Today is the day to add another historic event to the record books for 2018 right here in Arlington, Texas with the richest one day rodeo in the history of the western sports industry, RFD-TV’s The American at the beautiful AT&T Stadium. After a huge night last night where over $100,000 was awarded to Ramon de Lima, we have come to the day that up to two million dollars will be given out to a few of the lucky top superstars in our industry. Even though you can now watch the event LIVE on The Cowboy Channel, nothing can compare to the excitement and energy that one gets while watching it here in person. Throughout the commercial breaks, they again welcomed the one and only Flint Rassmussen to entertain the near-capacity crowd here to witness the 5th edition of the RFD-TV’s American and did not disappoint as he left the fans in stitches with his wild antics in the center of the arena.
Throughout the day, we were able to watch some very close competition that came down to a nail-biting conclusion a few hours later with the crowning of the 2018 RFD-TV’s The American champions in all seven of the traditional professional rodeo events. That being said, with all of the action that we needed to cover to bring you the recaps of each event, this story will look a bit different than many of the others we have posted in the past. We will bring you a small recap of each event with a short one paragraph summary then provide you with a complete list of how each contestant did and who earned their way to the shoot-out round. This way everyone will have some information from the certain events that they follow. Along with all of that, we will also try to feature a champion interview from each of them so everyone can get the most bang for their buck from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas!
Kaycee Feild Wins The Bareback Event
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
To begin the afternoon’s action, it was the rough and tumble event that we call bareback riding that featured many of the top names within the professional rodeo industry from the past, present and future. The impressive list of contestants included the first ever RFD-TV’s The American million dollar cowboy, Richmond Champion as well as a few past Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association’s World Champions. Tim O’Connell, Kaycee Feild and Will Lowe would be just a few of those that many fans came out to watch ride once again. As we said earlier, we will give a complete breakdown of the action from both the qualifying rounds and the championship shootout rounds so you can see exactly how each of your favorite rodeo athletes got to where they ended up earlier this afternoon!
Kaycee Feild Celebrates His Win
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Qualifying Round
Bill Tutor – 80.75 Mason Clements – 86.50
Steven Dent – 86.25 Orin Larsen – 88.25
Caleb Bennett – 77.25 Clayton Biglow – 78.00
JR Vezain – 80.00 Tanner Aus – 80.25
Richmond Champion – 85.75 Tim O’Connell – 81.50
Seth Hardwick – 82.75 Kaycee Feild – 88.25
Will Lowe – 77.25 Jesse Pope – 83.75
David Pebbles – 82.00
Championship Shoot-Out Round
Kaycee Feild – 90.75 Orin Larsen – 88.50
Mason Clements – 82.50 Steven Dent – 85.00
Taci Bettis Becomes A RFD-TV’s The American Champion
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Next up was the ladies of the Better Barrel Racing qualifiers, invitees and the top ten in the 2017 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association world standings which gave us a great mix of flashy veterans as well as some young superstars with deep western lifestyle roots. This afternoon, we all were able to watch this great mix of athletes put forth their best efforts in chase of a huge payday and a spot in the rodeo industry record books. Unlike the other six events, the cowgirl barrel racing would feature twenty amazing athletes instead of the normal fifteen we see in all others which gave us a ton of things to cheer about but also made it that much harder to earn one of the top four times that would bring you back to the final round to compete for a portion of the pot at the richest one day rodeo in western sports history! See how it all played out below and hear from your 2018 champion in the interview to follow!
Taci Bettis Receives Her $100,000 Check
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Qualifying Round
Taci Bettis – 14.857 Kassie Mowry – 15.072
Stevi Hillman – 15.074 Lisa Lockhart – 15.038
Tillar Murray – 15.428 Ivy Conrado – 15.030
Amberleigh Moore – 15.506 Tiany Schuster – 15.522
Hailey Kinsel – 14.674 Nellie Miller – 15.040
Brandon Cullins – 14.764 Victoria Williams – 15.296
Makaela Memmott – 20.202 Carman Pozzobon – 19.851
Kricket Gintner – 14.995 Kylie Weast – 14.878
Craig Brooks – 14.928 Ari-Anna Flynn – 14.834
Kathy Grimes – 14.919 London Gorham – 15.474
Championship Shoot-Out Round
Ari-Anna Flynn – 15.238 Taci Bettis – 14.848
Brandon Cullins – 14.491 Hailey Kinsel – 14.982
Matt Reeves Makes The Top Run Earlier This Afternoon
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
The third event of the afternoon would bring us the big boys of the steer wrestling that would be sponsored by Animal Health International and would give us some of the fastest times that we have seen from over the first five years of action inside of AT&T Stadium! Although the round was full of top-tier athletes, there would be a mix of up and coming stars that would come in full of nerves and unfortunately, it showed a little bit down on the arena floor. Even though they would fall by the wayside, it would set up a huge championship shoot-out round that would be featured later in the day giving us four well-known steer wrestling athletes that would bring the crowd to their feet with solid runs all while chasing the event champion title and the pocket full of money that would go along with it!
