If there was one routine that everyone’s talking about on last night’s Dancing with the Stars it was Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess. The judges went wild and Erin Andrews simply couldn’t contain herself in the post dance interview. From the get go it seemed as though the pair had been dancing together for a number of years and the biggest word to come out of the two dancing together was “chemistry.” While there’s still a lot of work to be done to hone their skills, Bonner and Sharna have to be in the top 3 favorites right now. It’s obviously very early in the game but Bonner Bolton is the big name coming out of last night. So let’s take a look at the bull rider who’s already winning everyone’s hearts. Here are five things you didn’t know about Bonner Bolton.
He’s a real cowboy
Bonner Bolton isn’t just a bull rider, he’s a real cowboy. Bolton, 29, was raised on a ranch in West Texas. His father, Toya Bolton, was a rodeo cowboy for 20 years – professionally for almost 15 years of that.
“I had a real rural background, and my dad showed me how to fix the fence, put up a new one, shoot my first rifle, hunt deer,” Bolton told Fatherly.com last year. “He always took the time to show me how to do the job, rather than just expect me to know how to do it. It was important to him that I could do it so I’d be helpful, and he was so patient. His patience was really tested, too, because my brother and I were so ornery. We were rambunctious heathens out there, growing up out in the wild.”
He was briefly paralyzed as a result of a bull-riding fall
Only two years after turning professional, Bonner won his first bull-riding title at the young age of 20. Then, three months after coming in fourth at the 2015 Professional Bull Riding World Finals, he suffered a near-fatal accident after being bucked off the back of a bull and landing on his head during the January 2016 season opener in Chicago. Bonner was paralyzed for an entire day after the incident.
Bolton suffered a broken C-2 vertebrae. Upon hospitalization, he was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down – but gradually regained feeling from his head to his toes within hours. He later underwent spinal fusion surgery and had doctors insert a metal frame around his vertebra.
“When I left the arena Sunday, I was paralyzed from the neck down,” Bolton later wrote on Instagram. “I am proud to say that my God performed a miracle and I am able to move my whole entire body now. The [doctors] say I will be able to ride again as soon as this year. I am truly blessed forever.”
He’s a model
Just four months after his accident, Bolton signed with IMG Models, the same agency that represents major stars such as Gigi and Bella Hadid, Gisele Bündchen and Kate Moss. After last night’s performance, no one is surprised about his looks. Bolton will have no problem picking up modeling gigs in the near or probably far future.
He was a stunt double
In the move The Longest Ride starring Scott Eastwood, Bonner was his stunt double.
He might get back into bull riding
Despite having nearly died in the sport, Bolton can’t imagine not doing it again. He was recently quoted as saying, “It’s hard to contemplate the prospect of maybe never again doing what I love so much. My most recent ride could be one that I didn’t expect to be my last. I’m going to have to be the same athlete or better before I go back. Can I get there? Those are the questions swimming around my head every day. I’ll make the decision when that time comes and be at peace with it.”
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