The country-western bar and live-music venue Desert 5 Spot (400 Morse St., NE) recently made its debut in Union Market, bringing with it the city’s only mechanical bull. If it’s your first rodeo, here’s what to expect.
Just how wild is this bull?
There’s a bit of an art to operating the beast—a deluxe model manufactured in central Pennsylvania—with controls that spin, buck, and move it up and down. “You ease them into it. There’s excitement. There’s fear. There’s a little dance that goes on there,” says Wade Crescent, director of entertainment. The operators never turn the spinning controls past 30 percent. At full speed, Crescent jokes that it’s like the scene in Moonraker in which James Bond nearly passes out in a centrifuge machine meant to simulate the gravitational pull of getting shot into space.
What’s the bull’s name?
Teddy.
Who operates it?
While the operators need the proper safety training, it doesn’t hurt that they bring their own cowboy swagger. It just so happens that the guys who operate the bulls at Desert 5 Spot’s locations in New York and Washington both have some ranch experience. The DC operator, known simply as “Outlaw Chris,” used to rope cattle.
How long do most people last?
In the real rodeo world, a rider must stay on the bull for at least eight seconds to receive a score. At Desert 5 Spot, a normal ride is between 30 and 60 seconds. The New York bar will sometimes offer shots for anyone who can stay on past a certain threshold—something they’re considering bringing here. At least when you get bucked, you land in a custom-built pen that feels like a bounce house.
Will I look ridiculous?
Probably! There’s a cowboy hard hat and custom chaps to wear for your TikToks.
What are the rules?
You’ll have to sign a waiver to ride. Otherwise, the main rule? “Keep your clothes on,” Crescent says.
Any pointers?
“The rope is your only hope,” says West Dodge Lenz, who operates the bull in New York. “Hold it low and tight like your life depends on it.” He also recommends keeping your legs tight and tucked, while your upper body should be “loose like a rag.” Follow the bull’s head with your eye and react as it changes directions. “The rest is intuition,” Lenz says. “Follow your instincts and good luck.”
This article appears in the November 2025 issue of Washingtonian.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
