Meet the blokes hosting Top Gear in the U.S.
We reported on a press release issued a while back that offered up some details about a forthcoming U.S. version of Top Gear. We learned that along with dropping the laid back and loitering look of the British version’s venue, the U.S. version will get new hosts, as well.
Thanks to Autoblog reader Berto, who noticed some new pics on Top Gear’s website, we can now introduce you to Top Gear America’s team of hosts. The Stig, however, has been imported in order to do the wheel work on the show.
We wish we could give you comprehensive bios on each new host, but all we got are some vagaries about each lug from Top Gear that goes something like this: “Bruno, a professional drag racer with casual tales of crashing at 230mph; John, the super keen jock, blessed with quaint 'sir and m'am' good manners that only Americans can do; and Johnny, a former reality show winner with a nice line in weird humour.”
Perhaps I’m behind on my consumption of reality TV, but which one’s Johnny and what show was he on?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Ian 4:03AM (4/05/2008)
I emailed Discovery Channel with these comments:
I heard this awful rumor that Discovery Channel was going to make an American version of TOP GEAR. I beg of you, look at the other British shows that have been screwed up when the americans took hold of it. IRON CHEF? Men Behaving Badly? It would be a crime to take this STRICTLY BRITISH show and screw it up by putting american presenters on it. I WILL NOT watch it. I WILL BOYCOTT IT. Bring the British version back and leave it to them. They are funny and their American Bashing is no worse then the their own self depricating comments. I promise you will screw it up. LEAVE TOP GEAR ALONE.
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Ian 4:09AM (4/05/2008)
I see a fatal flaw in your assesment of Clarkson. He owns and frequently comments on his Ford GT. He doesnt bash the Americans anymore than he does the French, Australians, Germans, Swedes, Russians or hell the Brits. He is an equall opportunity Critic and its one of the reasons I love the show.
Lets face facts. When he says americans are fat and lazy, he isnt wrong...and when it comes to an American cars...LOL please...Im shocked he would even drive one...I wont.
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Top Oz Gear 11:45PM (3/27/2006)
Clarkson, Hammond, and May are the people who make the show. I wonder how are these American idiots going to introduce "The Stig".Top Gear is a show that is on it own and can not be replaced and unfortunately I am not expecting anything else like it.I think where they will fail is if they try to replicate it.I think the show has to take on its own character just like the UK TG did over the years.TG UK has been around for years and it has evolved to what it is today, over a billion fans world wide watching the show.I will give it a shot to see how it is going to fail if they try to copy the UK TG.
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RJ 11:50PM (3/27/2006)
Ya know, DC did this once before on it's little brother channel, TLC. Anyone remember "Junkyard Wars"? It was called "Scrapheap Challenge" in the UK. I guess the original name wasn't manly enough for US audiences.
The UK version had Robert Llewellyn (Kryten of "Red Dwarf" fame) with Cathy Rogers as co-host starting in the second season followed by Lisa Rogers (no relation to Cathy) starting in the fifth season.
Well, I got hooked on it when TLC just used the UK version for the first season or two that it was shown in the US. Then they decided to Americanize it by moving production to the US (which logistically makes sense) and having an American host in place of Robert, and Cathy. Well, hey, she's the producer, too, so she can do that. Needless to say, the first guy sucked. So bad did he suck that they brought in a new guy for the second US season. He sucked, too. The final insult was how the US show deteriorated to "what can we stick a V8 into this week"? BORING!
The UK version was way better because it had Robert's pithy and witty comments and diverse and interesting projects.
So there you have it; precedent that TG US is going to blow chunks. And if the real reason why DC wants to Americanize TG because of Clarkson's laser-precise digs on Americans and American cars, then DC needs to go to Europe and talk to Joes and Janes off the street whilst driving a proper Euro-spec car. They will get a fast and blunt education. It's not the arguable fact that we are the greatest nation on Earth with which exception is taken. It is our stage front hubris that ticks people off.
The most rueful line Clarkson ever said, IMHO, was "Here we have a book not often seen in America. It's called an atlas."
