March 4, 2009

Episode 6 Recap: Quarter-Final Playoffs, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

There are eight cowboys remaining as Commissioner Tommy Joe Lucia and Spike TV host Brandi Williams enter the locker room. Tommy Joe explains that there is no immunity this week, and that it will be a three-way Knockout Round with the bottom three cowboys, and two of them are going home at the end of the night. Tommy Joe’s final advice, “Ride hard — the time is now.”

Bareback Bronc Round
Ben Londo picks up right where he left off last week in Atlanta with an 80-point ride on a big strong horse. Londo seems to be peaking at the right time and is a serious threat to the rest of the cowboys. Steven Dent, who’s still nursing a sprained foot, secures 78 points. Steve Woolsey continues his bareback bronc riding woes as he rag-dolls his way through an uncontrolled ride for a measly 59 points.

Mark Fisher has been fighting self-confidence issues for three weeks now. Even thought he has prevailed repeatedly in the Knockout Round, the demons of doubt are biting at Fisher’s heels. Coach Cody Snyder assures Fisher that he’s “good enough to be here.” But words alone can’t help Fisher as he double-grabs early and gets bucked off, slamming his back into the fence. With only 55 points, and two rounds let to go, Fisher is already in danger of his fourth trip to the Knockout Round.

It’s clear that Bandy Murphy has not dominated the competition as he has in years past, but when he needs to, Murphy can make up ground. However, this was not one of those times as Murphy turns in an unimpressive effort and receives 75 points.

30-year old Chad Eubank may be looking at the sunset of his rodeo career, and would love to go out with the deed to the Toughest Cowboy ranch as his crowning achievement. A good bareback ride tonight will help edge Eubank one-step closer to his dream. However, Eubank wastes an opportunity on a very good horse and only totals 70 points. Northwestern cowboy Charlie Barker doesn’t waste his chance to climb up the leaderboard as he turns in a nice ride and notches 79 points.

The final rider in the bareback round is Erik Wolford. Riding injured all year has not slowed the Michigan native down one bit in the bareback riding. Wolford has consistently led the bareback riding all season and tonight is no exception. Wolford executes perfect form and turns in an 85-point ride, rocketing him to the top of the leaderboard.

Saddle Bronc Round
Now the competitors move from the all-out body thrashing of bareback bronc riding to saddle bronc riding, where form is the name of the game. Nebraskan cowboy Steven Dent is the first to nod his head. Dent draws a big, rank horse that has its way with him. The horse rolls Dent out of the saddle to an early buck-off and only 34 points. The bad showing drops Dent to last place. Steve Woolsey draws a horse that stalls in the chute, and then almost throws him off — twice. Woolsey manages to stay aboard for the full 8 seconds and secures 72 points. Ben Londo also does what he needs to stay alive and notches 78 points, keeping himself on the top half of the leaderboard.

Chad Eubank can feel the pressure of the Knockout Round bearing down on him. Eubank knows that a bad showing in saddle bronc will put him in a hole he may not be able to crawl out of. Eubank steps it up and turns in an excellent ride, totaling 80 points. It looks like Eubank has shown up to win after all. Charlie Barker, on the other hand, loses his seat early on a very fast bucking horse that jettisons him off at 4.6 seconds, leaving him with 41 points and a look of bewilderment.

Bandy Murphy, like Chad Eubank, has competed in Toughest Cowboy for three years, so he knows when he needs to step it up. And he does it on a great horse, grabbing 80 points. This ride puts Murphy in a good position heading into the bull riding.  Rookie Mark Fisher seems to be going in the opposite direction of the veterans. It seems the harder Fisher tries, the worse he does. Fisher’s saddle bronc ride is the worst of the year as he does a full gainer only 1.9 seconds into the ride for a score of 9 points. Fisher is disgusted with himself and admits the ride was embarrassing. Meanwhile the ironman Erik Wolford just rocks along in perfect time with the horse for 77 points. Wolford stays in first place after two rounds.

