Your host choices for the US Top Gear would have been...?

[CWR]

So, after some weeks of American Top Gear, I'm sure we all have some thoughts. Just like as with anytime it is of no immediate importance to me, or concerning anything I have the least amount of influence over, I have had many brilliant thoughts, nay, epiphanies, on this very subject.

1. Much of TG is voiceovers - you would do well to have hosts who would be good in radio, as the UK hosts could be if they weren't already helming the most popular TV show in the world.

2. Following the sucessful UK formula; one opinionated journalist/outsized personality, one wonk/enthuiast/boffin, one generally enthusiastic guy who's maybe into motorcycles as well. None need to be professional drivers, or even close - that's what the Stig is for.

3. The hosts should be within the realm of affordability for the History Channel/Discovery Network for this theoretical exercise. So Jay Leno? No. Also, because the States are so much larger than the UK, gathering hosts together for 13 episodes is hard enough without disrupting other contractual work for really high demand personalities - logistics are easily overlooked, but when dealing with a landmass like North America it needs to taken into consideration.

Okay, my choices:

Patrick Warburton - voice of Joe on Family Guy, voice of Brock Sampson on The Venture Brothers, Puddy on Seinfeld, etc. Big guy, good voice, can think on his feet - not a lunkhead though he plays one on TV. The Jezzer, I'm thinking. If not him, then Bruce Campbell.

Chris Titus - comedian, car culture enthusiast. Had a short lived sitcom and may soon have another at Fox. Still active in stand-up comedy and hot rodding. Most like James, I guess. If not him, perhaps Tim Allen, although I suspect he wouldn't be affordable. Maybe Ezra Dyer, an Automobile magazine columnist? Have no idea how telegenic he may or may not be.

Alton Brown - TV chef and Food Network's Mr. Wizard hosting "Good Eats", also hosts some Iron Chef show I've never watched. Avid motorcyclist and has been witnessed to drive furrin cars (in deepest Georgia) and hold strong opinions: our Richard, perhaps? An alternate might be Adam Savage. Who may not be affordable. But then mebbe none of these guys are - I'm making uninformed guesses here about finances.

I'm posting this here because of the game's connections with TG UK, BTW, so who would've made good hosts IYHO?

 

[thesrdic]

Have they started broadcasting this over in the states now? I'm in the uk but would still like to give the first few episodes a watch, see whats what. Bit more on topic, Jay Leno would have been a decent host

 

[Gamesta666]

Yep They Started to air this on US television you can find it on Streetfire and history.com. I would Keep Tanner and Rutledge as hosts as they seem to have a good chemistry together when not in the studio Adam Ferrara has to be the worst out of the three and would like to replace him asap with whom is a good question Chris Titus is a good option. Although many would disagree and I am sure will not go for it especially since his small scandal with Ms. Bullock would be Jesse James Not only does he have experiance in fabricating extensive knowledge on bikes their motors etc... He would bring a totally different element to the show through his personallity and background and I think make the show seem more natural. Wow I didn't expect to type this much.

 

[porkchop87]

I think Adam Carolla would have been a good candidate. He needs a gig away from podcasting, and I think his knowledge/love of cars, humour, and personality would have been a better fit. I'm actually surprised I'm the first to suggest him here and on other sites... he's not even considered... I guess he's not PC or family-friendly enough...

 

[Jim Prower]

Leno'd be great, but he'd have to leave NBC...and after the whole "Conan" fiasco, there's quite a few people who don't like him. Rival Letterman might not be bad, either, (owns a race team with Bobby Rahal) but he's got his CBS gig.

Jerry Seinfeld might not be bad...he's not doing much, either. I know he's a car guy, but I don't know how good he'd be in that sort of role as an automotive journalist.

 

[CWR]

There was an earlier attempt at a US TG a few years ago, and Adam was one of the hosts along with Tanner. I actually thought that's what this US version was about this time around.

From the WikiPedia page:

NBC announced it ordered a pilot episode for an American version of Top Gear, to be produced by BBC Worldwide America.[59] The pilot, filmed in June 2008, was presented by television and radio host Adam Carolla, stunt driver Tanner Foust, and television carpenter Eric Stromer.[60] However, following the failure of a car-themed drama, NBC did not place the programme on its schedule, indicating it planned to hold it as a spring/summer (2009) season replacement.[61] Eventually, NBC dropped the show. In a February 2010 appearance in Australia, Jeremy Clarkson commented that the U.S. version of the show had been "canned".

I'm pretty sure that episode is out there somewhere, maybe even legitimately

Also hafta consider that the personalities don't overwhelm the show. I didn't mention Mike Rowe - not because he wouldn't be great, but because he's already advertising for Ford (conflict of interests) and that Dirty Jobs already drags him all over the whole country and according to a recent special he has severe insomnia as a result.

One thing to look out for, and this holds true for the actual show, is reality show "drama creep". That's when the manufactured drama content of any show that's remotely 'reality-based' creeps skyward until it blots out the sun. Overhaulin', Mythbusters, and Dirty Jobs are all good examples of keeping manufactured drama out of the equation.

