Hi all,
Short of having a TV guide available, here\’s the list of dates/episodes
from the show.
Patience will be required if you wish to see the episode in which my
nephew, niece and I participated, as it is the last one being aired!
Rus
Top thrill rides compete in Travel Channel\’s \’Insane Coaster Wars\’
Carowind\’s Intimador will be one of 24 contenders in \”Insane Coaster Wars\”
on the Travel Channel.(Carowinds)
·
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-insane-coaster-wars-travel-channel-06201226-pg,0,4870949.photogallery)
· _Photos: Photos: 24 rides competing in \’Insane Coaster Wars\’_
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-insane-coaster-wars-tra
vel-channel-06201226-pg,0,4870949.photogallery)
·
·
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-six-flags-magic-mountain-full-throttle-03201207,0,2643870.story)
· _Six Flags Magic Mountain spills plans for record-setting
coaster_
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-six-flags-magic-mountain-full-throttle-03201207,0,2643870.story)
·
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-manta-coaster-seaworld-san-diego-review-05201228,0,1914859.story)
· _Review: Manta joins new class of themed coasters at SeaWorld_
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-manta-coaster-seaworld
-san-diego-review-05201228,0,1914859.story)
·
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-superman-ultimate-flight-six-flags-discovery-kingdom-06201206,0,3343210.story)
_Bird? Plane? It\’s Superman coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom_
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-superman-ultimate-flight-six
-flags-discovery-kingdom-06201206,0,3343210.story)
·
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-cedar-point-wing-coaster-2013-05201231,0,1808130.story)
· _Cedar Point plans a record-setting winged coaster in 2013_
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-cedar-point-wing-coaster-
2013-05201231,0,1808130.story)
·
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-wild-eagle-dollywood-coaster-09201113,0,1955551.story)
_Wild Eagle winged coaster to debut at Dollywood in 2012_
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-wild-eagle-dollywood-coaster-09201113,
0,1955551.story)
The new \”Insane Coaster Wars\” coming to the _Travel Channel_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/media-industry/television-industry
/travel-channel-(tv-network)-ORCRP000017532.topic) this summer lets
viewers take a virtual ride on many of the best roller coasters in the United
States right from the comfort of their living room couch.
Premiering at 9 p.m. on July 8, each themed half-hour episode will let
viewers vote online for their favorite coasters in six categories: speed,
height, G-forces, inversions, wooden coasters and suspended coasters. A
one-hour finale on Aug. 12 will count down the top 10 overall vote getters.
Though most of the coasters in the series debuted in the last decade,
several hail from the 1990s, with a few from the 1970s and \’80s. More than half
the featured rides rank among the top coasters in the world.
The documentary-style TV show will feature physics, engineering and
coaster experts commenting on the rides while footage from point-of-view camera
mounts and remote-control helicopter shots play on screen. Riders will wear
vests that monitor heart rate and G-forces.
Every \”Coaster Wars\” show will pit four rides against one another in a
battle for supremacy in a particular category. The results of
_already-concluded online voting_ (http://www.travelchannel.com/i
nterests/family/articles/insane-coaster-wars) will be shown at the end of each episode.
Let\’s take a closer look at each of the six themed episodes:
\”G-Force Giants\” (July 8)
All the coasters in the first show come from Swiss-manufacturer Bolliger &
Mabillard, representing four distinct ride styles that each pull more than
4 Gs.
The showdown should be between a pair of _Busch Gardens_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/amusement-the
me-parks/busch-gardens-orlando-PLREC000048.topic) rides: SheiKra in
Florida and Apollo\’s Chariot in Virginia, both favorites among coaster
enthusiasts.
The show\’s other two coasters hail from smaller parks: Afterburn at
Carowinds and Medusa at _Six Flags_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/six-flags-inc.-ORCRP013991.topic) Discovery Kingdom.
\”Hang \’em High\” (July 8, immediately following the premiere episode)
This episode combines suspended, inverted and flying coasters — all of
which hang below the track. Three more B&M coasters from the _SeaWorld_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/am
usement-theme-parks/seaworld-PLENT000232.topic) chain of parks (which
also owns Busch Gardens) represent the main contenders in this category: Manta
at SeaWorld Orlando, Montu at _Busch Gardens Tampa_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/amusement-theme-par
ks/busch-gardens-tampa-PLREC000048110.topic) and Alpengeist at _Busch
Gardens Williamsburg_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/amusement-theme-parks/busch-gardens-williamsburg-PLREC
000049.topic) .
The also-ran in this race: Aftershock from Idaho\’s Silverwood, a Vekoma
_Boomerang_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/media-industry/television-industry/boomerang-(tv-network)-ORCRP000017442.topic) -style
coaster that has fallen out of favor with most enthusiasts but is still
beloved by everyday park visitors.
