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2020 in Review: Rides That Defined the 2020 PBR World Finals

By: Ethan Brown

PUEBLO, Colo. – The 2020 season was one full of rank rides, a dominant world title chase and countless other unforgettable moments.

The 2020 PBR World Finals capped it all off in November in Arlington, Texas, and was a fitting end to a season unlike any other.

Read on to relive some of the rides that defined the World Finals, and tune in when the 2021 Unleash The Beast: American Roots edition begins in Ocala, Florida, on Jan. 16-17.

Jose Vitor Leme on Total Feeds Bushwacked, 87.5 points (Round 1)

Jose Vitor Leme’s Round 1 ride may not have been as crucially as important as his world title-clinching ride in Round 3, but Leme had ridden only one of his last seven bulls coming into the World Finals, and he was clearly ready to snap into prime form. After a strong first ride to start the week, Leme made it clear that it didn’t matter what bull was run under him or who was competing: he was there to win the title. There would be no repeat of the 2019 PBR World Finals.

Kyler Oliver on Chain Smoker, 90 points (Round 3)

Kyler Oliver came out of nowhere to qualify for the World Finals after a second-place finish at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals and a second-place finish in the Velocity Tour standings. The young gun wasn’t done when he got to the Finals, as his first qualified ride in the big leagues was for 90 points. What makes this ride even more impressive was the bull Oliver drew: Chain Smoker, a bull who hadn’t been ridden in over a year. This was the lone ride of Oliver’s Finals, but it was a massive one. A full year on the Unleash The Beast may be in Oliver’s future in 2021.

Dener Barbosa & Ryan Dirteater on Smooth Operator, 46 & 46.25-point bull scores (Rounds 1 & 5)

 
Coming into the Finals, 0.03 points separated the YETI World Champion Bull race with Smooth Operator trailing Chiseled. The crown jewel of Berger Bucking Bulls finished the season strong, taking the lead in Round 1 and not relinquishing it to become the fifth bull to go back-to-back and the oldest bull to attain the feat at 11 years old. It took just more than six seconds of work to dispatch two different riders. We will have to wait and see how Smooth Operator’s bid for a three-peat goes next year, a feat only achieved by Little Yellow Jacket and SweetPro’s Bruiser, but after his great late-season form, he may just be able to make a case for it next year.

Ryan Dirteater on Payin’ Debts, 91 points (Round 3)

 
When Ryan Dirteater announced in February that he would retire at the end of the 2020 season, it’s hard to imagine that he could have expected all the twists and turns that this farewell season had in store. After being sidelined with an injury and riding through a pandemic-altered season, Dirteater notched a World Finals berth. After coming down in Round 1, he shined with two great rides in the middle of the week. The best came on Payin’ Debts for 91 points, good enough to take second place in a round with six 90-point rides. Dirteater’s thrilling ride and Finals performance gave his fans a sendoff to remember, capping a solid career.

Keyshawn Whitehorse on Chiseled, 93.75 points (Round 5)

 
Coming into the Finals, Whitehorse had never had a 90-point ride on the Unleash the Beast. But after four days in Arlington, he had three. Whitehorse saved his best for his final ride on YETI World Champion Bull contender Chiseled. When the dust settled, he had reached new heights: 93.75 points, the second-highest ride of the Finals and fifth-highest of the season. The 2018 Rookie of the Year finished his season with a career weekend at the Finals this year: he went 3-for-5 with every score north of 90 points, placed third in the aggregate and earned the second-most world points.

Boudreaux Campbell on Buckin’ For Cash, 90.75 points (Round 5)

 
The Cinderella story of World Finals, Boudreaux Campbell started the week outside the Top 30 and completed a historic feat to win the World Finals event title as a rookie. He is the fifth rookie ever to win this event, joining riders like Jose Vitor Leme and Jody Newberry. The ride started awkwardly and was close to being a wreck as Buckin’ For Cash came out of the chute backward, triggering an automatic reride, but the bull literally turned it around and started spinning into Campbell’s hand to deliver an event-winning ride. He was atop the bull for longer than eight seconds, but he would likely admit that the overtime was worth the reward of being the Rookie of the Year, the World Finals event winner, winning a $300,000 bonus and moving to No. 3 in the world to end the season. Campbell may end up becoming a PBR World Champion contender in 2021.

Jose Vitor Leme on Woopaa, 95.75 points (Round 3)

 
The defining ride of this season, the ride many of us have rewatched multiple times by now. Leme needed a round win to clinch his world title, but on this night, that was no easy ask since there were five 90-point rides prior to Leme’s out. There was belief that Leme could get enough out of the unridden ABBI Championship bull Woopaa to be at least 91.25 points, which would have won the round, but Leme outdid himself and left everyone in awe with a career-defining ride. He clinched his first PBR World Championship by riding Woopaa for a career-high 95.75 points, tying for the highest score of the decade and capping off an individual season for the ages. Two titles were on the line – the ABBI championship for the bull and the World Championship for the rider – and both delivered in what can only be described as poetry in motion, a mesmerizing fluidity between the rider and bull. The poise that Leme displayed aboard Woopaa was a thing of beauty, immortalizing his dominant season in history forever.

Ethan Brown is a freshman at Kansas State University, has interned for McCary Media Group and previously appeared on RidePass as a guest commentator.

© 2020 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

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