Loss cuts deep for local 'Butcher' competitor

A local butcher didn't make the final cut of the History Channel show "The Butcher," which pitted him against three other butchers from across the country, but he says the experience made him better at his profession -- and he's ready for a rematch.

Randy Radley of Griffith's Custom Butchering competed against Sean Kelly, Johnny Escobedo and Penny Barend in an elimination-round style competition for a trophy and $10,000.

Radley made it through the first round, where they had to butcher bison, but there was a catch. The butchers had to cut up the carcass using a tomahawk.

"Honestly, I thought that would be a walk in the park," Radley said when he saw that they would be working with bison. He said he has worked with bison before, so the challenge would be simple. Then he learned that he would be using a tomahawk.

Having never used a tomahawk to cut meat before, Radley said that was the moment he realized the competition would be a real challenge. As it turned out, he said it was the most difficult job he has ever had cutting meat. The fact it was a timed challenge made it even harder -- when the judges announced that there were 30 minutes left, the pressure started building, he said.

Radley won the round, tying with the most amount of accepted cuts.

"It felt great," Radley said. "It made me feel more confident in my skill set. I know I can cut meat with anybody."

The judges complimented his quickness in breaking down his bison. Radley is a large man, which he said helped him. His strength and size allowed him to manhandle the bison and move it around easier than the other competitors. The judges, Radley said, called him "a beast."

The day had started with Radley feeling a little overwhelmed. He said when he got to the studio and walked onto the closed set, he thought, "What have you gotten yourself into?"

History Channel, Radley said, took great care of the butchers. The equipment they used on the show is top of the line and safe to use. The butchers were also given a chef who could cook them anything they wanted.

The final version of the show makes it appear to the viewer as if the second and the third rounds immediately follow the first, but that is not the case. Radley said it was amusing watching this, because he was in California for a week. Each competition is filmed on a different day. After finishing with their bison, Radley said each of the butchers was exhausted and ready to go take a nap, not start round two.

The three remaining butchers -- Barend lost round one -- next had to make six identical sausages that were 6 inches long.

Having won round one, Radley said he walked into the second round feeling pumped. When he saw that they were making sausages, he once again thought that this would be an easy task. Then he saw that they would be using small equipment and would not be able to use a ruler to measure the sausage links, and again realized it would be a tough challenge.

In the end, Radley had five accepted sausages and was in line with more when Kelly had his sixth approved.

"The sausage (contest) broke my heart," Radley said. When he first started talking to the History Channel about the show, he had commented that he wanted to show off his knife skills. Butchers do make sausage, but that wasn't what he wanted to showcase on the show.

The loss was even harder to accept because he actually had seven sausages that were the right length, but two were rejected because of air bubbles. After that, he said he felt the judges started examining his work closer than the other two butchers.

Kelly and Escobedo went on to the final round, where they had to butcher an ostrich. Kelly won the final round and the overall competition.

Coming home without the trophy, Radley said, was also very difficult. He said he loves Arkansas and Hot Springs, but after losing the contest, home was the last place he wanted to be. He also said he felt like he had let down his father-in-law, Tim Griffith, who taught him everything he knows about butchering.

Despite the loss, Radley said that he had a ball on the show and that the experience has made him a better butcher.

"Absolutely, it made me a better butcher," Radley said, partially because he has kept in contact with the other three butchers from the show. Now, he has the knowledge and experience of three other world-class butchers only a phone call away.

For example, Radley said he recently had a customer request California cuts. Not knowing exactly what the customer wanted, Radley called Escobedo, who is a butcher in California.

"I called Johnny (and asked) 'What are California cuts?'" Radley said, and Escobedo explained everything he needed to know.

Radley said that he knows he can rely on those other butchers for help, and that those butchers can rely on him for help, too. "If I had lost the first round, it still would have been worth it for the contacts," Radley said.

Radley has one regret -- cursing when he lost. He said he didn't realize he was cussing until he watched the episode. He said it was just his passion for what he does coming through.

It was Radley's first time appearing on TV. He said sitting down and watching himself was a surreal experience.

Before heading home from the show, Radley said he was asked by History Channel if he would be willing to compete on another episode in the future. "I said I would come back, and I would come back with a vengeance," he said.

Local on 06/10/2019

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