John Paul “JP” Gonzales

hometown: PEARSALL, TEXAS

Proffession: COWBOY

After coming in second place, JP’s community of Pearsall, Texas rallied behind him. They raised enough money to buy JP a few dozen beef cows, to help jump-start his operation. His main priority continues to be his family, while also growing his horse training business and cattle operation. This time JP is not only competing for himself and his family but also for his community which has continued to support him throughout the years.

ROB: DID YOU WATCH THE FIRST SEASON?

JP: Yes, sir. I watched the first season and I was actually friends with Cuatro. He was working for me at a feed yard at the time and he said “I got this opportunity to go on this show.” But before he signed up, he said “You should sign up for the show too, you’d be perfect!” I told him I wasn’t going to sign up and it was probably some kind of scam. Well sure enough he went and he enjoyed it and then after I watched it, I said, “Man, I’m going to go for it!” Then I applied for it and I guess they asked him about me, and he gave me a good word to get on the show.

We had great cowboys in our season. You look at guys like Katey Jo and Jen Hudgins, they were real hands, and then JC Montes, that guy was tough. He didn’t stay for as long as I thought. He should have made it a lot farther in my opinion. All those guys are tough. I held it very high that I got to be a part of that season because it was tough. I mean, we slept in tents for like two weeks and it was summer in Texas. It was hot, then we moved to East Texas where it’s humid and hot.

ROB: WHAT WAS PLAYING THE GAME LIKE?

JP: To me, this game is a mental one. They’re looking for the ultimate cowboy. It’s more about correctness and taking your time, but in reality, this is like a souped-up version of what we normally do. When I got home after the last show of my season aired, there were a lot of disappointed people from our town so they came together and they donated 50 head of cattle. It was pretty amazing to see!

What I’ve been telling people is that I owe a debt to my community and my family. Not debt as in money, but a responsibility. And I feel like I owe it to them to have a second chance to come back and win it. And that’s what I’m going to try to do, is win it for my family and community. When it comes down to the nitty-gritty, we’re out here competing for our families. And of course, we want to be clean-cut and a good example for any young man or woman out there, but I think it’s really important for people to know that a true cowboy, is all about being humble, kind, and having love and respect but that’s not what we sometimes have to do in order to get through this competition.

ROB: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU TO BE A COWBOY?

JP: People need to really think about where all their food comes from. I honestly believe the ranch owners have it worse. They have to provide for their employees, themselves, and their families then on top of that, have to make sure that they succeed because all that can be taken away. I believe that cowboys are sometimes mistaken for what they’re not. You’ll see this guy that looks like a cowboy, but he’s not really a cowboy. He’s not a good example of what it really is.

ROB:

HOW DID YOU PREPARE DIFFERENTLY FOR THIS SEASON?

JP: This time, I think I’ve grown so much. It’s been two years and I’m the type of person that I usually look at myself and I say, “Where can I improve myself? What am I doing wrong?” I am always trying to make myself better. When I was on the show before I would get agitated real quick, but this time around I’m just trying to keep my cool and just laugh about stuff. My dad has always told me to just be quiet and listen more than talk because I can learn a whole lot more.

ROB: IS THERE A CODE YOU LIVE BY?

JP: The first one is being humble. To me, that will get you far in life. Sometimes you get the tendency where you can be proud of doing something but don’t take it so far as to carry it with you and belittle others. I don’t know how hard it is on the other contestants, but for me, it was so hard to talk badly about somebody, to cut somebody down, or say they did badly.

ROB: ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT THE COMPETITION?

JP: I’m very honored and excited. One thing I will tell you though, and I’m not being cocky, but I’m getting into this mindset that I’m going to win this competition.