PRINEVILLE — A Prineville cowboy will put his skills to the test before a national audience, competing with other cowboys and cowgirls from around the country on a cable television series set to debut a new season next month.

Buck Faust, 25, was originally from Waco, Texas, but moved to Central Oregon with his wife in 2020. The couple got married last May and plans to raise a family in the area.

Faust is a competitor in the “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown,” a television show produced by General Entertainment network INSP. The show, hosted by country music icon Trace Adkins, is in its third season, which will start April 21.

Faust approached the show with 100% of his authentic self, he said.

“Pretty much anybody who knows me, knows that me going on that show was a good thing for me. But it is dang sure going to be entertaining for the general public,” Faust said. “Because I don’t know if I maybe stayed in the hills too long, but I have a pretty big personality. I like to be very personable. I like to laugh, joke around, have a lot of fun.”

Faust, along with 13 other contestants from around the country gathered at Powderhorn Ranch in the rugged hills of Wyoming to compete in a number of cowboy related challenges to test their skills. The winner, chosen by judges, will be awarded a herd of cattle worth $50,000 and a chance to start a ranch, along with a belt buckle and bragging rights.

Faust has worked with horses and cattle all of his life. After graduating high school, he decided to travel the country as a cowboy. He spent time in Montana, Idaho, California, Nebraska and Oklahoma before meeting his wife, moving to Central Oregon, and planting his roots.

“Yes sir, I’m done, that tree has already sprouted,” Faust said of making Central Oregon his home.

“I’ve lived in a lot of places,” Faust said. “Cowboying all over the United States. And Central Oregon was immediately my home. The people here are so hospitable, so nice, down to earth. This is most definitely my home, and where I’m going to raise my family.”

Faust grew up around horses and cattle all his life, so naturally he would wind up on the “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown.” He is also the first generation in his family to fully embrace the cowboy lifestyle and to make a living off training horses and running cattle full-time.

“You’ll never catch me in shorts, you’ll never catch me in a ball cap,” Faust said. “I’m Buck Faust and I’m a cowboy and I’m awfully proud of it. I’m proud of what it represents.”

Faust said there were several challenges thrown at him and his fellow contestants, challenges that separated those who really make a living off the land and those who don’t.

“I literally grew up my whole life with cattle and horses and there is nothing you could throw at me that even if I don’t know exactly how to get my way through it, I know a process to get my way through it,” Faust said. “Nothing related to cattle and horses intimidates me.” Faust said he got close to some of his fellow contestants. Despite the competitive nature of the show, Faust said the fact that everyone competing was a cowboy or cowgirl, made it possible for them to form a close bond.

“The thing about that show that I hope the general population gets to see is the brotherhood that was made,” Faust said. “You stack 14 guys and girls who all have the same kind of values in the same room, it is hard not to form those strong bonds.”

While the competition did get tough at times, the contestants demonstrated good sportsmanship overall, Faust said.

“All of us that were competing, we wanted to win, but we wasn’t going to do something against all of our morals to just stay. Most of us, if we made a mistake, we owned up to it,” Faust said.

To watch Faust represent Oregon on the Ultimate Cowboy Showdown next month, tune in on Dish Network, channel 259, or Directv, channel 364. The show can also be streamed using services such as Philo, Vidgo, and Frndly TV.