Aquilla rancher to be featured on Ultimate Cowboy Showdown

Reporter: Ellie Mahan

September 7, 2023

As a fourth-generation roper and accomplished rodeo contestant, Brianna Markum-McClain developed a dedication to roping at a young age, and she remained devoted throughout the years, qualifying for global rodeo competitions. On a reality television show called “The Ultimate Cowboy Showdown,” hosted by country music star Trace Adkins, Markum-McClain put her ranching skills to the test. In Season 4 (The All-Star Edition) of “The Ultimate Cowboy Showdown,” Markum-McClain was in the ropes with top cowboys and fan-favorites from the first three seasons of the show. The new season of the show premieres at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 6 on INSP.

In the Ultimate Cowboy Showdown, contestants face brutal individual and team challenges that involve tasks that ranchers complete on a day-to-day basis, including: pinning cattle, sorting calves, breaking horses, building fences and moving hay. The Ultimate Cowboy Showdown, which Markum-McClain described as “Cowboy Survivor,” uses a process of elimination, in which a panel of celebrity judges chooses one winner of a herd of cattle.

Markum-McClain said, “You’re going after $50,000 worth of cattle, so it’s a cutthroat game, unfortunately. It’s no different than roping against somebody. You don’t wish ill on anybody, but if you can win, you’re going to win.”

When it comes to utilizing her ranching background in a high-stakes televised setting, it is not Markum-McClain’s first rodeo. After leaving season three with a smashed hand, Markum-McClain learned from her experience and set out to be more strategic during the all-star season. She said, “Going into this next season, not only was I going to prove to everybody that I was better than what I showed to be, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could use my head a little more.”

The Aquilla resident said that Ultimate Cowboy Showdown competitors have developed and maintained friendships after filming ended. They still catch up with each other on a weekly basis. However, their friendships do not prevent them from giving the competition their all.

Markum-McClain said, “We did go into this all-star season knowing what to expect. We all pretty much said on the first day, ‘Hey I’m just going to go ahead and apologize right now. This is a game. We’re all friends. We’re going to walk away from this as friends, but whatever happens over the next three weeks, it is what it is.’”

Markum-McClain said that the Ultimate Cowboy Showdown has allowed her to meet people from all over the world, and she enjoyed observing how ranchers from different regions conduct their day-to-day activities differently from one another. She appreciates the community that the show has cultivated among the ranchers and the way that they have continued to support each other, through both celebrations and hardships.

She said, “We lost one of the members who was on all-stars with us about three weeks ago. Jackson Taylor was killed in a bronc riding accident, and it was a very sad experience for all of us. All of the people from all three seasons [of the show] gathered in Amarillo for the funeral.” She shared that the funeral was a time of grief in which the ranchers came back together in remembrance of their friend.

Another support system for Markum-McClain has been her family. She competes in roping events almost every weekend, either locally at the Open Range Cowboy Church or at a higher level. She said that she wouldn’t be where she is today without the guidance of her dad. “I lost my dad back in 2014, so my mom is really my support. She is always there. If I am having a bad day, I can call on her. She always knows those words to say,” she said.

Her mom, stepdad and sister plan to travel to Las Vegas to watch her compete in the World Series Team Roping Finals at Southpoint Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas December 15 and 16.

Markum-McClain has lived in Aquilla for six years, and she likes living away from the hustle and bustle of Waco. She grew up in a small town called Tatum, New Mexico (population 697), so she is accustomed to the small-town lifestyle, where everyone knows everyone and neighbors look out for each other.

Growing up, Markum-McClain’s family owned a feedlot and produced rodeos. While in school, Markum-McClain earned a title as one of the top five FFA horse judges in the state of New Mexico. Ranching and rodeoing is in Markum-McClain’s blood, and she continued to carry on the lifestyle into adulthood. In addition to her full-time job as operations director at Waco Convention Center, Markum-McClain has gained numerous accolades in the rodeo world.

A few of her achievements include winning multiple saddles and buckles and being named 2021 NTR Champion Header, 2021 OTRA Team Roping Champion, 2022 WCRA Heading qualifier, 2023 Black Gold Arena Champion Team Roper and 2023 WSTR Finals qualifier.

Markum-McClain became a fan of the Ultimate Cowboy Showdown when her close friend from New Mexico, Katey Jo Gordon, won season two of the show. On the day that INSP called Markum-McClain to inform her that the cable network was interested in her as a potential contestant on the show, she was visiting her mother-in-law. Markum-McClain noticed an incoming phone call from Los Angeles, and she believed her mother-in-law was playing an elaborate prank on her when she initially picked up the phone. Despite her disbelief, the call from INSP was no joke, and after moving through several levels of casting, Markum-McClain made the drive to the ranch in Douglas, Wyoming.

She explored the towns where both seasons of Ultimate Cowboy Showdown were filmed in before stepping foot on the ranch. INSP filmed season four in January in Wickenburg, Arizona, which is known as the team roping capital of the world. Before traveling to Wickenburg, Markum-McClain prepared her horse, Sheba, for the terrain and adjusted Sheba’s diet. She has had Sheba for five years, from the age of three to the age of eight, and she trusts that Sheba won’t leave her side.

“I took her [Sheba] because she is really, really tough. She is extremely gritty. She won’t turn away from any job. She went with me to Douglas and to Wickenburg,” Markum-McClain explained.

Along with all the people she has met throughout her time on the Ultimate Cowboy Showdown, Markum-McClain expressed gratitude for the opportunities that the show has led to. She said, “It has also opened a lot of doors for me. I’ve been a stunt double now on a show. I’ve been an extra on some of Taylor Sheridan’s stuff. It has opened quite a few doors. I did a commercial for Texas Whiskey not too long ago.”

Brianna Markum-McClain encouraged everyone in the Hill County area to tune in to INSP Wednesday night. She said, “There will be more exciting moments in this season. It’s going to blow the other three seasons out of the water. I can guarantee that.”