Top Gear crew visits U.S.A., will never return again
view the clip after the jump
The South has risen again, and unfortunately for our beloved team from Top Gear, it has focused its ire on Jeremy Clarkson, Jay Mays and Richard Hammond. In the latest episode of Top Gear (torrent here), the team arrives in Florida for a road trip that will see them travel from Miami to New Orleans. The catch? Each are given $1,000 to buy a whip that will carry them to their destination. Whips in hand, the trio decide to spice up the trip by spray painting inflammatory statements on the sheetmetal. Statements like "I'm bi", "NASCAR Sucks" and "Hillary for President" are worn like badges of pride, until a stop for gas in a self-described "hick town" turns ugly. Words were said, rocks were thrown, and somebody's "boys" were called in. The Top Gear crew fleed for its life, though not after the quickest jump in history gets Mays Caddy turned over, and the chase ensued on the highways of the rural South. The boys wise up and decide to pull over and scrub off the incendiary taunts with some towels and Coke. Their troubles don't end there, as the offended Southies call upon their god to rain down a torrent of H20 on the caravan of Brits. Clarkson, Mays and Hammond eventually escape the U.S. with hides in tact, but we can all thank those country bumpkins for ensuring Top Gear will never again set foot on U.S. soil. Check out the clip in full after the jump for proof.
Thanks for the tip, Eliot!
[Source: YouTube]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 10)
mikomi 4:08PM (2/12/2007)
wow, it's really like being in another country.
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naggs 4:08PM (2/12/2007)
i downloaded and watched that episode last night. hilarious. probably my favorite episode yet. but yeah that was pretty stupid to paint "hillary for pres" and "manlove" and "nascar sucks" and try to stop for gas in alabama.
those people have a long pround tradition of hating people who are different and they jump at the chance to scare off the gays or even anyone with an accent. they will try to start shit if you have california plates.
the deep south is a hell hole that time forgot, its the pit stain of america. ingorance is a virtue and information is scary to these people and bush is their fault.
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Doc Lucas 4:11PM (2/12/2007)
What do they expect? What would happen if I went over to some god awful cockney neighborhood with a car painted up with "Beckett Blows" in two foot letters?
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Wideruled 4:12PM (2/12/2007)
What did they expect? Purposefully putting inflammatory comments on their car. That would be like me going to england and spraypainting THE QUEEN R TEH SUX! or AMERIKA ARE > J00! Granted some might pay no heed, but others like the ones in the clip would get offended.
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Doc Lucas 4:12PM (2/12/2007)
Sorry, BECKHAM
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Josh Wardell 4:14PM (2/12/2007)
I only wish they let us know so they could see they actually have big fans here. Oh, and next time, come north where we don't have as many hicks, and our roads have curves.
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mikomi 4:16PM (2/12/2007)
I always thought the South and its "hick" image was just a stereotype. But I can see that the stereotype has merit, unfortunately.
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Lithous 4:17PM (2/12/2007)
People down South seem almost as violent as a British football fans.
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fizzandpop 4:19PM (2/12/2007)
Oh, I thought you were refering to Thomas a Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century. He did blow, actually, quite hard. That's why they killed him.
And defaming a form of motorsport is definately grounds for retaliatory violence. Wait, no, it's retarded. Cracker please.
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DriftPunch 4:21PM (2/12/2007)
Waiting for the flood of comments about the South and/or red states...
Of course, writing similar items on a car and driving into the blue state paradises of Detroit, SE DC, East LA, or Camden NJ would result in nothing more than a chipper debate among old Ivy League pals...
If an American group went to the UK and did that it would be called an international incident done with the sole motivation of making the XXXs look bad. They come here and do that, and our own self hatred (among the elites) kicks in and a general blush that such a thing can happen takes over.
Paris burned for less last year, so at least the French can't laugh...
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fizzandpop 4:25PM (2/12/2007)
Borat called, he wants his idea back.
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Juan 4:30PM (2/12/2007)
#9,
Actually, Thomas a Beckett rocked so hard the king couldn't handle it.
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Peter 4:41PM (2/12/2007)
I went on a hiking trip in the USA. The local color had bumper stickers on the pickups that read variations of:
"Hungry? eat an environmentalist"
The USA has some absolutely stunning nature that amazingly hasn't been destroyed yet. Unfortunately it seems many of the hicks near any of the as yet un-destroyed nature, regard it as something that needs destroying and that tourists are something standing in the way of their god given right to drive 4x4's over everything and shoot anything that moves.
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The other Bob 4:42PM (2/12/2007)
Do I think there are ignorant people in the south? Yes. I also think there are ignorant people in the north, where I live.
Most importantly, I don't think we need two car snobs of the worst kind coming here and being asses.
Don't you think they could have come here and done somthing productive, like driven Route 1, watched a Corvette being produced, or taken out a car not available to brits? Maybe a Wrangler 4 door through Moab?
When I read the headline: "...and will never return again." I thought: Good.
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chuck goolsbee 4:43PM (2/12/2007)
Like many Top Gear stunts, I suspect this one was setup. Not that it isn't entertaining or anything. The slogans were inspired... though "rubbish" was a bit too British a term to use concerning country music. ;)
--chuck
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Carlos 4:44PM (2/12/2007)
All I can say is, I love this stuff!
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fizzandpop 4:44PM (2/12/2007)
#12: Seriously dude, you're way off base. Henry II was totally within his rights to stomp on the brat. His opposition to the Constitutions of Clarendon were just the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes you just gotta take some names.
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naggs 4:44PM (2/12/2007)
"3. What do they expect? What would happen if I went over to some god awful cockney neighborhood with a car painted up with "Beckett Blows" in two foot letters?"
nothing would happen, they would either assume is was some kind of joke or just ignore it all together. there is nothing that you could put on your car that would result in you fleeing for your life. normal people dont throw rocks at people, backward hicks who take pride in their ignorance are the only people who are going to go out of their way to give someone a hard time.
good job jimbo you scared off those queers good!
ignorant animals
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Jro 4:46PM (2/12/2007)
Exactly what was the point of these guys doing this? It makes me want to go over to England and drive around in a car that has "Soccer is not the real football!" written all over it.
After seeing how quick they ran, these guys almost looked like they were from France. If you're going to try to pick a fight, shouldn't you be ready (and willing) to fight back.
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Sir pompleroy 2:52PM (4/01/2008)
hahaha yes france arnt they som chicken assholes? only like the greatest military power of the middle ages, the country that started the knight hood tradistion and also produced Napoleon, and helped freeing the States from The British.
And writing things on a car is picking a fight?