Austin Gamblers fall in PBR Teams Championship semifinals, but Jose Vitor Leme stars again

An Austin Gamblers rider takes a ride during this year's Professional Bull Riders Teams Championship event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The Gamblers advanced to this year's semifinals. (Bull Stock Media) The third-seeded Nashville Stampede defeated the upstart Arizona Ridge Riders to win the Professional Bull Riders Teams Championship event Sunday night in Las Vegas, becoming the first PBR team to win twice. The second-seeded Austin Gamblers reached Sunday's four-team championship round while star rider Jose Vitor Leme added another 90-second ride to his record total."This is what I am here to do: make history," Leme said on the CW broadcast. The PBR's regular-season Team Series MVP scored a 90.25-point ride aboard Walk Off during Saturday's win over the Texas Rattlers. He passed Chris Shivers' PBR record for career 90-plus point rides with his 95th in late October.MORE: Gamblers sign star rider Jose Vitor Leme to a 4-year extensionThe season-ending championship weekend in Las Vegas has developed a reputation for producing surprise winners and is fast becoming known as a graveyard for favorites and top seeds. Nashville wasn't considered a favorite to take home this year's championship buckle. That role had fallen to the Gamblers after the top-seeded Missouri Thunder were upset Saturday by the Ridge Riders. The Rattlers, whom the Gamblers had beaten, fought their way back into Championship Sunday by knocking out the Thunder and defending PBR champion Carolina in the last chance round.Sunday's semifinals were a 6-vs.-6 riders format and the championship game was a 7-vs.-7, both firsts in PBR Teams history. (Typical PBR games feature five riders from each team competing against each other.) Three of the four semifinalists were former PBR champions (Nashville in 2022, Texas in 2023 and Austin in 2024).The Ridge Riders won five of their six rides to upset the Gamblers, a match highlighted by four consecutive Gamblers rides by Everton Natan da Silva, Leme, Ed rounduardo Aparecido and Dalton Kasel. Arizona's Elizmar Jeremias broke open a 178.90-178.60 match with an 89.90-ride aboard Smack Ya in the top of the fourth, though Austin's Sage Steel Kimzey closed the gap to three points with a ride aboard Simon Says. But in the top of the sixth, Arizona's Vitor Manoel Dias, making his PBR Teams postseason debut, scored 90.05 points on Takums to secure the win.In the championship final, Nashville beat Arizona 365-.45-268.35.Sign up for the Daily Briefing from the Austin American-Statesman. Start your day with the must-read headlines from Austin's most trusted news source.This article originally published at Austin Gamblers fall in PBR Teams Championship semifinals, but Jose Vitor Leme stars again.