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IsNowReallyTheTime t1_is4hhe9 wrote

Alabama almost killed them.

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draggar t1_is557aw wrote

& people who didn't watch that episode think you're joking.

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SaborW t1_is59jnz wrote

The fastest jump start in history

Part of me wants to believe it escalated because Clarkson said "We're going to die now" and due to his accent and her hickness, it got lost in translation even though it's the same damn language, and she took it as a threat, based on her reaction to it. But my god what a bunch of windowlickers

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S-Markt t1_is58b5g wrote

nascar sucks! i loved the scene when they have been at the gas station and the white pickup people organized.

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dayofthedead204 t1_is5gbtu wrote

They wrote "Country and Western is rubbish" and "Hilary Clinton for President" and "I'm gay" on their cars......IN ALABAMA!

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I mean, no wonder that happened. It'd be like being surprised they got bit by a shark if they swam in shark infested waters covered in fish guts.

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BakedBeanz1 t1_is5ks9d wrote

There's no defending the response they got. State or interests don't justify in that when they clearly could see it was a) a joke and b) being filmed with three of the biggest wind ups on the planet... Of course they probably don't watch TV, chanting trump, whilst watching your sister getting in the shower doesn't leave a lot of time for TV does it

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FretLevel t1_iskqoxz wrote

He's not defending the response. He's saying they should've seen it coming.

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DarthFaol t1_is8ojfb wrote

You are showing yourselves as fools that believe negative hype. Yeah, ok, I haven't seen this show. No matter. Most people only know the darker, generally exaggerated, Alabama. Born and raised in a small North Alabama town. Backward? No. Simple? Used to be. I grew up about 30 minutes south of where Werner Von Braun helped develop America's entrants in the Space Race. Are there places I am nervous to go, even if I'm armed. Oh yeah. But I'm more comfortable there than in the likes of New York, Chicago or Detroit. All cities probably with worse crime rates in 1 year than Alabama. So think a little before believing everything you hear.

Do I have guns? Yes, it is my right. I'm not into shooting up anything, however. I'd more likely be the 1 read about having stopped a mass shooting. Am I a practicing Christian? You best believe I know where I'll end up. Do you? Am I a backward hick, hillbilly? No. My gifted level IQ prevents it.

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thinmanspies t1_is8s1j3 wrote

Just for fun, you should look up the FBI's crime statistics. In 2020 (the last year before they started a change in how things were reported which has made it so some states aren't easily viewed) Alabama's violent crime rate was higher than the national average and also higher than New York's, Illinois', and Michigan's. This year Alabama has the honor of being the third most violent state in the nation.

I believe you may be more comfortable there than going to the other places you named because it is what you know. That's true for many people but it doesn't make that opinion correct.

Oftentimes, violent crime is related to poverty and Alabama has a high poverty rate which may help explain the violent crime rate.

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DarthFaol t1_isaucqo wrote

No, I didn't look up stats and I should have. I let a little anger, frustration & disgust get the better of me and I know better.

I am surprised at the numbers however. Although with Huntsville, Mobile and Birmingham to consider I shouldn't be. I remember being told by a former officer there was a suburb of Mobile where the police didn't want to go out of fear. That was like 20 years ago I was told.

I can only go by the small town I grew up in. I can only think of 2 murders there off the top of my head in my 47 years of life. There may be more, only 2 come to mind at the moment.

Yes there is definitely poverty here. Although I did see that Alabama was number 4 on a list of states with the lowest cost of living. That is from a story from October 6 of this year.

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HammletHST t1_is9ink9 wrote

> Do I have guns? Yes, it is my right. I'm not into shooting up anything, however. I'd more likely be the 1 read about having stopped a mass shooting. Am I a practicing Christian? You best believe I know where I'll end up. Do you? Am I a backward hick, hillbilly? No. My gifted level IQ prevents it.

This is some amazing r/Iamthemaincharacter material right there!

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DarthFaol t1_isas8p4 wrote

Yeah, ok. The stopping a mass shooting part may be a bit much. I'll admit it. I have an active imagination. So much tabletop RPGing in my younger years probably don't help that.

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puttinonthefoil t1_is5prd0 wrote

It is truly amazing that so many people on here don't realize this is all fake. It's a TV SHOW, folks! Top Gear's "specials" are always goosed for the camera.

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Blazinvoid t1_is5t9j7 wrote

Boi did you never see them trying to escape Argentina over a license plate.

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Overwatch_Joker t1_is5uq5t wrote

It's not all fake, you think James May & Hammond almost killed themselves in fake stunts?

And, you can't fake the reaction of huckleberry hicks like the ones in that special.