 

[Adamgp]

I read Adam Carolla is getting his own show on Speed anyway as a rival to TG US.

Tim Allen would be good. A car guy and was (maybe still is) a race team owner. He is rumored as a possible replacement for Steve Carell on the office, if that happens he'll probably be out.

Leno would be awesome, but he won't leave his show.

I don't think the TG US trio is that bad, they need a year or so to build a camraderie.

 

[lpb-nissan-gt-r]

Derek D. he makes me enjoy Fastlanedaily

 

[astrosdude91]

^Nice choice with Derek D!

The biggest problem I have with US TG is that the presenters in my opinion really don't know what they are talking about. The presenters on the UK version all have entensive backgrounds in journalism. That is what the US version needs.

My suggestions would be:

Leo Parente- Does the motorsports news on FLD. If you've ever watched him, you should be convinced that he sure knows what he is talking about.

Bob Varsha- One of three commentators of SPEED Channel's coverage of the Formula One Season. He would be a good choice if he ever left SPEED.

 

[Jim Prower]

Derek D. he makes me enjoy Fastlanedaily

I actually unsubscribed when he left for a couple weeks at the beginning of the year. X3

 

[vfrmaverick]

Its not that bad guys. At first i though adam would be the end of the show but he's the one i like the most. I just wish 2 of the 3 could do their own stunts.

 

[astrosdude91]

Its not that bad guys. At first i though adam would be the end of the show but he's the one i like the most. I just wish 2 of the 3 could do their own stunts.

Yeah, with the exception of Tanner for obvious reasons, Adam and Widgler really can't drive for beans.

 

[Danoff]

I think Adam Carolla would have been a good candidate. He needs a gig away from podcasting, and I think his knowledge/love of cars, humour, and personality would have been a better fit. I'm actually surprised I'm the first to suggest him here and on other sites... he's not even considered... I guess he's not PC or family-friendly enough...

He actually was part of the pilot for the US TG on network television. The pilot just didn't get picked up. He was just part of the wrong pitch.

 

[CWR]

If anyone saw the 60 Minutes piece on Top Gear and it's UK hosts, you'll remember why they made Stig a non-speaking character. If you didn't see it, let's be charitable and say that when you spend a major portion of your life becoming great at something (like racing) sometimes other skills fall by the wayside (like public speaking).

I really like Tanner...but there is an grain of truth to this in his case. Like many that have dedicated their lives to sport, he's kinda flat. Some of the reason that many choose physical based occupations and hobbies is the avoidance of the sort of boring mental pursuits like reading, memorization and speaking that can make a good presenter or host.

Adam is pretty good at the presentation part of the job, but if you're choosing a comedian for this show, why would you choose one identified with the part of the nation that jokingly sees all cars as taxicabs?

Rutledge is...well, he doesn't seem very at ease in front of the camera. He has the knowledge, presumably, but has the least professional presentation of the three - strangely enough, he reminds me of Seth Rogan. He has, as the old joke goes, a face made for radio - but not the voice.

Conan O'Brien was pretty raw when he first started hosting, but he's grown tremendously over the years - unfortunately, all 3 hosts have already been on TV for varying amounts of time - it's unlikely any of them will develop as hosts to any great degree.

But it could still work - I'm certainly no authority.

 

[rampageturke]

Why has nobody said Jay Leno yet?

 

[CWR]

Why has nobody said Jay Leno yet?

Read the first post - Discovery/History couldn't afford him, and anybody who's too big a name isn't going to be dragged around the country for a cable show...

 

[mike46and2]

I think Adam Carolla would have been a good candidate. He needs a gig away from podcasting, and I think his knowledge/love of cars, humour, and personality would have been a better fit. I'm actually surprised I'm the first to suggest him here and on other sites... he's not even considered... I guess he's not PC or family-friendly enough...

One more vote for Ace!

 

[niky]

Interestingly... for at least two of the three hosts of TGUSA, I agree with the threadstarter... Chris Titus and Alton Brown would be perfect as hosts on TGUSA. Not because of any similarity they have to any current TGUK hosts, but because they can stand well enough on their own merits.

Adam Savage... I disagree that he would cost too much. He would be nice, but you'd then have three balding, blondish snarky guys. Don't know if that would make for good chemistry. So it would have to be only one of the three.

Warburton is an interesting choice for a "straight man" to play against Titus.

For a third: It's too tempting to say Jay Leno... but I don't think he'd work in this format.

Know what? Let's go with someone relatively unknown... one of the online auto-journos, even... give them screen tests to see if they have the speaking wit to match their writing.

 

[mafia_boy]

I will throw someone who is an avid collector of cars and loves all things fast and making sure you drive your beast right.

That person, is Bill Goldberg!!

Already the host of TV show/car race, BULLRUN, he's also loves his classic American muscle and loves talking about cars all the time. Not to mention, if the other hosts give him any lip, he can always give them the "jackhammer" move he used to do in wrestling.

