Top Gear on History’s first
leg of Season Three came to an end this week with another challenge-centric
episode that sent the hosts on a three-day, off-road adventure. The plan was for them to trek from Monument Valley
to Moab as the crow flies for one
hundred and thirty miles in various, popular rental cars. However, no company would allow this but BBC Worldwide found a way around that
minor hindrance. The premise was simple
and honest. They had to get from point A
to point B and return the cars with as little damage possible. There was no allusion that they were trying
to prove which was ‘America’s Best Rental Car’ or anything like that. They didn’t have any supercar prize drive for
the winner either. It was just these
guys and the cars in the desert. Easy
peasy, right? Rutledge was saddled with
the subcompact Toyota Yaris. Tanner bombed about in a Lincoln Town Car. While Adam drove a V6 Ford Mustang...aggressively.
“All I got to do: don’t wreck it. Don’t look at me like that. I can do it.” – Adam Ferrara
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| That's not mud. |
None
of these vehicles had any business being driven off asphalt. Then again, this is the same show that took
minivans over the Continental
Divide and Small
Cars into a Louisiana swamp. In an
effort to make the mayhem last longer than a few minutes, minor modifications were
made to the cars. Of course, somebody
cheated and did a bit more to his car than upgrade the wheels/tyres. (See how I didn’t name names but there’s a
link in there, so you know what to do.)
This turned out to be a good thing because one of the cars had to have a
winch in order to tow the other two losers out of sand and/or what wasn’t mud. Oh yes, poo took centre stage on a Top
Gear episode yet again. Quite
frankly it was probably avoidable but I think this production team is
diabolical and I think we love them for it.
“Words cannot fully express the anger I share towards both of you right now.” – Rutledge Wood
The last
time these guys had to camp out in a desert, at least they had some kind of
shelter but not this time. They were
left with nothing but their cars and minor creature comforts. It was funny to watch them set up for the
night, and their questionable sleeping arrangements made them appear to be the
most inept campers on television. They
faced many difficult passages along their journey and made it through by grit,
a bit of skill and sheer, dumb luck. It
was amazing to see how huge the canyons and rock formations were in the
helicopter shots. Especially with the
three moving dots on the vista that carried the cast. Some of these trails were better suited for rock
crawlers, but the guys persevered and it provided some exciting footage. Despite the steep drops and massive boulders,
they managed to have a good time. Talk
about laughing in the face of danger, eh?
“This is Town Car country...country...country!” – Tanner Foust
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| We were in shock and awe at that too, fellas. |
The
final segment looked like nothing but an excuse for wanton destruction at first
but turned out to be very exciting. It
was a lot easier watching the cars in precarious situations without anybody in
them. This was an entertaining episode and
if their goal was to close out 2012 with a bang, then they’ve succeeded. The cast performed well under dire
circumstances and kudos to the crew for toughing it out as well. In its relatively short run, they’ve all been
through a lot together and we can look forward to what else is in store. The rest of Season Three is currently in
production and is set to return in 2013 for a ten episode run. Until then there will be reruns on History Channel, in addition to free
episode views on the show’s website.
All episodes are already available for purchase on iTunes
and Amazon.
* All
photos are from History Channel and Twitter
