Season 7
#49 - Jan. 4, 2015: "Back Home"
The Barefoots return home from their New Jerusalem show and find there is a lot to do to catch up, and plans to make for the future. Buddy Wayne thanks participants on the latest season of BMN Superfan for helping out with the chores during their absence and congratulated Aubrey Graham for winning the contest; he also updates plans to bring the entire extended clan together in Meadow. Braylor McPatter delivers several awards for Dixie Rising; "Best Overall Performance," "Best Command Performance" (turns out Jesus was watching after all), and "Best Breakout Act" for Hambone. At the end of the show, a holler comes over from a few yards away; who could it be - and why?
#50 - Jan. 11, 2015: "Extreme Makeover Meadow Edition"
It turns out that the holler came from Popeye's brother Labell, and it was to tell everyone that he, his wife Allene, and their 20(!) children need a new house to replace two trailer parks at which they have lived. Needless to day, the project is huge and they need as much help as possible to build it. B.W. and Popeye immediately adjourn to discuss the plans for renovation. Shortly after that, the clan attends Brandy's dance recital at Lena Peacock's school in Meadow; here we meet Hylton Tripp, a man in his mid-20s from Greenville and East Carolina University graduate with a clear down-home lifestyle away from the dance floor.
#51 - Jan. 18, 2015: "Brawl Game"
While visiting her parents' house, Annie is invited to look at old photographs of their relatives as athletes. To her horror, one of the items placed in a scrapbook is a picture of Annie's mother wearing a basketball uniform with the word "BULL B**CHES." She explains that the Beasley family had a team in a church league decades ago, but Annie is offended. She takes the news back to the house, and B.W. organizes an all-star softball team - called the "Blackies" or black bears - to challenge the Beasleys. Annie decides to cheer on Harvey and his teammates on the clan team, which causes a major argument in the stands before the game. During it, the benches clear after fast-pitch ace Juanita Beasley hits Harvey with a pitch. However, just two innings later, he gets his revenge with a game-tying home run. Still down two in the last inning, Robert (grandson of distant relative "Rack") has a single and RBI to tie the score. Beth then comes up and hits a fly ball dropped by a nephew of Annie. Two runs score and the Blackies win!
#52 - Jan. 25, 2015: "The Makeover Begins"
Work on Labell's family's new dwelling begins. Popeye and Harvey waste no time in planning and building the entire project and dozens of family and friends jump on board in the Southern equivalent of a "barn raising." Hambone, ever the tomboy, joins the crew that's otherwise all-male. Meanwhile, Bryson makes his debut playing for the school's flag football team, and Pink and his wife Elinor show off all eight of their children, contrasting their daily lives with those of subsequent generations.
#53 - Feb. 8, 2015: "Move That Bus!"
(There was no episode the previous week due to Super Bowl XLIX.)
Labell's new dwelling is finally ready! There is a huge celebration that brings the extended Barefoot family together again. B.W. sings and plays guitar, Hambone does an original performance called "Carolina Slappin'," Hambone's friend Bellamy Wood sings a country hit song, teacher Noah Barefoot reads poetry, and cousin Beth serves a huge cake. "This is better than I ever could have imagined," marvels Labell. (The entire episode is done as a tribute to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which aired on ABC from 2003 to 2012; the episode title has to do with how the finished projects were revealed.)
#54 - Feb. 15, 2015: "Meet Our Hidden Families"
Ralph, Harvey, and Hambone reveal that they were husbands and parents in their previous lives, and make trips to see them. Ralph goes to the Batten Farm in Selma to see his wife, Ellender, and their three teenage children. He recounts his ministry trips around the world and teaches the Batten children how to farm using the traditional methods he learned overseas and at home. Harvey, who was a husband, father, and grandfather, sees his wife Rena Stephenson and other relatives at their home in Elevation. Finally, Hambone shares the heartbreak of giving up on having a family after a miscarriage and a stillbirth; when doctors couldn't figure why they occurred, she gave up on having a family of her own. Instead, she threw herself into her work, and spent the last 18 years before the Rapture working for Johnston County Public Schools. There is also footage of the ceremony a few years back at which she received her GED (high-school equivalency degree).
#55 - Mar. 1, 2015: "The World Is Waiting"
(There was no episode the previous week due to the 87th Academy Awards.)
Brandy and Bunky get the good news: They've been cast for The Amazing Race, CBS' long-standing reality TV series! As they pack up for the start of the season, Ralph holds a special service to pray for their well-being as they travel and compete. Brandy admits to high expectations for the team: "If we don't win this season, we'll call it a failure." But the rest of the clan is not to be outdone: Jennifer begins work on the second book in the Ella Littlebridge series, Hambone turns Halloween into a friends' night out, and Bryson scores his first touchdown in flag football.
#56 - Mar. 8, 2015: "Broken 'Bone"
B.W. orders the entire clan to come together for an emergency meeting. He reveals that Hambone has accumulated too many unexcused absences from the farm over the last several months, and has forgotten to glorify God in her work. As a result, he announces, Hambone is no longer part of the Barefoot Family Farm and is being told to leave immediately. The entire house is stunned, then 'Bone thanks everyone for the time she has spent at the farm and leads a prayer for the remaining 12. B.W. invites her to return at any time for non-work purposes. Before then, the Barefoot Boys have their first full performance at a church revival in nearby Bentonville, while the entire Barefoot Mommas' Club - 24 strong! - have a meeting and photo shoot.
