Kristi McBee is opening up about her evolving relationship with her ex-husband, Steven McBee Sr., as new episodes of Bravo’s “The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys” follow his final days before he reports to prison.
In season 3, episode 2, the McBee family matriarch reflected on how much her relationship with Steve has changed since their 2021 divorce. The episode comes as Steve prepares to begin his prison sentence after pleading guilty to federal crop insurance fraud.
Despite their contentious split, Kristi said time has helped her move beyond the difficult moments of their marriage.
Kristi McBee Says Her Relationship With Steve Has Changed
During the episode, Kristi agreed to deliver steaks to Steve’s home on behalf of Kacie Adkison, a gesture that highlighted the more cordial dynamic they share today.
“My relationship with Steve, you know, I’m the mother of his kids, I’m the grandma to his grandkids,” Kristi explained in a confessional. “I did a lot of reflecting on our lives and, you know, tried to get past the turmoil, the bad times, and remember who he is… We’re friends.”
Kristi acknowledged that she would feel comfortable going directly to Steve if she had concerns, including after his girlfriend, Masha Petrova, contacted her requesting a private conversation.
“I want to call him and be like, ‘What does she want? Like, why is she contacting me? What is she wanting me to do?'” Kristi said while speaking with Kacie and daughter-in-law Alli McBee.
Tension With Masha Petrova Sparks Another Difficult Conversation
The episode also revisited ongoing tension between Petrova and members of the McBee family.
Kristi found herself defending Galyna Saltkovska, the McBee Farm & Cattle Co. chief financial officer and Steve’s former partner.
As she explained, Saltkovska and Petrova were once close friends before Petrova began dating Steve.
“Steve and Galyna were together. Then, Galyna was helping Masha out. They were friends, very good friends. And then [Masha] and Steve got together,” Kristi said.
She also questioned Petrova’s motives.
“One thing Galyna does, she shows up. But Masha, she doesn’t care about my family. She cares about one thing, and that’s getting Steve.”
Kristi later suggested that Petrova’s actions were motivated by her conflict with Saltkovska.
“The only thing she cared about was making Galyna mad and showing Galyna that she’s with Steve,” Kristi said. “Why do I have to get involved in this stuff with these women?”
Why She Doesn’t Want Steve’s Girlfriends Involved in Family Matters
When Kristi arrived at Steve’s lodge to deliver the steaks, she was surprised to find Petrova there waiting to speak with her.
During their conversation, Petrova denied being concerned about Kristi’s friendship with Steve and suggested that much of the tension between them came from misunderstandings.
By Petrova’s account, the issues stemmed from an “extreme amount of miscommunication.”
She also said she was “hoping for a better relationship with the family” moving forward.
While the discussion appeared civil, Kristi made it clear that she prefers to keep some distance from Steve’s romantic relationships.
“I don’t need to have all [Steve Sr.’s] girlfriends brought into my life,” she told producers. “Just because he brought her into his life … they don’t have to come into my life.”
Kristi McBee Built Her Own Business Following the Divorce
While much of season 3 focuses on family dynamics and Steve’s legal troubles, Kristi has also established herself as a successful business owner since the couple’s divorce.
The former couple ended their 28-year marriage in 2021, and Kristi has since taken control of her own professional future. She currently serves as president of Lan-Tel Communications, a company she acquired after the divorce.
In an interview with Bravo, Kristi described the challenges she faced when she took over the business.
“[The business] was maxed out in its line of credit, we were getting shut off from vendors, our reputation was horrible,” she said.
Rather than walk away from the struggling company, Kristi brought in a trusted partner and worked to rebuild it.
“We basically spent the first 12 to 15 months digging ourselves out. We’ve grown the business three times the size it was,” she said.
According to business databases including RocketReach, Lan-Tel Communications generates millions of dollars in annual revenue. Estimates range from roughly $18.9 million to more than $55 million annually, depending on the source.
New episodes of “The McBee Dynasty” premiere Monday nights on Bravo. They are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
