[Ole Humpback]

I know we rail on the show most of the time here. However; we do have at our disposal history of some of the most legendary projectile exchanges known to man. That said what changes, both in format & shots would you like to see?

For me:

Format

I like the teams competing against each other, but the selection of teams is a bit odd and the Survivor-angst format is just boring.

I like the notion of aggression, so let drop survivor and replace it with War Games Op-For style team competitions and bump it up from 16 to 32 competitors. The teams are chosen by either a dual with dueling pistols, high noon showdown, or sword fight and the format is chosen by the pair that is competing. Losers in one group, winners in the other. Pit the teams against each other in competitions ranging from Civil War charges to long range anti-personnel & anti-material sniping. Make the elimination competition based on who scored the fewest number of kills in the match on the loosing team and have it follow the format of a duel that is the exact opposite of the team competitions.

In the interest of safety, use the MILES HALO gear so blank rounds can generate the recoil of shooting and a laser scores the "kill"

Shots
8 team competitions/eliminations:

1. Dueling artillery batteries at PBR with 12# Napolean Smooth Bores/OTH dueling with 155mm Howitzers
2. Terrorist sniping at 1.5-2 miles with 338 Lapua's/CQC with FN 2000's
3. Anti-Aircraft turkey shoot with quad 40mm Bofors/PBR broadsides with masted ships of the line or ironclads
4. Anti-vehicle actions with M18 57mm recoilless rifles/Anti-tank actions with thrown sticky bombs
5. Defeating the Union charge at 2nd Manassas by throwing rocks/Sniping civil war generals at 1750yds with an 1860's Whitworth Sniper rifle & 6x scope
6. Stopping the Elephant Charge as a pair at PBR with a bolt action 416 Rigby & 470NE DR/DRT at 100yds on a Cape Buffalo with a 458 Lott Ruger No 1
7. Suppressing fire with an MG42/Trench clearing with an M1897 Winchester
8. Gunfight at the OK Corral with period style guns/Sporting clays course with O/U's

8 individual competitions, no eliminations worst shooter goes home:

1. 1.5 mile 5 shot terrorist engagement with McMillian TAC 50
2. A famous archery shot
3. Zulu initiation rite, killing a charging lion by throwing a spear to kill it
4. Machine Gun Kelly's famous prohibition drive by. From a moving car, he performed a hit in crowded Chicago streets on 4 rival gang members with 100rds from a full auto Tommy gun and hit only the targets.
5. Alvin Yorks demostration of Kentucky Windage to the US Army with the 1903A3 (need some serious wind for this one)
6. Bonnie's (of Bonnie & Clyde) suppression of the MO State Highway Patrol with a BAR an no casualties in Joplin MO
7. Door gunner CAS from a Hughey
8. 1758yd kill shot on an Indian with a 50-90 Sharps as done by Billy Dixon in 1873

Anyone got a better idea?

[1KPerDay]

Cut the manufactured drama. More shooting.

[MyGreenGuns]

I dont like the drama.

I dont think "elimination" will show the true "top shot".

I'd like it if they all scored individually and the score was added up on the LAST show.

[Larry Ashcraft]

I dont like the drama
Cut the manufactured drama. More shooting.
Without the drama, it's not a TV show. I like fishing, but I find nothing more boring than watching fishing on TV.

Same with shooting. If you like watching shooting on TV, fine. Not for me.

[MyGreenGuns]

To a point, I guess. Most people wont tune in unless they can watch "Bob" getting ticked at what "Tom" said. But I never watched survivor or any "vote to see who goes" shows.

Personally, I got turned off by the show when I realized people were getting "voted off". More so when I realized they were voting based on their personal reaction to the person and not their abilities.

I know someone who's really charismatic but can't shoot all that great that could WIN (or at least stay longer than a grumpy "marksman") on a show like that.

[BK]

If it were viewable without having cable, I'd certainly have seen it by now. Which is better than never having seen it.

[RNB65]

I find the show painfully boring to watch. Each episode just drags along too slowly. I want to see creative shooting, not a bunch of sissy boys (and girls) acting out a manufactured soap opera.

