# Top Shot Season 4 Premiere 2/14/2012



## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Shooters, prepare your DVRs. Season 4 of Top Shot is coming 2/14.

This season's lineup  has the requisite current and former law enforcement and military (and in a couple of cases, both). Oh yeah, and a couple of girls too


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

wooo wooo


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Maybe the women will actually be able to shoot this season. The ones last season were a joke. Haven't had a good one since Tara the first season.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Really enjoyed this episode and yes the women can shoot especially Gabby, the little petite woman. Focused and not into drama she just shot the hardest to hit targets.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

I had the buy the season premiere off iTunes since my U-Verse DVR failed to record it 

Interesting how they now start with 18 and eliminate two right off the bat. I do like how they chose the teams this year, and it showed in the close race of the team competition.

I thought Frank was going to win elimination. He wasn't nearly experienced as Littlejohn, but then again he was FAR more comfortable with the weapon in practice. But shooting from a moving platform is hard, and even more so when it's from a motorcycle on a bumpy dirt road. Hats off to Littlejohn for pulling ahead given his lackluster practice and downright disastrous team challenge performance.


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## sean67854 (Jul 11, 2001)

Is season 3 available on demand anywhere? I watched the first two on netflix and got hooked, but by then season 3 was over.


ETA: Nevermind. I guess I did see season 3.


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

Greg can't go home fast enough....tired of his superiority complex already.

Some very hard challenges off the bat, should make for a fun season.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

I don't mean this as a criticism of those who watch the whole show, but I wonder if anyone else skips almost every minute of the show that isn't on the range?

I don't know why really, but that's how I've always watched Top Shot. Makes for some amusing reading of posts here since I don't have the context for some of the emotions for/against contestants.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

RonDawg said:


> I had the buy the season premiere off iTunes since my U-Verse DVR failed to record it
> 
> Interesting how they now start with 18 and eliminate two right off the bat. I do like how they chose the teams this year, and it showed in the close race of the team competition.
> 
> I thought Frank was going to win elimination. He wasn't nearly experienced as Littlejohn, but then again he was FAR more comfortable with the weapon in practice. But shooting from a moving platform is hard, and even more so when it's from a motorcycle on a bumpy dirt road. Hats off to Littlejohn for pulling ahead given his lackluster practice and downright disastrous team challenge performance.


Ditto, well except for the sucky DVR part.


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

heySkippy said:


> I don't mean this as a criticism of those who watch the whole show, but I wonder if anyone else skips almost every minute of the show that isn't on the range?


That's pretty much what I do.

If I see what appears to be a major meltdown while I'm skipping by, I'll stop and watch the trainwreck, but other than that it's practices and competitions only.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I watch all of it and there was not much if any drama on the first episode.


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## Byteofram (Oct 29, 2004)

RonDawg said:


> I had the buy the season premiere off iTunes since my U-Verse DVR failed to record it
> /QUOTE]
> 
> History Channel website has it for free and put up the episodes the day after usually.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

heySkippy said:


> I don't mean this as a criticism of those who watch the whole show, but I wonder if anyone else skips almost every minute of the show that isn't on the range?
> 
> I don't know why really, but that's how I've always watched Top Shot. Makes for some amusing reading of posts here since I don't have the context for some of the emotions for/against contestants.


I'd never heard of this show before this week. I saw the start of the first episode at the end of my recording of Top Gear. I thought the show looked pretty cool, but I wondered how much of the show was filled with typical reality show non-sense. Based on this post, it sounds like the typical reality show.

If I ever do watch the show, I'd do what you're doing. Fast forward to the good parts.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

As much of it is simply BS, knowing the dynamics of the show helps understand the decisions at the nomination range.

In this case, there appears to have been some early conflict between Littlejohn and Frank, although whatever it was, it was left on the cutting room floor.

In Season 3. Jake portrayed himself as the über-jerk. But in the post-season wrap up, you really didn't know just how bad he was until you saw the footage of his "psy-ops" in action that didn't make it in the main episodes. For me, he went from a-hole to psychopath with the previously-unaired footage.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Byteofram said:


> History Channel website has it for free and put up the episodes the day after usually.


1. Not in high definition. Also when I tried to play it just now off the History.com website, there's a weird "stop action" motion, as if there are numerous missing frames. I'm on a 12 meg connection too.

2. I wanted to watch it on my iPad on my break at work as a few co-workers wanted to discuss it with me.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

heySkippy said:


> I don't mean this as a criticism of those who watch the whole show, but I wonder if anyone else skips almost every minute of the show that isn't on the range?


I watch range stuff only.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Mikeyis4dcats said:


> Greg can't go home fast enough....tired of his superiority complex already.


Yup. His comment after Colby announced his win sealed it for me. Ready to see him go.


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

RonDawg said:


> 1. Not in high definition. Also when I tried to play it just now off the History.com website, there's a weird "stop action" motion, as if there are numerous missing frames. I'm on a 12 meg connection too.
> 
> 2. I wanted to watch it on my iPad on my break at work as a few co-workers wanted to discuss it with me.


I don't recall for sure, but I thought they did a mini-marathon of the first three episodes after they've all aired - on a Saturday, maybe?


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

JLucPicard said:


> I don't recall for sure, but I thought they did a mini-marathon of the first three episodes after they've all aired - on a Saturday, maybe?


They might but that won't do me any good unless I want to wait 3 weeks.

I just paid the $2.99 and downloaded the HD version. You can't even buy a gallon of gas in CA for that.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

So far this season has been relatively drama free, certainly nothing like Season 3 and Jake. It's only been 3 episodes so perhaps that might change.

Greg Littlejohn is a bit of a head case though. His whole spiel about how he can't shoot his friends' targets, no matter how badly they did on the competitions, was little more than a passive-aggressive way to announce to everybody who he likes and who he doesn't.

I'm not sure if it's worthy of its own thread, but also on Tuesday nights History Channel has a show called "Top Guns." No Maverick and Goose, but it does have Colby Donaldson. He starts off the show with three weapons of similar-type and discusses them with a guest weapons expert. He also invites a guest marksman to try them out, and at the end the three of them have a little competition going.

I find it interesting in that I didn't know Colby was as much of a gun nut as any Top Shot contestant. All this time I thought he was just a pretty face for the show.

