Toughest cowboy
Encyclopedia
Toughest Cowboy is an American rodeo
competition-based reality television
program that follows twelve professional cowboy
s as they compete in three roughstock rodeo events — bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding
, and bull riding
in effort to win the Toughest Cowboy championship and the grand prize of a ranch
in the American West. Originally created by Jac Sperling and Tommy Joe Lucia, Toughest Cowboy is a combination of athletic competition and personal retrospectives creating a new genre of television, known as “sports drama.” The first broadcast aired April 8, 2007 on the Fox Sports Network (FSN). In 2009, Mark Burnett
signed on to produce the series for Spike TV. Whiskey Falls
composed the theme song.
The show follows a group of twelve professional rodeo cowboys through a series of live rodeo tournaments in which they must ride three different disciplines, whereas in most rodeo competitions, competitors ride in one specific discipline or event. This all-around competition adds a significantly higher likelihood of injury. Each week a competitor is eliminated from the competition, until the final four competitors remain. These four final cowboys must ride a total of six animals each (two bareback broncs, two saddle broncs, two bulls) during the championship tournament. Throughout the championship round each competitor amasses total ride points, the cowboy with the most total points at the conclusion of the finals is awarded the series championship and grand prize ranch.
Toughest Cowboy also uses a modified point system based on the standard 8-second qualified ride from traditional rodeo. Rather than scoring a “0” for any ride shorted than eight seconds, Toughest Cowboy competitors are delivered penalty points for the 1/10 of seconds they are short of the full ride mark. Each 1/10 of a second is equal to 1 point. This eliminates the chance of a 0-0 tie between competitors.
In addition to the athletic competition, the broadcast include segments outside of the rodeo arena. These segments give background on the competitor’s lives, most of which include visits to their homes. There are also interviews conducted during the live competition to provide an inside look at the cowboys thoughts during the tournament.
for total wins. The total wins dictated who progressed to the championship round. The second season (2008) followed the same general format but included 12 competitors. In the third season (2009), the show changed the format to a total points competition and introduced a new twist to the core rules to keep the show engaging throughout the season. This addition was dubbed the “Knockout Round”. In the Knockout Round, the two cowboys with the lowest scores for the tournament had to compete head-to-head in a final bull ride. The loser of the head-to-head competition was then eliminated from the show. The winner of the Tournament was also granted immunity
from the Knockout Round the next Tournament.
. Play-by-play announcer, Clay Matvick
, and 8 time World Champion bull rider Donnie Gay provided commentary during the tournaments. The four cowboys to make it to the finals were Trey Broussard, Bandy Murphy, Nelson Tsosie and Erik Wolford. After two rounds (six rides) of competition Bandy Murphy stood as the first Toughest Cowboy Champion.
Season Two – The second season moved to a midnight Saturday time slot with encore appearances during primetime on Fox Sport Net (FSN). The season began with an in-depth look at Toughest Cowboy tryouts filmed at the Resistol Arena in Mesquite, Texas. It was also the first year the show awarded a ranch as a grand prize. Added to the on-air talent were Cowboy Coaches. Rodeo legends, Monty “Hawkeye” Henson and Sandy Kirby provided pointers and assistance to the cowboys as they competed throughout the season. The show was again hosted by Charissa Thompson, with Clay Matvick and Donnie Gay providing play-by-play commentary. The four cowboys to make it to the finals were Trey Broussard, Chad Eubank, Shane Proctor and Erik Wolford. After two rounds of competition Shane Proctor claimed the championship title and the first-ever grand prize ranch.
Season Three – The third season saw the most changes to the show. The addition of Mark Burnett as Executive Producer, as well as a new broadcast network—Spike TV. Toughest Cowboy premiered on Spike TV, Thursday, January 29, 2009 following TNA IMPACT!
The show again began its season with the tryout episode. Now hosted by Brandi Williams, the show took on an edgier presentation to fit the Spike TV audience. Gone are the play-by-play announcers, as the show strived to get the reactions directly from the competitors rather than third party analysts. Cowboy Coaches remained as part of the on-air talent as former rodeo champions Pete Hawkins and Cody Snyder filled the roles. Mid-season Spike TV moved the show to Wednesday night following its flagship program, UFC. The four cowboys to make it to the finals were Charlie Barker, Chad Eubank, Bandy Murphy and Steve Woolsey. After the six ride, total points tournament, Bandy Murphy captured his second Toughest Cowboy title and the grand prize ranch.
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
competition-based reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
program that follows twelve professional cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s as they compete in three roughstock rodeo events — bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding
Saddle bronc and bareback riding
Bronc riding, either saddle bronc or bareback bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding on a horse , that attempts to throw or buck off the rider...
