Top Shot

What an embarrassment to the US military!! He single handily made me stop watching the show, and write a review to a show that I actually liked. The show needs to drop the drama and do a little better vetting their contestants.

First of all, it doesn't really bother me that this show airs on History Channel. After all, this is the same channel that gives us Ancient Aliens, Pawn Stars, American Pickers and Larry the frickin cable guy. If H channel wants to show us a reality TV with gifted marksmen and markswomen, doing all kinds of shooting with all kinds guns/rifles/bows/etc and blow stuffs up, then i'm all for it. This show is way better than any other reality shows.

Though there are small conflicts here and there, the contestants are generally likable. This show also featured many talented individuals who can pick up and mastered new skills in a relatively short time. Most of the challenges have required some marksmanship feats that are difficult or legendary for shooters with experience with the weapon. It's surprising to me seeing that at least half the contestants have minimal or no experience and yet they still generally perform competently. And the coolest thing is contestants can shoot their way out of the elimination, making the better, more well rounded shooters to live to compete another day.

The editing doesn't really bother me. It's standard reality quick cut stuffs, but it gives you some dynamic and makes it more interesting. I don't want to see a camera that's fixed only at the targets, while shooting is in progress, while listening to to Colby's obvious comments (He hits!, He miss!) that would be too boring. I want to see the experts nervous, i want to see them fumbles and out of their elements, and i want to see them triumph against all odds.

In summary, if you like guns and people who can shoot them extremely well, you'll like this show. If you are purists who like to watch "real" sports show or competitions, you might as well go outside to the event and watch it live rather than watching it on TV (on History channel on top of all that, oh, the blasphemy!)

This is a the best reality show out there. I watch this when I couldn't stand 'Survivor'.

The herd gets culled by at least one contestant on each episode. The choice of who faces elimination are more about politics than performance ability. It is often personal relationships that determine who gets the axe.

The first season, I picked the ultimate winner on the first episode. The man was so obviously formidable, that he personally dominated the group from the first moments.

The second season had no greatly dominant contestant. The eventual winner was almost certainly successful because one of the contestants threw the match. Hopefully, that will not happen on season 3.

There is some obvious limit to how outrageous the series can make the events without losing a contestant to death or injury. The third season premieres tonight and I look forward to each episode.

I would like to know the location of the facility where they tape their episodes. They purposely do not say to avoid having unwanted spectators during the taping of the episodes. I am guessing somewhere in the California mountains from the terrain seen on each episode.

When one of the contestants, Jake Zweig, recently quit the program it threw the format into turmoil. An anonymous group of officials were then called to decide how to procede. It would be nice to know who these officials are and if they are merely the show's producers.

One more thing, where does Colby Donaldson go at night when the contestants are bunking in the hunting lodge that serves as their contest home?

I have only one major complaint, perhaps only my personal taste. Will Colby Donaldson PLEASE shut up with the inane play by play comments during each contestant's performance? The audience can perfectly well determine the relative success of each contestant's efforts without Colby feeling he must explain to his audience of 8 year old children.

I expected so much more from this show, I expected it to be a competition, the best shooter wins, you know, like Olympics, or soccer or any other sport. Sadly, it is much more a show than a competition. Regardless of what I just said, I would still love it, if the director, or creators, would change one element. A very crucial one.

There is probably no way that one could make shooting seem more show like, any more movie like than those people did. I felt like watching a sports movie, with lots of cuts and you don't really get the whole picture, basically just snaps, tension, result and comments. I understand the reverse of that would mean a dry show, but they didn't need to go so far. Let me give you an example: two competitors are shooting steel plates at the same time, the camera pans from one guy, to the other guy, to the targets being hit, then cue a slow-motion shot, then randomly mix all of those and repeat. It is impossible to follow or know what is happening just from watching, you see a guys face, hear a shot, and you hear the host saying: it's a hit! If you saw the show, do you really find this appealing? No, I didn't think you did.

Would it not make 10 times more sense to just point the camera at the targets and leave it there, while shooting is in progress, listen to comments and see what's happening in real time? The archery and the knife throwing are unbelievably unrealistic. And if I forgave the bow and arrow.. - how do you shoot a knife? I know, with a GUN! I don't want to see the next season.

I read the reviews regarding this show and decided to chip in, considering none of the reviewers watched or kept up to date with the new seasons, I thought it would be best if someone who actually bothered to watch the show commented on it.

First of all, it's a show, it has to have those slow motion shots and close cuts because that's how you make something like shooting interesting, the show runs off money and you have to attract more audience in order to survive. Sure, people will love a static camera fixed on a single board but not everyone will love it. When directing or making the call you must research your audience.

Moving on, the whole reality based environment is amazing, you see certain amount of sportsmanship and you see people working under pressure and in case of season 3, you see different people with different backgrounds trying to fight things out.

The firearms are impressive, I am sure majority of them I wouldn't even get a chance to touch IRL let alone fire one and that makes the show more appealing, plus it shows that anyone can fire a gun but you need to have training and the right mindset to excel.

The season 3 ending is by far the best season in terms of drama and marksmanship, it's the only season that got me motivated enough to come here on IMDb and write a review.

In short folks, this isn't much, I am sure there is room for improvement but I don't see any other alternatives to this show, so if you like guns and love watching guns shoot and want to learn a thing or two about firearms and different techniques, look no further.

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