Top Gear Segment Idea Winner
October 15, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
About a month ago we asked you to come up with an idea for a Top Gear Australia segment. With the show already under way and the second season confirmed, ideas came in hard and fast.
It’s our pleasure to announces that the winner of our Top Gear Australia segment is Nicholas with the following idea:
The Backpacker Challenge
Each presenter is landed in Cairns with a small budget, let’s say $2000 each. You’ve gotta buy the best bang for your buck as to what you think a backpacker needs for their travels. The eventual aim is that presenter and car have to make it down the coast to Brisbane in one piece after completing a number of challenges.
Namely: The hitchhiker help out – pick up a specially positioned fellow backpacker with their awkward load of luggage (some for the surf, others might have bikes etc).
The 2 minute break-in challenge – backpackers carry their life around in their cars, how easy is it for a would-be thief to get in there.
The all-terrain challenge – how well do your backpack mobiles stand up to a rough gravel shortcut? These vehicles are taken across country for the most direct route between towns.
Home away from home – with just your trusty sleeping bag, how many hours of comfortably sleep can each presenter get before having to get out of their car?
Once in Brisbane count points for breakdowns, fuel economy and how much you could re-sell the car for on the secondhand market.
Nicholas wil recieve a Top Gear shirt and bag curtoesy of SBS and Top Gear Austraila.
Print it: 
*****PRIMO!***** [F-O is back! :-) ]
My idea for T/G is to AXE the show.
Its useless, a poor copy at best.
Rather watch early repeats of the genuine show.
Its not really a car “test” show is it? Its really about guys getting together and doing silly things with cars…
I like to see say Falcon glovebox -v- Commodore glovebox!
That could just be me though?
Cheers
F-0
Like the challenge.
BTW; I cannot believe they have confirmed a second season in the face of the predominantly negative response. I hope to heaven they have dumped Cox.
Cheers guys. Let’s hope this idea pops up in season 2.
I do agree that the real issue is a lack of outcomes and telling it how you see it.
Nobody likes everything Clarkson says, he rubbishes some of the most popular makes, but people respect that he doesn’t sit on the fence and say yes, it doesn’t matter whether you buy the R8 or the F6 they’re both great… Simple, here’s $70k, Charlie, Steve, what would you buy yourself?
I call recount.. How many posts from this Nicholos? Less than 5 i bet…
Anyway i would probably be embaressed to wear this in public at the moment…
Not that i’m bitter or nuffink. LOL
Brett: Predominantly negative response?
The first episode was pretty crap, but the last one was heaps better and is starting to get somewhere. Remember the producers have probably seen all the segments for the rest of the season and were probably impressed enough to sign it up again. The studio stuff needs serious work but that is a small part of the show.
You can’t expect 3 guys to come together and have the chemistry that TGUK have after 11 seasons. TGUK season 1 and season 2 were pretty average, yet it was given a chance. Pull yer heads in and give these guys a chance too.
Read the blogs; its pretty obvious there are more critics than supporters.
I just don’t buy view that TGA should be given time; the producers must have known that TGA would be compared to TGUK and therefore the standard that they had to meet. Anything shortfall was bound to attract criticism. If they couldn’t get TGA right off the bat they shouldn’t have done it.
At this point I think they are devaluing the whole TG brand; which is a shame.
soooo….I guess that “a reasonably priced tart in a reasonably priced car” didnt win? cruel…very cruel. now we will be stuck with faded wannabees and neverwazzas.
Brett, I’m glad you are here to protect TG’s brand image, because if not you, then who will? Don’t worry I’m sure they are capable of looking after their own interests.
You are however entitled to your opinion, but we all must agree that what is said in blogs and forums isn’t that important to anyone but ourselves, especially anonymous forums. TG producers are not monitoring blogs slavishly to see if people like their show. They just care about TV ratings, because that is all that advertisers are interested in.
Aussies are renowed for cutting everything down, anyway, but the proof is in the pudding.
It reminds me of when Homer becomes a food critic. People suddenly think they know everthing and that their opinion is sound.
My opinion is that the show is good and getting better. I certainly have enjoyed watching it. It is about entertainment after all. It is about the sights and sounds of cars. And TGA brings me all that.
Top Gear Australia has lots of potential but I think they just have the wrong hosts. Steve and Charlie have to go.
Steve needs to go first. He claims to be a drift driver but can’t even drift the CLK Black in any decent fashion, no sh!t you turn off the ESP, even a pimply faced teenager in Dad’s Commodore knows that you twat. I think nearly every Australian male who watches the show thinks they could drift better than him. They should get someone with personality like Russell Ingall to replace him.
