‘The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys’ Patriarch Steven McBee Calls His Show “The Real ‘Yellowstone’”

Are you a Yellow stone A fan eager for the return of your beloved Duttons? You’re not alone! Luckily, Peacock and USA Network are helping fill that Montana-sized hole in your heart with their equally compelling, drama-fueled reality series, The McBee dynasty: real American cowboys. Set in the high-stakes world of farming and ranching, this series opens viewers’ eyes to the real challenges people in the industry face every day.

At the head of it all is Steven McBee, family patriarch and owner of McBee Farm and Cattle in Gallatin, Missouri, who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations and securing the capital needed to keep the business going. flow. Alongside him are his four sons – Steven Jr., Cole, Jesse and Brayden – all of whom are integral to the success of different parts of the business, including McBee’s Coffee N Carwash and McBee Meat Company. McBee, who describes himself as a “businessman”, “entrepreneur” and “opportunist”, launched his multi-faceted business at the age of 22. At 51 and recently divorced, he highlights all aspects of his life, personally and professionally. “I definitely never thought I would date multiple women or be on a reality TV show,” McBee mused.

That’s right. In addition to propelling McBee Farm and Cattle to the brink of becoming a billion-dollar company, McBee also juggles two dynamic women: McBee Farm and Cattle’s CFO Galyna Saltkovska and spunky waitress Brooke. After being married for so long, McBee made it clear to both women that he wasn’t interested in anything exclusive. However, when Brooke “accidentally” crashed Saltkovska’s company vehicle after McBee puzzlingly lent it to her, Saltkovska was crushed and furious. “(The car) still isn’t fixed,” McBee revealed. But will McBee be able to repair his relationship with his business partner and sometimes lover, Saltkovska? “I guess you’ll just have to tune in to see where this goes,” McBee teased.

DECIDER spoke to McBee over Zoom to talk about family being on TV, his relationship with his sons, and the obvious Yellow stone comparisons.

DECISION MAKER: Yellow stone fans, like me, will really enjoy this series. What do you think, besides the obvious, will attract this audience to your show?

STEVEN MCBEE: The real-life struggles of the farm and ranch, of course. That and my family. The boys all have such different personalities. Just like Jamie, Beth and Kayce, but maybe not as radical (laughs). It’s ironic how many similarities can be drawn between the two series. Many people who know us very well have told us: “you are the real ones Yellow stone.” People were saying that long before we were contacted to film anything.

No matter the drama (personal, financial, professional), you are completely open and honest about everything that is going on between you and your family. Did you have any apprehension about sharing these struggles with the world?

I deal with 30 banks, right? I have to borrow money every day. We take on a lot of debt to finance our new businesses and everything else. I never had any financial partners, so I had some concerns. Banks also get nervous when a man divorces, which I did. Really nervous. I made it to the other side, and a lot of guys don’t make it without filing for bankruptcy.

Now here I am, recently divorced and single, doing this reality show. My biggest concern is that my bankers might watch this show and be concerned about what they see. Will they see that I am focused on businesses and ensuring their loans are repaid? Or will they think I’m in a mid-life crisis because I’m drinking a little socially and dating?

It’s a very real concern, but the show reveals that you do a great job balancing your personal life with the demands of your business. You are clearly a businessman who successfully juggles many responsibilities. You are therefore present every minute of the day for your business and your family.

I am.

Not just to talk about it Yellow stone, but Taylor Sheridan’s fictional series addresses extremely real and pressing issues for running your business, like financial burden. I can’t imagine how stressful it is to find or create additional sources of income. Is this partly why you said yes to filming your own reality TV series?

Yes of course. I have had my own business for 30 years. I started very young, at 22, and I am an entrepreneur and an opportunist. If there’s an opportunity to help promote and grow our brand, that’s something I’ll go for. However, we didn’t start any activities because of the show. Even without the show, all of our businesses would still operate.

How is the McBee’s Coffee N Carwash chain doing?

Normally they say it takes 30 months to reach what they call “break even,” and we’re past that. We had a call the other day with some people at a private equity firm in Chicago, and they were shocked that we were able to build all these sites ourselves without money from Wall Street in New York. I explained that I was willing to give my PG, which is a personal guarantee. We guaranteed the farm against car washing. We literally bet our farm on it.

It’s refreshing to see how upfront you are about the risks you have to take financially to grow the McBee empire.

Honestly, I think it’s the most realistic reality show and I’ve done my research. I’m a very transparent guy, sometimes to a fault. What you see is what you get. No one had to add drama or put on airs. When the first production companies came to the farm to film Millionaire Joe with Steven Jr., they were just in awe of our lives. They told us, “You’re a walking reality show. They said, “Everything that’s going on, your family dynamic, the pressure, the businesses, it’s crazy.” » “We couldn’t record everything in 10 years,” they told us. And that’s the truth.

You were all there, ready for the cameras!

Yes, they came to us. Several production companies contacted after Millionaire Joe. Steven and I were meeting to see which one would be best for us. Yeah. The production company that filmed Millionaire Joe We contacted again after a while, but we were already looking at three or four other offers. When we signed the contract with Jeff Jenkins Productions – literally the same day – the first company called back and said, “Hey, we’re ready to go. » We said to ourselves: “We have already signed elsewhere. » It was pretty crazy.

Wow! I can’t let you leave without asking about Galyna and Brooke. At 51, did you expect to juggle two dynamic women?

No I didn’t. My first priority in life is my family. I never filed for divorce. She divorced me. I will love her every day for the rest of my life because she is the mother of my children. I never thought that at 51 I would be dating multiple women or being on a reality TV show. It never even crossed my mind.

I know Jesse talks about how the end of your marriage affected him and how he views his own relationship. Obviously, Brayden was also very affected by the divorce. Were you surprised by what they had to say?

As frank and open as we are as a family, this show delves deeper than I could have ever imagined. We have a lot of difficult conversations about things we don’t always talk about. It broke my heart to hear Brayden say he didn’t feel that close to me, but that’s how he really feels. He said this without me, of course. The producers take you aside and interview you over and over again separately, and then you start saying how you really feel. They are almost like an advisor. Ultimately, businesses, monetary things, everything can disappear. My boys mean everything to me, so it was hard for me to hear.

It sounds like the show was therapeutic for you and your family. You have the opportunity to address issues that you have been putting off or perhaps didn’t even realize existed.

100%. I didn’t know Brayden felt that way. I definitely go out of my way to try and include him, but he’s always been the youngest in the house. I took the three older boys with me everywhere, and he always seemed to stay with Mom and Grandma.

Hopefully this show will heal your family. Before I let you go, I want to return to my original question about your love triangle with Galyna and Brooke. Were you and Galyna on the verge of repairing your relationship after the crash fiasco?

Galyna is a superhuman being. She is one of the best people I have ever met in my life. She also had a very, very difficult life. I love Galyna unconditionally and would always do anything for her and her daughter. I’d say you’ll just have to log in to see what’s going on.

Forgive me for making my last question fishy, ​​but is there any part of you that thinks Brooke might have crashed the company car on purpose to publicize your relationship to Galyna?

No, not even a little bit. Not for a second. It was a serious accident. The car is still not repaired. I could FaceTime you and show you the Escalade right now. We order parts and repair them now. I can understand why people might think that, but that’s simply not the case.

The McBee dynasty: real American cowboys airs weekly Monday nights at 11/10c on USA Network or you can stream the series in its entirety on Peacock