The McBee family is fighting to hold onto more than just their land—this season, they’re battling financial ruin, legal fallout, and explosive family tensions. In season 2, episode 4 of “The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys,” Cole McBee makes a shocking confession that the family may lose their farm if they can’t cover $6 million in debt fast.
Cole McBee Crashes a Combine—and Reveals $6 Million Debt Deadline
What should’ve been a profitable harvest quickly unraveled in episode 4 when Cole accidentally crashed a combine into another tractor.
“This is not good. This is a bad deal,” he admitted in a confessional. “We need every single combine working because we have to get this grain out of the fields and sold.”
Then came the bombshell:
“We’ve got $6 million that’s due to get our debt paid off, or we might lose the farm.”
Steven McBee Jr., who now runs the family’s farm and ranching operation, was on site for the accident.
“Two dead combines in the field and a bunch of corn to cut,” he said. In a confessional, he added: “Cole is constantly complaining to me to let him have more power. But this is exactly why he’s not in charge.”
The brothers have butted heads all season over how to tackle the business’s debt. Earlier episodes showed Cole going behind Steven Jr.’s back to sign a lease, hoping crop revenue could save the farm.
“You think you’re the (expletive) boss?” Steven Jr. shouted. “You wanna start signing every single check and see how tight things are?”
Cole, however, stood by his decision.
“Steven is just so convinced there’s no money in crops when I think our best years are yet to come,” he said.
Legal Troubles Add to the McBee Family’s Struggles
The financial burden isn’t the only dark cloud looming over the McBee family. Patriarch Steven McBee Sr. pleaded guilty to one count of federal crop insurance fraud in November 2024. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he underreported corn and soybean totals from 2018 to 2020, resulting in over $3 million in improper federal subsidies.
Steven now faces up to 30 years in federal prison and is scheduled for sentencing on September 9, 2025, per DTN.
His sons addressed the plea on their podcast “Meet the McBees.” Jesse McBee read their father’s statement, in which Steven took full responsibility:
“I will always acknowledge a failure in judgment and action… From our first-generation family farm to all our other McBee family ventures, we are committed to conducting business the right way.”
Steven Jr. echoed that sentiment during a June 27 interview with The New York Post:
“It is a real-life situation that we were dealing with throughout filming season 2… it’s made us come closer together as a family.”
Still, the financial pressure is immense. On the season 2 premiere, Steven Jr. laid it all out:
“We’re leveraged out. We’ve got close to $70 million in debt. It keeps me up at night. We could lose our entire company immediately.”
Fans can catch all the McBee family’s drama when new episodes of “The McBee Dynasty” air on Monday nights on Bravo.
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Inside the McBee Family Farm Fortune