BUNKY, 15
Britton Lee "Bunky" Barefoot grew up as a thoroughly-modern kid in Raleigh as Brandy's sister. he followed B.W., B.R., and Brandy to Baldrige Island. (B.R. and Brandy stayed on the island for only a few months each, while B.W. and Bunky were there much longer.) After making his RWA debut at age 13, he won the championship there at age 16. Just three years later, back in the U.S., he won the title in what is now the Camping World Truck Series.
Bunky has found his new life on the farm to be a challenge. He has had to wean off his addiction to high-tech television, cell phones, and Internet, and also had to give up his dream of living a glamorous life in a cosmopolitan city (Monte Carlo, New York City, and Las Vegas were his favorite places). Worse, he has been given the worst jobs on the farm, as God, through guardian angel Mary Elizabeth McBiddlewhiskers, is punishing him for taking his Christianity for granted. (An example is when he dressed up as a pimp at the truck series awards banquet and carried two women on his arm.)
He (and Hambone) are responsible for cleaning sewage and wastes produced by the farm and making sure they are disposed of in a way that does not affect the farm's natural beauty or its water supply. However, Bunky is allowed some free time for one of his passions: playing the drums, which has expanded to a new act called B.O.M.B., for Bunky the One-Man Band.
Fun fact: The original plan of Daniel and Laurie was to name him (her) Brittany, but a mixup on the ultrasound made it appear to be a girl when it was actually a boy.
Avatar: Brandon Davidson, contestant on season 13 of The Amazing Race. Davidson and his partner finished third.
BELINDA, 9
Belinda Marie Barefoot is the family's young genius. The only child of Bobby Ray and Jennifer, Belinda created the Little Jill Horner series of children's books. In that series, Horner is a famous Hollywood child actress who grows up into a mature celebrity, but only after going through rehab. That subject matter, although familiar, is far advanced for someone Belinda's age, and it was also rewarding: Belinda is the youngest author ever to reach the best-seller list of The New York Times.
For a time, however, her writing career - and in fact her entire life - was in jeopardy. Some months after she was born, Belinda contracted both appendicitis and meningitis. She was temporarily deaf and was prone to infections. For a time, she was even sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where doctors used state-of-the-art therapy to heal those conditions. This resulted in Bobby Ray leaving NASCAR for most of a season.
In school, Belinda, who can read at a eighth-grade level, counts world geography, social studies, and mathematics as her favorite subjects. Away from school, she loves to play with dolls and collect butterflies.
Fun fact #1: Belinda has given some of her dolls ridiculous names like Benjamin Jeremiah Boogerberger, Priscilla Peterpotterpiper, and Sarah Michelle MacSmelliefoote.
Fun fact #2: A chance meeting with Brandon McLamb, her uncle B.W.'s publicist, led to the idea behind the Little Jill Horner books.
Avatar: Addison (last name unavailable), niece of one of my Facebook friends Deb Holmes. (For more information on how Holmes has helped in my life, see this posting.)
BRYSON, 7
When Gone Barefoot, the new reality television show about life in the farm house, debuted on Jan. 1, 2012, Brenda uttered what instantly became one of the most memorable lines in recent TV history. It was Brenda's shrieking reaction when she saw what was supposed to be her first child: "My Bryson is back!"
Bryson Hoyt Barefoot (born Lockamy) did live in the previous world, but not for long. Bryson died in infancy only two weeks after he was born, having never left an incubator. Brenda had gotten pregnant with Bryson when Brenda was only 15 years old; he was impregnated by a high-school classmate. After much debate, Brenda decided to keep the baby, with promises to give Bryson up for adoption, instead of getting an abortion. Of course, that never happened.
But the New Earth is a place for second chances, and Bryson can now take advantage of one of them. B.W. has become his constant companion, teaching him all about the family and the outside world. Bryson has become a lively chatterbox, with his favorite expressions being "Am I a good country boy?" and "I'm a cowboy." As the latter indicates, he is a fan of Western movies and pop culture. Bryson also spends lots of time in a custom-made treehouse, built by Harvey with design input from B.W.
Avatar: Unknown male, photographed by Thomas McCabe
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