[1KPerDay]

Without the drama, it's not a TV show. I like fishing, but I find nothing more boring than watching fishing on TV.

Same with shooting. If you like watching shooting on TV, fine. Not for me.
You don't think the shooting competitions are interesting? If you don't... why watch the show at all? There are soap operas without boring shooting competitions in them. ;)

However I disagree with you about the drama making the show. I don't watch the drama. I watch the show on hulu and skip over all that crap. Get to the shootouts! :cool:

[LeonCarr]

Fire the host

[MyGreenGuns]

I wonder how many gun nuts vs. drama queens were in their polling group?

I like the creative shooting challenges. I like the diversity in weapons.

But the drama always makes me fast forward. I watched most of season 1, because it was a new fresh show. But I'll probably skim the rest on netflix. I know some real life drama I could go watch if I wanted. I can at least interact that way.

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Get rid of elimination, get rid of the host, he's over-dramatic, cut the drama bull crap, and shoot shoot shoot.

[jcwit]

Get rid of the yelling screaming idiot that hosts/MC's/runs the show.

Even NASCAR doesn't act that unprofessional.

[docnyt]

Ratings will dictate what stays and what gets cut from the show. The masses will not want to watch an IPSC or similar format show on a continuing basis. C'mon this is entertainment TV, not a documentary. Lose the drama, lose the audience and you may as well can the show.

[tinygnat219]

At least the shooting portions look like fun. Keep it as is, and do what I do. Watch it on demand, fast forward through the drama. 15 minutes later, you've watched some fun shooting, minimized the drama and given the ratings a bit of a boost.

[Michael R.]

i think they need to cut out all of the ex-military/law enforcement because they have an edge over the civilians because all they do every day/all day is shoot.

[SmokeJensen]

I think they should use paint cartridges to simulate real life shooting situations. Like a paint ball war but with the rounds Law Enforcement and the Military use. I think its call simunition. It would add a little different aspect to the challenges.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

[M-Cameron]

i think they need to cut out all of the ex-military/law enforcement because they have an edge over the civilians because all they do every day/all day is shoot.

not true at all.....

most LEOs only shoot their weapons for qualifications......

and most military, while they may know their weapon very well...arent necessarily shooting them every day.

im a civilian...i work 40+ hrs a week....and i still shoot damn near daily........FAR more than any LEO and most Military.


i think the advantage LEO/Military have over the civilians is probably in either physical fitness, or performing under pressure.



as for improvements to the show, i think they should get rid of the voting, and go to points based......the two lowest scoring(cumulative) members on the loosing team go to elimination.

[DM~]

Fire the host

EXACTLY!!! Fireing "Jeffy Prost Jr".......i mean Colby would make the show a thousand times better!

If the REAL Jeff was that annoying, i wouldn't watch him either!

DM

[HoosierQ]

Here's a thought. Drop the show altogether and show some real HISTORY:banghead: Did not John Browning, Sam Colt, Alvin York etc etc etc generate enough history to fill up this time slot? They did.

I watched 3 minutes of this show and turned over to a rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond or something. That would not have happened if the show had been about John Garand, Eugene Stoner, or any of the previously mentioned gentlemen.

[hso]

i think they need to cut out all of the ex-military/law enforcement because they have an edge over the civilians because all they do every day/all day is shoot.

You might want to look at the winner of the previous seasons and reevaluate that.;)

Also, considering the percentage of shooters that are former or current in these two areas you're not likely to find a big enough pool of skilled shooters to participate.

[Sam1911]

i think they need to cut out all of the ex-military/law enforcement because they have an edge over the civilians because all they do every day/all day is shoot.
I was first going to say that your sarcasm was too dry for most people to catch.

And then I wondered if you were serious, but just don't shoot with very many ex-mil and LEOs?

Gotta be one or the other.

[parsimonious_instead]

I like having a mix of LEO/former LEO, "civilian" and military/former military on the show.
I empathize most with the "plain vanilla civilians" in any of these shows.