So far Colby has invited Top Shot Season 2 contestants Jay Lim and Jaime Franks as guest marksmen, as well as Mike Seeklander, the very first person to be eliminated on Top Shot. For the weapons expert, among the people he's invited are Season 2 winner Chris Reed and ex Navy SEAL Craig Sawyer, who also instructed on some Top Shot competitions both team and individual elimination.

It's a nice way to see some guns and shooting without the drama of the house. It's shot on the same ranges as Top Shot, but with different camera angles which show the ranges are surprisingly close to some residential areas.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Thanks, RonDawg. Set a recording for "Top Guns". Sounds fun.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

RonDawg said:


> Greg Littlejohn is a bit of a head case though.


I thought his sobbing was ridiculous. Dude, grow a set, it's a game.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

ClutchBrake said:


> Thanks, RonDawg. Set a recording for "Top Guns". Sounds fun.


I should also clarify that Top Guns is on H2 (formerly called History International) and not on the main History Channel. AFAIK it's only carried on digital cable, satellite, and IPTV, and may not be available on some cheaper service tiers depending on your TV provider. It's also on Wednesday night, not Tuesday as I originally thought.

http://www.history.com/shows/top-guns


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## gschrock (Dec 28, 2001)

RonDawg said:


> I should also clarify that Top Guns is on H2 (formerly called History International) and not on the main History Channel.


Which is really annoying, since Directv doesn't seem to carry that in HD. Almost enough to make me not watch it. Haven't quite made up my mind about it yet, it isn't quite what I was hoping for from the original blurb I saw about it on the first week of Top Shot. Not sure if it *really* needs a full hour for the show, seems to drag a little to me.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

gschrock said:


> Which is really annoying, since Directv doesn't seem to carry that in HD. Almost enough to make me not watch it.


Yeah I'm lucky that U-Verse carries it in HD. It's one of the few reasons I put up with their crappy DVR.



> Haven't quite made up my mind about it yet, it isn't quite what I was hoping for from the original blurb I saw about it on the first week of Top Shot. Not sure if it *really* needs a full hour for the show, seems to drag a little to me.


It's definitely not as fast paced as Top Shot, and a bit pedantic if you're somewhat knowledgeable of firearms. They like to put up lots of onscreen graphics explaining terminology and gun technology. It's almost like they're going after an audience that wouldn't know which end of a gun is which 

But that's OK with me. I appreciate shows like Top Shot and Top Guns which put a positive face on gun enthusiasts to the general public. The news media and TV/movies generally don't like to do that.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Caught an episode of Top Guns this weekend. Fun show. Sucks it isn't in HD on DirecTV but I liked it. Perfect filler show. :up:


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Greg Littlejohn survived another challenge. To be honest, I was hoping he'd get eliminated, but this time it was Colin who choked.

At least Greg finally started to get along better with Colin and William, but it was probably too late for Blue team. Even Colby was aware how the disharmony within the team was negatively impacting their performance in the challenges.

I did LOL when Colby asked why Greg gave his bandana to Colin at the end of the challenge. Colby had a serious WTF? look on his face when Greg gave his answer


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## Tivortex (Feb 29, 2004)

The challenges this season are really great. I loved the swinging balloons. It looked tough to hit the small ones. 

The "friendship bracelet" was comedy gold! Grow up man!


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

snowjay said:


> I thought his sobbing was ridiculous. Dude, grow a set, it's a game.


haha yup.
He's acting like once eliminated, these guys are executed or something.

It's a friggin' shooting competition. Jeez.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

Tivortex said:


> I loved the swinging balloons.


Unfortunately, she was eliminated in week 2.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

RonDawg said:


> I did LOL when Colby asked why Greg gave his bandana to Colin at the end of the challenge. Colby had a serious WTF? look on his face when Greg gave his answer


[/url <--- Colby's look.

I liked seeing the M&P40 (since I have one), especially under slowmo and seeing all the frame flex.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

inaka said:


> He's acting like once eliminated, these guys are executed or something.
> 
> It's a friggin' shooting competition. Jeez.


I wonder if Greg is this emotional on the job? If not, he's gonna get some serious razzing at work.

He's now got $4k worth of Bass Pro Shop gift cards. Just STFU and shoot.



inaka said:


> Unfortunately, she was eliminated in week 2.


Actually it was Week 3, but yeah those were seriously distracting


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

RonDawg said:


> Actually it was Week 3, but yeah those were seriously distracting


That was about the only time that I found understand that wuss Greg crying that someone was eliminated.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

snowjay said:


> [/url <--- Colby's look.




I rewatched the episode and FF'd to that scene. I still LOL at Colby's reaction 

He's probably thinking: "Something really weird is going on at the house this season." 



> I liked seeing the M&P40 (since I have one), especially under slowmo and seeing all the frame flex.


Last night's Top Gun episode featured an in-depth look at the M&P 40, along with the SW 625 .45 ACP and the SW 1911 (but chambered as a 9mm). Colby invited back Season 1 participant Brad Engmann (who apparently isn't as much of a Glock fan as he once was, as he now uses the M&P 9mm in competition) and Season 2 Angelina Jolie lookalike Maggie Reece. The expert was Julie Golob, who also was the instructor for this week's elimination challenge between Greg and Colin.

The slo-mo on these shows is excellent. When they were doing the skeet competition, I loved how they were able to show the clay pigeons shattering in contact with the pellets.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

inaka said:


> That was about the only time that I found understand that wuss Greg crying that someone was eliminated.


I'm sure the other guys were also crying upon her departure:


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

I just signed up for Top Guns season pass so I'm going to have to download the previous episodes.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

RonDawg said:


> Actually it was Week 3, but yeah those were seriously distracting


What? I wasn't paying attention.










--Carlos V.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

RonDawg said:


> The slo-mo on these shows is excellent. When they were doing the skeet competition, I loved how they were able to show the clay pigeons shattering in contact with the pellets.


After the last few posts I can think of a few more opportunities the show had to _really_ exploit the use of their slow-mo in weeks 1-3. 

Thank God for recoil.


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

Unbeliever said:


> What? I wasn't paying attention.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


outstanding


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

is that her?


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

busyba said:


> is that her?


Yup. Note the shoulder tat.

