RODEOHOUSTON Field Narrows as Champions Advance Through First Semi-Finals

It has been a wild ride at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo or better known to the world as RODEOHOUSTON. With a limited number of contestants able to compete, the stakes are high. No other rodeo on the ProRodeo circuit pays like Houston. At the end, one talented athlete in each event will raise a check above their head worth $65,000.

Not only is Houston one of the largest paying rodeos, it is also one of the longest lasting rodeos within the year. With five brackets and three performances per bracket, the rodeo action has already been going on for more than two weeks.

Half of the contestants have already been eliminated from the action, leaving just 20 who could have a chance at the finals in each event. Now that the semi-final performances have begun, half of them will be eliminated again. Those who don’t make the top four in the semi-final performances will have one last chance in the wildcard.

Tie-Down World Champions Struggle

Tie-down roper Shane Hanchey | Fernando Sam-Sin/@fsamsin

The rodeo action kicks off every night with the tie-down roping and the first semi-final had three world champions set to take on the field full of veterans and youngsters alike.

Haven Meged
Ace Reese
Shane Hanchey
Tyler Calhoun
Michael Otero
Seth Hall
Macon Murphy
Brushton Minton
Tyson Durfey
Tom Crouse

The Miles City, Montana cowboy was first to nod his head. Meged has already crossed the $2 million mark in earnings, but no one told the calf who he was competing against. Just as Meged had him down and ready to tie, the bovine decided to strain a little and it was just enough to slow the Montana man down to 9.8 seconds.

Shane Hanchey was the next world champion to see what he could do. After being qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 16 times, Hanchey knows what to do to win. He made the best run he could make on the calf he drew and stopped the clock at 9.5 seconds.

Former World Champion Shane Hanchey rounds out the third title holder to take on the field. He was the guitar winner of Super Series I, but he will have to reach the finals through the wild-card round.

Ultimately, it was Michael Otero who took the round win with 8.9 seconds. Following him was Brushton Minton at 9.3 seconds, Shane Hanchey with a 9.5, and then Seth Hall at 9.6.

Bareback Riding Brawl

According to Clayton Biglow’s interview, he felt like this round would be a “spurring contest.” He wasn’t wrong. It was a battle to the end to see who would fall into the top four spots to move on to the finals.

Kade Berry
Bradlee Miller
Clayton Biglow
Jayco Roper
R.C. Landingham
Tanner Aus
Wacey Schalla
Ben Kramer
Jason Wilson
Taylor Broussard

Weatherford, Texas is home to a 22-year-old man who is searching to find his way to his first NFR. Kade Berry outdid the entire field of bareback riders when he posted 86.5 points on Guardian Angel.

The Cervi Brothers Love Bites was being a little difficult in the chute, but was well worth the effort for Bradlee Miller. After the gate cracked, it was a beautiful matchup where each athlete got to show off their skills. In the end, they scored 86 points and securely finished second.

Wacey Schalla just keeps chipping away at earning a World Championship. With more than $73,000 won so far in the 2026 season, he sits atop the standings. Schalla drew ‘Freshman 15’ in the semi-final round and scored 85 points, keeping him moving right into the finals.

After winning the guitar in his set, R.C. Landingham came into the semi-finals and drew Midnight Snack. The black bucking horse paired well with Landingham and the pair drew 83.5 points to slide into that coveted fourth place position.

Steer Wrestling Throw Down

The lineup for the first semi-final performance was hot right from the start.

Stetson Jorgensen
Chase Crane
Trisyn Kalawaia
Mike McGinn
Bridger Anderson
Tristan Martin
Denell Henderson
Cash Robb
Ty Erickson
Ryan Shuckburgh

Jorgensen set the pace early on with a nice run that one would have bet would have moved on at 4.7 seconds. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be enough.

Denell Henderson absolutely commanded his steer in a textbook run. The dirt flew and the steer fell in an impressive 4.2 seconds. He would win the round and secure his spot in the finals.

Trisyn Kalawai and Mike McGinn matched times on the stopwatch with their 4.5-second runs that would be good enough to claim the number two and three positions. The watch may have matched, but the runs were very different. Kalawai steer came out and went left, taking just a bit of time. McGinn’s steer was trying to find the other end, running hard and taking him a good way down the arena.

Tristan Martin did just what he needed to do. When he backed into the box, 4.7 was the cutoff line. Martin did his job and stopped the clock at 4.6 to take that last spot to move on.

Other Finals Qualifiers

Hailey Kinsel | Nathan Meyer Photography

Team Roping
1. Dustin Egusquiza/JC Flake, $3,000 each; 2. Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, $2,000; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, $1,000; 4. Korbin Rice/Cooper Freeman, $750.

Saddle Bronc Riding
1. Stetson Dell Wright, $3,000; 2. Weston Patterson, $2,000; 3. Kole Ashbacher, $1,000; 4. Layton Green, $750.

Barrel Racing
1. Hailey Kinsel, $3,000; 2. LaTricia Duke, $2,000; 3. Lisa Lockhart, $1,000; 4. Summer Kosel, $750.

Breakaway Roping
1. Joey Williams, $3,000; 2. Maddy Jacobs, $2,000; 3. (tie) Rylee A George and Hali Williams, $875 each.

Bull Riding
1. Jake Gardner, $3,875; 2. T Parker, $2,875.