I liked a recent episode of "One Man Army" in which one "civilian" was pitted against three former military guys and he ultimately won. During the interstitial "talking head" portions, pretty much everyone said to the camera, "I can't let myself be beaten by the civilian" but in the end they were. But I get the feeling this underdog won their respect, too.

[youngda9]

More history of weapons, both their uses and development. More details into how they work (recoil, springs, chambering, pressures, velocity and trajectory...data). Lose the Survivor backstabbing format...don't need to see grown men be whiny crybabies(Jake). Keep score and the worst cumulative shooter goes home each week.

Give a Visa gift card to each weeks winner so the money doesn't have to be spent at Cabelas where everything is 20% overpriced.

[InkEd]

Just replace the whole show with IPSC/USPSA open-class coverage and use Birchwood Casey targets or steel plates for all the targets. Much more exciting IMHO.

[steveno]

I think top shot should be dropped along with pawn shop, pickers , truckers and the cable guy. then put back the prgramming the history channel was good for and that is history

[ny32182]

I could really care less what anyone's day job is; police/etc are not any more committed to attaining great shooting skills because they carry a gun on the job than they are to developing great driving skills because they drive a car on the job.

My "beef" with the show, which I strongly suspected from the start, confirmed after talking to a small handful of prospective contestants, is that the "competition" aspect of it really isn't, for two reasons:

1) They pick contestants from the application pool based 90% on personality and potential to generate the aforementioned drama, with very little or no regard for shooting skills, and

2) The competitions on the actual show are at least 50% crapshoot due to lack of any real time whatsoever to develop familiarity with the equipment: Example: go shoot this rifle in "competition", but since you didn't get to confirm the zero first, it could really be going anywhere. Pick anyone even moderately competent with the rifle, take one shot, and there it is. Basically anyone could "win" based on the amount of uncertainty there is this aspect.

Being viewed from the perspective of actual shooters, this can obviously be frustrating, but that is because we have more intimate knowledge of the topic that can tell us where they are either screwing up or omitting key information from what is being presented. I bet by the same token, fishermen don't like Deadliest Catch and motorcycle builders don't like West Coast Customs, etc. It is just another show for the mass market (those uninformed on the topic). Same plot, rotate subject matter, and you could produce basically any of the reality shows out there. That said I'm glad it is on the mass market and portraying competition with guns in a positive light.

[DAP90]

I said this in the other thread but I’d like to see some challenges use the various weapons in historically accurate ways. If it’s not a historical weapon then in a way appropriate for the purpose of the firearm.

1. Volley fire for black powder muzzle loaders (maybe some creative editing to make the load times watchable)
2. Horse archery would be cool (although that would put a additional skill requirement on the shooters)
3. A house clearing challenge (probably a little too dangerous but I’d still like to see it)
4. A real, team based clays challenge. They do a lot of multiple station rifle challenges. I’d like to see the same thing with thrown clays; and make it some tough throws with doubles or even triples and varied presentations.

I like what they’ve done with the challenges for the most part. Sure, they have their failures but all in all they do a good job.

I don’t like the drama but it’s not going away so I’ll live with it. I like what they’ve done with the individual level of this season. Perform well enough and you don’t have to worry about being popular.

My wife wants to see more female shooters that don’t get voted into elimination in the first two episodes.

It might be neat to have a four team military season.

[USAF_Vet]

Yes, we should get rid of this show and put more shows about Nazi's or aliens into the time slot. Or, better yet, other history shows that all of about seven other people on the planet watch.

Let's face it, most of the history related shows on History channel are mundane and boring, like the Military channel. A show like Top Shot brings ratings and interest from a demographic that would otherwise have zero interest in the programming.

New series like Top Shot, or more Adolf Hitler reruns from the mid 90's?

[1911fan]

Want to make it better?

Change the channel.

Buncha prima donnas with weapons.

Given the state of television currently, I feel sad and sorry for the society in which I live.

ed

[Rembrandt]

I quit watching after last seasons shenanigans....don't know if they made improvements or not.

[Michael R.]

sorry about that guys... i think i need to think before i act. sorry about that.

