Although NBCUniversal executive Kathleen French called The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys “like the reality Succession or Yellowstone,” she also pointed out that there’s another Bravo show that the McBee family might have more in common with: The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
“I think what’s different is that these cast members are family,” French told The Daily Dish of both shows. “And they may agree or disagree, but at the end of the day, they’re gonna sit down for Sunday dinner — and you’ll hear them say over and over again that blood is thicker than water.”
In case you need a refresher, The McBee Dynasty’s second season followed brothers Steven McBee Jr., Cole McBee, and Jesse McBee as they tried to save their family farm in Gallatin, Missouri. The family was also confronted by an FBI investigation and subsequent legal issues, with patriarch Steven McBee Sr. still facing a sentence of up to 30 years after pleading guilty to one count of federal crop insurance fraud in November 2024.
However, even while facing hardship, the McBee family stuck together. As Steven Jr. put it on Season 2, “My loyalty lies with my family and on this farm and ranch. I would defend that until the day I die.”
Bravo exec explains why McBee Dynasty’s dynamic is hard to replicate on other shows
As French pointed out, while some friendships “could fall apart, and they’d never see each other again,” the same can’t be said for the cast of The McBee Dynasty.
“That doesn’t usually happen in families,” she continued. “I think with this particular family, they love hard, they fight hard, and they really do support each other. They’re there for each other, and there’s a strong, strong family dynamic.”
RELATED: The McBee Family Shares Which Bravolebs Are Planning to Visit Their Farm (EXCLUSIVE)
French specifically noted that even Steve Sr. and Kristi McBee, who were together for almost three decades before their marriage ended in a fiery divorce, put their differences aside to film together during the Season 2 finale.
As she put it, “What is their most important thing? It is to make sure that their boys are taken care of and that the farm — their legacy — goes forward.”
Why Kristi McBee decided to join The McBee Dynasty
Season 2 of The McBee Dynasty introduced the family matriarch, Kristi, who stepped in to give her sons advice in their father’s absence. Of this decision, French said, “She loves her boys. You see that throughout the series. But I think that she was hesitant to be in proximity of Steve given the nature of the divorce and how they split.”
There was also the matter of Steve Sr.’s ex-girlfriend, Galyna Saltkovska.
RELATED: Kristi McBee Reveals Where She Stands with Galyna Saltkovska Today (EXCLUSIVE)
“[Kristi] hadn’t seen Galyna since she and Steve Sr. had split up,” French explained. “And she says it on the show that she attributes Galyna as being part of the problem and part of the breakup in the family.”
But it wasn’t just Galyna’s presence that gave Kristi pause. Added French, “There’s a lot of emotion that was tied to the farm, things that happened at the farm that I think led to the split-up of her family. So she saw that as being connected to the show as well.”
That’s why French said that McBee Dynasty‘s producers decided to “follow [Kristi’s] lead” for Season 2.
“I said…’We’re not gonna push you in any direction that you feel uncomfortable in,’” French said of her conversations with the McBee mom. “And I think once she settled in, she got to know the producers, she really let it all hang out. I mean, she’s very forthcoming about what had happened with Steve, how she felt about the farm, how she felt about Galyna.”
The tension-filled relationships all culminated in a face-to-face meeting between Kristi and Galyna on Season 2, Episode 6 — but that wasn’t the only hurdle Kristi overcame.
“Her son Jesse getting married and seeing Steve again,” French added. “And being part of the wedding together.”
Don’t miss Steven Jr.’s explanation for why the McBee family sold their vacation home in Nashville.
-Additional reporting by Stephanie Gomulka
