"Dr. Phil Primetime” Puts Bull Riders on the Couch

Originally posted on Rodeo on SI | By Andrew Giangola | Last updated Jul 10, 2024 4:39 PM ET

For eavesdropping on a memorable conversation, could there be a better one than “America’s Therapist” surrounded by battle-worn professional bull riders?

On Thursday night’s Dr. Phil Primetime, the famous psychologist and budding network TV mogul, Dr. Phil McGraw, sits down to get into the heads of J.B. Mauney, Daylon Swearingen and Cody Jesus.

Dr. Melfi and Tony Soprano have nothing on these guys.

Also joining the prime-time powwow on Dr. Phil’s new network is championship bull owner Staci Addison along with Fanchon Stinger, co-anchor of “Morning on Merit Street” and owner of the bulls Stinger and Lil’ Hott.

Dr. Phil’s Thursday night PBR probe comes a day before Merit Street begins broadcasting from Oklahoma City the opening weekend of the 2024 PBR Teams league season following a landmark rights deal that makes pro bull riding the anchor sport for a new network already in 80 million homes.

“When I look at PBR, I say, ‘These are our people,’” McGraw said to open the show. “The men and women, bull riders, stock contractors and fans represent the heart and soul of America.”

McGraw says he’s drawn to the athleticism in each ride, the exhilaration of the competition, and the cowboy values of hard work, family and merit displayed each week across the sport.

So enamored is McGraw of what he terms “the most nail-biting 8 seconds an athlete can experience” that Merit Street will carry nearly 300 hours of bull riding coverage each year, including a big bet on shoulder programming highlighted by a new, relaunched hour-long PBR Now: Late Night hosted by Kate Harrison and Matt West debuting Thursday at midnight ET; a PBR NOW: Game Day pre-show for each broadcast; and PBR NOW: Post Game Report analysis breaking down the games.

Dr. Phil is known to dole out advice to his guests, but for this show he mostly listened to athletes who scratch and claw for every second they stay on, every dollar they make, and every 8-second ride score they tally.

The hardscrabble cowboys who chatted with McGraw at his sparkling new studios in Fort Worth were honest and humble, plain spoken and economical with their words: a simple, refreshing forthrightness which helps explain a sport growing in appeal in an era of bloviating chest-thumping posers and fake everything.

McGraw got to the heart of the matter with two-time World Champion JB Mauney, the biggest all-time earner in bull riding who then broke his neck after being thrown by an opponent named Arctic Assassin.