Top Shot

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.

...for this "franchise"? I'd love to see another season, but obviously it's not in the works. I like to see the variety of weapons, the competition shooting and the way that "pressure" affects otherwise awesome marksmen. I could do without the "house" part of the show, but I guess it does let you know who is loved and hated, which has a lot to do with the elimination part of the show.

If anyone knows anything about the future of this show, please let me know. I've searched the web and can't find anything about there even being a future for it. I understand that Colby and his brother have capitalized on the popularity of the show by setting up a ranch that allows people to schedule "vacations" that put them on the ranch and get the opportunity to do shooting that resembles the show's challenges. I'd love to get a chance to be on the show and/or visit the ranch and do some of the shooting challenges. I love the fact that this show puts GREAT shooters under pressure and shows how they fare when there is a little sweat on the brow!

Please HISTORY CHANNEL, bring the show back for another year. I love performance based "reality shows". Because even though the people elected for the elimination challenges aren't always the "weakest", when it comes right down to it, you have to hit the targets under pressure to move on. It's 110% fair.

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 History Channel?!?!? This is nothing but a modern sports-venue of skilled shooters competing in a pseudo "reality show." The show has nothing to do with History. Sure, they use some vintage weapons at times but they're only a minor trapping, and briefly mentioned. The show has no significance to the general population, other than those who would wish to watch a contemporary "reality show" (and definitely not history-oriented) using a format of shooting contests between marksmen and markswomen.

The show tries to make some intensity and suspense out of itself in its commercials. But in true reality, it's an insignificant and mediocre hype-reality attempt at a show which tries to elevate current marksmanship into a historically insignificant level.

It doesn't even properly qualify as a sports show, either, when team members get to pick who to send home, based as much on personal politics as any shooting abilities. If "real" sports events included this ridiculous and subjective feature, there would be massive outcries.

My son and I really like this show. It's interesting not only watching all of the challenges presented to the contestants each episode, but we also like seeing the variety of weapons used. It should be interesting to the gun manufacturers that we have considered buying certain guns after seeing them on Top Shot

Season 5 was the best. We really like the new format void of the plots used by the producers to stimulate drama. In the previous seasons the divisions created by the Red and Blue teams were artificial but likely produced the type of drama they thought was beneficial to the show. Then there was the single shot selection process, shooting a target with a shooters name under it, for elimination shoot-outs which also provided some drama. We didn't appreciate any of that.

In season 5 all of the artificial drama was gone leaving nothing but pure marksmanship which we really enjoyed. I read one professional review that suggested season five was dull. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was great excitement and none of the diversions of the previous seasons. We could watch without rolling our eyes every time some rivalry surfaced. In season 5 even the shooters felt it was more of a contest and appreciated it.

The only thing I didn't like about season five was the single shot elimination selection. In my opinion that doesn't prove who was the better shooter. Anyone can make an error. I wish that would be replaced by at least three shots in some sort of contest.