--Carlos V.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

This thread just got a million times better.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

She apparently was selected as the spokesmodel for Red Star Arms before Top Shot.

http://missredstararms.com/






But to balance out the titillation, here's her in her work uniform:










She's a National Guard MP I think:






Aww, shucks. One more:










--Carlos V.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Unbeliever said:


> But to balance out the titillation


WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT??? 



> here's her in her work uniform:


Talk about camouflage. It certainly hides what's underneath


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

I liked the "moving window" elimination challenge. That's one I personally would like to do. Does anybody remember any Top Shot challenge where it had to be repeated because of a tie? Previously they would use elapsed time or total shots fired as the tie breaker. EDIT: I rewatched the episode and apparently both Tim and Iggy fired off the same number of rounds as well as hit the same number of targets. It was a fixed-time challenge so they can't use that as a tie breaker.

Greg once again choked it. Good thing Blue ended up winning (only because Chee had such a hard time just getting across to the other platform), otherwise he rightfully would be up for Elimination #3.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

That was painful watching him fail the rope. Had to have been nerves, all he had to do was pull himself up on the ropes, get his legs up. Same with watching Greg(?) struggling to pull the trigger.

The moving window does look like fun. I would probably suck at it, but I'd like to try.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

I was surprised red didn't win, with Greg choking they should of won and he should be going home.

As far as Chee with the ropes he didn't even have to pull himself up more, he just needed to start at the edge of the platform, he was starting way to far back.

For the elimination challenge I was surprise they didn't start left of the portal and fire at an angle, that should allow them to see the targets longer, plus you could "crab walk" and keep pace with the barrier. IMHO shuffling your feet is good if you are moving left or right and stopping as they did in the practice but for continuous movement I think it's a hinderance. I was actually surprised Iggy had some much issue with moving and shooting, it's one thing we did in the academy, start behind cover, draw, and engage multiple targets on the move moving forward, backward and parallel to them.

Something like this: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncg9iFgT7GA[/media]


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

heySkippy said:


> That was painful watching him fail the rope. Had to have been nerves, all he had to do was pull himself up on the ropes, get his legs up. Same with watching Greg(?) struggling to pull the trigger.


Kyle (the old man of the group) was commenting how the reason they put Chee up first was because he had the most recent military experience. So much for that 

Greg's issue was that his gun was only half-cocked. That's why he couldn't fire.



snowjay said:


> For the elimination challenge I was surprise they didn't start left of the portal and fire at an angle, that should allow them to see the targets longer, plus you could "crab walk" and keep pace with the barrier. IMHO shuffling your feet is good if you are moving left or right and stopping as they did in the practice but for continuous movement I think it's a hinderance. I was actually surprised Iggy had some much issue with moving and shooting, it's one thing we did in the academy, start behind cover, draw, and engage multiple targets on the move moving forward, backward and parallel to them.


The people who came up with the challenges probably expected that and that's why they put up those "arms" on either side of the gun bench. They are forcing you to keep pace with the moving window so your sight picture is extremely limited. They are looking for fast but accurate target acquisition.

In reality, if forced to shoot through an opening, you would adjust yourself to get as much of a sight picture as possible.

For a supposed former SWAT member, I'm surprised Iggy had such an issue with the "Iggy Shuffle." In SWAT they primarily focus on shooting on the move if you are on an entry team.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Since it was going to the right, wouldn't a Weaver stance for right handed folks have been better? At least your hips are pointed in the right direction and it is more of a normal walk than the shuffle in a combat isosceles.

--Carlos V.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

Oh, and:

"Greg's shaking like a dog trying to crap a peach pit." 

"While Greg was up there I left had a steak dinner, I come back and he's still standing there with the gun in the air"

--Carlos V.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

Unbeliever said:


> Since it was going to the right, wouldn't a Weaver stance for right handed folks have been better? At least your hips are pointed in the right direction and it is more of a normal walk than the shuffle in a combat isosceles.
> 
> --Carlos V.


If you're not a weaver shooter you probably won't shoot well. You can still shoot with an isosceles upper twist your hips and walk.


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## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

RonDawg said:


> Greg's issue was that his gun was only half-cocked. That's why he couldn't fire.


And then his ball fell out. lol


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

Donbadabon said:


> And then his ball fell out. lol


"So he was half-cocked, _and_ de-balled!"

Loved how the guy couldn't keep a straight face while saying that.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

His poor wife... but with a name of Littlejohn what do you expect.


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## Bill Reeves (Jul 18, 2002)

I'm watching this mostly because I work at the same company as Chris Cheng. There is an internal web site where he makes some comments after each episode -- most of the comments are drama-related rather than shooting-related, but occasionally there is something interesting about the guns -- for example, he owns the type of shotgun they used in the team challenge a few episodes back, so he was pretty happy when that came up.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Very cool, Bill.

I had a friend on a show called The Ultimate Fighter a few years ago. Was super cool watching the show with him because he could tell you how things were edited and how shots that were shown in sequence were really days or even weeks apart. It was like the cool commentary feature you find on Blu-Ray only it was live.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

Donbadabon said:


> And then his ball fell out. lol


I hate when that happens.


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## rimler (Jun 30, 2002)

snowjay said:


> If you're not a weaver shooter you probably won't shoot well. You can still shoot with an isosceles upper twist your hips and walk.


Uhhhhh, what?


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

It's what guys call "the european grip"


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

rimler said:


> Uhhhhh, what?


I think he means twist at the hips instead of the Weaver twist at the shoulders/neck. (Edit: Just saw the video in Snowjays #48 post. Skip to the 2 minute mark for what he's talking about)

Coming from shooting rifles, I was always more comfortable with Weaver or modified Weaver. "Leaning forward" with isosceles makes me feel like I'm teetering with my ass in the air. Weaver feels comfortable leaning forward with my weight over my left foot.

--Carlos V.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Donbadabon said:


> And then his ball fell out. lol


I SOOO walked into that one


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Bill Reeves said:


> I'm watching this mostly because I work at the same company as Chris Cheng. There is an internal web site where he makes some comments after each episode -- most of the comments are drama-related


One of the things I like the best about Season 4 is about the relative LACK of drama so far, especially after Season 3 and Jake. Greg started off as a bit of a bully but seems to have mellowed out. Red Team seems to be very drama-free.

