Panhandle cowboy rides the reality TV range
Texas contestant, who says he’s ‘cowboyed all my life,’ won’t disclose how far he got in showdown
Jackson Taylor jokes that his first experience as a cowboy was a cattle drive while in his mother’s womb.
The fifth-generation cowboy will get to show off the skills he’s picked up through the years to a television audience next week.
The Lockney-area native spent last summer filming his TV debut — “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown” — which is set to air Feb. 24.
“I’ve cowboyed all my life,” he said.
Taylor is a part of the series’ second season, which was filmed in Edgewood, a town east of Dallas. The show is hosted by actor and country music star Trace Adkins.
Taylor grew up in the Panhandle near Lockney and spent his early years riding around ranching with his family, including his Granddad Joe. He fondly remembers feeding cattle and how they’d happily trot to the wagon for a treat. He found himself enamored with the lifestyle and couldn’t picture doing anything else.
As a teenager in 2003, his family moved to Big Lake, about an hour southwest of San Angelo, where he lived until he graduated high school in 2009.
“We got out of Project Graduation that morning about 5 o’clock and by 6:30, I was headed north. I was coming back to the Panhandle,” Taylor said.
He later graduated from Clarendon College and has spent the years that followed ranching at properties around the country. He’s lived in Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas and even spent 62 days ranching in Australia, he said.
But he was always drawn back home to the Panhandle, which he says he enjoys because a different state is within a few hours of travel. He’s always had a sense of adventure and an interest in meeting new people. That’s part of what drew him to the show. That and a little encouragement from some buddies who thought he could do well and had the right personality for a reality TV show.
“I’ve been told by a lot of friends and family members that I was made for that kind of lifestyle,” Taylor said.
He describes himself as a glasshalf-full kind of guy who always tries to wear a smile.
His personality shines through in the video he made that got him selected for the show.
“I’m very, very glad and blessed that I did it,” he said.
The competition started with 14 men and women from around the country out to prove they’re the ultimate cowboy. According to the show’s website, the prize includes: “a herd they can take to market, a Rawhide Portable Corral, an Arrowquip Q-Catch 87 Series Cattle Chute, the coveted Ultimate Cowboy Showdown beltbuckle, and a lifetime of bragging rights.”
Taylor competed in a series of team and individual competitions that included herding cattle, working with untamed broncos, and opportunities for the contestants to show off their business savvy.
It was a fun challenge that Taylor says he’s proud to have been a part of.
“The only thing that wasn’t fun was that I couldn’t bring my dog with me,” he said.
When he applied, he was told he could be on the show for a day or for the full ride. Taylor didn’t say how far he made it but he did make it passed day one.
The show will air on INSP on DirectTV (Channel 364) on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. Central time.