The 13 remaining cowboys face off in individual and team challenges in the quest to win a $50,000 herd of cattle and a coveted belt buckle. As bitter rivalries emerge in the first individual challenge, some contestants begin to understand that strategy and gamesmanship may be just as important as cowboy skills. Later, in a test of true grit, the contestants split into teams to gather a herd of bucking horses in treacherous mountain terrain and drive them three miles into an arena, where two of the broncs must be ridden for eight seconds. The competition suddenly turns perilous when one of the cowboys goes missing in the unforgiving Arizona desert, causing serious concern for host Trace Adkins and his expert judges.