Care to enlighten us on the dirt at the house?


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## Bill Reeves (Jul 18, 2002)

So it turns out that every week, there's a Q&A in one of the conference rooms here, which gets filmed and put up on Youtube. They're all here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TopShotChris

They're like 40-50 minutes long. Some of the house stuff gets discussed, but he doesn't say anything bad about anyone -- very diplomatic.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Did last night's "conflict" between Tim and Chris Cheng seem a bit "manufactured?" For somebody supposedly as pissed off as he was, Tim certainly didn't look it, nor did his voice have that tone. He was shaking like a leaf during their meeting though, like he had WAY too much coffee.

They also looked comfortable walking together to the practice range, and had exchanged hugs at the end of the elimination challenge.


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## rimler (Jun 30, 2002)

It's always hard to tell in these "reality" shows if there's prior friction the camera missed or if it's manufactured for the show. I usually assume it's manufactured for the show. If there was a "fight" going on between Tim and Chris, there must have been more to it than we saw in the house.

I've only watched up to the nomination range so far, but...

The reactions of Chris and Chee did seem genuine on the nomination range. Utter confusion on that end when Kyle and Gary shot Tim's target. 

I think Kyle, Gary and Tim have formed an alliance, and they are looking to get rid of Chris and Chee. Dunno where Gabby stands.


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## Bill Reeves (Jul 18, 2002)

rimler said:


> I think Kyle, Gary and Tim have formed an alliance, and they are looking to get rid of Chris and Chee. Dunno where Gabby stands.


Yeah, but putting Tim up against Chris instead of letting Chris and Chee duke it out was not a very effective way to do this, especially after they agreed at their meeting to abide by the coin flip.

I think that the three of them (Kyle, Gary and Tim) have a lot more in common and are comfortable working together, but I don't think they're actively trying to eliminate the others.

I was surprised that Chris and Chee were OK with being up for elimination -- they've done well in all of the challenges. Then again, I may be more used to Survivor where people try to keep their head down -- in Top Shot, it seems to be a lot more common to step up and volunteer for the elimination challenge, to prove yourself or something like that.

Edit to add -- there's going to be a discussion with Chris, tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon -- I'll listen in and post any highlights.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

rimler said:


> I think Kyle, Gary and Tim have formed an alliance, and they are looking to get rid of Chris and Chee. Dunno where Gabby stands.


Only problem was, Kyle shot Tim's target, followed by Gary (who almost missed BTW). And now Tim has made the lonely walk up the road.

It was clear that Chee and Chris definitely did not expect Tim's target to be shot at by anybody. Right before it was his turn, Gary even asked Tim if he wanted his target shot at.


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

I didn't understand how they did that cannon thing. Did they (the producers) move the cannon between shots so that one team couldn't benefit from the other team's sights?


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## Combat Medic (Sep 6, 2001)

Amnesia said:


> I didn't understand how they did that cannon thing. Did they (the producers) move the cannon between shots so that one team couldn't benefit from the other team's sights?


I'm assuming that they just let the cannon move itself.


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

Combat Medic said:


> I'm assuming that they just let the cannon move itself.


Yah, I had the same question, so I watched it pretty closely several of the times it fired. It kicked pretty badly, certainly enough to screw up the aim.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

BTW the house used in Seasons 2-4 of Top Shot is up for sale.

4 bed/4 bath, 3600 sq ft. for the low, low price of $795k  It was originally priced at $899,950 though.

I looked at Google Maps and didn't realize the house had a pool.

Movie buffs will also recognize the area as the filming location of "Duel" some 40 years earlier. The "Snake-o-Rama" scene was filmed just to the east (near where Sierra Highway meets the 14 Freeway) and the restaurant where Dennis Weaver thought he was confronting the homicidal trucker still exists further to the west.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

I never realized it had a pool either, they must cover it for the show.

If that house where here, that price would be a steal.

How long has it been for sale?


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

According to Zillow, it was first listed at the $900k price back in October 2010. It was then taken off the market.

My guess is because Season 2 was filmed in between the two times it was on the market; I remember this because the Season 2 contestants (many of whom are former Marines) celebrated the USMC's birthday, November 10 at the house. 

It was relisted at the $900k price in January 2011. I guess they got no takers so the owners dropped the price to its current level a year later, while continuing to rent out the house to Pilgrim TV (the company behind Top Shot and many other productions).


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

Thanks. That's what if I was curious about, if it was for sale during the filming or not. It's probably not occupied so it's easy $ to rent to the show as long as they fix all the nail holes in the wall.


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## gschrock (Dec 28, 2001)

Does kinda make me wonder whether there's going to be any more seasons in the show.

Interestingly, that page also has a thing trying to estimate value for the house, and according to it, the house is still very much overpriced.


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

gschrock said:


> Does kinda make me wonder whether there's going to be any more seasons in the show.


I don't see what one has to do with the other. They could stay in any large house.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

The super slo-mo shots during this show are always fun to watch, but the slo-mo with the cannon blasts? Extra cool. :up:


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

inaka said:


> The super slo-mo shots during this show are always fun to watch, but the slo-mo with the cannon blasts? Extra cool. :up:


The slo-mo shots with Michelle's boobs were the best though


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

gschrock said:


> Does kinda make me wonder whether there's going to be any more seasons in the show.





Amnesia said:


> I don't see what one has to do with the other. They could stay in any large house.


Of which there are no shortage in the Acton-Agua Dulce area. Houses like that are fairly common in that valley.



gschrock said:


> Interestingly, that page also has a thing trying to estimate value for the house, and according to it, the house is still very much overpriced.


If it hasn't sold, it's likely overpriced. But the owners bought the property and built that house at the peak of the SoCal housing market, so they probably spent more on it than they can recoup in the current market.


----------



## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

RonDawg said:


> The slo-mo shots with Michelle's boobs were the best though


Recoil is your friend.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

inaka said:


> Recoil is your friend.


It's too bad Michelle didn't make it to the cannon challenge. The concussion alone would have provided lots of entertainment by her mere presence


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

It was interesting to see Gabby holding that rifle the way she did; she basically held it up by her thumb and forefinger alone. Is that typical of rifle competition shooting?

