Chances are that by now, ABC's The Young Riders is one of your favorite new shows of the year--or possibly ever! After all, who couldn't help but fall head-over-heels in love with the five guys--each one gorgeous in his own special way--who play the daring young riders for the Pony Express? Last month, 16 took advantage of the show's ultra-high-hunk-quota in an out of sight interview with Ty Miller, who plays The Kid. This month, 16 went one-on-one with adorable Gregg Rainwater. Is he your favorite rider? Read on to find out.

Gregg plays the part of Buck Cross, a character who's half Indian and half Caucasian. Because he's torn between two cultures, Buck feels like an outcast--that is, until he joins the young riders. For Buck, the young riders are the first "family" he really feels a part of. "Buck is reserved and insightful, and I'm kind of that way too," Gregg told 16's editor, Randi. "At least I try to be."

Gregg got the part of Buck Cross quite by chance. His High School pal, actress Jamie Koss, was in ABC-TV's offices, and she happened to overhear casting people discussing the part. Jamie spoke up, saying she knew an actor who was part Cherokee Indian, who'd be perfect for it. On her recommendation, the producers auditioned Gregg, and loved him. They cast him within four days!

This story might make it sound as if Gregg got to where he is now by just plain luck, but the fact is, Gregg has always worked hard for the roles he's won. When he was in high school in Sterling Heights, Michigan (where he grew up), Gregg performed not only in his own high school's productions, but in those of his rival high school as well! When he graduated, the drama coach gifted him with a one-way ticket to L.A. All alone without friends or family, Gregg set out for California--a pretty gutsy move for a kid of only eighteen! By Gregg has always been driven by his desire to act. "I don't know where it comes from," he told Randi, "but it's something inside you, you just keep pushing." Once settled in L.A., Gregg became active in theater, and soon was offered a small part on the soap, Days Of Our Lives. Then came that fateful day when his friend Jamie was in New York. With his newfound success, Gregg is living proof that hard word can pay off. "If you love something and you want to do it--put yourself out there, do everything you can. If you stick it out, you're gonna do it."

The Young Riders film in Mescal, Arizona, and Gregg and the rest of the Young Riders cast hang out a lot together off the set. "We've gone watersliding together, and we all go out to dinner on Sundays, which is our day off," he said. As far as romance is concerned, there's no special person in Gregg's life right now. What does he look for in a girl? "I like someone who's down to earth, but who can also be a dreamer." In his free time, Gregg's into photography, and he's just bought a mountain-bike which he loves to ride around the beautiful Arizona desert.