One of the many questions Colby was asking over Twitter during this week's episode is whether viewers thought the cameras should show more of what goes on at the house, or if more time on the show should be spent focusing on the range. Based on the responses Colby was getting and retweeting, I thought I would take a look at how well Top Shot divides its screen time between the two locales, and how the show would change if there was more or less emphasis placed on either.
I would argue Top Shot, right now, is serving a happy medium between the time spent at the house and that spent on the range. I realize it is a bit of a cop-out to not really criticize the show, but let's look at the structure of the show. Episodes always begin back at the house, but this time is brief. It shows the contestants nailing the targets to the wall and maybe a little time with the team that lost the previous challenge as they discuss how they can rebound in the next challenge. Then its off to the range for a little banter with Colby, and then practicing with that week's weapon. There's a brief visit back at the house as the teams gear up for the challenge, then its off to shooting again. As, I'm writing this, even I'm getting a little bored, so I'm going to assume you know the rest without me picking through it.
What I'm trying to say is the show has a good balance between seeing what happens in the house and what happens on the range. The house portions of the show are necessary for the audience to gain a better understanding of the team dynamics. And even for the parts that end up being shown from the house, there is still so much that is cut out. I'm thinking specifically of Season 2 where we didn't find out until the epilogue episode about the secret alliance that had been in place for the majority of the season, and that there was an awesome Nerf gun showdown that went on in the house. This shows that there really isn't anything being shown in the house bits that isn't critical to helping the audience understand the progression of the contest.
Think of it this way: In the current season the main theme has been the fractured blue team. If the house portions of the show were cut out, it would be a lot harder to understand why the blue team was having a hard time pulling themselves together. If the only vantage the audience was shown was the practice and the challenge there would be a pretty big disconnect that the audience would have to reconcile. Blue team is full of talented shooters, and on the practice range they have shown their prowess in being able to adapt to different weapons. However there is a big difference between a practice session and pressure filled challenges, which is where things have been falling apart for the blue team. The time spent at the house helps give a better understanding for why the are not functioning as a team, and more importantly helps the audience better understand the decision making process among contestants when teams are sent to the elimination range.
At the same time cutting down on the time spent showing the shooting would be disingenuous to the shows nature. This is a competition show, and while it is good to see how the competitors operate, cutting back on the competition parts would sacrifice what most of the audience is tuning in for. I for one, cannot get enough exploding targets, fast paced shooting, and close contests that often get "All tied up!"
In addition we also have enough cutaways to the one-on-ones with contestants that help give a better idea for how they feel about the challenges, their performance, and the performances of their teammates.
Overall, Top Shot continues to hold its competition and its contestants in the highest integrity. It is the rare reality show that has not fully succumb to the temptation of focusing solely on the drama between the contestants. Instead, it keeps the drama where it belongs, on the intense competition displayed each week.
So what do you like more, home, or the range? Hit the comments and let me know.
Come back tomorrow for this week's edition of Talkin' 'bout.
Follow me on Twitter @cswiets
Showing posts with label Friday Surprise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friday Surprise. Show all posts
Friday, March 9, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday Surprise: Taking a Look at Top Guns
I've started to establish (what I hope is) a pretty good posting schedule, but schedules are boring, especially if I'm posting the same thing each week. So each Friday I'll try and shake things up a little bit by posting something a little outside the box. Last week I mapped out what an All-Star season of Top Shot might look like. This week, I'm taking a look at the H2 spin-off series, Top Guns.
Top Guns is not so much a competition show as is it an exhibition show.
Think (British) Top Gear where they go around and just drive cars.
Instead of hitting the road, Colby, an expert and a marksman hit the
range and test out a variety of weapons, all with a similar theme.
I originally considered making Top Guns a part of my regular recapping duties, however the show doesn't add much to understanding Top Shot beyond the weapons, not that that is a bad thing. What it does though, is make Top Guns a very casual show, perhaps the most casual show in reality TV currently on the air. This doesn't mean Top Guns isn't exciting, or boring, in fact it's quite interesting. On Top Shot Colby can only give the contestants (and in turn the audience) a bare-bones description and background of the weapon. Top Guns goes deeper giving a more fleshed out history of the weapon, accompanied with footage of the weapon in practical use, not just on the range.
