When I first heard about Top Shot on the History Channel, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The show concept was pretty simple. Take 16 expert marksmen and women and put them through a Survivor-esque season to see who can adapt to various challenges.
The show is hosted by Survivor alum Colby Donaldson, a runner-up on Survivor: The Australian Outback and recently appearing on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.. I didn't realize he'd also been acting in recent years as well, appearing on shows such as Bones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Reba and others. He seems to provide a calm, strong, yet engaged presence as the host of Top Shot, which I think is probably a good thing around a bunch of folks with guns.
Watching the first episode, it became clear that the team aspects were much more important than had been emphasized in any of the previews I had seen. Though interested in the skill aspects, I honestly don't have a lot of firearm experience beyond shooting a few pistols with a friend more than a decade ago. However, I was intrigued by the mix of people skilled with modern weapons dealing with weapons and physical challenges from different historical eras.
The sixteen shooters were split into two teams of eight - the Red and Blue teams. Based on personalities and how relaxed they were, I thought the Red team would smoke the Blues who were a bit more restrained and less comfortable with the situation.
It was immediately apparent that not only were the shooter's skills as an individual important, but that the "spotter" who helped the shooter adjust aim to hit a target was just as important, if not more. In the first challenge between the Red and Blue teams, they would be dealing with four different long-range rifles from different historical periods.
- M1903 Springfield (United States) from World War I
- SVT-40 (U.S.S.R) from World War II
- MOSIN-NAGANT (Russia) from the Korean War
- M14 (United States) from the Vietnam War
Not only did each weapon behave differently, but the shooters would only have a little time to familiarize themselves with the weapon before attempting a team challenge.
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Article comments
1 - FCEtier
Nice job, Fitz! Keep up the good work!
2 - Fitz
@FCEtier - Thanks Chip!
3 - Barry
Yep, just watched it.
The problem here, at least for me, is that they "classify" all the shooters.
I know one Marine who can shoot better than me, but only by a quarter inch.
Good shots, at 600 yards or better, require stamina, resilience, and practice, practice, practice.