‘McBee Dynasty’: Steven McBee Jr. Spills on Season 2 Dramas & On-Off Romance With Calah

The brothers are facing relationship dramas, family beef and serious business struggles during Season 2 of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys. When the show returns June 30 on Bravo, they face an uphill financial battle to keep the Missouri farm afloat with mounting debt and an impending $6 million payment looming. Patriarch Steve McBee faces 30 years without parole for crop insurance fraud after an FBI investigation This has put immense weight on sons including eldest Steven McBee Jr., Cole and Jesse to keep from halting operations. A power struggle emerges between Steven and Cole on who should run things. 

Outside the ranch rumblings, Steven and on-and-off girlfriend Calah Jackson contemplate their future. Ever since meeting on Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer, the two have been unable to land on solid ground. Meanwhile, Cole is gearing up to become a father with pregnant girlfriend Kacie Adkison and Jesse and Alli Ventresca are drifting further apart with their wedding on the horizon  Meanwhile, viewers will get to know the youngest brother Brayden McBee, who’s back on the market after a long-term relationship ended. 

Luckily, for them mom Kristi is there to help her boys with their respective messes. Coming around more often may create some hostility with McBee Farm and Cattle CFO’s Galyna Saltkovska, who happened to be her ex-husband’s other woman. This pattern didn’t end when Steve McBee Sr. started seeing  Saltkovska’s good friend Masha behind her back. 

Before saddling up for the premiere, we caught up with Steven McBee Jr. to break down what’s to come. 

Going into Season 2, how would you say life changed for the family after the show first aired? 

Steven McBee Jr: I would say honestly that nothing really has changed. I mean that in the most beneficial way in that we still strap up, put our boots on and go to work every single day. We still do the exact same things we were doing before. If anything has changed, we have actually become closer as a family, which is a really good thing. It felt like we’ve gone through this crazy, wild experience together. It has brought us closer as a family. Other than that, it’s still day-to-day regular work for us. 

The season premieres in the midst of everything happening with your dad. It’s shown in the show that you were one of the few who first found out about the FBI investigation. How was it having that in your mind during filming? Was there talk of the show even moving forward with all that going on? 

It has been stressful. There is no doubt about it. I love my dad and love everyone in my family. If anything, again, it has brought us closer together. We’re used to dealing with high-stress, high-stakes situations. I’ve been thrown into that realm since I got into the business world. This is just another one of those times. We’re just here to support and love my dad and come together as a family. 

You and Calah have had your relationship in the public eye since the beginning. What are viewers going to see this season in terms of your future as a couple? What have you learned about each other through the filming experience? 

This being our third reality TV series from Joe Millionaire and we’ve become more comfortable on camera. I guess what that has allowed us to do, for better or worse, is viewers are able to get 100 percent real, 100 percent authentic and 100 percent us when it comes to our relationship. The highs and the lows. There is nothing held back or kept away from cameras. Everything you see on camera is the true conversations taking place between Calah and I. 

How would you describe your relationship with your brothers, specifically Cole, with you having to step up to handle the business more? 

I think thus far in my life, even before filming Season 2, I’ve sort of kept some of the secrets away from my brothers or stressful moments. I just dealt with it on my own shoulders or tried to bear the weight of the world on my own shoulders. What I realized while filming Season 2 is it’s just not possible when you hit the level of challenges and struggles we’re facing as a family across all our businesses. I have to open up to my brothers and lean on them for support and lean on them for their work ethic and input. We tackle this as a family. I think that is the biggest thing I learned coming out of Season 2. That one man can’t handle it all. It takes a family to take on the challenges we’re facing. 

Your mom becomes more prevalent on the show this season. What was it like having her there more? 

My mom has been our number one supporter and rock throughout all of our lives. Not having her around for Season 1 was extremely difficult watching that play back. She is not extremely comfortable on camera. So, Season 1 she wasn’t around filming. After filming we would go back to talk to her as we’re extremely close to our mom. Now we get to show the world that and show the true relationship we have with our mom where we lean on her for so much. Not only emotional support but professional support taking in her insight and advice. Just sharing that with the world is such a cool aspect of Season 2 that I’m really looking forward to seeing. It’s the first, formal introduction of Kristi McBee to the world. I think they are going to love her. 