\”Splintering Speedsters\” (July 15)
The wooden coaster category looks like the class of the \”Coaster Wars\”
series, with all four rides ranking in the top 10 of the annual _Amusement
Business Golden Ticket_ (http://www.goldenticketawards.com/) coaster poll.
The Voyage at Holiday World in Indiana, a Gravity Group-designed hybrid
ride with a steel frame, is the reigning No. 1 wooden coaster in the Golden
Ticket awards. Former No. 1 Thunderhead at Dollywood in Tennessee is a
twister-style ride built by Great Coasters International.
The other two coasters in the category are no slouches either: the air
time-heavy El Toro at New Jersey\’s _Six Flags Great Adventure_
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-six-flags-great-adventure-coasters-0
7201124-pg,0,6597907.photogallery) and The Beast at Ohio\’s Kings Island,
the longest wooden coaster in the world.
\”Wrong Way Up\” (July 22)
The coasters with the most upside-down inversions all reside overseas,
leaving the U.S.-centric \”Coaster Wars\” with a strange cast of contenders in
this category.
_Dorney Park_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/travel/tourism-leisure/theme-park-vacations/dorney-park-wildwater-kingdom-PLREC000061.topic) \’s Hydra the
Revenge has an unusual slow-motion inversion right out of the station and
Kings Island\’s Vortex was the first coaster with six inversions way back
into 1987, but neither coaster is on any enthusiast\’s must-ride list.
And _Wild Eagle_
(http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/12/news/la-trb-wild-eagle-dollywood-coaster-09201113) feels like the producers wedged the
Dollywood ride into this episode when they couldn\’t find any other place for
the brand new wing coaster in the series. In fact, Medusa, Montu, Afterburn
and Alpengeist would have been better contenders in this category.
That leaves Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando. The B&M floorless coaster with a
trio of subterranean dives and seven inversions looks like the best of the
bunch by default.
\”Extreme Heights\” (July 29)
The tallest coaster category probably includes the most impressive
collection of steel coasters of any \”Coaster Wars\” episode.
The episode features a pair of B&M Mega coasters (Carowinds\’ 232-foot-tall
Intimidator and Kings Island\’s 230-foot-tall Diamondback) as well as an
Intamin Giga (_Cedar Point\’s_
(http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/31/news/la-trb-cedar-point-wing-coaster-2013-05201231) 310-foot-tall Millennium
Force) that are all known for extreme heights and speeds.
But when it comes to pure numbers, nothing compares to the 456-foot-tall
Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, the world\’s tallest roller coaster.
\”Speed\” (Aug. 5)
Much like the height category, the speed episode comes down to a choice
between raw statistics and personal preferences.
The final themed show includes a pair of Intamin Accelerator coasters
(_Knott\’s Berry Farm\’s_
(http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-knotts-windseeker-photos-06201113-pg,0,3889482.photogallery) 82 mph
Xcelerator and Cedar Point\’s 120 mph Top Thrill Dragster) featuring nearly
identical straight-up-and-down \”top hat\” elements.
Once again, it appears the producers wedged the 77-mph Bizarro into this
category to ensure the renowned coaster found a place somewhere in the
series. The _Six Flags New England_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/amusement-theme-parks/six-flags-new-engl
and-HPR7.topic) ride has been ranked first or second in the Golden Ticket
award for the past decade, an impressive accomplishment.
The oddest choice of the entire \”Coaster Wars\” series goes to Desperado at
Buffalo Bill\’s Resort and Casino on the California-Nevada border. The
80-mph Arrow Hyper coaster is certainly the most terrifying coaster I\’ve ever
ridden (due in large part to lax oversight by the ride\’s employees), but I\’d
be hard pressed to put it on any of my \”best of\” lists.
That leaves us with three coasters in the 75 to 85 mph range and Top
Thrill Dragster, which blows away the competition by at least 35 mph.
Overall, \”Coaster Wars\” does a good job of pulling together some of the
top coasters in the nation into an engaging, interactive format.
I was disappointed to see Six Flags _Magic_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/orlando-magic-ORSPT000208.topic) Mountain shut out of
the series, especially since the California amusement park holds the coveted
Roller Coaster Capital of the World title with 17 coasters (_and another on
the way_
(http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/07/news/la-trb-six-flags-magic-mountain-full-throttle-03201207) ).
It would have been nice to see Magic Mountain\’s X2 fourth dimension
coaster and _Kings Dominion_
(http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/tourism-leisure-industry/amusement-theme-parks/kings-dominion-PLREC000074
.topic) \’s Intimidator 305 make the cut, but park availability and
production schedules are to blame for the omissions.
Travel Channel promises more coaster-themed shows should \”Coaster Wars\”
draw an enthusiastic audience.