I agree about sending William to elimination. Just when I thought the guy was keeping a super-low profile, apparently he's been pissing off his team. Yeah he's probably Blue's best marksman, but his attitude is driving the team apart, and it showed at the competition. William himself also had nothing to brag about at the team competition; yeah it's a tough shoot, but when you act like an azz at practice and claim that you're so good and that you don't even need to practice with the rifle, you better be able to back that up every single time. The best shooters aren't that way because they don't need to practice...practicing often, and correctly, is how they got to be the best shooters.

Anybody notice one of the camera angles where William and Dylan were practicing for elimination was all blurry and fuzzy? I'm not sure if they needed a tissue or if it was out of focus.

Also, why was Dylan wearing gloves for the elimination shoot? It wasn't cold, and considering I have never seen him shoot with gloves on before, to put them on right before the very challenge that could (and did) send him home was stupid. I've shot with gloves on, and if you don't practice shooting with gloves, your shots will be all over the place (as Dylan's were).

Anybody up for predictions on who the top 4 will be? Mine (in alphabetical order):



Spoiler



Chee, Chris, Gabby, and William if the rest of the shooters don't kill him first.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

RonDawg said:


> It was interesting to see Gabby holding that rifle the way she did; she basically held it up by her thumb and forefinger alone. Is that typical of rifle competition shooting?


There is a name for it but it escapes me now, but I've seen on other shooters do that. I've also seen some use the top of their closed fist to support the rifle in a similar manner (with their support elbow also into their side).


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

snowjay said:


> There is a name for it but it escapes me now, but I've seen on other shooters do that. I've also seen some use the top of their closed fist to support the rifle in a similar manner (with their support elbow also into their side).


The only "holds" I've ever seen use the same stance and support elbow configuration, but seem to have a much firmer grip on the weapon. I couldn't imagine being able to shoot accurately balancing the weapon on just two fingers like that, but it apparently works well for her.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

Wow, a bolt-action final challenge with a focus on speed.

All I had to think watching that was, "Good thing neither of those guys are left-handed." If so, that challenge would be over before it even began.


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

In the case of the mad minute, when they went to the tie-breaker, it was my opinion that the MOST rounds fired should have won. I know going with the fewest rounds fired gives the win to the most accurate shooter, but this competition was also about speed. Not that the person who got the most rounds down range should win, but only in the case of a tie. 

Before the team challenge started I thought if they are required to shoot double action Gabby is going to be in a world of trouble. But then they sat her out so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Good for her for being seen as serious competition. 

I am on disk 3 of season 1 right now. Kinda bummed that from watching this season I already know who wins season 1. Oh well, my fault for not watching it when it first aired.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

tiams said:


> In the case of the mad minute, when they went to the tie-breaker, it was my opinion that the MOST rounds fired should have won. I know going with the fewest rounds fired gives the win to the most accurate shooter, but this competition was also about speed. Not that the person who got the most rounds down range should win, but only in the case of a tie.


That's an interesting perspective that I hadn't considered. I think I might agree.


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

Yeah, I think the person with the highest percentage of hits to total shots should have won the mad minute. Kinda like the NBA free throw champ. Speed and accuracy was definitely part of the challenge.


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

worachj said:


> Yeah, I think the person with the highest percentage of hits to total shots should have won the mad minute. Kinda like the NBA free throw champ. Speed and accuracy was definitely part of the challenge.


In the case of a tie? In that case that's indirectly what they did.

To determine the winner overall? The problem with that is it makes 1 shot, 1 hit, a perfect unbeatable score, stop firing, you can only hurt yourself by taking a second shot...


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

kdmorse said:


> In the case of a tie? In that case that's indirectly what they did.


Yep, your right! I obviously didnt think it through enough. So it comes down to which is more important, quickness or accuracy? Accuracy, because the highest hit total will win, doesnt matter how fast you shoot. It was only because of a tie that created the accuracy/quickness debate. So, I guess Im alright with the way the tie was decided. But if I was a shooter I would be shooting as fast as possible, and hope Im as accurate as hell.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I always figured it was percentage of shots. When the blue team was trying to choose two for elimination, Augie should have been up because he had only a quarter accuracy while the others were close to a third. But the perception while doing the challenge is different. 
I am rooting for Gabby. I think she is the first woman to make it to the green team.


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

sieglinde said:


> I am rooting for Gabby. I think she is the first woman to make it to the green team.





Spoiler



Tara would have made it to the green team if she had not had to drop out because her Dad was dying.


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

I was amazed at how far off the guys were about how many jars each broke.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I agree. They don't have the teamwork to count jars. I would have thought that they would have observed the red team and picked up the communication techniques. Something as simple as yelling Reload helped the red team so much.


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## HIHZia (Nov 3, 2004)

A**hole William blows his leads and gets knocked off!! I don't think anyone is going to miss him, he was just a d**k. I was glad to see Chris stay, but hated to see Gabby leave.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

I usually only watch the competitions and FF through the rest of the show. My wife hates Top Shot but two things were recording last night while I was doing homework so she left it on that while Justified was on the other tuner. When we got ready to watch Justified she commented that it was a really good episode of Top Shot. Because of that I actually watched the episode last night. Glad I did. The scene with Gabby was pretty heartbreaking. You could tell everyone loved her. Never would have seen that kind of emotion over taking out a dude! 

Glad William is gone. Dude was an ass. Had a giant chip on his shoulder like crazy-ass dude from last season.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

Thank god William is gone, he certainly has a ego.

Sucked to see Gabby go. I thought she was going to hit it in one shot with the way she was drilling them during practice, but doubling the difference took her edge away.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Because of the long range, the music telegraphed the hit/miss even more than usual. Very aggravating, I wish they would dial that back some.

Like everyone else, I'm also sorry to see Gabby go. She puts out a great vibe.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

I loved the episode. Really exciting to see the IT come back like that and beat William.

The only one distraction from this episode in particular (and this is a really minor gripe) is that when they cut to the post recap interviews with the participants, you kind of knew who won even though they intercut these as it's being revealed on TV. When they cut to Gabby, you could really see she'd been crying a ton, so odds are it wasn't good for her. Also, when they gut to the IT guy, he was so damn excited that he was beaming! LOL I would be too, but maybe they should wait a bit before getting their recaps. 

