Rodeo Girls

Combining the flashy trashy aesthetics of reality TV and the rodeo circuit, Rodeo Girls is at its best in the ring itself, as the camera speeds around the barrels with horse and rider.

While hardly a horse of a different color, at least this Weinstein Co.-backed project is a relatively smooth ride for those who’ve been to the reality rodeo.

Sort of a Real Housewives with saddles. [16 Dec 2013]

It starts by focusing on the riders’ determination and training. That’s good. Then it segues into the infighting and personality clashes among the competitors. That’s not so good.

Footage from the actual races is compelling. But race footage accounts for a minimal portion of the otherwise dragged-out show, edited for suspenseful teases, sexual tension, dramatic reaction shots and maximum personality clashes.

There is some actual racing in the hour, at the Parada Del Sol rodeo in Scottsdale, Ariz., where 120 compete but only 12 will draw checks. The time to beat is just under 18 seconds. But the results give way to another round of sniping and back-biting. The Weinstein Co., known for Oscar-bait films, serves as co-executive producers of this sorry spectacle.

It sits at the intersection of just enough sincerity and just enough script, which made shows like Laguna Beach famous. But clearly, the show hasn’t done enough to hide its PR tracks.