A Lawrence resident — thanks to a carrot-eating horse and perhaps even a white pantsuit — is in the running to be a co-host on the national morning talk show “Live! with Kelly.”

No, Courtenay DeHoff is not in the running to be the full-time co-host with Emmy Award-winner Kelly Ripa, but she is one of 20 finalists to serve as a co-host for a day on Ripa’s top-rated morning television program. Ripa announced the finalists on the air on Wednesday, and now viewers of the show will vote online — through Oct. 9 — to determine the winner.

If voters like horses, white pantsuits and a combination of the two, DeHoff has to be a front-runner. In her video that she submitted as part of the competition, DeHoff introduced viewers to a workout “cowgirl style.” That involved feeding the horse some carrots, some vigorous riding while training her horse to cut a calf (don’t worry city folks, a switchblade is not involved), and some stretching in her white riding suit. DeHoff told viewers a white pantsuit makes every workout a bit more challenging.

https://vimeo.com/185640340

I talked just briefly with DeHoff, who confirmed she is a Lawrence resident, which a certain person (perhaps her mother) had called and already told the newspaper. In fact, DeHoff is a native of the area. She grew up in Tonganoxie, and the horse riding scenes were filmed at her parents’ home there. DeHoff has her own production company in Lawrence, and she has been a correspondent on the Better KC program for KCTV5. She also has had various other broadcasting jobs for Rural-TV and other networks.

Ripa, who came to fame as a morning talk show host when she joined forces with Regis Philbin on “Live! with Regis and Kelly,” is interviewing multiple celebrities to become her new permanent co-host after Michael Strahan left the show to join Good Morning America.

But Ripa also is hosting a contest where one viewer will serve as a co-host for a day, likely on an episode in mid-October. Viewers can vote once per day until Oct. 9, after which the winner will be announced. People interested in voting can do so here: http://livekelly.com/live/kelly-and-you/