Again, minor gripe and I loved this episode. Actually, this is the best season IMO, and the show keeps getting better and better. The addition of Top Guns on H2 is a great bonus too.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Loved that huge sniper rifle. I figure part of it was Gabby's size. Remember she is an Olympic pistol shooter. These Olympic competitions have a men's and women's division. The rumor is so that the women don't beat the men. But I suspect that is not the real reason.  Small motor skills are usually superior on average for women, but give her a big ass gun and she struggled.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

I could not believe how long after they fired the gun it took for the bullet to impact. That target was crazy far away! You just couldn't get a feel for the distance on TV, not really, but the time-to-impact made it very clear.

Regarding telegraphing the ending: I was shocked that William lost that final challenge, based on the pre-challenge interviews. Chris was talking about his dad and being inspired by the show and all that, and it seemed like they spent far more time with him, so I was positive he was going home. I was punked by Top Shot!

Nice job by Chris to get pissed and ding William's target. It would have sucked if either of the others left. And Greg's look when William said he would do better now that he wasn't part of the team was outstanding. Probably William is not a bad guy but he really has zero charisma. I wonder how much was editing, either for better or worse.


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## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

Keyboard warrior FTW! Wonder what the final round count was between Chris and William...Chris was pumping the rounds out fast.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

I too was sad to see Gabby get eliminated. I'm sure nobody is sadder than Chee though. I wonder if they got together after Chee finished his run on the show?

I'm not sad that William got eliminated. He's a good shot, but he also has that "does not play well with others" quality about him. I am glad that for this season, the producers have limited the amount of drama being shown, and generally will only show it during discussions for elimination.

I'm surprised the producers invited George Rheinas back, considering he badmouthed them both on the previous Top Shot forums (which were taken down after Season 2) and on Caleb Giddings' blog. Specifically, he blamed "editing" for his being portrayed as a total d-bag and that the producers intentionally made him out to be a bad guy for ratings' sake. Yeah he's a good shot, but he's not the only one.

Speaking of forums and Rheinas, there was someone on the forums defending George Rheinas, claiming they served together and he was nothing like he was portrayed. After Greg said that they had served in Kuwait together, I wonder if it was him as I do recall that poster saying he also had applied for Top Shot.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

I'm enjoying the heck out of Top Guns as well. Hate that it isn't in HD on DirecTV, but I like the details and in-depth look at the weapons without the drama.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

RonDawg said:


> II'm surprised the producers invited George Rheinas back, considering he badmouthed them both on the previous Top Shot forums (which were taken down after Season 2) and on Caleb Giddings' blog. Specifically, he blamed "editing" for his being portrayed as a total d-bag and that the producers intentionally made him out to be a bad guy for ratings' sake. Yeah he's a good shot, but he's not the only one.
> 
> Speaking of forums and Rheinas, there was someone on the forums defending George Rheinas, claiming they served together and he was nothing like he was portrayed. After Greg said that they had served in Kuwait together, I wonder if it was him as I do recall that poster saying he also had applied for Top Shot.


After seeing the way Greg has handled himself on this season of Top Shot, it sort of makes sense. 

I have no doubt they edit the show to fit an interesting storyline for the viewer, but last season they had a LOT of quotes from George just looking like a d-bag on his own. His comments about Jamie being in the Navy and how much he degraded him for that (why? I have no idea) wasn't anything about editing, IMO. He did it multiple times and really dug his own hole on that one.

But hey, his one shot hit with the sniper rifle last season was a hell of a shot. No doubt about that.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

ClutchBrake said:


> I'm enjoying the heck out of Top Guns as well. Hate that it isn't in HD on DirecTV, but I like the details and in-depth look at the weapons without the drama.


H2 isn't in HD on DirectTV?? That's a shame.

I totally agree with you. I almost like Top Guns more since it doesn't have drama and I learn more about the weapons systems they're using.

At first it appeared Colby was just knocking off his buddy Jeff Probst's delivery as a host for Top Shot. But I gotta admit, he's a great host for the show, and it's nice to see him be more down to earth in Top Guns. Good show.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

According to Colby Donaldson's Twitter feed, History Channel has not renewed Top Shot  That means Top Guns will likely not be renewed, since it segues in on the previous Top Shot episode :down:



inaka said:


> I have no doubt they edit the show to fit an interesting storyline for the viewer, but last season they had a LOT of quotes from George just looking like a d-bag on his own. His comments about Jamie being in the Navy and how much he degraded him for that (why? I have no idea) wasn't anything about editing, IMO. He did it multiple times and really dug his own hole on that one.


I don't think it was him being in the Navy that George had a problem with, but rather that he felt Jaime was being secretive about what his job was. George had no problems hanging out with Chris Reed and the other former Marines in their group.

After the episode in which Ashley was telling everybody that the reason Jaime was so secretive was because he was an assassin, Jaime went to the Top Shot forums and posted for the first time with the title "I am NOT an assassin." He then lays out his entire resume, which frankly made his military career look a lot more impressive than George's.

Jaime also went on Caleb Giddings' radio blog and said that in the Navy, you often have more than one job description. For example, the producers kept referring to him as a "Navy Rescue Swimmer" and while that is true, that is only one of several duties that he has to perform.


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

RonDawg said:


> History Channel has not renewed Top Shot


Doesn't look like they've made a decision one way or another. Colby said:


> Let me be clear: #TopShot has NOT been cancelled. Ratings were strong last night & we need that continue in order to get green light on S5.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Amnesia said:


> Doesn't look like they've made a decision one way or another. Colby said:


It hasn't been cancelled, but at least until Colby tweeted it to everybody, it sounded like History wasn't going to film a Season 5 either. Hopefully History will change its mind and start casting calls soon.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

I finally got a chance to watch last Tuesday's episode.



RonDawg said:


> Anybody up for predictions on who the top 4 will be? Mine (in alphabetical order):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So much for 3 of my predicted Top 4  I wonder if Chee hooked up with Gabby again after he was eliminated? I guess we'll find out at the end of the season when they summarize what everybody did after their turn was up.

Although he survived elimination and got a $2k gift certificate out of it, Gary could have made it to the "safe" 3 had he not forgotten to unload and reholster during the ground floor shots. He was only a few seconds behind Greg.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Looks like this only has an episode or two left. I enjoy this show even though I have never fired a firearm and don't ever intend on doing so.


