The American Rodeo: These 8 Seconds Offer Life-Changing Money

The American Rodeo offers contestants life-changing prize money. These guys will risk their lives for 8 seconds aboard a 2,000-pound beast to potentially earn $1 million.

Click Thompson, courtesy of Teton Ridge

The crowd will be fully invested and on the edge of their seats until the last bull bucks and the last buzzer rings at The American Rodeo, held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on March 9.

These 9 cowboys will literally risk life and limb for the chance to take home at least $100,000 and even up to $1 million.

Why nine? There are 10 in every other contest except the bull riding. The answer is complex and simple all at the same time. 

Let's review. 

The invitees are supposed to be the top five contestants at the end of the 2023 PRCA World Standings. That would have included Stetson Wright, Ky Hamilton, and Sage Kimzey. All three of them are injured and unable to attend. So, Teton Ridge started rolling contestants in to replace the injured. Ranked No. 6 was Creek Young—he's in to replace Stetson. Seventh was Jared Parsonage—he's in to replace Hamilton.

Here's where things get messy. Jeff Askey finished at No. 8, but he had already worked his way through the contender rounds and was set to be eligible for the $1 million prize.  

The powers that be at Teton Ridge gave the cowboy the advantage and let Askey stay in the contender category to keep him eligible. That leaves one man down in the invitee category—thus, nine bull riders will give it their best shot. (Thank you to Kendra Santos and Teton Ridge for the update.)

No matter which group you look at, these guys bring all the guts, talent, heart and soul to the bull riding competition.

L-R: Jared Parsonage, Josh Frost, Trey Kimzey, Sage Kimzey (injured), Creek Young

• Josh Frost — four-time WNFR qualifier, lifetime earnings of $1.5 million, and a reserve world title in 2023 are just a few of the accolades the Randlett, Utah cowboy brings with him to the arena. So far, he has only competed in Denver and Fort Worth and hasn't had a lot of luck, but don't let that fool you. This is one of the best in the business, and he will put it all on the line.
• Trey Kimzey — a three-time WNFR qualifier and coming off his best career season in 2023, Kimzey has all the tools to be at the top of the leaderboard. With big brother sitting out, you can bet he will be getting some advice from the sidelines.
• Creek Young — At just 23 years old, Young has already been to the WNFR three times and earned more than $624,000 in his career. He picked up recent wins in Fort Worth at the Xtreme Bulls and won the Prairie Circuit Finals held in Duncan, Okla. Young is currently ranked No. 2 in the World Standings.
• Jared Parsonage — this two-time WNFR qualifier earned an incredible $249,265 in his 2023 PRCA season, of which $109,053 came from his stellar rides at the 2023 WNFR. Parsonage has been resting since the NFR and will be ready to ride come Saturday.

L-R: Cody Teel, Jeff Askey, Cody Nance, Matt Palmer, Chase Dougherty

• Cody Nance — Nance is a veteran at The American after being there twice.  He has already earned $40,000 for his efforts and now has a chance to take home the million. Nance has spent the majority of his career competing in the Professional Bull Riders Association. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2009 and has more than 600 qualified rides under his belt. Having been to the PBR finals 12 times, this man is ready for the task.
• Jeff Askey — six trips to the WNFR and American Rodeo earnings of $18,000, along with a decision by the Teton Ridge staff, may show that Lady Luck is on this guy's side. He will be an eligible contender, and at 36 years old, he may be the oldest competitor in bull riding. Make no mistake, this guy has not aged out, and he is still prime and ready to roll.
• Chase Dougherty — Currently ranked at No. 6 in the PRCA standings, the 25-year-old has invested most of his career in the PBR. He has recorded seven rides of 90 or more points and earned more than $450,000 in PBR earnings. This Arizona Ridge Rider teammate is certainly one to watch.
• Matt Palmer — The Claremore, Okla., cowboy has been quiet over the past few years but has earned his way to the arena by going through the contender round. He has already proved he is part of the best in the world and could be a spoiler when the buzzer goes off.
• Cody Teel — The 2012 PRCA World Champion has been hot this year.  He has made six trips to Las Vegas for the WNFR. He finished 12th in 2023, but he is currently ranked No. 4 after winning Fort Worth. He rode Tokyo Bubbles in the finals for 87 points and an incredible $23,540 paycheck. Look for him to be on a mission to take home $1 million.