For this post I caught up with the first three episodes of the series and there were few things that stuck out to me right away. The first was that there was no direct mention of this show's connection to Top Shot until episode three, which featured Season 2 contestants Chris Reed and Jay Lim. However, the first two episodes both featured experts regularly featured on the show, and past contestants as the featured marksmen. Now, this is a separate show, but I was surprised that they didn't even mention it in the opening dialogue of the first episode that this was an offshoot of Top Shot.
The next thing is how loose this show feels. Sure, there is a basic structure to the program. First Colby introduces the three guns being tested then brings out the expert, and finally the marksman. Then he sends them to the range to test the guns one at a time. After testing each one, Colby gets a turn firing off a few rounds, before each shooter chooses a weapon, and they have a "friendly shoot-off."But from there it has a much less scripted feel than Top Shot.
On Top Shot the contestants are told exactly what to do, but on Top Guns, when the expert and the marksman are sent to the range, they have some freedom to play around. Top Guns clearly has a lower budget than Top Shot, there are no exploding targets and you can often see where entry points have been taped over on a target rather than replacing it. This is bare-bones shooting. Paper targets at varying distances. Again, this isn't a bad thing, the show has a very calm pace to it. No one's running around or rushing to see what the thing they need to do next is. The past contestants seem to enjoy themselves more here with the weight of competing off their shoulders.
The choice of marksman so far has been interesting. The first episode featured Mike Seeklander, the first contestant ever eliminated from Top Shot. It may seem like an odd choice, but they don't just pick random people to compete on Top Shot. Even the contestants who are eliminated early have come from impressive backgrounds to get them into the competition. However, Seeklander was bested by Colby in the shoot-off, so maybe this guy just doesn't perform too well in front of a camera. The second episode featured the return of Season 2's Jamie Franks, someone I mentioned last week as a choice for an all-star season of Top Shot. Franks made it to the individual part of Season 2, and seemed to be enjoying himself a lot more without George Reinas around, especially when Colby completely missed the paper shooting his automatic in the shootoff. As a I mentioned Jay Lim showed up for episode 3 to work with Chris Reed. I warmed up to Lim right around the time he was eliminated in Season 2, and it was nice to see him come back.
The marksman and the expert put the gun through its courses, shooting them from varying positions, or trying to recreate how it was used during the height of its popularity. Now mind you, this isn't like Deadliest Warrior on Spike. As I wrote earlier this week, Top Shot, and now Top Guns, have never been shows that promote gun violence. They aren't looking to see how much damage these guns would do when used on a person. Instead they work through the mechanics of the gun, what makes it unique, and what makes it effective. They take about what kind of materials its made out of and how it was engineered. Truth be told, this might be a show more in line with History's original programming mission than many of the other shows it currently airs. It's surprisingly educational and informative.
Despite a veiled connection to Top Shot, the show is clearly being filmed at the same time as Season 4. Each episode has featured the same expert that was featured on that week's episode of Top Shot, and they are shooting one or more weapons that were featured on that week's episode of Top Shot as well. It was at this point I began to wonder about History's strategy in airing these episodes. Top Shot airs on Tuesdays at 10/9 C p.m. and Top Guns airs the next day. Now, I don't have H2, so I've been watching Top Guns episodes on Hulu, but I have to think that going straight from Top Shot to Top Guns is a bit of a let down, simply because there is a steep drop-off in the excitement level. I think it would make more sense if Top Guns aired the day before Top Shot to amp up anticipation for that weeks competition. There are three guns featured each week, but in the first two episodes only one gun came from Top Shot. In the third episode, featuring shotguns, all three were Benellis featured on "Shotgun Showdown." Airing before Top Shot would leave the audience guessing as to what weapon would be featured in the actual competition, because if there is one thing Top Guns is missing, its any semblance of dramatic tension.