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puttinonthefoil t1_is5yfu4 wrote

You can't fake the reaction? Really? It would be impossible to have the show's producers yell things off camera to "scare" the hosts for post production? You notice you don't see anyone yelling specifically (they make it seem like the white van/truck guy kind of says something driving by, but he's clearly leaving the area and his lips aren't moving!), just off screen yells.

Anyone whose face is shown speaking on camera has to sign a release to their likeness rights. So this woman signed something to let them use their likeness: https://youtu.be/pKcJ-0bAHB4?t=294

Then this "ominous truck" arrives (spoiler, it's people getting some lunch with spooky music under it). We never see the truck actually chase them, just some spooky music and people running like the Blair Witch Project.

https://youtu.be/pKcJ-0bAHB4?t=348

Obviously, Hammond and co. have had horrific injuries due to performing stunts. That's not fake. What is easily faked is the sense of danger on a tv "documentary".

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Kent_Knifen t1_is81f5y wrote

Their filming method doesn't conform to typical "reality TV standards."

Sure, they go into episodes with a plan in mind. That does not make it scripted. Sometimes the plan works, sometimes it doesn't. If the plan fails bad enough, they scrap it in the editing. Sometimes, the plan exceeds all expectations (Reliant Robin NASA).

They had a plan in Alabama: piss people off. They did not hire extras to appear pissed off. It was candid, single-take. They did not plan how it would go.

They had similar issues while in Argentina. There, they weren't accused of faking it. Rather, they were accused of inciting a riot due to the license plate, a claim they were able to deny with proof (interview with the person who bought the car for the show).

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puttinonthefoil t1_is81s1k wrote

There is literally not a single person being aggressive toward them on camera in the USA clip. They play spooky music under what looks like a truck full of migrant workers and zoom in on a dog. It’s all in editing. Did they get yelled at? I’m sure. Was it to the level of the literal fleeing for their lives they depicted it as? There’s no way.

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Dodohead1383 t1_is8dyrn wrote

Just because you don't want to believe that hiccas Americans can be so fucking stupid and horrible, doesn't mean you're right. I've seen that episode several times and it's very obvious that she called a group of guys and they showed up and then chased them there was 3 vehicles. Were you in one of these vehicles and you're just trying to play it down?

You're probably the type of person who would say that the attempted overthrow of a democratically elected president on January 6th, was just a little nothing Burger...

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puttinonthefoil t1_is8j3vj wrote

Lol, ya got me! I’m a trump supporter because Top Gear, like all television shows, is exaggerated for entertainment. Lol.

The white lady who’s anti-gay and Hillary called a truck full of non-white people as cavalry?

I’ve seen every episode of TG. They exaggerate for entertainment in literally every episode.

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rex2k10 t1_is5uj6a wrote

Is that true though? When I watched it I just got Sense of it being dramatized for tv. You know, like every reality show. But every comment makes it seem like they were in 100% danger

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LazySilver t1_is6apew wrote

As someone that used to have a bumper sticker that said “Stop Inbreeding. Ban country music.” I can honestly believe they were in danger. I got rid of the bumper sticker after 3 different hillbilly trucks tried to run me off the road on separate occasions.

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lacheur42 t1_is7d6o9 wrote

I dunno, sounds like a fun way to get some assholes thrown in jail to me. Just put a 5 point harness in a beater, strap on a helmet, put a bunch of dashcams pointing everywhere, and enjoy the ride!

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Vickrin t1_is7rhov wrote

Because police in Alabama are totally reasonable people who will be on your side.

/s

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LazySilver t1_is7gx96 wrote

That does sound amusing but I didn’t have the cash for those safety accessories at the time. And my little Nissan Sentra wasn’t exactly equipped to deal with that kind of abuse.

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Superbikethrowaway t1_isblrwp wrote

Guns are a great force equalizer in the face of injury or death. God made man, Samuel Colt made man equal.

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mywerkaccount t1_is72cgt wrote

I think they and the producers highly underestimated how people in the South will react to certain things. I think they figured they'd get a bit of a response and it would be entertaining, but had no idea how offended some would get by what they were doing/saying.

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thevictor390 t1_is6htsv wrote

Just from the TV episode I would agree. But they maintain in interviews that it was not planned to turn out like that.

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Savvy_Nick t1_is767bq wrote

Nah they were definitely in a bit of danger. I doubt the hillbilly’s would’ve shot em or anything but someone might’ve got punched or something for sure.

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ellius t1_isi9cee wrote

Yeah I think it was dramatized.

If you listen to what the people were shouting it doesn't match up with what the show was claiming.

If I remember correctly it was actually something like they were upset that they had driven through some landscaping and sprayed gravel everywhere.

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