RFD-TV’s The American Announces Invitees to the World’s Richest One-Day Rodeo
2018 Marks the 5th Year of The American, Which Has Already Awarded More Than $10M
(NASHVILLE, TENN. — January 5th, 2018) RFD-TV’s The American extended one of the most exclusive invitations in rodeo to the best cowboys and cowgirls in the world, announcing them on the season premiere of “Road To The American” on RFD-TV. Airing every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET, “Road To The American” brings rodeo fans the latest information, highlights, and interviews about RFD-TV’s The American, to be held in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on February 25th. Invitees were carefully chosen to showcase the “best of the best” and will automatically qualify to compete in AT&T Stadium, where they will try to take home their share of $2,000,000.
“The first four years of The American brought together the best in rodeo,” said Randy Bernard. “As you can see from the list of this year’s invitees, 2018 is no different. Year five of RFD-TV’s The American is shaping up to be the best yet, and AT&T Stadium will be the place to be for rodeo fans on February 25th.”
Invitees by category include:
Bareback:
- Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, MN, 2016 RFD-TV’s The American Bareback Champion
- Caleb Bennett, Tremonton, UT
- Clayton Biglow, Clements, CA
- Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, TX 2014 RFD-TV’s The American Bareback Champion, $1.1 Million Dollar Winner
- Mason Clements, Santaquin, UT
- Steven Dent, Mullen, NE
- Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, Canada
- Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, IA, 2017 RFD-TV’s The American Bareback Champion, 2017 World Champion Bareback Rider
- JR Vezain, Cowley, WY
- Jake Vold, Ponoka, AB, Canada
Steer Wrestling:
- Dakota Eldridge, Elko, NV
- Ty Erickson, Helena, MT 2016 RFD-TV’s The American Steer Wrestling Champion
- Scott Guenthner, Provost, AB, Canada
- Olin Hannum, Malad, ID
- Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, AL
- Tanner Milan, Cochrane, AB, Canada
- Tyler Pearson, Louisville, MS, 2017 Steer Wrestling World Champion
- Baylor Roche, Tremonton, UT
- J.D. Struxness, Appleton, MN
- Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, LA 2016 Steer Wrestling World Champion
Team Roping Headers:
- Luke Brown, Morgan Mill, TX
- Charly Crawford, Prineville, OR
- Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, GA 2014 and 2015 RFD-TV’s The American Header Champion, 2016 Triple Crown Contender
- Dustin Egusquiza, Mariana, FL
- Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, TN, 2X World Champion Header
- Riley Minor, Ellensburg, WA, 2017 RFD-TV’s The American Header Champion
- Coleman Proctor, Pryor, OK
- Erich Rogers, Round Rock, AZ, 2014 RFD-TV’s The American Header Reserve Champion, 2017 Team Roping World Champion
- Clay Smith, Broken Bow, OK
- Clay Tryan, Billings, MT 3X World Champion Header
Team Roping Heelers:
- Jade Corkill, Fallon, NV, 3X World Champion Heeler
- Paul Eaves, Lonedell, MO
- Travis Graves, Jay, OK, 2015 RFD-TV’s The American Heeler Champion
- Joseph Harrison, Overbrook, OK
- Kory Koontz, Sudan, TX
- Jake Long, Coffeyville, KS
- Brady Minor, Ellensburg, WA, 2017 RFD-TV’s The American Heeler Champion
- Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prudente, Brazil, 2016 All Around World Champion, 2015 RFD-TV’s The American Heeler Reserve Champion
- Cory Petska, Marana, AZ, 2014 RFD-TV’s The American Header Reserve Champion, 2017 Team Roping World Champion
- Billie Jack Saebens, Nowata, OK
Saddle Bronc:
- Hardy Braden, Welch, OK
- CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, UT
- Jacobs Crawley, Stephenville, TX, 2015 Saddle Bronc Riding World Champion
- Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, TX
- Brody Cress, Hillsdale, WY
- Cody DeMoss, Heflin, LA, 2014 RFD-TV’s The American Saddle Bronc Reserve Champion, 2017 RFD-TV’s The American Saddle Bronc Champion
- Layton Green, Meeting Creek, AB, Canada
- Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, AB, Canada, 2016 Saddle Bronc Riding World Champion