[Ole Humpback]

DP, thats what I'm getting at. They are repeating way too much and, even though half the shots are hard for most of us, the shooting with modern high powered recoil reducing technology guns is kinda boring. Lets see some pip the ace at 900yds with "iron sights" or hit a moving target from a moving vehicle or fire a 6-bore double rifle from the hip to stop a charge from a simulated animal.

Nearly anyone can laydown prone & with the instruction they are getting hit a stationary target. And most anyone who has any modicome of motor control should be able to stand still and hit an slowly moving target. These guys are already some of the best shooters on Earth, so lets put them to a REAL test.

I'd pay good money to see anyone pull off Billy Dixon's 1758yd shot. He did it with a 50-90 Sharps that had only buckhorn sights.

[Panzercat]

Cut the manufactured drama. More shooting.
Top shot puts the 'emo' in 'elimination'. It's not about who is actually the top shot, it's about who can bs their way through to the final rounds. Until they address that, there's no fix. Watching it is a complete waste of time.

[Jon Coppenbarger]

I watched the first two seasons and have not or will not watch it again. what a waste of time.

[valnar]

Being the only decent gun show/competition on TV, I am compelled to watch it and wade through the drama. Although the actual time allocated to shooting is small over the hour, what they show (with all the slow motion stuff) is pretty cool.

We on this forum only want to see the guns and shooting. My wife, who also watches it, likes the know the shooters. Note: she doesn't like the drama either, but she needs somebody to root for.

A common complaint about good TV vs bad TV, or good movies vs bad movies, is character development. In a scripted drama, if you don't care about the characters, people will not watch it. We are probably the exception because we can care less about the characters, but that matters with the general population. If they don't have someone they want to win, they won't tune in.

[Dnaltrop]

All hail the power of the DVR.

Top shot isn't bad as a 12 minute show.

The drama pulls in the people who can't hold their attention on the tech and skills alone, and of the squirming mass of Brain-rot that is available... Well I guess you could consider it the lesser evil.

Top shot nicely leveraged those idiot singing shows out of the wife's DVR recording lists too.

[beatledog7]

Record it to watch while you're cleaning a gun or something. FF through all the drama, watch the shooting, (though that too is overly "dramaticized"), and then erase it.

You can watch an entire episode in about 13 minutes that way. So there you go; you just made Top Shot much better.

[Bobson]

Get rid of the yelling screaming idiot that hosts/MC's/runs the show.

Even NASCAR doesn't act that unprofessional.
I don't recall ever having seen Colby scream or yell. He speaks loudly so he's heard over the weapons being used, but not unnecessarily so.

To be totally honest, I love the show, and I absolutely hate almost everything on TV. The only thing I'm ever displeased with is some of the competitors; some seem to be downright awful shots, and not only do they make it on the show, they stick around for half the season. That's only the fault of their teammates for not voting them off. The show itself is excellent.

[simonm2211]

i like the show. It's one of the few things I bother to DVR. It would be dull without the personalities; like watching golf or horse racing.

More creativity in shooting scenarios and more history on the weapons would be welcome improvements as well as some historical background on their use.

[Dr.Rob]

1. No more rocks. Atl Atls, boomerangs, bolas, whatever OK.. just no more rocks.

2. More shooting challenges like the cannonball chase, that contraption was wicked.

Some of these things are designed to take experienced shooters out of thier comfort zone. So running a 3 gun/IDPA/IPSC or other style might be just 'old hat' for many of them.

Still I'd like to see more events 'like' that, shooting and moving, unknown distances, pop up targets.

[GigaBuist]

The manufactured suspense between commercials annoys me, but that's mostly because I hate things being drawn out any longer than need be. I realize it makes for good TV though.

I like the host too. He's got a history with Survivor and I think he understands the job well.

The one thing I really liked about seasons 1 and 2 was nobody was a freaking corknozzle in the house. There was always a bit of conflict between people but this season has Jake acting like a nut. I don't know if he's really that way, playing a part he manufactured, or being told to act that way, but I don't like it. If you've got to bleep every other word in a conversation because somebody's acting like a fool then I don't want to watch. I certainly wouldn't want to sit down with a young kid and expose them to that nonsense.

