This Quarter Horse-riding cowboy is among the contestants on a History Channel reality show.

Denny Chapman. Photo by Jim Cook.

If you’re one of the 5 million viewers watching “Top Shot” on the History Channel on Sunday nights, then there’s no doubt you’ve noticed the cowboy.

“Top Shot” is the History Channel’s first-ever reality competition series, and it features 16 of the nation’s most skilled marksmen competing to win a $100,000 prize package and the title of “Top Shot.” Among them is Denny Chapman, a Wild West entertainer and top competitor in the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association, an AQHA alliance partner.

Denny laughs when asked about his trademark attire.

“It’s me, and it’s everyday. I’m wearing it right now,” he said last week when filming had concluded and the 10-week series had just begun airing. “I’m wearing the same hat I wear on the show. The Wranglers, a trophy buckle and my boots … those things kind of made me recognizable and identifiable.”

Indeed, after just one episode had aired, Denny, who lives in Ocala, Florida, was busy fielding interview requests and making publicity appearances.

“It has been such a whirlwind. It has been nuts, but in a good way of course. I had no idea that I was going to get the exposure I’ve gotten, and only one episode has aired. And I really didn’t get a lot of face time in it. I’m almost speechless. It has got to get even bigger and better as the series goes on and more people see me.”

And according to Denny, it’s all thanks to his American Quarter Horses.

In his audition video, Denny included footage of his mounted shooting runs, as well as a clip of him Roman riding his two Quarter Horses while firing at targets.

“The producers told me that really got their attention. Without my horses, I might not have made it on the show.”

And getting the attention of the producers wasn’t exactly easy. Denny said there were about 5,000 legitimate applicants. Based on the audition tapes, that number was narrowed to 50, and those hopefuls were flown to Los Angeles, where they were sequestered in a hotel, given a full psychological evaluation, IQ test and medical exam and, of course, put through a multi-gun shooting contest.

“They didn’t leave any page unturned,” Denny says.

That audition video is now included in the History Channel’s online bio for Denny. That inclusion “meant a lot to me because without my horses, I wouldn’t be who I am.”

Joses Royal Lynx, nicknamed “Spanky,” and Ama Jac, aka “Dusty,” perform with Denny in his Wild West show, doing tricks and stunts, including the Roman-riding mounted shooting.

Once the contestants were selected, “they shipped us out to California and put us all together in a house. We were out there for 30 days filming this competition,” Denny says.

And privacy was a thing of the past.

Camera crews were constantly roaming around the house, 24 hours a day, and there were also stationary remote cameras all round the living quarters. The bathrooms were exempted from that rule, but there were microphones there, and contestants were warned that if they began having conversations in the bathroom, camera crews would come in.

“Every time you turned around there, was a camera over your shoulder or in your face. I got used to it, but you could see the frustration from some of the other cast members,” Denny says.

And again, his cowboy lifestyle came in handy.

“I was the only person in the house to enjoy any peace and quiet,” he says. “I’m such an early riser with the animals. I’m used to getting up and feeding the horses and cleaning stalls” so it wasn’t much of a stretch for him to rise at 5:30 a.m. Pacific time to exercise on a treadmill (because they weren’t allowed out of the yard) and relax before the other cast members even got out of bed.

And those Wranglers? That also made Denny stand out among his housemates.

“I spent a lot of time in the laundry room ironing and starching my Wranglers,” he says, laughing because people who don’t understand the western lifestyle just don’t get it. “If you don’t have creases in your jeans, you ain’t the real thing. I’m not going to wear any wrinkled Wranglers on the show. … My shirt stays tucked in, and my jeans are creased and squared away. That’s who we are; that’s what we do.”

True to his singing-cowboy heritage, Denny made a concerted effort to keep his language and actions clean on the show.

“I knew I’d have a lot of kids and families, besides my immediate family, watching,” he says. “I just really wanted to set a good example.”

Of course, he can’t say if he wins the competition, thanks to a confidentiality agreement with the History Channel. But for as long as he’s there, he’ll keep representing the cowboy, and he’s grateful for the opportunity.

“It has already changed my life. It has been a life-changing experience, and only one episode has aired. Essentially, it’s all because of my horses.”

If you’ve missed the first two episodes, catch up at www.history.com or www.hulu.com . The last episode is August 8.

Happy viewing!

Holly Clanahan
Editor, America's Horse magazine