Charlie sounds like he is trying pass a watermelon every time he speaks and is a try hard Clarkson. I got no idea who he is but I don’t think I will ever know because he is clearly not being himself.
Warren is the only reason I watch the show because he is being himself, the other hosts try and pin him as the stereo typical captain slow but he is the only one being himself. His segment on the X6 was entertaining and funny and in some ways presented a real view of what the X6 would be like to own. I was actually laughing rather than screwing up my face in disgust when the other two fools are on screen.
Shut your whinge holes… I think the Aussie Top Gear is good. You can see eat episode they are improving as presenters, the first one was ordinary, but I see potential
As long as they keep it a Toyota free zone I’ll be happy.LOL.
You poor bloke having to drive with your eyes closed to Avoid the 15% of cars on the road…
the horror the horror..
Wow TP – you back dude.
Havn’t seen it sadly, I’d love a laugh. There are a few episodes excerps on utube.
Come on Guys give it time next series will be better no doubts.
I have to agree with Tony, except that Charlie has to go first. At least Steve is entertaining (even if you are only laughing at him).
Charlie is just annoying. And for god’s sake would someone teach him how to talk to the guests? He’s been lucky so far because the guests have been willing to run the interview for him.
I’m not saying that I think it should be canceled or anything, just that the casting was a bit off. Or maybe it’s the directors/producers/whoever it is who are trying to make them be TGUK.
Also I have to agree that they really need to man up and give an opinion. Warren seems to be the only one doing so (I’m thinking mainly of the Maybach and when he said he doesn’t get soft roaders). Even Steve seemed half hearted in his criticism of the Black, like he wanted to say it was bad but was trying to be ‘nice’ about it.
Oh and one more thing, did anyone else cringe terribly at that high five at the end of the last show?
Coming from England and growing up hearing alot of Australian stereotypes, does anybody else agree that the three of them are just a little too classic-australian-stereotype? The accent, the “cursing”, the way they talk to each other. Its all a bit of a put off really. I also cant believe they’ve confirmed a second series, especially considering the ratings and the fact that their not very funny. Cant they just leave it alone? Alot of Australians didnt like the idea of the Americans doing Kath & Kim, imagine how the English feel with this! SBS, GET MORE UK TOP GEAR!
Bloody hell Alex you’re risking your nexk daring to say Aussies are like err Aussies, I’d stick ti TGUK if I were you. If you really want them to be “more English” then it wouldn’t be TGA would it??
sorry ‘neck’
I’ll sack that bloody typist.
Some of you guy obivously dont know how to use a remote
Russian version of Top Gear
Im sorry Cupid Stunt aka No Name, I just always assumed stereotypes werent usually true. In my time in Australia, I have met very few stereotypical Australians, but thats probably just because of the groups I hang out in. Let it be known that I dont want them to be more english, (I already think theyre trying to hard to be Clarkson, Hammond and May more than themselves) I just wish they were a little less typical is all.
All those who want the show axed, how about you just switch the channel?
It lacks quality but I can easily sit through an entire episode and be entertained.
Guys – I guess to summarise :)
Is TGA stacking up to the BBC version – OF COURSE NOT.
Are the presenters good? Not really. The Clarkson wantobe has the worse sounding TV voice ive heard and cant not interview people to save his life…
Has the show got potential? Of course it does
Is the show entertaining? YES.. I watch it… what else is on Monday nights?
I guess, I agree with 99% of the criticism, but will continue to watch it in the hope it DOES improve…
JamesF
here here
Give the show a chance,
Aussies are such critics.
It takes guts, determination, hard work, and a belief to create this show, starting from nothing a year ago. It takes even more effort to get up in front of the audience every week and do your best, knowing that comparisons to the 11 season old UK show are inevitable.
However, it takes only a small mind, the safety of an anonymous login and a keyboard to demand TGA’s removal because it not up to “your” personal standards.
forgive me, I dont remember any of these armchair warrior critics lifting a finger to try to make something themselves…
Try to actually make something istead of tearing someone elses dream down, you might be suprised how much work it actally requires.
I might be a little too late to win this comp, but I just had an epiphany for a new segment;
Antique of the Week
Each week they discuss a “classic” car from a bygone era and talk about the things that made it [in]famous.
It would also provide a great opportunity for some car enthusiasts from car clubs all over the country to showcase the result of their unwavering passion and elbow grease.
I’d like to see them start with an acknowledged classic like the Citroen ID (DS to many).
From a marketing perspective, I think it would appeal to the demographic of the audience (judging by what I can see in their studio audience), not to mention one of their major sponsors; Shanons.