[helitack32f1]

Here is an idea, leave it alone and create a new show. That way, those of us who like it as it is and can handle the dreaded "drama" can continue to enjoy it. This way, the new show can show it's stuff by seeing if it draws more viewers than Top Shot. Which it probably would not because inevitably, it would draw less "regular" television viewers.

There have been many shooting shows in the past, where they remain because they catered to shooters above all else. Simply put, just plain old shooting is nearly as boring as watching golf, and yet appeals to far less people. My six year old daughter, my wife and my 63 year old mother all watch Top Shot. I can't imagine many other shooting formats that would have that kind of appeal to such different age groups, not to mention the feminine persuasion.

[antiquus]

+1 Drop it and go back to real history. I'm sure the BBC has something they haven't shown yet. Or you could spend a few bucks making voiceovers of Russian, German, Japanese, Chinese, Israeli, Egyptian, or even (gasp) French war documentaries.

+1 on IPSC/USPCA coverage.

Or just replace it with Ozzie and Harriet reruns. More drama that way.

[EddieNFL]

Without the drama, it's not a TV show. I like fishing, but I find nothing more boring than watching fishing on TV.

Same with shooting. If you like watching shooting on TV, fine. Not for me.
Fortunately, we're blessed with multiple channels, however, each time I turn on the idiot box it seems there is a new "reality" show on (I've yet to see one that approached real life). They have even invaded Discovery channel.

I get enough drama at work.

[ShawnC]

I say a new format. Start with totally green shooters with no experience, then see who takes to the basic fundamentals the best and watch the cream really rise to the top. That would be a challege worth watching, and could even be, dare I say it, educational.
Then make sure they are constantly arguing during the non shooting time so I can decide who I hate most. :p

[Johannes_Paulsen]

Have fewer people who are adolescents in spirit and more actual adults. (Or, at least, quit using the magic of editing to make adults look like adolescents to create a sense of drama where none rightly exist.)

We always watch the show via On Demand...and always fast-forward past the scenes that aren't on the range. It's a great thirty minute show that way.

I also would rather have a situation where the bottom performers are the ones who are up for the elimination challenge.

Just curious...does anyone actually know the demographics of the people who are watching this show?

[parsimonious_instead]

I think Hickok45 could make a really funny spoof of Top Shot... goodness knows he has enough land and guns with which to do it.
Or he could make his own more or less serious version - I think he has enough "pull" at this point to get some high-profile shooters out to his place. Might be fun if he handpicked some local folks, too.

But I've noticed A&E, AMC, Bravo, History and Discovery slowly change their mission from "information" to "entertainment" over the course of the last 15 years or so. (Well, at least AMC has Mad Men and Breaking Bad).
It's apparently the result of supposedly "giving the public what they want." Oh well...

[jonmerritt]

Put them in full combat gear and drop them in the middle of Pakistan. But with full training so even the civies have somewhat of a chance like the others. The first loss would be the annoying announcer.

[parsimonious_instead]

Put them in full combat gear and drop them in the middle of Pakistan. But with full training so even the civies have somewhat of a chance like the others. The first loss would be the annoying announcer.

I'm sure it would be the host of the show... his glistening teeth will give away his position.

[sidheshooter]

The way to make top shot better is to leave it alone, but expand the brand into a "top shot camp". For 1500, you can go hang out at the ranch for a week and shoot all those challenges from any season yourself. I've spent more doing worse things.

[Bobson]

Idk what they should do, because like I said, I love the show as it is.

They're gonna have to do something eventually though, or the show will just get dropped altogether. They put a heavy restriction on themselves by striving to use new/different weapon types for each challenge, every season. There are only so many types of weapons in the world. Eventually they're gonna be shooting a full season of flintlock rifle challenges, then a full season of sixgun challenges, etc, etc. I think that would get boring fast.

[Thatguy686]

michael R: i think you are wrong in most situations the civilian has the upper hand most leo are only good at shooting pistols and they only shoot to qualify and as far as military
most of the military guys are horrible shots with pistols and shotguns and decent with rifles because thats what they all use and alot of those guys on the show where only military for 4-8 years the instructors and competition shooters are the ones that have been taking home the victories in my opinion most of the time the military ends up winning because the competition shooters get voted to elimination because they are too good

[Fishslayer]

Personally, I got turned off by the show when I realized people were getting "voted off". More so when I realized they were voting based on their personal reaction to the person and not their abilities.



