Twelve cowboys from all over the United States move onto a cattle ranch, where fast friendships are formed and battle lines quickly drawn; Trace Adkins puts the cowboys to the test in a team challenge that will determine who stays and who goes home.
The remaining 10 cowboys show off their skills in a timed calf-roping challenge; later, a team challenge reveals that some of the contestants lack the experience needed to compete at this level; one cowboy's antics lead to an angry confrontation.
With only eight cowboys left, the pressure is on. In an attempt to win immunity from elimination, one cowboy takes the bull by the horns and pays the price. Jared and Ethan finally bury the hatchet, and Trace Adkins tells two more cowboys to go home.
As the last woman in the competition, J Storme continues to impress the remaining cowboys. Zane wins a medley race of cowboy skills, and Ethan's reputation as a cattle boss is put to the test. In a shocking elimination, two cowboys are sent packing.
Trace Adkins challenges the four remaining contestants to demonstrate their mastery of essential cowboy skills. Two cowboys make rookie mistakes that may cost them the herd, while another falls short for the first time.
In a final showdown, the last three contestants are out to prove who is the top all-around cowboy; in the arena, they show off their horsemanship skills; then, they drive a herd across challenging obstacles; one of them will win the showdown.
Just hours after arriving at a sweltering Texas ranch, 14 cowboys lock horns in the first of many grueling challenges; along with two expert judges, host Trace Adkins evaluates their performances and decides which cowboy will be the first to go home.
The 13 remaining cowboys lock horns in a grueling series of challenges; barrel racing, calf roping and colt starting; with the help of expert judges, Trace Adkins decides which cowboy will be eliminated next.
A six-stage relay race tests the horsemanship skills of the remaining 12 cowboys and determines who will be sent packing; in an unexpected twist, Trace Adkins and the judges decide to eliminate two cowboys.
In addition to showing off their roping and riding skills, the 10 remaining cowboys must demonstrate their business acumen by estimating the value of livestock; with the help of expert judges, host Trace Adkins decides who will be sent packing.
Eight remaining cowboys demonstrate their skills; the cowboys snatch flags off of running steers and corral a herd of cattle into three separate pens; with the help of expert judges, Trace Adkins decides which cowboy will be sent home.
Half of the fourteen original cowboys remain and they must work even harder to impress host Trace Adkins and his expert judges; a challenge goes awry, two yearlings escape through the fence, and Trace is forced to send another cowboy packing.
The six remaining cowboys face off in a wild horse race over rough terrain, though tempers flare, they must work together to find stray cattle using a simple map.
Host Trace Adkins tests the cattle IQ of the remaining five cowboys with a trivia roping challenge and evaluates their communication skills as they work together to remove two rogue bulls from the herd.
The four remaining cowboys race to rope and load two steers without help, then they each ride a green horse through a challenging obstacle course.
Only three cowboys remain, after outriding, outperforming and outfoxing some of the best cowboys in the nation; at sundown, host Trace Adkins and his expert judges determine which one of them will win a $50,000 herd and a lifetime of bragging rights.
In the frigid mountains of Wyoming, 14 cowboys lock horns in the first of many grueling challenges; along with two expert judges, host Trace Adkins evaluates their performances and decides which cowboy will be the first to go home.
Thirteen cowboys attempt to wrangle 60 wild horses, drive them down a treacherous mountain and load a select group into a trailer; with the help of expert judges, host Trace Adkins decides which cowboy will be eliminated next.
In the midst of a turbulent windstorm, a grueling ranch relay race tests the know how, grit, and stamina of the 12 remaining cowboys; with the help of two expert judges, country music icon Trace Adkins decides who will be sent packing.
In a city-slicker challenge, the remaining 11 cowboys must teach former professional football players Vernon Davis and Glenn Gronkowski how to be cowhands on a cattle drive; Trace Adkins and his expert judges decide which cowboy is eliminated.
After a lighthearted fireside talent show, the competition gets serious as the remaining cowboys tackle the dangerous task of breaking and riding wild horses in an open pasture. Host Trace Adkins and expert judges eliminate two cowboys.
The remaining cowboys prove they can handle rough conditions as they cook an outdoor cowboy meal and tend a herd of cattle overnight in the frigid mountains. Although one cowboy calls it quits, Trace Adkins decides to eliminate another.
It's all about reading cattle as the six remaining cowboys move cows around a giant tic-tac-toe board. Then, they sort a load of cattle that must weigh 15,000 pounds. With the help of expert judges, host Trace Adkins sends one cowboy home.
Five cowboys are left, and host Trace Adkins and his judges test the cowboys on their solo cattle-sorting skills and evaluate their abilities to work as a team extracting buffalo from a herd. In the end, another cowboy is sent home.
With only four remaining cowboys, host Trace Adkins and the judges test the competitors abilities to show off their own horses and complete a task on a horse they've never seen before. In the end, Trace sends a cowboy packing.
At sundown, host Trace Adkins and the expert judges will determine which of the three remaining cowboys will win the $50,000 herd of cattle.
In this episode, 14 top cowboys from previous seasons return to the Arizona desert to compete for a $50,000 herd of cattle. The cowboys must decide whether to help or sabotage their fellow contestants.
The 13 remaining cowboys face off in individual and team challenges in the quest to win a $50,000 herd of cattle and a coveted belt buckle. As bitter rivalries emerge in the first individual challenge, some contestants begin to understand that strategy and gamesmanship may be just as important as cowboy skills. Later, in a test of true grit, the contestants split into teams to gather a herd of bucking horses in treacherous mountain terrain and drive them three miles into an arena, where two of the broncs must be ridden for eight seconds. The competition suddenly turns perilous when one of the cowboys goes missing in the unforgiving Arizona desert, causing serious concern for host Trace Adkins and his expert judges.
The 12 remaining cowboys face off in individual and team challenges in the quest to win a $50,000 herd of cattle and a coveted belt buckle. As bitter rivalries emerge in the first individual challenge, some contestants begin to understand that strategy and gamesmanship may be just as important as cowboy skills.
Cowboys need brawn and brains, so the remaining 11 contestants are tested on both; they first guess the cost of common ranch items, then must endure a grueling overnight challenge guarding a herd of cattle.
With nine cowboys remaining, the competition gets fierce; an old-fashioned horse race turns into an all-out brawl; a cowboy is rushed to the hospital after a freak accident; host Trace Adkins and the judges send another cowboy home.
After demonstrating their calf-roping skills, the eight remaining cowboys are challenged to drive a herd of cattle and an old-fashioned chuck wagon across the rugged Arizona terrain; host Trace Adkins and his judges send another cowboy packing.
The remaining seven contestants must demonstrate skill and grit in a grueling relay race made up of a series of cowboy challenges; host Trace Adkins and his judges send another cowboy home.
The remaining six cowboys face off in a cutting competition that turns out to be more difficult than expected; they work as a team to sort four rogue cattle from a herd and load them on a trailer; host Trace Adkins and the judges send a cowboy home.
In the final cattle drive of the season, the three remaining cowboys have one last chance to show off their skills and prove they deserve to be the Ultimate Cowboy All-Star Champion. Host Trace Adkins and the expert judges name the winner.