February 5, 2009
Episode 2 Recap: Tournament 1, Raleigh, NC

Tournament 1 begins with great anticipation as twelve cowboys daring enough to ride three wild animals in one night walk onto the floor of RBC Center in Raleigh, NC. Upon being informed that whoever loses the Knockout Round will lose their jersey and be eliminated from the chance at winning the Wyoming ranch, their mood is tense.

Bareback Bronc Riding
Bareback bronc riding, the most punishing event in rodeo, takes its toll on both Jared Green and Erik Wolford. Green gets tossed around and finally whipped to the ground, landing on his neck and shoulders, and heads off to the sports medicine room. The human wreck reel Erik Wolford, who competed injured the first two seasons of Toughest Cowboy, takes a nasty trouncing yet again and suffers a possible broken collarbone.

Toughest Cowboy underdog Mark Fisher leads the field with 75 points, until bareback star Steve Dent nods his head and notches an 86 to take the lead going into the saddle bronc round.

Saddle Bronc Round
The saddle bronc round starts with Cajun Trey Broussard, who needs to piece together a good ride to climb out of the bottom spot. Broussard makes the 8-second whistle, but under-performs once again and now is facing the real possibility of being in the Knockout Round. Jared Green is showing his injury from round 1 and can’t stay in the saddle for the full 8 seconds. Newcomers Charlie Barker, Ben Londo and Steve Woolsey all turn in nice bronc rides while Australian Lance Kelly gets hung up in a stirrup and meets the dirt with his head and spends the next few minutes dazed and confused. Once on his feet he vows to “walk it off” and be back for bull riding. Tough as nails, Erik Wolford comes back to post a 79 on his saddle bronc while Steve Dent proves he’s not only a world-class bareback rider, but can ride saddle broncs too, by turning in an 81 on his bronc to stay on top of the leader board.

Bull Riding Round
The bull riding round starts off with Jared Green getting knocked cold just seconds into his ride. As Green is helped out of the arena, Trey Broussard climbs aboard his bull and has a terrible showing. Unless another cowboy fails miserably, Green and Broussard will be battling in the Knockout Round. Once again, Mark Fisher surprises everyone with an 85-point ride and seems to be in the driver’s seat—until bull riding star, Steve Woolsey manages to stay aboard a twisting and turning bull for a impressive 81.

Knockout Round
Spike TV Host Brandi Williams informs Broussard and Green they are indeed at the bottom of the field in Raleigh. Both men will have to get on another bull — the one with the worst score hangs up his jersey and his hopes of winning the ranch.
Green is so badly beat up he can’t raise his arms, but refuses to throw in the towel stating, “Cowboys don’t go home like that.” When Green is ready he bursts out of the chute and turns in a world-class 84-point ride, setting the bar high for the struggling Broussard. Broussard has the look of someone who has been beat even before he rides, and that look of defeat turns into reality as he falls off well short of a full ride. Green wins the Knockout Ride and is safe for another week. Broussard has seen his dream of riding on his own ranch disappear in the very first tournament.

Tournament 1 Summary – Raleigh, NC

Tournament 1 Winner: Steve Woolsey, 233 points. Earns immunity from Knockout Round in next tournament.

Overall Results: 1. Steve Woolsey, 233 points; 2. Mark Fisher, 224 points; 3. (tie) Chad Eubank, 200 points, and Erik Wolford, 200 points; 5. Steven Dent, 196 points; 6. Lance Kelly, 192 points; 7. Ben Londo, 190 points; 8. Charlie Barker, 198 points; 9. Bandy Murphy, 185 points; 10. Dusty Elkinton, 184 points; 11. Jared Green, 101 points

Knockout Round: Jared Green, 84 points; Trey Broussard, 24 points. Broussard is eliminated.

Injury Report

Competitor: Eric Wolford
Injury: Fracture/sprain
Location: Left shoulder – broken clavicle and AC joint sprain
Status:  Will compete

Competitor: Jared Green
Injury: Sprain
Location: Left and right shoulder     
Status:  Will compete

Competitor: Lance Kelly                
Injury: Concussion                    
Location: Head
Status: Will compete