The one that leaps to mind was that hokey exhibition "cowboy" shooter that couldn't hit a barn under pressure but kept getting a pass while the National Rifle Team member went to elimination after (undeserved) elimination and everyone was "amazed" that a member of THE NATIONAL FREEKIN' RIFLE TEAM was a good shot & came through under pressure. I really think that season was the jump the shark season.

[303tom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KskGSw4qMVw

[iLikeOldgunsIlikeNewGuns]

If it were viewable without having cable, I'd certainly have seen it by now. Which is better than never having seen it.

I'm still reading through the thread so this may have been said, but any given week you can watch the most recent episode on the history channel website. That's how I watch it, I don't have 'real TV' I watch the interwebz :)



I'd like to see Colby (top shot host) and Billy Zane fight to the death in a cage-match, that'd be pretty hilarious


my major gripe about the show has already been mentioned, and Sons of Guns also is also guilty of this crime: The damm editing before and after commercials! it's like they're trying to reel in the channel surfers, but really ruins is for anyone watching the entire episode. I really don't like that they show you clips from the end of the episode at the beginning etc... I don't want to know until it's happening!

[HGUNHNTR]

8. 1758yd kill shot on an Indian with a 50-90 Sharps as done by Billy Dixon in 1873

Anyone got a better idea? Probably eliminating disgusting, bigoted type scenarios would be a good start.

[GEM]

I look forward to the super soaker challenge, pie throwing, suction cup gun events.

I also suggest everyone wear Empire Storm Trooper plastic white armor and try to shoot people dressed as Hand Solo, Luke, Chewingtabacky and Princess Layer as they stand in a corridor - use paint ball or airsoft.

- Nah - just have some more interesting shooting - the rotating gadget was fun. Cut the arrows and rocks and knives.

Get rid of the jerks in pre-screening.

My plan - I record and fast forward through the reality chatter.

[Hawthorne2k]

Depends on your definition of "Better".

Better ratings? Four words: "Top Shot - Jersey Shore".*

Better for the firearms community? Again, define "Better". Colby floated the idea of a "Juniors" Top Shot on Twitter last night, and that would bring fresh blood to the sport without any doubt.

Better for gun nuts...errr, shooting sports enthusiasts like ourselves? Less drama, more expert commentary. Make it more like a sporting event, something like "3 Gun Nation" on Versus. Keep in mind that show with that format may not have the ratings to make it on to prime time on basic cable, at least at first. People outside of the sport aren't attracted to the guns, they're attracted to the personalities of the shooters. The days of Annie Oakley playing to packed houses may return, but they won't return overnight.

----------------------------------------------------------
* The horror. The horror....

[aedimmick]

I like the Show... its fun to watch and has me tuning in every week... i would have liked to see someone turn their muzzle on jake but thats just me... something that could make it better.?.? i like the idea of adding up points and announcing the winner on the last show. and last season they shot paintballs at eachother.. that was sick... do more of that... nothing gets your heart rate up like being shot at.

[thorazine]

How to make Top Shot better?

If they only put barely legal female shooters on the show. :D

[helitack32f1]

... and last season they shot paintballs at eachother.. that was sick... do more of that... nothing gets your heart rate up like being shot at.
People are already whining incessantly about using rocks, bows, knives and tomahawks. I think if you actually had competitors shooting at each other using compressed air and little bouncy things filled with paint, they would have a hemorrhage and once again say they aren't gonna watch any more.

[GEM]

One could have some tac scenarios like run in training with airsoft. Nice to see them negotiate an ambiguous shoot/no shoot run.

I've done well in some and looked an idiot in others.

I recall a partner coming out of a run saying - Glenn, I shot my son!

I missed an entire bad guy as I was having crappy night vision problems and couldn't see his gun against a black t-shirt. Looked like a fool. Learned something and problem corrected by catarract surgery.