Bull Riding Round
As the bull riding round is about to begin, Steven Dent finds himself in unfamiliar territory. Dent is currently in seventh place with 112 points and is fighting to stay out of the Knockout Round. Dent does his best and turns in an 81-point ride. Now all he can do is wait for the other cowboys to ride and see how it all shakes out.

The usually-happy Ben Londo, can’t seem to find his smile as he gets out of shape early and can’t make the whistle, gathering only 25 points.

Charlie Barker came into Toughest Cowboy listing bull riding as his preferred event. Barker has yet to cover one of his bulls during the competition. Barker knows he needs one here to stay alive. He rises to the challenge and muscles his way to a full 8-second ride and an impressive 84 points. Steve Woolsey is another competitor that holds his destiny in his own hands. Woolsey does what he has done all year and knocks out a 78 on his bull.

Erik Wolford continues to struggle in the bull riding as he draws a miserably bad bull that bucks him off for a score of 59 points. Mark Fisher gets matched up with a bull that doesn’t so much buck as it does run. The bull takes off like it was stung by a bee and all Fisher can manage out of the ride is 69 points. Bandy Murphy also hands in an uncharacteristically bad bull ride that only lasts 3.4 seconds. Murphy’s ride earns him 40 points, and possibly a trip to the Knockout Round.

There’s a pileup at the bottom of the standings as Chad Eubank climbs aboard his bull. Eubanks nods and holds on as the bull goes into a spin. With each round Eubank slips farther and farther toward the dirt, but manages to stay on for 7.6 seconds which earns him a 73-point score.

Knockout Round
Now we come to the familiar scene of Spike TV host Brandi Williams standing in front of a row of cowboys as we wait to see which three competitors will do battle in the Knockout Round. To everyone’s surprise, including his own, Brandi announces Chad Eubank as the winner for the night and therefore moves on to the Semi-finals. Eubank states he was “very relived to get it over with.” Another relieved cowboy is the 2007 Toughest Cowboy Champion, Bandy Murphy. Murphy bested Steven Dent by only 2 points, but those 2 points kept him from enter the Knockout Round with the “Angel of Death” Mark Fisher.

We now know it will be past tournament winners Steven Dent and Ben Londo who will face Fisher in the three-way Knockout. Ben Londo starts it off and gets bucked off hard, and then stomped on as the bull runs him over. The end seems to be in sight for Londo. Steven Dent also can’t stay aboard for the full 8 seconds. The bull goes one way and Dent goes the other, crashing to the dirt with only 22 points.

Both Londo and Dent sit in the wings as Mark Fisher prepares for his bull ride. Fisher knows he’s a survivor, and has rallied to win the Knockout Round the last three weeks in a row. Fisher proves he is a survivor once again as he stays a top his bull for 7.4 seconds and captures a total of 71 points.

For the fourth consecutive week in row, Mark Fisher has beaten the odds and stayed alive through the Knockout Round. Two of the top cowboys on tour have seen their chance at the grand prize ranch slip through their finger in a matter of seconds. Ben Londo and Steven Dent hang up their jerseys, pack up their gear and head down the road.

Quarter-Final Summary – Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

Quarter-Final Winner: Chad Eubank, 223 points. No immunity from Knockout Round next week in the Semi-Final Playoffs.

Overall Results: 1. Chad Eubank, 223 points; 2. Erik Wolford, 221 points; 3. Steve Woolsey, 209 points; 4. Charlie Barker, 204 points; 5. Bandy Murphy, 195 points; 6. Steven Dent, 193 points; 7. Ben Londo, 183 points; 8. Mark Fisher, 133 points.

Knockout Round: Mark Fisher, 71 points; Ben Londo, 31 points; Steven Dent, 22 points. Londo and Dent are eliminated.

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

Competitor: Chad Eubank
Injury: Laceration
Location: Left Hand/4th & 5th Fingers    
Status:  Will compete