This weekend, the Pro Bull Riders (PBR) return to Las Vegas for a one night only - Winner Take All event. It’s called The Last Cowboy Standing. Don’t worry, The Vegas Tourist gang would never dream of missing an event like this. So watch twitter and Facebook for updates, photos and more! If not, join us at the Mandalay Bay or catch it all on Pay Per View.
Just be warned….
Watching a PBR event like this, will get you hooked!! It will be literally none stop rides from start to finish. Offering very little time to stop, breath and catch the next ride. They don’t call it the PBR the toughest sport on dirt for nothing.
My Bet to Win?: Colby Yates
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PBR’s ‘Last Cowboy Standing’ will earn $200,000 on Saturday
LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2011) – There will be $200,000 and the right to be called the “Last Cowboy Standing” on the line when the Professional Bull Riders bring the world’s best bull riders to the Mandalay Bay Events Center for its first-ever progressive elimination event on Saturday.
Each of the Top 40 riders on the planet will ride a bull in Round 1. Riders who reach 8 seconds in Round 1 will advance to the next round, where they will each ride another bull. The elimination format continues until there is only one cowboy left. There will be a minimum of three rounds and a maximum of five. The first-round matchups will be announced on Wednesday.
The total purse for the event is $300,000. The $200,000 is the highest one-day payout of the 2011 Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series season, and the second highest in history. To collect it, however, a rider will have to ride at least three bulls. The winner could be required to get on as many as five.
Bull riding begins at 6 p.m. PT, and tickets are still available at the Mandalay Bay box office, online at www.Ticketmaster.com, and by telephone at (800) 745-3000.
The event is also available live in HD for only $29.95. For details, visit http://pbr.com/lastcowboystanding . PBR veteran broadcaster Craig Hummer will call the play-by-play, and nine-time World Champion and PBR co-founder Ty Murray will provide color commentary. Leah Garcia will conduct dirt-level interviews, while fan-favorite Justin McKee will provide special segments and features for the broadcast and work alongside in-arena announcers Brandon Bates and Clint Adkins.
“We are extremely excited about what we think is going towill arguably be the greatest television broadcast coverage in the history of our sport. The ability to have three to four hours without commercial breaks, allows us to not only show fans every ride from this historic event, but to also give them behind-the-scenes and feature coverage that our broadcast partners just don’t have the time to deliver in our regular programming,” said PBR President and Chief Operating Officer Sean Gleason. “We’re investing heavily in this event, not only in the production of the broadcast, but also in giving our riders the chance to win a share of $300,000, including the second-largest payout in history with $200,000 to the winner. What started as a television scheduling challenge has turned into a wonderful opportunity for our riders and fans to experience our sport like never before. We are confident that everyone who makes an investment in our first pay-per-view broadcast will not be disappointed.”
In addition, the PBR has opened its DVD vault, and pay-per-view purchasers will be given the opportunity to receive a free DVD by filling out and returning a rebate form. The DVDs are classic PBR titles: “Ultimate Showdown,” “Legendary Bulls,” “Bred For Greatness,” “And They Survived,” “Reign of a King,” and “Bulldiculous.”
“Last Cowboy Standing” is being offered as a pay-per-view because regular PBR broadcast partner VERSUS is unable to air the event because of the National Hockey League playoffs. The PBR created the opportunity for fans to catch the action of one of the most unique and exciting events as it happens.
Leading the way in Las Vegas will be Valdiron de Oliveira and Robson Palermo, who each have two wins in the past six events and three wins apiece in 2011. Oliveira is the top-ranked rider in the world and leads the BFTS with eight Top 5 finishes and more than $225,000. Palermo is eighth in the world and has earned over $150,000, despite missing three events.
The field also includes Colby Yates, who won the bracket-style Iron Cowboy event in February at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Yates was the final rider to make it into the bracket when Palermo was unable to compete because of injury. He earned $50,000 for the win, but missed out on another $100,000 when he was unable to ride championship-contender Super Duty. The $100,000 was added to the purse for “Last Cowboy Standing.”
Joining the field are two of the hottest riders currently: L.J. Jenkins and 2009 PBR World Champion Kody Lostroh. Jenkins has moved up 14 spots to fourth in the BFTS standings after five Top 5 finishes in the past eight events. Lostroh has finished in the Top 8 in the past four events, and has climbed 20 spots to 11th.
In addition to Lostroh, former PBR World Champions competing in Las Vegas include two-time winner Chris Shivers (2000 and 2003), Guilherme Marchi (2008), and Mike Lee (2004). Marchi is ranked fifth in the world and has two wins and more than $100,000 earned in 2011. Shivers is ranked 13th despite competing in only eight events, while Lee has ridden in 10 events and is ranked 21st.
The winner of “Last Cowboy Standing” will also guarantee himself a berth in the 2011 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals on Oct. 26-30 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The richest bull riding event in the world, the Finals is where the 2011 PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded the $1 million Built Ford Tough bonus.
“Last Cowboy Standing” is the 15th stop on the nationally-televised BFTS, which makes 28 stops in 23 states. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR by David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 30-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer and creative lead.
About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 100 million viewers annually watch over 400 hours of primetime PBR programming on VERSUS, NBC, CBS and networks around the world. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money and 20 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million – the most of any Western-sports athlete in history. The PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards, alongside the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Nearly two million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/TEAMPBR.
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