Reality Show Follows MO Farm Family

'Yellowstone' Meets 'Succession' -- New Reality Show Follows McBee Farm Family

Susan Payne
By  Susan Payne , DTN Social Media and Young Farmer Editor
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Steven McBee Jr. stars in the upcoming reality show "The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys" premiering on USA Network and Peacock 10 p.m. CT on March 11. (Photo courtesy of NBC Universal)

OMAHA (DTN) -- You may recognize Steven McBee Jr. from the Fox reality dating show "Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer" which aired in 2022.

McBee fell deeply in love with Calah Jackson and their love story continues in the newest reality show, "The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys," which takes viewers behind the scenes of the high-stakes world of farming and ranching in McBee's hometown of Gallatin, Missouri.

The show centers around the patriarch of the family, Steve McBee, a first-generation farmer who founded McBee Farm and Cattle in 1998 with farming operations started in 2005. But his lifestyle may be its undoing as his four sons navigate the family business, conflict and a decision from a venture capital firm to invest $100 million in transforming the ranch into a billion-dollar business.

The series follows the drama of the McBee family -- financial and interpersonal -- including Steve's four sons: Steven Jr., 29, the business-minded heir apparent; Cole, 24, the underdog who works hard in the field; Jesse, 27, the quiet cowboy; and Brayden, 21, who has the least interest in farming. Audiences will witness the sons in romantic relationships with longtime girlfriends who are growing impatient waiting for the men to commit.

In an interview with DTN, Steven McBee Jr. said the family is cautiously optimistic with a hint of excitement and nervousness for the show to premiere at 10 p.m. CT Monday, March 11, on USA Network.

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"To summarize what the show is, I'd say it's a bit of real-life 'Yellowstone' meets 'Succession,' " Steven said. "We might be throwing down in the middle of the day and fighting over who is going to take over the farm, but by 6 p.m. that night, we're laughing around the dinner table. We love and support each other, but our life is also entertaining and dramatic."

McBee Farm and Cattle includes 14,000 owned and 26,000 leased acres of row-crop production and 2,000 head of cattle. As the show airs the dirty laundry of the McBee family, it also takes a deep dive into the farm business, showcasing its foundation, flaws included. The family owns eight express car washes in Kansas City, a custom home-building operation and a meat slaughter and processing facility.

Steven McBee Jr. said they've leveraged the farm to build the carwashes, so "things are as tight as they've ever been" and to become a billion-dollar business, the family is counting on the venture capital loan to "free up capital" so they can focus less on survival and more on growing their businesses.

"If you've ever heard the saying, 'we bet the farm on it,' we bet the farm on these car washes. They're an expensive build-out and we're not sitting on that much cash. Anyone within farming knows that farmers are not getting rich. So, we had to leverage our farm ground to get loans to build the car washes," Steven McBee explained.

"Our farming operation has a unique story to tell. For us, we don't think a tractor out in the field planting is that special or amazing, but to people who aren't used to seeing agriculture happening in real-time, they are mind-blown by the machinery and operations and we're excited to share it," he said.

Over the last five years, Steven McBee Jr. said, they've been transitioning the farm to a more regenerative and sustainable model, implementing cover crops, rotational grazing and no-till to better care for the soil. "Every single year we operate, we're getting better and better. We're not where we want to be yet," he said.

Who will take over the farm when Steve McBee retires? Will the farm survive? Will the other businesses outside of the farm and ranch take the bets off the farm? If it does, who will lead it into the future?

Peacock unveiled the teaser for the series, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/….

All 10 episodes of the series will stream on Peacock starting Monday, March 11, and on USA Network weekly thereafter.

Susan Payne can be reached at susan.payne@dtn.com.

Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @jpusan.

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Susan Payne

Susan Payne
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