The show brings in top shooters, so you know that even if they struggle a little with a weapon, they are going to be able to hone it in. Colby is the only real question mark, being an experienced shooter, but not in a competitive sense. He might not shoot well with a weapon, but since there isn't anything really at stake except bragging rights, there isn't much to worry about.
However that doesn't mean the show isn't enjoyable. It's almost deathly formulaic, but featuring new weapons and new shooters in each episode helps hold off the monotony. Even the final challenge isn't always a straight shoot-off. The first two episodes pitted the guns and shooters against each other to find who could be most accurate with what weapon. The shooters then counted up points based on their shots on the target. However in the third episode, the shooters decided to exhibit their prowess with each shotgun. Jay Lim used the Vinci and shot all four clay targets (two thrown, two launched). Chris Reed took the M4 and shot five water jugs at 25 yards, and nailed one at 75. Colby went 7/8 shooting plates with the Nova.
It's clear Top Guns is still a show trying to find its legs. It still is working on trying to find what works and what doesn't. Take for example the first episode, where marksman Mike Seeklander gave a grade to each rifle he shot. Now whether this was something he did on his own or something he was instructed to do by a producer remains to be seen, but the grading system has not shown up in the two subsequent episodes. Nor should it, to a casual viewer like myself who doesn't know much about weapons, a letter grade on M14 Carbine doesn't mean much.
Overall, Top Guns isn't a necessary companion to Top Shot, but fans of the show will like this supplementary spinoff. The promise of more past contestants and more chance to see Colby shooting are enough to keep it entertaining.
What do you think? Is this show a solid companion or a pale imitation of Top Shot? Hit the comments and let me know your thoughts.
Come back tomorrow for another "Talkin' 'bout" post.
Follow me Twitter @cswiets
 |
| See how they put a bullet in the "U" so you know it's really about guns? |
I originally considered making Top Guns a part of my regular recapping duties, however the show doesn't add much to understanding Top Shot beyond the weapons, not that that is a bad thing. What it does though, is make Top Guns a very casual show, perhaps the most casual show in reality TV currently on the air. This doesn't mean Top Guns isn't exciting, or boring, in fact it's quite interesting. On Top Shot Colby can only give the contestants (and in turn the audience) a bare-bones description and background of the weapon. Top Guns goes deeper giving a more fleshed out history of the weapon, accompanied with footage of the weapon in practical use, not just on the range.
For this post I caught up with the first three episodes of the series and there were few things that stuck out to me right away. The first was that there was no direct mention of this show's connection to Top Shot until episode three, which featured Season 2 contestants Chris Reed and Jay Lim. However, the first two episodes both featured experts regularly featured on the show, and past contestants as the featured marksmen. Now, this is a separate show, but I was surprised that they didn't even mention it in the opening dialogue of the first episode that this was an offshoot of Top Shot.
The next thing is how loose this show feels. Sure, there is a basic structure to the program. First Colby introduces the three guns being tested then brings out the expert, and finally the marksman. Then he sends them to the range to test the guns one at a time. After testing each one, Colby gets a turn firing off a few rounds, before each shooter chooses a weapon, and they have a "friendly shoot-off."But from there it has a much less scripted feel than Top Shot.
On Top Shot the contestants are told exactly what to do, but on Top Guns, when the expert and the marksman are sent to the range, they have some freedom to play around. Top Guns clearly has a lower budget than Top Shot, there are no exploding targets and you can often see where entry points have been taped over on a target rather than replacing it. This is bare-bones shooting. Paper targets at varying distances. Again, this isn't a bad thing, the show has a very calm pace to it. No one's running around or rushing to see what the thing they need to do next is. The past contestants seem to enjoy themselves more here with the weight of competing off their shoulders.
