorry, "football") with hatchbacks.

With NBC "gearing" up for its own version of the hit car show, reportedly to be called simply "Gear", the fear was that, as the show would be dependent on commercial advertisements, the recently-announced team of co-hosts would be reigned in by the bean-counters regarding what they could and could not say about the cars they'd be reviewing. Thankfully, on a recent episode of his radio talk-show, Adam Carolla revealed that no such limitations would be imposed by NBC on the show's editorial autonomy. You know, this may just work out yet.
 

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