Common Sense Media Review
By Jenny Nixon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Female bull riding series showcases some gnarly injuries.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Not Her First Rodeo
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
NOT HER FIRST RODEO is a six-episode docuseries centered on five female aspiring bull riders who make up the Elite Lady Bull Riders. Viewers learn each rider's backstory and watch as they travel and compete together at rodeos across the country, hoping to earn money and glory along the way.
Is It Any Good?
While it's powerful to see young women break into a male-dominated sport, outsiders may struggle to understand why anyone would risk their life for so little reward. Not Her First Rodeo excels at showing the grit it takes to compete in these events, but it also feels cautionary when you learn these women have endured everything from comas to liver lacerations as a result of the sport.
You root for the Elite Lady Bull Riders when they face casual sexism—like when their leader is asked if she's "having a blonde moment" after asking a man at the rodeo for driving directions—and get angry when hearing they risk life and limb for prizes between $50 and $500, while male bull riders compete for six-figure winnings. It may be hard to understand what these women get out of the sport unless you grew up in it, but it's a heartfelt and fascinating look at an underrepresented sport.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way female athletes are treated compared to male athletes. What kind of disparities do you see?
The series focuses on bull riders, but there isn't much talk of the bulls and how they are treated. What do you think of rodeo-based sports like bull riding from an animal welfare perspective? Is bull riding something you'd ever like to try?
TV Details
- Premiere date : May 22, 2025
- Cast : Jorden Halverson , Athena Rivera , Renata Nunes
- Network : Freeform
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : July 1, 2025
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