The choice of marksman so far has been interesting. The first episode featured Mike Seeklander, the first contestant ever eliminated from Top Shot. It may seem like an odd choice, but they don't just pick random people to compete on Top Shot. Even the contestants who are eliminated early have come from impressive backgrounds to get them into the competition. However, Seeklander was bested by Colby in the shoot-off, so maybe this guy just doesn't perform too well in front of a camera. The second episode featured the return of Season 2's Jamie Franks, someone I mentioned last week as a choice for an all-star season of Top Shot. Franks made it to the individual part of Season 2, and seemed to be enjoying himself a lot more without George Reinas around, especially when Colby completely missed the paper shooting his automatic in the shootoff. As a I mentioned Jay Lim showed up for episode 3 to work with Chris Reed. I warmed up to Lim right around the time he was eliminated in Season 2, and it was nice to see him come back.
The marksman and the expert put the gun through its courses, shooting them from varying positions, or trying to recreate how it was used during the height of its popularity. Now mind you, this isn't like Deadliest Warrior on Spike. As I wrote earlier this week, Top Shot, and now Top Guns, have never been shows that promote gun violence. They aren't looking to see how much damage these guns would do when used on a person. Instead they work through the mechanics of the gun, what makes it unique, and what makes it effective. They take about what kind of materials its made out of and how it was engineered. Truth be told, this might be a show more in line with History's original programming mission than many of the other shows it currently airs. It's surprisingly educational and informative.
Despite a veiled connection to Top Shot, the show is clearly being filmed at the same time as Season 4. Each episode has featured the same expert that was featured on that week's episode of Top Shot, and they are shooting one or more weapons that were featured on that week's episode of Top Shot as well. It was at this point I began to wonder about History's strategy in airing these episodes. Top Shot airs on Tuesdays at 10/9 C p.m. and Top Guns airs the next day. Now, I don't have H2, so I've been watching Top Guns episodes on Hulu, but I have to think that going straight from Top Shot to Top Guns is a bit of a let down, simply because there is a steep drop-off in the excitement level. I think it would make more sense if Top Guns aired the day before Top Shot to amp up anticipation for that weeks competition. There are three guns featured each week, but in the first two episodes only one gun came from Top Shot. In the third episode, featuring shotguns, all three were Benellis featured on "Shotgun Showdown." Airing before Top Shot would leave the audience guessing as to what weapon would be featured in the actual competition, because if there is one thing Top Guns is missing, its any semblance of dramatic tension.
The show brings in top shooters, so you know that even if they struggle a little with a weapon, they are going to be able to hone it in. Colby is the only real question mark, being an experienced shooter, but not in a competitive sense. He might not shoot well with a weapon, but since there isn't anything really at stake except bragging rights, there isn't much to worry about.
However that doesn't mean the show isn't enjoyable. It's almost deathly formulaic, but featuring new weapons and new shooters in each episode helps hold off the monotony. Even the final challenge isn't always a straight shoot-off. The first two episodes pitted the guns and shooters against each other to find who could be most accurate with what weapon. The shooters then counted up points based on their shots on the target. However in the third episode, the shooters decided to exhibit their prowess with each shotgun. Jay Lim used the Vinci and shot all four clay targets (two thrown, two launched). Chris Reed took the M4 and shot five water jugs at 25 yards, and nailed one at 75. Colby went 7/8 shooting plates with the Nova.
It's clear Top Guns is still a show trying to find its legs. It still is working on trying to find what works and what doesn't. Take for example the first episode, where marksman Mike Seeklander gave a grade to each rifle he shot. Now whether this was something he did on his own or something he was instructed to do by a producer remains to be seen, but the grading system has not shown up in the two subsequent episodes. Nor should it, to a casual viewer like myself who doesn't know much about weapons, a letter grade on M14 Carbine doesn't mean much.
Overall, Top Guns isn't a necessary companion to Top Shot, but fans of the show will like this supplementary spinoff. The promise of more past contestants and more chance to see Colby shooting are enough to keep it entertaining.
What do you think? Is this show a solid companion or a pale imitation of Top Shot? Hit the comments and let me know your thoughts.
Come back tomorrow for another "Talkin' 'bout" post.
Follow me Twitter @cswiets
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