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thewayneI don't really listen to country/western music, though I do have a soft spot for some oldie stuff like Marty Robins and Johnny Cash. And I deplore reality TV.
Well, there's a program on the CMT network called Cowboy U. They bring a bunch of city slickers to a working ranch in Oklahoma. They train them in various cowboy skills and it's interesting to watch. I happened to catch the first episode just doing a bit of random surfing (it's rare that I surf) and was impressed. It started with eight people, the final is that four of them will be going and competing at a cowboy rodeo.
The first episode had them arriving with all sorts of luggage (I was shocked at how much luggage these people brought!), and the first "trial" was they had sixty seconds to put everything that they were going to keep into a bucket. EVERYTHING else that they had was put away. If it didn't fit in the bucket in 60 seconds, out it went. One woman put a pair of running shoes(!) into her bucket! Lots of humorous ridicule, good-natured ribbing. Then they were given their cowboy duds, complete with boots and hat. The first day was riding with lots of falling off and intimidated newbie cowboys.
I haven't been watching it regularly, they were doing a four show (30 minute episodes) block tonight, and there was nothing else worth watching, so I put it on. They've building up to bull riding, starting with a mechanical bull. They've done roping, pig catching, all sorts of stuff. The first episode that I saw tonight had them starting with doggie dressing, where they rope a calf, pull it to the ground, and pull a huge pair of panties on it. Well, actually the calf was pre-roped, they had to catch the calf & rope. That was followed by introducing them to firearms. The guns were Colt .45 revolvers loaded with black powder blanks. They got some practice against fixed targets, then the female champion rodeo riding shooting champion showed them how to ride and shoot. Very interesting.
This has a major difference from any other reality show that I've had the misfortune of seeing or hearing is that the elimination is not judged by the contestants! The two cowboys who are directing all the tasks are assigning points and a lot of them have time limits. The contestants are actually working together and trying to bolster each up.
It's fairly brutal and there's definitely an element of danger. You're dealing with large animals and people get trampled. But whenever they're doing a task that has serious injury associated with it, they're wearing helmets and chest protectors. I haven't seen any injuries above standard bruises and probably abrasions, so the real cowboys are doing a pretty good job of protecting their charges.
They muck stables. They do chores. They cook their own breakfasts over a fire. They sleep together in a bunk house. And they get yelled at if they disrespect anyone, quit a task, etc.
Kinda fun!
Well, there's a program on the CMT network called Cowboy U. They bring a bunch of city slickers to a working ranch in Oklahoma. They train them in various cowboy skills and it's interesting to watch. I happened to catch the first episode just doing a bit of random surfing (it's rare that I surf) and was impressed. It started with eight people, the final is that four of them will be going and competing at a cowboy rodeo.
The first episode had them arriving with all sorts of luggage (I was shocked at how much luggage these people brought!), and the first "trial" was they had sixty seconds to put everything that they were going to keep into a bucket. EVERYTHING else that they had was put away. If it didn't fit in the bucket in 60 seconds, out it went. One woman put a pair of running shoes(!) into her bucket! Lots of humorous ridicule, good-natured ribbing. Then they were given their cowboy duds, complete with boots and hat. The first day was riding with lots of falling off and intimidated newbie cowboys.
I haven't been watching it regularly, they were doing a four show (30 minute episodes) block tonight, and there was nothing else worth watching, so I put it on. They've building up to bull riding, starting with a mechanical bull. They've done roping, pig catching, all sorts of stuff. The first episode that I saw tonight had them starting with doggie dressing, where they rope a calf, pull it to the ground, and pull a huge pair of panties on it. Well, actually the calf was pre-roped, they had to catch the calf & rope. That was followed by introducing them to firearms. The guns were Colt .45 revolvers loaded with black powder blanks. They got some practice against fixed targets, then the female champion rodeo riding shooting champion showed them how to ride and shoot. Very interesting.
This has a major difference from any other reality show that I've had the misfortune of seeing or hearing is that the elimination is not judged by the contestants! The two cowboys who are directing all the tasks are assigning points and a lot of them have time limits. The contestants are actually working together and trying to bolster each up.
It's fairly brutal and there's definitely an element of danger. You're dealing with large animals and people get trampled. But whenever they're doing a task that has serious injury associated with it, they're wearing helmets and chest protectors. I haven't seen any injuries above standard bruises and probably abrasions, so the real cowboys are doing a pretty good job of protecting their charges.
They muck stables. They do chores. They cook their own breakfasts over a fire. They sleep together in a bunk house. And they get yelled at if they disrespect anyone, quit a task, etc.
Kinda fun!
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Date: 2006-01-28 04:02 pm (UTC)I find myself thinking "what would I put in a bucket in 60 seconds?" Aside from my prescriptions and underwear, I think I'd be a little stymied to fill it up...