 

[vfrmaverick]

What about jerry seinfeld?

 

[CWR]

Just happened across this video of Ace interviewing Chris Titus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0PUuuZg7gU&feature=channel

I guess age has to be considered as well - unfortunately it's a barrier that Jer and James are running hard up against, and Richard has had some horrific injuries on the show that have probably aged him a little prematurely. Tim Allen, Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld (certainly David Letterman) are all getting a little long in the tooth for what can be at times an intensely physical show. One of my favorite automotive journalists, Jamie Kitman, went unnominated for this reason - I saw him on a Porsche ad the other day and he didn't look as old as I had thought he would, but that doesn't mean he'd be up for the physical parts of hosting TG.

If we go too far the other way, with Bill Goldberg and his towering strength...well, you're just remaking American Chopper.

 

[raz_10]

The guy from Gears (Stacey David) will be better than that Ferrara guy! He is on the annoying side!
But he is more of a tech guy but anything will be better than Ferrara

 

[eSZee]

The fat ogre dude has to go. He is awful.

 

[YSSMAN]

Really? I like Mr. Wood the most out of the three, I would be happy to see him stay and the other two go. If I had it my way...

1. Adam Corolla - A man's man, knows a ridiculous amount of information about cars, has an incredible love-affair with Nissans, and was the original first choice for an American Top Gear. Hey History, let's make this happen! Obviously, he would be the Jeremy Clarkson type character here.
2. Patrick Dempsy - Sure, he's a pretty boy, but he knows his way around a car or two. The man has raced in America, he's raced in Europe, he knows what he is doing. He would arguably be the Richard Hammond of the group.
3. Alton Brown - As the James May type of character, I think Mr. Brown could easily be the most-lovable of the bunch. The guy is amazing on the Food Network, it is my understanding that he is amazing to hear in person, and I think he could do well to teach us about the finer things in motoring. Almost like that My Classic Car kind of thing, but you know, without the crazy mustache.

 

[Tornado]

Jerry Seinfeld might not be bad...he's not doing much, either. I know he's a car guy, but I don't know how good he'd be in that sort of role as an automotive journalist.

Just an FYI, but he has written a couple editorials for Automobile. Now, they were all about Porsches of course, but still. I think he did a Carrera GT review for them as well.




I like a Bruce Campbell, Adam Corolla and Alton Brown combo.

 

[Adamgp]

Nobody seemed to notice my earlier post. Adam Carolla is getting his own show, "Best Damn Car Show" on Speed.

http://jalopnik.com/5713073/adam-carollas-best-damn-car-show-to-take-on-top-gear-usa

 

[CWR]

I noticed - it's good news for us (and him) but for this thread it just means one less possible host.

 

[CWR]

Just an FYI, but he has written a couple editorials for Automobile. Now, they were all about Porsches of course, but still. I think he did a Carrera GT review for them as well.
I like a Bruce Campbell, Adam Corolla and Alton Brown combo.

With Adam getting his own show, maybe a Bruce Campbell, Chris Titus and Alton Brown combo would be the best bet. I have to research some of the people suggested before saying for sure - when suggesting someone new in this thread, consider providing a brief career synopsis, an IMDB link or just a picture to jog reader's memories...kinda pitch your choices, y'know?

 

[CDailey]

I think Alton Brown would be a great host as well. I like Tanner and I like Rutledge. Adam Ferrara has his moments, but I like him the least. I've seen his stand up on Comedy Central Presents and he's not that funny either.

 

[eSZee]

Really? I like Mr. Wood the most out of the three, I would be happy to see him stay and the other two go. If I had it my way...

1. Adam Corolla - A man's man, knows a ridiculous amount of information about cars, has an incredible love-affair with Nissans, and was the original first choice for an American Top Gear. Hey History, let's make this happen! Obviously, he would be the Jeremy Clarkson type character here.
2. Patrick Dempsy - Sure, he's a pretty boy, but he knows his way around a car or two. The man has raced in America, he's raced in Europe, he knows what he is doing. He would arguably be the Richard Hammond of the group.
3. Alton Brown - As the James May type of character, I think Mr. Brown could easily be the most-lovable of the bunch. The guy is amazing on the Food Network, it is my understanding that he is amazing to hear in person, and I think he could do well to teach us about the finer things in motoring. Almost like that My Classic Car kind of thing, but you know, without the crazy mustache.

He's awkward, not funny, talentless, and a nerdy, geeky, fad following monkey. He's seems like one of those guys at the local car meets who thinks he knows everything and tells you your car is crap, while driving a stock Camry. I see 0 reason why he's on the show other than his stint with speed channel and nascar. I understand why they chose Tanner. He's an actual racer and has a good presence in front of the camera. Adam is somewhat funny, he's a guy's guy and is supposed to be a tough new yorker sort of deal. The current hosts will not work out. I don't see it happening. Neither will the show as all I've seen so far is straight out of the original TG.
How dare you speak ill of Dennis' mustache?