Bonner Bolton: Everything We Know About ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Sexy Bull Rider

Season 24 of Dancing With the Stars is filled with skilled dancers, professional athletes, and pop culture stars — but could Bonner Bolton steal the show? The bull rider turned model isn’t a well-known name on this season’s roster, but his sex appeal and down-home personality could take him far in the competition.

According to NJ, Bolton’s love for bull riding runs in his family. Bolton’s father, Toya, introduced him to the sport, though he didn’t force him to start riding. Instead, Toya told his son, “No matter what you choose to do in life, you’re going to do it with your whole heart, otherwise you’re not going to see success from it.”

Bolton, who has four siblings (Brody, Brylee, Bliss and Bridger), received a bull riding scholarship to attend Odessa College and Texas Technical Academy. In 2007, he qualified to become a professional bull rider and won the world championship that year. However, his accomplishments didn’t end there.

Fans may recognize Bolton from the 2015 film The Longest Ride. The movie was an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ book and Bolton played the stunt double for Scott Eastwood.

Tragedy struck last year when Bolton landed on his head while riding in Chicago. The 29-year-old broke his C-2 vertebrae, the same injury that crippled actor Christopher Reeve. The only difference is that Bolton’s spinal cord didn’t completely tear.

“I knew it was bad and this could be it. I was just hoping and praying I’d be able to use my arms once more to hug my loved ones,” Bolton shared after the accident.

Fortunately, doctors were able to fuse Bolton’s vertebrae back together, and Reality TV World reports that he was walking less than three days after the surgery. Doctors didn’t expect Bonner Bolton to regain his ability to walk as most people with his injury never do. The world champion went through six months of intense therapy to regain even more range of motion.

After his recovery, Bolton signed a contract with IMG Models, a company that also works with the likes of Gigi Hadid, Gisele Bundchen, Karlie Kloss and other top models.

Bolton is dancing alongside Sharna Burgess this season. Burgess worked with James Hinchcliffe last year and took him all the way to the finals. Burgess also worked with Nyle DiMarco, who took home the mirror ball trophy in Season 22.

In a special sneak peek with Us Magazine, Bolton sat down with Burgess and talked about competing this season on DWTS. After Bolton compared bull riding to dancing, Burgess asked him why he decided to compete on the show.

“I had a bad injury about a year ago, I broke my neck and I was paralyzed the day it happened,” he shared. “So, I’ve overcome a lot and just want to inspire other people to not give up.”

Although Bolton knows how to take the pressure, he admitted that he was extra nervous heading into the new season of DWTS. During an interview on Good Morning America, the bull rider said, “I might be more nervous than climbing on a bull right now, but I’m excited.”

While we still have a way to go this season, Bolton made headlines during the premiere of DWTS. Following Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd’s performance, E! News reports that the cameras caught Bolton accidentally grabbing Burgess’ crotch.

“They were hardcore flirting before their dance number,” a source revealed. “Watching them behind the scenes, you could see them checking each other out and Sharna was super giddy around him.”

Fans can watch Bonner Bolton bring his sex appeal to the dance floor when Season 24 of Dancing With the Stars airs Monday nights on ABC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULfPU8J6L-w

[Featured Image by ABC]