Adam Carolla Launching "Top Gear USA" Competitor
Published: December 13th, 2010
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Comedian Adam Carolla has been associated with so many efforts to bring Top Gear to the United States, it must have stung him just a little to not be included in the History Channel’s adaptation of the British car show. But instead of getting mad, Carolla decided to get even. With fans of the original Top Gear largely united in their indifference to the Ferrara/Foust/Wood presenter team, Carolla is joining up with several other Top Gear rejects to create a little competition for Top Gear USA. The show is untitled as yet, but according to Variety
Carolla will star along with Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal auto writer Dan Neil, ex-NBA star John Salley and Matt Farah from The Smoking Tire website.Intriguingly, Dan Neil has said that he was rejected as a possible presenter for an early NBC attempt at a Top Gear USA series, because he “had zero chemistry” with Carolla. So, have Dan and Adam been working on their banter in the interim, or will the Speed Channel show’s presenters suffer from the same tepid chemistry as History Channel’s? At least one thing is for certain: because the show is being pitched as a hybrid of Top Gear and Fox Sports Net’s “The Best Damn Sports Show Period,” at least it won’t suffer from the need to remain faithful to a single original series. And, as the world of cars proves again and again, competition breeds excellence. Even if Carolla’s show can’t capture lightning in a bottle, it will keep Top Gear USA from coasting on its name and British-based reputation. That alone seems to make this project worth keeping an eye on.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Top Gear can keep my attention a times but when in comes to scripted dialog, rehearsed skits or amazing drifting demonstations clearly not performed by the hosts... I tune out. I'm guessing Adam's show will be above that. Then a again, they have to appeal to the lowest common demominator.
My problem with this idea is... Adam Carolla. Can he be engaging at times? Sure. But then he just gets childish, and devolves into poop jokes and sexual exploitation. Har Har. If they can keep that garbage out of it, I'll probably watch. If they let it slide down into "Adam Carolla and a couple of other guys" then I'm not interested.
Dan Neil is the best damn automotive writer anywhere today, IMHO of course. I would watch him read the phone book. Not sure if the Adam pairing would work but Dan is a winner. No relations Ymmv
Here is my 2 cents. Keep Rutledge Wood for the southern hick angle, add Tim Allen or Chris Titus as the funny guy since both are well known car freaks, and Jack Baruth to finish it all out. Not really sure how well Jack reacts in front of a camera, but Rutledge, Tim, and Titus aren't frightened into zombies once the camera is turned on to the best of my knowledge. Tanner has been and always will be NOT a camera personality, and Adam may be fine on a stage all alone tellling jokes, but on camera he is just awful, right along with Tanner.