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.

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.