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Top Oz Gear 11:04PM (3/28/2006)
you know what RJ you are right and points are well taken. But I think with time the show will start taking its own shape and character. I will admit it will never be as good as the UK version because it is something that is not replaceable. But like you said that stupid show Junkyard wars lasted a few years. I hope DC will learn it's lessons and make this TG US a decent show with it's own characters. Also, watching the TG UK show is like a masterpiece and cinematography delight, I don't know if TG US will ever get that.
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Rutty 12:41PM (6/15/2006)
What I enjoyed most about Top Gear (brit version) is the soundtrack and the way they manage to suck you in, and it's entertaining. I have very high doubts that people who are hosting the American Top Gear will be able to convert ordinary cars into amphibious cars. I would doubt that American hosts will be even remotley funny in their analysis of cars. And no audience? Why? It makes so that you feel all the more included. How would Oprah do without an audience? The problem here I think is the money issue. BBC is publicly funded, and has no commercials. But how uptight will GM get if we made fun of their cars? It gives them all the more reason to make one better. And as for Sam (post # 36), what difference between 5.7 and 6? It probably was exactly 5.7 and while advertising the car it was rounded off to 6.
I really hope they can pull this off.
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Carrie 5:26PM (8/16/2006)
This smells of crap. Really they took out everything good about the show...and gave us a bunch of monkeys.
Without Jeremy Clarkson this will seriously suck.
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Joey 2:18AM (8/30/2006)
i want clarkson(who know about cars) and i want the orignal top gear not some crappy american format, with these fat guys, who will only like crap american cars
p.s. fifth gear sucks
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Tom 8:29AM (2/13/2007)
Top Gear USA? Total rubbish!
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Rob 12:04AM (5/16/2007)
Rubbish. I'll change my opinion if they can only manage to get one or two of the three in the original. Say, if Hammond and May can do it but Clarkson is too busy to hop the pond every other month.
I can understand why they wouldn't have him on American Top Gear though, since Clarkson is soooo biased against anything American that he would never like anything we have for him to drive. Most of the good supercars aren't even legal here.
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APK 1:47PM (1/19/2006)
Simple words for this one:
No Clarkson, No Top Gear...
May turn out to be a decent car show but it won't be Top Gear..
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Ed 1:49PM (1/19/2006)
Well, I'll watch it, but they sure do have some mighty large shoes to fill... Somehow I don't think these hosts will be able to get away with a lot of the things that British Top Gear do... And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Clarkson an auto journalist to begin with, giving him instant credibility? Who are these guys on US top gear?
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Dan 1:50PM (1/19/2006)
Bruno, John and Johnny? Give me a break!
The pic of the stereotypical "garage/men's den" set screams "average joe". What idiot is putting this together? The same fools doing "Pinks" on Speed?
Top Gear + Hollywood + Discovery = Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin.
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el-indiano 1:52PM (1/19/2006)
great...all i want is to watch the original top gear in the states and they come up with this crap.
im sure we are going to get track times for all the cheap, american, german want-to-be sedans and hertz rental cars...if thats what you like, then watch motortrend.
whats up with these drivers? one is a reality tv celeb? what does he know about cars.
im sure they are all going to sit around fight about how good their hemi is and how fast there mustang can go in a straight line.
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egs 1:54PM (1/19/2006)
another show ruined by some marketing think tank that spent a month of salaries to give us what they think we want.
all the hit shows have been hits because they were unexpected. who knew Orange county choppers was gonna be a hit? not me, not my mom who watches it more than i do now.
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Travis 1:56PM (1/19/2006)
but we liked the british version, even my gf liked it. *sigh* yet another attempt by an american company to change something to what they think we want...
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Kurt B 1:57PM (1/19/2006)
Sounds.....like.....crap
//Huge Clarkson fan
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Za 2:02PM (1/19/2006)
I refuse! The only American take on a British show that was better than the original was "The Office". However, Ricky Gervais produces the American version as well so the humor is still there; it's just delivered in a more fast paced manner.
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min 2:09PM (1/19/2006)
Part of what makes the BBC version of Top Gear so entertaining is that it's just that, entertainment. It relies hugely on the personalities of the hosts and the frankly "epic" presentation of the cars themselves. If the Discovery version manages the same, it could be fun to watch in it's own right...
I'll watch it too, griping and hating until it wins me over... which it won't. grah!
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Dave 2:10PM (1/19/2006)
Ugh... that doesn't sound promising... I hope they don't blow this one.
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