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

I can't believe Greg Littlejohn is still in this. Surprised he hasn't choked badly enough to knock himself out.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

I guess Greg has finally conquered his jitters because he ended up doing far better than the others with the half track-mounted machine gun challenge.

I'm surprised Kyle ended up being eliminated. Although Augie had more experience with a similar weapon than Kyle did, considering how he did at practice, I was sure that Augie was going to be the one to choke. But I guess Kyle bit off far more than he can chew by trying to memorize all of the objects to shoot. That challenge I think is mentally the toughest one ever on Top Shot. 

A couple OOPS moments with the camera in this episode. First one caught a view of the cameraman inside the half track, seated in the back (I forget which shooter was up). Then after Kyle and Augie did their practice for the elimination, as Augie was making himself a sandwich in the kitchen, a guy in a black shirt walks into the shot and quickly backs out.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

There seemed to be two people in the front seat of the half track. I can see a driver being there but is there something else that you need to operate on the halftrack to need a two man crew?


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

The second guy I believe was the one in the back (by the gun) when it was driven into the scene. I guess he just wanted to ride "shotgun" during the filming


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

sieglinde said:


> I can see a driver being there but is there something else that you need to operate on the halftrack to need a two man crew?


Perhaps the second person was there to help ensure that the driver kept to a consistent speed for all shooters


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

What a finale!


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

Einselen said:


> What a finale!


:up::up::up:

Best season yet!
Hopefully it won't be the last.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

Wow, that was right down to the wire. IT guy goes pro!


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

inaka said:


> :up::up::up:
> 
> Best season yet!
> Hopefully it won't be the last.


This. I was hoping that Chris and Gary would have been the final two, but Gary choked during the second-to-last challenge.

If History does go for a Season 5, I do hope the producers minimize the drama like they did with Season 4. You really don't know how much drama they left out until they aired the season re-cap.

It's clear that Greg was at first following the George Rheinas method of trying to get only his buddies and him to the finale, but in the end the only buddy of his to make it to green shirt status was Augie. And it nearly backfired on him, since he got sent to elimination a record-breaking 5 times. But at least he grew up and mellowed out by the time he and Colin battled it out on the range.

Is it me, or did Michelle gain weight by the time the season re-cap was filmed?


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Fantastic finale. Very glad Chris won but wow did Greg step up for the finale!


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## HIHZia (Nov 3, 2004)

Go Chris!!!!

Greg was the least of the four I wanted to win.


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

Yeah, that was incredible. I was amazed at particular with their crossbow shots---I mean, they definitely have tons more experience with firearms and they had to hit rotating targets with the crossbow. Very impressive...


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

There's just something über cool about a challenge down to the wire where f'n grenade launchers are used to blow things sky high. That was great! :up:


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

inaka said:


> There's just something über cool about a challenge down to the wire where f'n grenade launchers are used to blow things sky high. That was great! :up:


The grenades were inert powder bombs. (you can see the marker dust near the targets on the miss) The blow-stuff-up was pyro with a guy on a switch watching for the tannerite target to go.

--Carlos V.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

RonDawg said:


> Is it me, or did Michelle gain weight by the time the season re-cap was filmed?


It is not only you.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

Unbeliever said:


> The grenades were inert powder bombs. (you can see the marker dust near the targets on the miss) The blow-stuff-up was pyro with a guy on a switch watching for the tannerite target to go.
> 
> --Carlos V.


I know. I never said they were live rounds.
It was the same setup when they were used in the challenge.


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

In the saloon challenge, twice they called shots to be taken "off-hand". What did that mean? 

My first thought was that they had to do the trigger pull with their non-dominant hand, but it appeared that they all shot right-handed as usual on both shots.

Colby said something like, "no support!", so then I thought maybe one handed, but they all used both hands for both shots.

So what did it mean?


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

busyba said:


> In the saloon challenge, twice they called shots to be taken "off-hand". What did that mean?
> 
> So what did it mean?


"Off hand stance."

Standing, with the rifle supported only by your off-hand (non-dominant hand). No sling.

Precision shooters place the support arm elbow on their rib-cage. Shooting at moving targets that require big swings move the arm further out on the forestock/handguard, elbow not on the ribcage.

Other positions are:

Prone: belly on the ground, rifle supported by bags or your off hand arm with the elbow on the ground. Precision shooters add a sling from the forestock to a point just above the bicep. The middle of the sling is wrapped 1/2 to 3/4 the way around your forearm. Brings the rifle tight up against your shoulder and does a good job of locking the rifle in place relative to your body, even through recoil. Good for the "natural point of aim" type shooters.

Sitting: Legs crossed, weight on your butt, offhand elbow supported by the knee. Precision shooters add the sling the same way.

Kneeling: Weight on a knee, or sitting on your leg, off-side knee up and elbow resting on it. Sling can be added here, too.

It's possible to sling up on an off-hand stance (variations on the hasty sling), but its generally not used in competition. (and some even have rules against it. Sling has to be in parade configuration) Doesn't add much for me on sport shooting, but the tactical guys like it. I need to ask them to teach me why.

Offhand stance, precision (he's also wearing a shooting jacket):









Offhand stance, moving target:









--Carlos V.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

I know the season's over (and the show's return unsure of at this point) but I thought I'd share something I came across on the internet.

Season 1 contestant Caleb Giddings used to hold interviews with each Top Shot contestant (starting with Season 2) as they were eliminated from the show. For some reason he did not do so for Season 4, but he did do a blog on gunnuts.net called "Last Night on Top Shot."

For the season (and possibly series) finale, Caleb had this compliment about Gabby, which was also a slam on some other contestants, particularly Michelle:



> Throughout the competition, Gabby showed herself to be a talented shooter and a likable person. What has really impressed me about her is her off-screen conduct while the show has aired and after - she hasn't run around asking for freebies because she was on Top Shot, *she hasn't done any trashy photoshoots,* and she even accepted an invitation to attend a military ball. I've only interacted with Gabby twice, but both times she was just as professional and graceful in person as she appeared to be on-screen. Gabby has turned herself into a tremendous ambassador for the shooting sports, and for women in the shooting sports; simply by being classy and professional.