How would you say she adjusted to the process? 

By the end of the season, she enjoyed filming. For her to be a more introverted personality in person, she really opened up throughout the season. 

You’re left to deal with the fallout as Galyna spiraled after finding out your dad was seeing her friend. Galyna has a stake in the company and holds this top position. What are we going to see as you’re weathering through all that? It looks like you have to make a tough decision. 

I feel like this has been building up for the last four or five years. I saw it come to a climax during Season 2 where we have to make a decision on whether we’re going to continue forward or go our separate ways because at this point it’s affecting business. It has reached this drastic point where we can’t have this anymore if the companies are going to survive. We’ve reached a fork in the road here. It’s time to say strap and say we’re going to do this together or go our separate ways and best of luck. 

What have you taken from the filming experience and having everyone have an opinion about your life? You’re even having Bravolebrities chiming in watching last season. 

I think for one I learned I have to wear bigger shirts. I think the Bravolebrities are making fun of me for my medium shirts. It’s cool getting to watch it all back. I think it’s a good character exercise because it’s almost like watching yourself back in the mirror and getting to see your habits, good or bad and how the world interprets it. Having my reality viewed through the world perspective. You can take things from watching the show where you can say, “Hey, I really don’t like that about my personality.” Where I could be more patient or more calm or handle situations. I learn it as a learning experience to continue to grow and become a better person honestly. 

With all these headlines about your family out there, what gets you through tough times? 

For me, it’s good to have the farm and ranch. It keeps me grounded. Being able to walk out to my yard and see the sunset and hanging out with nothing but the farm animals and out in the country helps. Number two comes back to the family root we come back so often and how important it is for us to come back as a family. We still eat dinner together four or five nights out of the week. Every single weekend my mom is driving up to the farm, and we’re able to get dinner together as a family. Now with the two next generation of McBees in the family, it’s really neat. That’s how we have been get through all these challenges. 

Has there been a celebrity or famous name who reached out to you to say they have been a fan of the show? 

There has been. I’ve loved Shrek. That was one of my favorite movies. That song from Smash Mouth, “All Star” I believe was a favorite. They reached out to us because they were fans of the show. That is really one of my favorite songs of all-time. I grew up singing that song and grew up watching Shrek, so that was cool. 

I saw you met Jason Aldean a while back. How about him? 

[His wife] Brittany actually watched the show, and she loved it. That was pretty neat. We were at his bar opening in Las Vegas. Brittany was telling us she was a huge fan of the show and really enjoyed watching it. That was cool to see how far our show has reached in viewership. 

What is business like? Has the show helped? 

It has without a doubt helped us. Getting more exposure on the businesses and brands we run. I always say what they see on TV is real. There is no holding back or falsifying the struggles we face as a business. It’s no secret we are heavily in debt and bet the farm on those car washes. It’s an uphill battle. We still work seven days a week, but it has helped get more eyeballs on the brand and eyeballs in tune with what we’re trying to do with our companies. 

What can you tease about what’s happening in Season 2? 

I would say in Season 2 every single one of us got more comfortable on camera. We got more comfortable showing our true authentic selves. All the highs and lows that we come across on the farm. Not only professionally but in our personal lives. What the viewers are getting to see is a true representation of what our daily lives look like. There is no faking it. There is no hiding it. It is all out there, and we don’t hold anything back. 

Not to mention milestones like Kacie and Cole’s baby and Jesse and Allie’s wedding perhaps. It’s almost like having these home movies for you all I bet. 

It is really neat to have that. I know 10 or 15 years from now I’ll be able to look back and watch these seasons as we film. We got to film some of the coolest parts of our lives. Not only do we have normal photos and videos, but now we have professionally edited photos and videos and a true reality show of what took place. Some of these milestone events like the wedding, first baby McBee, second McBee. All these things are being captured and put on screen. It is going to be cool to watch it back in Season 2 and have the world watch it. 

There are fans that want to see you and Calah end up together and tie the knot. Where do things stand with you two? 

I’d say you’ll just have to watch how Season 2 unfolds to see how Calah and I’s relationship develops and what ends up happening. I can guarantee you this. It won’t be boring and will leave a lot of viewers shocked at what comes. 

The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys Season 2 premiere, June 30, 9/8c, Bravo