Best in the World Invited to RFD-TV’s AMERICAN

Rodeo Fans only chance to see the champions of the PRCA, PBR, and ERA compete in one event on February 19^th at AT&T Stadium

(NASHVILLE, TENN. — December 14th, 2016) RFD-TV president and founder Patrick Gottsch announced RFD-TV’s The American top invitees on a special selection show edition of “Western Sports Weekly.” The cowboys or cowgirls invited in each event features a mixture of champions and top competitors from the PRCA, PBR, and ERA. The American is the only time the champions of these three professional organizations can be seen at one event. Two fan exemptions, Cole Bailey and Sage Kimzey, were also announced. The recipients, listed below will automatically qualify for the finals in the world’s richest one-day rodeo, to be held February 19^th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They will be eligible for a $100,000 check plus a wealth of prizes should they win their event.

“This is a mixture of ERA, PRCA, and PBR champions,” said Patrick Gottsch, founder and president of RFD-TV. “I think what’s really neat is that all these folks will be able to compete head-to-head really for the first time since their finals took place.”

The world’s richest one-day rodeo is an action packed day, explains Gottsch. “We kind of brag about the fact that this is a five-hour rodeo. It’s gone fast in the past and I think people are going to enjoy it just as much, if not more this year.”

One million dollars is also up for grabs in the Semi-Finals, held at Cowtown Coliseum in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards February 14 – 17, 2017. This year, RFD-TV added $500,000 to the purse, making the Semi-Finals a $1,000,000 rodeo in its own right. Payouts will be larger and deeper for qualifiers. In addition to the added money in the Semi-Finals, qualifiers will have a chance to win their share of the $1,000,000 side pot should they win their event at The American.

RFD-TV’s The American Ten Invitees (by event):

BAREBACK

Tanner Aus
Caleb Bennett
Richmond Champion
Steven Dent
Kaycee Feild
Austin Foss
Orin Larsen
Bobby Mote
Tim O’Connell
Jake Vold

STEER WRESTLING

Bray Armes
Luke Branquinho
Dakota Eldridge
Stockton Graves
Clayton Hass
Kyle Irwin
Matt Reeves
J.D. Struxness
Jason Thomas
Tyler Waguespack

TEAM ROPING

Derrick Begay/Clay O’Brien Cooper
Dustin Bird/Russell Cardoza
Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith
Luke Brown/Jake Long
Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira
Riley Minor/Brady Minor
Erich Rogers/Cory Petska
Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler
Clay Smith/Paul Eaves
Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill

SADDLE BRONC

CoBurn Bradshaw
Jacobs Crawley
Cort Scheer
Wade Sundell
Zeke Thurston
Jake Watson
Cody Wright
Jake Wright
Ryder Wright
Rusty Wright

TIE-DOWN ROPING

Trevor Brazile
Tuf Cooper
Marcos Costa
Tyson Durfey
Shane Hanchey
Hunter Herrin
Cody Ohl
Caleb Smidt
Cade Swor
Marty Yates
Cole Bailey (Fan Exemption)

BARREL RACING

Mary Burger
Pamela Capper
Sherry Cervi
Chayni Chamberlain
Kassidy Dennison
Lisa Lockhart
Amberleigh Moore
Fallon Taylor
Mary Walker
Kimmie Wall

BULL RIDING

Eduardo Aparecido
Cooper Davis
Ryan Dirteater
Mike Lee
Jess Lockwood
Guilherme Marchi
JB Mauney
Kaique Pacheco
Fabiano Vieira
Joao Ricardo Vieira
Sage Kimzey (Fan Exemption)

Great tickets are still available for both the Semi-Finals and the Finals. For those who might not have done their Christmas shopping, RFD-TV is offering 10% off to the Finals. Visit www.AmericanRodeo.com and click on the ticket link and enter “Top10" when prompted at checkout.

For more information, visit RFDTV.com, RuralRadio147.com, TheCowboyChannel.com, and AmericanRodeo.com.

Media Contacts:

PR@rfdtv.com, (615) 296-9332

###

ABOUT RURAL MEDIA GROUP (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, FamilyNet, 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. rfdtv.com

ABOUT RFD-TV:
RFD-TV is the flagship network for Rural Media Group. Launched in December 2000, RFD-TV is the nation’s first 24-hour television network featuring programming focused on the agribusiness, equine and the rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment. RFD-TV produces six hours of live news each weekday in support of rural America and is a leading independent cable channel available in more than 50 million homes.

ABOUT RURAL RADIO:
Found exclusively on SiriusXM channel 147, this is the agribusiness and Western-lifestyle channel for the U.S. and Canada. RURAL RADIO’s program schedule revolves around original productions focused on agriculture, equine, hunting, fishing, Western sports, and living the country life in small towns around rural America. Broadcast operations for the station are located in Nashville, Tennessee. The channel airs multiple exclusive series including “MARKET DAY REPORT,” “RURAL EVENING NEWS,” “RURAL AMERICA LIVE,” and “WESTERN SPORTS ROUND-UP,” as well as “Outside the Barrel,” with Flint Rasmussen, “Commodity Wrap,” with Marlin Bohling, “AgPhD,” “RealAg Radio,” “AgDay,” “FFA Today,” and “Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.” RURAL RADIO also carries live broadcasts of Western sports competitions such as the PBR, PRCA rodeos, and WPCA Chuckwagon races. ruralradio147.com

ABOUT FAMILYNET:
FamilyNet is America’s trusted entertainment network dedicated to providing wholesome and responsible viewing choices for today’s diverse family. familynet.com

ABOUT RFD-TV THE MAGAZINE:
RFD-TV The Magazine is the print programming guide for the networks. It has attracted more than 180,000 paid subscribers.

Professional Bull Riding