, and bull riding
Bull riding
Bull riding refers to rodeo sports that involve a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider....
in effort to win the Toughest Cowboy championship and the grand prize of a ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
in the American West. Originally created by Jac Sperling and Tommy Joe Lucia, Toughest Cowboy is a combination of athletic competition and personal retrospectives creating a new genre of television, known as “sports drama.” The first broadcast aired April 8, 2007 on the Fox Sports Network (FSN). In 2009, Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett is a British television producer and executive producer, based in the United States. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition...
signed on to produce the series for Spike TV. Whiskey Falls
Whiskey Falls
Whiskey Falls is an American country music group composed of Seven Williams , Wally Brandt Damon Johnson , and Buck Johnson . Seven Williams & Wally Brandt were once members of Atlantic Records Recording Artist, Seven and the Sun...
composed the theme song.
The show follows a group of twelve professional rodeo cowboys through a series of live rodeo tournaments in which they must ride three different disciplines, whereas in most rodeo competitions, competitors ride in one specific discipline or event. This all-around competition adds a significantly higher likelihood of injury. Each week a competitor is eliminated from the competition, until the final four competitors remain. These four final cowboys must ride a total of six animals each (two bareback broncs, two saddle broncs, two bulls) during the championship tournament. Throughout the championship round each competitor amasses total ride points, the cowboy with the most total points at the conclusion of the finals is awarded the series championship and grand prize ranch.
Toughest Cowboy also uses a modified point system based on the standard 8-second qualified ride from traditional rodeo. Rather than scoring a “0” for any ride shorted than eight seconds, Toughest Cowboy competitors are delivered penalty points for the 1/10 of seconds they are short of the full ride mark. Each 1/10 of a second is equal to 1 point. This eliminates the chance of a 0-0 tie between competitors.
In addition to the athletic competition, the broadcast include segments outside of the rodeo arena. These segments give background on the competitor’s lives, most of which include visits to their homes. There are also interviews conducted during the live competition to provide an inside look at the cowboys thoughts during the tournament.
Format and rules
The first season (2007) of Toughest Cowboy included eight competitors who competed in match playMatch play
Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...
for total wins. The total wins dictated who progressed to the championship round. The second season (2008) followed the same general format but included 12 competitors. In the third season (2009), the show changed the format to a total points competition and introduced a new twist to the core rules to keep the show engaging throughout the season. This addition was dubbed the “Knockout Round”. In the Knockout Round, the two cowboys with the lowest scores for the tournament had to compete head-to-head in a final bull ride. The loser of the head-to-head competition was then eliminated from the show. The winner of the Tournament was also granted immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
from the Knockout Round the next Tournament.
Toughest Cowboy seasons
Season One – The inaugural season of Toughest Cowboy marked the first time an all-around roughstock rodeo competition was produced for television. The broadcast contained both rodeo action and retrospectives of the competitors. The show aired on Sundays on Fox Sport Net (FSN) and was hosted by Charissa ThompsonCharissa Thompson
Charissa Thompson is an American television host and sportscaster, currently for ESPN.-Education and early career:Thompson grew up in Seattle, Washington...
. Play-by-play announcer, Clay Matvick
Clay Matvick
Clay Matvick is an American sportscaster, who works primarily as a play-by-play announcer for ABC and the ESPN networks.- Background :Matvick received a degree in mass communications from St...
, and 8 time World Champion bull rider Donnie Gay provided commentary during the tournaments. The four cowboys to make it to the finals were Trey Broussard, Bandy Murphy, Nelson Tsosie and Erik Wolford. After two rounds (six rides) of competition Bandy Murphy stood as the first Toughest Cowboy Champion.
Season Two – The second season moved to a midnight Saturday time slot with encore appearances during primetime on Fox Sport Net (FSN). The season began with an in-depth look at Toughest Cowboy tryouts filmed at the Resistol Arena in Mesquite, Texas. It was also the first year the show awarded a ranch as a grand prize. Added to the on-air talent were Cowboy Coaches. Rodeo legends, Monty “Hawkeye” Henson and Sandy Kirby provided pointers and assistance to the cowboys as they competed throughout the season. The show was again hosted by Charissa Thompson, with Clay Matvick and Donnie Gay providing play-by-play commentary. The four cowboys to make it to the finals were Trey Broussard, Chad Eubank, Shane Proctor and Erik Wolford. After two rounds of competition Shane Proctor claimed the championship title and the first-ever grand prize ranch.
Season Three – The third season saw the most changes to the show. The addition of Mark Burnett as Executive Producer, as well as a new broadcast network—Spike TV. Toughest Cowboy premiered on Spike TV, Thursday, January 29, 2009 following TNA IMPACT!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
The show again began its season with the tryout episode. Now hosted by Brandi Williams, the show took on an edgier presentation to fit the Spike TV audience. Gone are the play-by-play announcers, as the show strived to get the reactions directly from the competitors rather than third party analysts. Cowboy Coaches remained as part of the on-air talent as former rodeo champions Pete Hawkins and Cody Snyder filled the roles. Mid-season Spike TV moved the show to Wednesday night following its flagship program, UFC. The four cowboys to make it to the finals were Charlie Barker, Chad Eubank, Bandy Murphy and Steve Woolsey. After the six ride, total points tournament, Bandy Murphy captured his second Toughest Cowboy title and the grand prize ranch.