How to Watch
The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys airs on Bravo on Mondays at 9/8c. Episodes available next day on Peacock.
Just weeks after Jesse McBee and Alli Ventresca tied the knot, Steven McBee Jr. broke devastating news to his brothers: “We’ve been under FBI investigation.”
The difficult topic came up several times over the course of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys Season 2 , including during a hot mic conversation between Steven Jr. and Galyna Saltkovska. But until the Sept. 1 episode, Jesse and Cole McBee had been kept in the dark. Now, Steven Jr. is opening up about his father Steven McBee Sr.’s upcoming sentencing in an exclusive interview with The Daily Dish.
Noting via email that he was feeling “scared, nervous, anything and everything,” Steven Jr. added, “All of the emotions are being stirred leading up to my dad’s sentencing. We love him so much, and love our family unit, so to picture him not being here with us for any amount of time … it’s scary.”
“We’re focusing on the positive things we have going, of which there are so many, but I’d be lying if I said that black cloud hasn’t been hanging over us every second of every day since we first found out,” he continued. “We’re ready to get past that day, deal with whatever comes of it and move on to say the least. We know no matter what if we stick together as a family, we’ll make it through anything.”
Steven Jr. detailed in Episode 10 that his father is facing one felony count of giving a false statement on crop insurance, and could be sent to prison for “up to 30 years.” Steven Sr. pleaded guilty to the charge in November 2024, as Season 2 filming was ending. His sentencing is currently set for Sept. 9, according to DTN.
Previously, Steven Jr. spoke to the The Daily Dish about how the investigation has impacted the McBees. “It’s been a very, very stressful time for our family,” he admitted in the July interview. “As much good as we’ve had going on, that has always been sort of this cloud that’s been looming over us at all times, and we think about it all the time.”
Steven McBee Jr. shares how he feels about Steven McBee Sr. ahead of his sentencing
Although the FBI investigation was looming during the Sept. 1 episode, Steven Jr. tried to rally and reassure his brothers as they talked in the hay barn .
“This is the biggest hurdle we’ve ever faced in our lives,” he told them. “I have no idea what it’s going to look like over the next few months or a year, but we’re going to be in the trenches together. Because we’ve gotta figure out how to keep this place alive and keep it running.”
Both Cole and Jesse were concerned for their father upon learning about the charge.
“My dad, he’s 51 years old. He’s getting up there in age. I’m definitely a little scared at the thought of my dad going to jail,” Jesse confessed.
RELATED: We Have a Surprising, “Amazing” Update on Kristi and Steven McBee Sr. (EXCLUSIVE)
Steven Sr.’s ex-wife, Kristi McBee, admitted that the legal limbo was difficult for her and her family, sharing, “You know, we don’t know what all is going to happen with Steve, but there’s a lot of love between us all.”
Now, with potentially just days to go until his father learns his fate, Steven Jr. offered words of encouragement to the McBee patriarch.
“We just – we love and support our dad and we know who he is,” he told The Daily Dish in July. “We know how hard he works, and how much he cares about us boys and our family.”
Steven McBee Jr. shares new updates on the McBee Farm & Cattle co.
As the McBees opened up about their farm’s financial struggles over Season 2, the brothers tried new ways to bring in income, including a cattle deal for brisket with Arthur Bryant’s barbecue in Kansas City, Missouri. It came as the brothers worked to move away from the row cropping side of farming, and focus more on the cattle side. However, those efforts were complicated when the FBI began investigating Steven Sr.
“For every challenge we face, there’s always been a way to be able to work harder or find a new way to make our payments,” Steven Jr. explained during the Sept. 1 episode. “With this FBI investigation, it’s completely out of our control, and we have no power.”
But with Steven Sr.’s sentencing date set, the brothers are once again working on new ways to bring in money in the McBee meat facility, and Steven Jr. shared more details exclusively with The Daily Dish.
“We are—we like to say—‘slinging snack sticks,’ because we’re making about a million snack sticks a month,” Steven Jr. said in the July interview, explaining snack sticks are “high protein meat sticks” and describing them as “awesome.”
RELATED: Steven McBee Jr. makes a damning declaration on Jesse & Alli’s lack of a prenup (EXCLUSIVE)
“That’s really been so incredible,” he added, and shared, “We’re actually getting ready to break ground on a new facility that is dedicated purely to beef jerky and snack sticks just because of how successful that has been, so it’s been really, really neat.”
Jesse called the snack sticks “one of my favorite things” to The Daily Dish. Steven Jr. shared the idea was a “collective effort” by the McBee brothers.
“That was the decision Jesse, Cole and I made—to move out of row cropping, [and] focus more on cattle and the meat facility,” he explained, and admitted, “Cole took a little bit longer to bring around. I think now he’s on board.”
Steven Jr. shared he still has big dreams and goals for the family’s farm and future, despite the setbacks they’ve faced.
“My end goal is to make sure that this farm is here, not only for our kids, but our kids’ kids,” he said in the Sept. 1 episode. “To carry this into the next generation and to truly create a legacy. That puts one hell of a burden on my shoulders: to keep this family farm alive.”
Where does the McBee Farm & Cattle Co. stand after Season 2?
As they continue to navigate what the future of their business looks like, Steven Jr. told The Daily Dish in his August email, “We’re not out of the woods yet! It’s still a challenge each and everyday but we’re in a MUCH better position than we were in during Season 2.”
“To say there’s light at the end of the tunnel and we actually have a path to saving the farm felt like a fever dream at one point – but it’s there and we can see it getting brighter and brighter every single day,” he added. “Continuing to work together as a family, I have no doubts we will get to the other side and be able to save the family farm for the next generation to enjoy!”
As that snack stick assembly line kicks into high gear, find out which Bravolebs the McBee family are planning to invite to the family farm.
