The highly anticipated return of Paramount Network’s The Last Cowboy and the second Run for a Million are canceled for 2020.
By Jennifer Paulson
If you were there, you know. The first-ever Run for a Million set the Western performance industry on fire by highlighting our reining community and the intensity of our sport. Even before the last award was given at the 2019 event at South Point Arena in Las Vegas, people were making plans to attend the 2020 follow-up.
But as we’ve seen with so many Western performance events this year, COVID-19 has other plans. The 2020 Run for a Million is canceled, and reining fans and competitors around the world feel the disappointment of removing another highlight of their year from their calendars.
“Multiple things came together for this decision,” shared Amanda Brumley from Brumley Management Group Events, which produces the horse show. “The Run for a Million is designed around the TV series The Last Cowboy. The crews have been on lockdown out of Los Angeles and New York City, and it’s totally uncertain when they can get back out. Without the show, Paramount Network can’t put up the million-dollar prize. We’re also unclear if we can sell tickets. And then there are the merchandise sales and vendors—it’s a domino effect for everything that brings revenue into the event. We’d be looking at an astronomical loss.”
Never one to be kept down long, Brumley has her eyes on 2021. All qualifications for this year’s event will roll over to next year. The special working cow horse event planned for this year will make its debut in 2021, too.
“We had great things planned for this event,” Brumley said. “We’re just as disappointed as everyone. We were looking forward to the camaraderie this event experienced last year, fans getting the change to meet cast members from Yellowstone, and infusing a lot of positive emotion into the world at a time when we can really use it. But we’re not going away forever. We’ll be back bigger and stronger next year.”
For the official release from Brumley Management, click here.