- Jake Wright, Milford, UT, 2016 RFD-TV’s The American Saddle Bronc Reserve Champion
- Ryder Wright, Milford, UT, 2017 Saddle Bronc Riding World Champion
Tie Down roping:
- Trevor Brazile, Decatur, TX, 23X World Champion, 2014 RFD-TV’s The American Tie Down Roping Reserve Champion
- Tuf Cooper, Decatur, TX, 4X World Champion
- Marcos Costa, Childress, TX, 2017 Tie Down Roping World Champion
- Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, LA, 2013 Tie Down Roping World Champion
- Cooper Martin, Alma, KS
- Timber Moore, Aubrey, TX, 2017 RFD-TV’s The American Tie Down Roping Reserve Champion
- Caleb Smidt, Huntsville, TX, 2015 Tie Down Roping World Champion
- Cory Solomon, Prairie View, TX
- Cade Swor, Chico, TX
- Marty Yates, Stephenville, TX, 2017 RFD-TV’s The American Tie Down Roping Champion
Barrel racing:
- Taci Bettis, Round Top, TX
- Ivy Conrado, Hudson, CO
- Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, TX
- Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, SD, 2014 and 2015 RFD-TV’s The American Barrel Racing Champion, 2016 Triple Crown Contender, 2016 RFD-TV’s The American Barrel Racing Reserve Champion
- Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, TX, 2017 RFD-TV’s The American Barrel Racing Champion
- Nellie Miller, Cottonwood, CA, 2017 Barrel Racing World Champion
- Amberleigh Moore, Salem, OR
- Kassie Mowry, Springer, OK
- Tillar Murray, Fort Worth, TX
- Tiany Schuster, Krum, TX
Bull Riding:
- Eduardo Aparecido, Gouvelandia, GO, Brazil
- Dener Barbosa, Paulo De Faria, SP, Brazil
- Cooper Davis, Jasper, TX, 2016 Professional Bull Riders World Champion
- Sage Kimzey, Strong City, OK, 4X PRCA World Champion Bull Rider, 2017 RFD-TV’s The American Bull Riding Champion, 2017 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion
- Derek Kolbaba, Walla Walla, WA
- Jose Vitor Leme, Ribas do Rio Pardo, MS, Brazil
- Jess Lockwood, Volborg, MT, 2017 Professional Bull Riders World Champion
- Chase Outlaw, Hamburg, AR
- Kaique Pacheco, Itatiba, SP, Brazil
- Fabiano Vieira, PÉROLA, PARANÁ, Brazil
- Stormy Wing, Dalhart, TX
For the full program schedule and more information about RFD-TV’s The American, visit AmericanRodeo.com.
For more information, visit RFDTV.com, RuralRadio147.com, TheCowboyChannel.com, and AmericanRodeo.com.
Media Contacts:
PR@rfdtv.com, (615) 296-9332
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About Rural Media Group, Inc. (RMG):
Rural Media Group, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of multimedia content dedicated to the rural and Western lifestyle. With a mission of reconnecting “city with country,” RMG is the parent company of RFD-TV, RURAL RADIO Channel 147 on SiriusXM radio, The Cowboy Channel, and RFD-TV The Magazine. RMG networks are distributed to more than 100 million homes worldwide by DBS, telco and cable systems including DISH Network, DIRECTV®, Comcast, AT&T U-Verse, Mediacom, Charter Spectrum, Suddenlink, Cox, and more than 600 independent rural cable systems. Corporate headquarters and broadcast operations are in Nashville, Tennessee.
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RFD-TV’s The American is an annual event that occurs each February at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The American is known as “the world’s richest one-day rodeo” and pays out nearly $3 million annually through a series of qualifiers, The Semi-Finals, and the final event, RFD-TV’s The American. The event unites the top athletes in the world from the PRCA, WPRA, and PBR world standings and pits them against underdogs who advance from The American Semi-Finals, together to battle for the biggest single paycheck of their lives. For more information, please visit AmericanRodeo.com.
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RFD-TV The Magazine is the print programming guide for RMG networks with feature articles, programming updates, and more. The publication is published bi-monthly and has historically attracted more than 180,000 paid subscribers. For more information or to subscribe, please visit: RFDTV.com/Magazine.