Who is NOT a Real Cowboy on "Yellowstone"? Quiz

Answer:

Did you know that all of the actors who appear on "Yellowstone" must agree to attend a Taylor Sheridan cowboy boot camp? How long must they attend? According to an article by Josiah Soto, the camp is held "weeks on end" before each season's episodes are filmed. The goal is for actors on the show to look as authentic as possible; they are not necessarily told what to do during filming the cowboy scenes, their actions hopefully become automatic.

First of all, what makes a cowboy? Some would suggest several traits like perseverance and good manners - and rightly so - but the basic definition is that a cowboy is a person who handles cattle or horses and makes a living as a ranch-hand.

So - which character is NOT a cowboy on "Yellowstone"? Carter (Finn Little) and Jake (Brecken Merrill) are younger members of the cast who have been acting for some time. Laramie (Hassie Harrison) and Teeter (Jennifer Landon) technically play cowgirls, so should be excluded on that point alone; again, they are actresses playing roles.

John (Kevin Costner) and Kayce (Luke Grimes) are members of the powerful Dutton family, and while they may have some experience playing cowboy roles, they are actors by trade. Rip (Cole Hauser) makes a convincing cowboy, but he is just a great actor for that role. Jimmy (Jefferson White) had to be taught by the other cowboys how to be one, and after five seasons is just beginning to look like he knows what he is doing on the show. The others - Ryan (Ian Bohen) and Colby (Denim Richards) - have attended Sheridan's boot camp.

So - what about the real cowboys on the show? Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith) became a rodeo rider at the age of eight! Eventually he turned to stunt riding and stunt acting, and was hired by Sheridan to be on "Yellowstone" after working with him on another project. In addition to playing Lloyd, he is a consultant on the show and also contributes authentic artifacts from his private collection to serve as props.

Walker (Ryan Bingham) attended Tarleton University and was a member of the rodeo team there. Sheridan worked with him on another program and wrote in the character of Walker with Bingham in mind. Ethan (Ethan Lee) and Jake (Jake Ream) both earned their spots on the show after working with horses professionally and by helping with Sheridan's cowboy boot camp.

Lastly, Travis, a rodeo rider, is played by Taylor Sheridan himself. Sheridan lived on a working ranch as a child and actually worked as a cowboy when he was a young man. In 2017 his horse (with Sheridan riding it) won at a Utah Cutting Horse Association show, so those fancy moves you see on "Yellowstone" are authentic! He was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2021.