I take it Caleb is not all that into boobs


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

RonDawg said:


> I take it Caleb is not all that into boobs


From the blog post, apparently he's into (military) balls.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Gabby always seemed to have her head in the game. If she is to attract women into shooting, it is best not to do a bunch of sexy photos.


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

sieglinde said:


> If she is to attract women into shooting, it is best not to do a bunch of sexy photos.


I don't see the issue. If she was a so-so shooter and just did the photos, that'd be one thing...

She's showing that you can be both: sexy/attractive *and* a good shooter. Why would that turn people off?


----------



## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Some folks will believe that anytime a beautiful woman is seen in a skimpy outfit, it's purely for the titillation of the male imagination. And they just so happen to be correct!


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I agree. If I was in the market for shooting lessons, guns etc. I would be turned off by the "booth babes". I was at computer shows also. I want people who know what they are doing. People who know what they are doing don't have to do the sexy photo shoot stuff. Now Gabby is an attractive woman but this kind of posing does not give a professional image. The ad needs to attract the eyes but after the first look it will turn some people off. A photo of Gabby in her Olympic uniform competing at the games would be more eye catching to me.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Asking booth babes technical questions was such a waste of time at computer shows.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Let's not forget too that while Michelle is definitely easy on the eyes, she did get her "ass kicked" (her words) very early in the competition by some fat bloke from England 

It would be a different story had she made it to green-shirt status.


----------



## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

sieglinde said:


> I agree. If I was in the market for shooting lessons, guns etc. I would be turned off by the "booth babes". I was at computer shows also. I want people who know what they are doing. People who know what they are doing don't have to do the sexy photo shoot stuff. Now Gabby is an attractive woman but this kind of posing does not give a professional image. The ad needs to attract the eyes but after the first look it will turn some people off. A photo of Gabby in her Olympic uniform competing at the games would be more eye catching to me.


For a "professional" woman shooter look at Julie Golob. http://www.juliegolob.com/

She was one of the mentors this season and was also the expert on an episode of Top Guns.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

And the photos on her blog are professional. She is pretty but these are not sexy photos.


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## Bill Reeves (Jul 18, 2002)

Bill Reeves said:


> I'm watching this mostly because I work at the same company as Chris Cheng.


Chris gave notice this week -- his last day here will be June 1. He's going to take his $100K and six month contract with Bass Pro Shops and see where that takes him.

He posted some high-level info about his contract with Bass -- I think this is on his public Google+ page, so I'm just going to copy and paste it -- in the section below, "I" refers to Chris Cheng, not me:

---
- 6 Events over 6 Weekends, over 6 Months
- 4 events are appearances at Bass Pro Shops across the country where I'll be doing weapons demonstrations, lessons, autograph signings, and picture taking.
- 1 public speaking engagement at a marquee Bass Pro event.
- The final event is a 3-gun shooting competition (pistol, shotgun, rifle), details TBD. While I don't want to rely on winning competitions as as primary source of income, I do want to compete here and there for fun.
---

-- Bill


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

Bill Reeves said:


> Chris gave notice this week -- his last day here will be June 1. He's going to take his $100K and six month contract with Bass Pro Shops and see where that takes him.
> 
> He posted some high-level info about his contract with Bass -- I think this is on his public Google+ page, so I'm just going to copy and paste it -- in the section below, "I" refers to Chris Cheng, not me:
> 
> ...


so as usual the prize is hardly what it is promoted as...


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

It is a pro job. He will learn a lot from this experience. Frankly, I would not have quit my IT job because this is not much more being gone from your job than vacations.


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

When I think of a sponsored athlete, I think of them going to various tournaments and having their travel and entrance costs paid for by the sponsor, in exchange for wearing the sponsor's logo and generally supporting the sponsor.

That doesn't seem to be what Chris is getting, except for the final tournament.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

sieglinde said:


> It is a pro job. He will learn a lot from this experience. *Frankly, I would not have quit my IT job because this is not much more being gone from your job than vacations.*


Me too.

Just take a few days off work to do these events (which are likely setup well in advance so you could notify your employer) and you can likely do both, I'm guessing.


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## Bill Reeves (Jul 18, 2002)

inaka said:


> Me too.
> 
> Just take a few days off work to do these events (which are likely setup well in advance so you could notify your employer) and you can likely do both, I'm guessing.


Chris definitely could have arranged to do this while keeping his day job -- he took a leave of absence for six weeks last summer to participate in the show. But he's in a different place that most of the rest of us are. No family to support, $100K in his pocket -- he's going to take this opportunity to try something different.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Do the winners actually get $100K now? I thought in the past the $100K grand prize was kinda sketchy. Like it being $100K worth of prizes, of which like $50K could be a truck that would actually sell for a lot less.

Not that I blame him one bit. More power (and success) to him!


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

They only mentioned money. I would prefer money because you can pay off your mortgage etc. and actually free yourself from work for a year. Chris is IT, he will be able to find a job when he needs one.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

Well, I hope it isn't $100k paid over 20 years or something.

I think America's Got Talent has a $1 million prize, but it's paid over 40, yes, forty years!
So you think you're a millionaire, and _before_ taxes it's only $25k/year. Ouch!


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## busyba (Feb 5, 2003)

inaka said:


> Well, I hope it isn't $100k paid over 20 years or something.
> 
> I think America's Got Talent has a $1 million prize, but it's paid over 40, yes, forty years!
> So you think you're a millionaire, and _before_ taxes it's only $25k/year. Ouch!


On the bright side, making it only $25K a year will save you a bundle on taxes.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

That is actually a lot of money for a year. You have your job or pension plus an extra $25K? That is nice.


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## inaka (Nov 26, 2001)

Sure, free money is great, but IMO if the prize on a game show is a million dollars it should be a lump sum prize. 

Only getting like $18k/year from it after taxes isn't what most people would consider a "million dollars" when paid out over 40 years.


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

Good point. It is like the lottery winners who will take a lesser lump sum than the payout because they have investment plans and know the return on that sort of money will exceed the larger sum.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

Here is a nice article on Julie Golob.

http://www.nrablog.com/post/2012/05/16/Julie-Golob-masters-Shooting-Tweeting-Top-Shot.aspx


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