27136637
Cosmo Fattizzo was not in Philadelphia anymore.
It was barely 5 a.m. and he had to get to work. The days of sleeping in were long gone since the East Coaster had an extensive list of chores to tackle — shoveling manure being one of them.
Wearing a cowboy hat, a cotton button-down shirt, Wrangler jeans and boots, Fattizzo got right to it. Against the glorious backdrop of Colorado’s terrain, he fed cattle, horses and livestock, cleaned out pens and performed tasks that have made cowboys iconic American figures.
Slipping into this role, the former resident loved every minute.
"Everything I’ve done in my life has been with a metropolitan comfort," Fattizzo, who was born and raised at 10th and Federal streets, said. "This was really something I was looking for.
"For me, it was interesting. I just looked at everything as a challenge."
These "challenges" only intensified. Horseback and bull riding — not to mention livestock wrestling — were activities this city-turned-country boy attempted at the M Lazy C Ranch in Lake George, Colo., last summer.
He was not alone, however. Seven other city slickers brought out their inner cowpoke during the filming of the TV series "Cowboy U: Colorado," now appearing on cable’s Country Music Television.
In its sixth season, the show tracks eight diverse contestants as they participate in a three-week cowboy boot camp for the chance to win $25,000. The ranch hand with the most guts and determination snags the prize.
"It’s unlike any other reality show [audiences] are going to see," the 30-year-old said. "The show focuses more on the task at hand and the purpose of eight people becoming cowboys, more than the personal BS that goes on within the confines of reality TV."
Fattizzo might have never heard of "Cowboy U" prior to being cast, but his aspirations to venture West were no bull.
"Me and my best friends, ever since ‘City Slickers’ came out, have been dying to plan a cattle-driving excursion," the former employee for a wealth-management firm said. "We never had the time or money to do it."
After hearing about the show’s contestant call in Philly through a friend, Fattizzo contacted the casting director, who arranged an interview in March. He received glowing feedback from the woman, who, during a few follow-up phone calls, gave him a roundabout thumbs up.
In the meantime, Fattizzo and wife Noreen decided to familiarize themselves with the show, since "Cowboy U: Oklahoma" was available on On Demand.
"Every episode I watched, I was becoming more excited and [Noreen] was becoming more nervous and skeptical about it," he said.
However, Fattizzo never thought of himself as the next small-screen star of the reality-show genre.
"The thought of doing reality TV really never came to mind," he said. "I know the horror stories of people that have done shows like ‘The Real World’ and how [episodes are] cut and portrayed and how they sort of get pigeonholed into a certain role."
But living out a dream — especially on someone else’s dime — was what Fattizzo was yearning for. In April, the word came: He was TV’s newest cowboy.
A production crew stopped by Fattizzo’s home at 11th and Ellsworth streets in May to film his daily routine — or so he thought.
"The production crew really tried to play up, ‘This is a South Philly guy,’" he said.
He was filmed sitting on his stoop and asked if he could purchase a Philly favorite, "but I don’t eat a Geno’s cheesesteak every day," Fattizzo recalled telling the crew. "We’re not going to run up the steps of the Art Museum. Let’s not get crazy here."
Instead, the crew followed him to Ninth Street for some typical grocery shopping. At the time, Fattizzo also was contemplating a career as a firefighter, so a stop at the 12th-and-Reed fire station also occurred.
Before departing for Colorado in June, Fattizzo and his wife finalized the purchase of a new home in East Falls.
"I was worried because I was leaving a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders," Fattizzo said, adding he was not permitted contact with Noreen during the shoot.
His worries soon turned into overwhelming joy when he touched down in Colorado for the first time in June. Witnessing Colorado Springs’ Garden of the Gods — with its towering evergreens and red-clay mountains — was quite a sight.
The environment "was one of the most amazing things on God’s green Earth," he said. "The sky was bigger and bluer than you’ve ever seen it before."
Meeting the rest of the cast also had its surprises. Two members were from the Philadelphia area and the Los Angeles contestant, Katie, was originally from the city, too.
With wrangler Judd Leffew and instructor Rocco Wachman leading the pack, the group immediately got to work. Fattizzo dressed in typical cowboy garb and began to learn the lay of the land.
Days were broken up between lessons and challenges, and Fattizzo soon was introduced to the ranch’s real stars — the horses. The cowboy then met and became acclimated to his steed, Big Mustang.
"You have to figure out that fine line between loving the animal and letting the animal know, ‘You’re working and you’re going to do what I tell you to do,’" Fattizzo said.
He performed barrel racing with the horse, where he had to maneuver around the objects in the least amount of time possible. Each contestant was rated on guts, skill and determination.
The instructors eased the group into bull riding — one of the most exertive challenges — by teaching posture, weight distribution and what muscles to use to keep balance on the animal. To help with his riding, Fattizzo practiced on a mechanical bull and bronco.
"Bulls have only one mission in mind — to get whatever is on its back off and usually stomp it in the ground and kill it," he said.
Of course, bruises were prevalent.
Fattizzo enjoyed most of the competitions, but Colorado’s high altitude and thin air made any exercise involving sprinting or running difficult. Pin the tail on the calf was one such feat.
"It’s a rough lifestyle, and these guys — these real cowboys — they are no joke," he said. "You want to talk about tough? We don’t know the meaning of tough."
Instructors made sure the contestants’ safety was the utmost importance.
"Rocco likes to put on the outward appearance of being rough around the edges, but there’s a lot about Rocco that’s gentle," Fattizzo said. "He’s kind and nurturing and really wants everybody to be safe when they’re doing it."
He referred to Leffew as "one of the best bull riders in the world."
Through elimination, only four contestants were allowed to perform in the final rodeo. Citing the "cowboy code," Fattizzo would not divulge how he fared.
Nonetheless, his return home in July was welcomed. "I was ready. I really missed my wife and my family. My body, I was really beat up."
Now an attendance and enrollment officer at Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School in Kensington, Fattizzo can’t put his experience at M Lazy C Ranch behind him. He plans to head West again soon.
"I’ll always be attracted to the city," he said. "I’ll always be a city boy, but I’ll always yearn for the country."