Matt Reeves Celebrates His $433,000 Win
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Qualifying Round
Baylor Roche – 6.06 Olin Hannum – 9.20
Tanner Milan – 5.50 J.D. Struxness – 5.56
Scott Guenthner – 4.19 Kyle Irwin – 4.96
Tyler Waguespack – 4.55 Dakota Eldridge – 4.39
Ty Erickson – 9.06 Tyler Pearson – 4.00
Riley Duvall – No Time Timmy Sparing – 4.79
Matt Reeves – 4.18 Hunter Cure – 5.14
Denver Berry – No Time Bear Pascoe – No Time
Championship Shoot-Out Round
Tyler Pearson – 3.79 Matt Reeves – 3.73
Scott Guenthner – 4.24 Dakota Eldridge – 4.12
Cort Scheer Outrides All Others At the 2018 RFD-TV’s The American
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Up next was the classic cowboy event of saddle bronc riding where we would not see a mainstay name make the field of fifteen for the first time in five years as the Wild Man Wade Sundell would miss qualifying for the big show by one spot in the semi-finals earlier this week. Now, with his departure, it would open up a chance for the fifteen that would compete here to take home the prize money and title that has been his for the last few years. The bucking stock that was supplied to these cowboys featured many horses that have graced the Thomas & Mack Arena floor out in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. This alone would make for a great qualifying round that did not disappoint once it began that set up an amazing championship shoot-out round that we would see later in the afternoon!
Cort Scheer Splits The One Million Dollar Prize
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Qualifying Round
Taos Muncy – No Time Cody DeMoss – 87.00
Layton Green – 80.50 Jake Wright – 83.75
Jacobs Crawley – 82.75 Hardy Braden – 83.50
CoBurn Bradshaw – 83.00 Brody Cress – 84.00
Ryder Wright – 79.00 Zeke Thurston – 81.00
Logan Allen – 82.75 Cort Scheer – 84.50
Isaac Diaz – 82.75 Heith DeMoss – 84.00
Clay Elliott – 86.75
Championship Shoot-Out Round
Cody DeMoss – 88.75 Clay Elliott – 83.50
Cort Scheer – 89.00 Brody Cress – 83.75
Marty Yates Wins His Second Straight RFD-TV’s The American Title
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Next up we would all be in awe of the talented quick hands and horse partners of those competing in the tie-down roping event here at the RFD-TV’s The American and would be a nice mix of qualifiers and veterans that would compete against each other to try to make it to the championship shoot-out round. In the event, we would be able to watch the King of the Cowboys, Trevor Brazile, along with other world champions and multi-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers. After all was said and done, the mix of qualifiers and top ten cowboys would be evenly split which would make for a fantastic and exciting round of shoot-out round action that would happen before our very eyes later in the afternoon that would determine who would leave AT&T Stadium with the title of RFD-TV’s The American Champion!
Marty Yates Adds $100,000 To His Season Earnings
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Qualifying Round
Timber Moore – No Time Cooper Martin – 7.90
Trevor Brazile – 10.29 Cory Solomon – 6.74
Shane Hanchey – 13.60 Caleb Smidt – 7.66
Cade Swor – No Time Marty Yates – 7.23
Tuf Cooper – 6.93 Marcos Costa – 8.06
Shad Mayfield – 9.65 Cimarron Boardman – 9.10
Hunter Herrin – 8.25 Trent Creager – 7.27
Marshall Leonard – 6.96 Tyler Milligan – 8.25
Championship Shoot-Out Round
Cory Solomon – 6.45 Tuf Cooper – 7.91
Marty Yates – 6.38 Marshall Leonard – 7.10
Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira Team Up For A 2018 Win
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
As we drew closer to the end of the first half of the 2018 RFD-TV’s The American, we would fill the arena for the next sixteen runs down on the arena floor as the four-man teams of team roping would take center stage. Now, when I say four-man teams, I mean two cowboys and two very talented equine athletes that must all world in complete unison in order to lay down a clean qualified run to make it back to the championship shoot-out round. Again, the field would be set with numerous world champions, Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers and those that were lucky enough to qualify for the day through semi-finals earlier this week at the Cowtown Coliseum in the historic Ft. Worth Stockyards. After all was said and done and the four teams were announced, we would also find out that we all witnessed the fastest team roping run that we have ever seen over the five years that the RFD-TV’s The American has been happening!
Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira Prove Dominant This Year
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Qualifying Round
Tryan/Corkill – 3.90 Crawford/Harrison – No Time
Egusquiza/Koontz – 8.58 Proctor/Saebens – No Time
Masters/Eaves – 3.54 Smith/Graves – 3.74
Brown/Long – 3.85 Minor/Minor – No Time
Driggers/Nogueira – 3.32 Rogers/Petska – 3.58
Blasingame/Davison – 9.93 Thorp/Smithson – 19.56
Egusquiza/Lord – No Time Brazile/Smith – No Time
Williams/Thorp – 3.60 Woolman/Camarillo – 5.06
Championship Shoot-Out Round
Masters/Eaves – 5.03 Driggers/Nogueira – 4.57
Rogers/Petska – No Time Williams/Thorp – 9.74
As the team roping competition was nearing the end, everyone could feel the energy level raise tenfold as each and every fan inside of the AT&T Stadium knew exactly what was next, the moment they had been waiting for with the last event of the day, the fan favorite bull riding event. Today, we would feature a slew of Professional Bull Riders Monster Energy Unleash The Beast Tour athletes but we would also see multi-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Bull Riding World Champion Sage Kimzey and the underrated talent of none other than Sevi Torturo as well. The action began hot and heavy and provided many opportunities to stand up on your feet and raise the roof as we dwindled the field of sixteen down to four that would compete to see who would take ome the 2018 RFD-TV’s The American title and the huge payday that went along with it!
Jess Lockwood Outlasts All Others For The 2018 Win
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Qualifying Round
Silvano Alves – B/O (3.41) Fabiano Vieira – B/O (5.41)
Stormy Wing – 87.00 Dener Barbosa – 82.50
Jose Vitor Leme – B/O (7.58) Kaique Pacheco – B/O (4.04)
Eduardo Aparecido – B/O (1.74) Cooper Davis – 89.25
Derek Kolbaba – B/O (4.50) Sage Kimzey – B/O (6.19)
Jess Lockwood – 88.50 Sevi Torturo – B/O (2.34)
Luciano De Castro – 84.00 Brennon Eldred – B/O (4.31)
Valdiron de Oliveira – B/O (4.03) J.B. Mauney – 85.25
Jess Lockwood Breathes A Sigh Of Relief With A 2018 RFD-TV’s The American Win
Photo Credit: Rokin’ K Photos/Jeana Wilson-Kilcrease
Championship Shoot-Out Round
Cooper Davis – 89.50 Stormy Wing – B/O (5.18)
Jess Lockwood – 90.00 J.B. Mauney – B/O (2.12)
After a huge weekend here in Arlington, Texas we have began to decompress after covering both of the historic events, the Professional Bull Riders 25th Anniversary Monster Energy Unleash The Beast Tour’s Iron Cowboy and the RFD-TV’s The American that took place earlier this afternoon. Once the team was able to take a breath and think back, it was a memory-making weekend for us as well while meeting the iconic Randy Travis and getting to sit down and chat with him and his family to being a part of the American’s opening ceremonies it was more than we could ever think of happening. Along with all of that, we were able to bring you all the recaps, stories and interviews thanks to the help of the wonderful staff of both events. We now begin our trek back north to Minnesota to get back to reality and get ready for next weekend’s PBR event in Little Rock, Arkansas!
It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup. You can have easy access to all of the video interviews Jason does from all the events across the country as well by simply clicking the link HERE to be transferred to the Rodeo Round Up’s Youtube channel as well! Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews. Be sure to take a look at the entire collection of photos that will be taken over the weekend by following our photographers facebook pages by clicking Rokin’ K Photos link HERE and Denise Hetland Photography’s link HERE, we hope you enjoy all the action that we captured behind the lens throughout the weekend’s festivities!
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