PHOTOS: Wild West waltzes into Kelowna

To say the atmosphere at Prospera Place was thrilling on Thursday night would be an understatement – it was explosive.

Everyone’s hearts were beating through their chest as some of the best bull riders in Canada competed in the PBR Canada Cup Okanagan Challenge.

Fans old and young, cowboy and city folk took part watching the spectacle as these athletes attempted to last eight seconds on a bull that definitely did not want the riders on their backs.

To begin the show the lights were turned off in Prospera Place before fire suddenly lit the arena, leaving the audience in awe as the riders were introduced and lined up among the flames in the dirt.

It was at this moment the audience realized this wasn’t an average rodeo event – this was a spectacle.

When the flames settled and the dirt was cleared of all equipment, the riding began, going from zero to 100 in the smoky atmosphere of the arena.

Riders were tossed left and right as they did their best to hold onto the bulls for dear life, with hopes of winning the Okanagan challenge and moving up in the PBR Canada Cup standings.

One by one, riders were thrown by these massive beasts with no one to defend them but three cowboys in bright blue attire to distract the bulls as the riders safely retreated.

And those three men were in a plethora of tricky situations with the bulls.

In between rides fans would sing along to all sorts of music including country, rap and pop, but a fan favourite was when the classic Friends in Low Places played - fans belted out the lyrics.

Including one fan in particular, who had a handlebar moustache and as Brinson James, the night's entertainer described, “some people call that a mullet, brother, I call that the lord's work.”

James kept the night packed with entertainment, not a moment felt slow and when one rider was injured and there was a delay, James kept the audience going with jokes and showed off how talented he is with a lasso and his dance moves.

Defending Okanagan Challenge champion Brock Radford, who was one of just three riders to ride two bulls successfully, put on a show for the crowd.

When asked how he has maintained his success in Kelowna, he replied, “there's something in the water out here.”

But it was Wyatt Gleeson who stole the show at the end of the night, riding the bull Wolf Bait successfully, barely passing Bradford in the final standings by one point.

The night was made for everyone. No prior knowledge of the rules were needed to enjoy this event as certain aspects were explained to the crowd.

It was certainly a special evening in Prospera Place as 750 tonnes of dirt were hauled in and the length of six football fields of steel used. Keep an eye out for the future when the PBR visits Kelowna again as this was a must-see event for everyone.