The 'McBee Dynasty' star tells PEOPLE that he and brother Cole McBee found themselves helping Galyna Saltkovska navigate life after Steve McBee Sr.’s incarceration
NEED TO KNOW
- Steven McBee Jr. opens up about his working relationship with Galyna Saltkovska
- The brothers reveal they unexpectedly found themselves helping Galyna emotionally after their father’s incarceration
- Steven Jr. and Cole say their father’s absence has brought the brothers closer together. They now run the family businesses “by committee” and lean on their mother for support
The McBee family is navigating more than just business challenges in season 3 of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys.
While speaking exclusively with PEOPLE ahead of the season premiere, brothers Steven McBee Jr., 32, and Cole McBee, 26, opened up about how life has changed since their father, Steve McBee Sr., began serving his 24-month prison sentence last year — and how his absence has affected one of the family’s most complicated relationships.
“On a personal side, I feel like Cole and I have had to try and keep Galyna [Saltkovska] emotionally regulated, when that was really my dad’s role,” Steven says of his father's ex girlfriend and the Chief Financial Officer of McBee Farm & Cattle Co.
This season Saltkovska, who has been a central figure in the family’s story throughout the series, finds herself back navigating the complicated dynamics between herself and her former friend Masha, who was last linked to Steve Sr.
Credit: Bryan Steffy/Bravo
“You’ll get to see that play out this season, where Cole and I are scratching our heads like, ‘Man, we feel like we are now having to help Galyna on the personal side,’ when she would always go to my dad and they always seemed to talk things out,” Steven explains. “That definitely added a new challenge that we did not expect.”
Steve Sr. is currently incarcerated after pleading guilty in 2024 to one count of crop insurance fraud.
Cole, who is engaged to Kacie Adkison and share one daughter together, admits he has gained a new appreciation for how his father managed the dynamic.
“Yeah, it was odd,” he says with a laugh. “Oh boy, I don’t know how he handled all of it. I’ve got my two girls at home, and I’m having enough trouble with that. I don’t know how he handled all of them. She’s interesting, Galyna.”
While the brothers remained tight-lipped about where things stand today, Steven teased that viewers will get answers when season 3 premieres.
“Season 3 does a really good job of going into detail about what happens with Galyna,” he says. “Now that my dad has gone, that connection and relationship they had is over with, and my dad’s nowhere to be found.”
“It all plays out in season 3, and it gets very, very interesting, I will say," Steve says.
Cole agrees. “Oh, it’s good,” he says. “Season 3 is a good one.”
The upheaval surrounding Galyna is just one piece of what the brothers describe as their most chaotic season yet.
“I did not think our lives could get any busier, more hectic or have more unexpected events happen,” Steven says. “Season 3 throws in every single element you could possibly think of.”
The season also chronicles the family’s continued effort to run their businesses without the man who previously served as the ultimate decision-maker.
“Beforehand, if there was ever a problem where we hit a wall or we didn’t know what to do, we sort of had that golden card of, ‘Hey, let’s call Dad. He can deal with the stress. He can figure it out. He’s the problem solver,’ “ Steven says.
Without him, the brothers say they’ve adopted a different approach.
“Now we haven’t had him, and so it’s been solving by committee,” Steven explains. “It’s brought us brothers closer together. It’s allowed us to really brainstorm together, and it’s not really any one person that’s the leading factor across the businesses.”
Credit: Bravo
Cole says each brother (including Jesse and Brayden) has had to find his own role. “We’ve definitely all had to step up in our own ways,” he says. “We’ve all had to find where we work best, what we’re best at and where we fit in best for the companies.”
The brothers credit their mother, Kristi McBee, with helping keep the family grounded through the transition.
“Honestly, I don’t know how we could have gotten through everything without her because she’s been a rock for every single person,” Cole says.
Despite the intense scrutiny that comes with reality television, the family says they have never considered holding anything back from viewers.
“Everybody says we share too much,” Cole jokes. “They’ve already told us, ‘You guys don’t ever shut your mouths.’ “
According to Steven, that openness was intentional from the beginning. “When we first got into reality TV, we sat down as a family and said if we’re going to do this, we’d rather show who we are authentically, which means both our good sides and our bad sides,” he says. “We’d rather be imperfectly authentic than curate a perfect image.”
As for their father, both brothers say they remain in regular contact and visit him monthly at the federal prison camp in Yankton, S.D.
“He’s doing as good as he can be for the circumstances,” Cole says. “He’s a very optimistic person, so he’s staying positive.”
Steven says his father’s focus remains on his family, even while serving his sentence.
“The last time I spoke to him, it was probably a week and a half ago,” Steven says. “The man is only concerned with my well-being and how I’m doing emotionally with everything I’ve got going on.”
He adds, “So he’s one heck of a father.”
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New episodes of The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys air every Monday at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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