Season 8
#57 - Jul. 5, 2015: "One Wrong Turn"
The family members leave the farm temporarily to go on their version of the Amish rumspringa - in which they leave the farm to participate in modern activities. Harvey makes his debut as a mixed martial arts performer at Smithfield-Selma High School. Brenda participates in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus at PNC Arena in Raleigh, but first attends "clown college" in Florida. Bobby Ray, Jennifer, and Belinda are in New York City to see the memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks. Finally, Brandy and Bunky's dream appearance on The Amazing Race comes to an end when they are eliminated after five legs of the 11 that were run. It doesn't help that another team U-turns them, forcing them to complete both detours.
#58 - Jul. 12, 2015: "Stockings and Lumps of Coal"
Buddy Wayne goes on a "grand Christmas tour" with his wife Brittany Spears and their daughter Lizzie. They go ice-skating at Rockefeller Center in New York; see a Christkindlmarkt in the Bavarian Alps, and visit the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. During the trip, Popeye takes over the farm with the help of some of his siblings and cousins; they take over the annual Xmas celebration with the McLamb Madrigals and "Santa" (Popeye himself). Also, Hambone goes on a national tour, with two fellow body-percussion artists, that had already been scheduled. Once she returns, she cries while looking back at the place she no longer works at.
#59 - Jul. 19, 2015: "Saved by the Bell"
Hambone returns to Camp Paradise, where owner Bud Strickland welcomes her back in. She throws herself more into her work at the camp, which includes the first pay-per-view card of her United Championship Wrestling promotion. It's a night of incredible matches, climaxing with a once-in-a-lifetime finish to the main event match - Leaping Lanny beats One Man Gang after a belly flop from near the roof of the arena! Also, the spring planting season begins and Annie introduces pawpaw trees, which are said to produce fruit much like bananas. Finally, Belinda makes a Little Jill Horner doll that visits the dollhouse for "acting lessons."
#60 - Jul. 26, 2015: "We Are the Good Pirates"
As a reward for the students at the Overshot school, including Bryson and Belinda, at the end of the year, Popeye organizes a cruise of Rose Pond and a mock pirate attack. The unsuspecting victims are actually Kate Lynn (a fourth cousin of some of the residents) and other professional actors. After the "invasion," LaRayne McLamb (another fourth cousin) performs for the children at a nearby house. Meanwhile, B.W., Belinda, Bryson and Amy (cousin of B.W. and Bryson's school crush) go to Bentonville to visit a petting zoo and watch pig races; while B.W. is out, Hambone has the idea of blowing up the car he got for Christmas at the end of season 1, as revenge for being fired from the farm; she says it's just "redneck logic."
#61 - Aug. 2, 2015: "Fame and Fortune"
Hambone is lured back into the house to join the others as a surprise announcement takes place: Buddy Wayne has been given a special induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame! The next day, they accept congratulations while they play at the Bud Strickland Golf Classic at the Country Club of Smithfield. The brothers, as expected, have generally a rough go in their debuts as golfers, but Dennis Herring (an uncle) carries the team in the event. The Barefoot Mommas' Club's latest party celebrates the height of British power in the Victorian age of the late-19th century. Finally, Ralph lives out his fantasy as the superhero "Buck Hunter" in a photo shoot.
#62 - Aug. 9, 2015: "Fouled Out?"
Buddy gets shocking news: He has been ruled ineligible for the Meadow-area basketball team, for which he had just agreed to be a full-time player and assistant coach. It's based on him having grown up in Benson; the county's director of athletics declares he can only play for that team. Now, his entire career depends on his appeal to the director and the rest of the board. Also, Popeye reveals his portrait of John Noah, the nearest common ancestor of most of the residents of the Barefoot Family Farm; and his wife Annie unveils plans for the second Ella Nellie Bell Littlebridge novel. At the end of the show, Hambone shows video of her stealing B.W.'s car and announcing that the explosion will take place live at a bonfire barbeque in two weeks.
#63 - Aug. 16, 2015: "Countdown to Blowdown"
Planning for the bonfire barbeque starts in earnest, as Hambone and his family and friends send invitations to those from the extended clan, cast members from other BMN shows, and some other fans. Hambone takes a break from planning to accept an honor from the Carolina Mudcats minor-league baseball team, for which she worked as an usher many years ago. Meanwhile, Belinda is named "Student of the Year" among all one-room schoolhouse students in Johnston County.
#64 - Aug. 23, 2015: "Bonfire BBQ Live/You're Re-Hired!"
For the first time, there is a live episode, taking place at the Mingo Mud Bog in Sampson County. As guests enjoy a barbeque dinner, the Barefoot Boys, LaRayne McLamb, and Brother Love & Peggy Sue perform, and a history of the car is presented. That was supposed to be followed by the detonation of the show car B.W. received for Christmas. Instead, B.W. orders a halt, apologizes for his earlier decision, and effectively re-hires Hambone with a generous work contract. She will have four months off for outreach followup and special shows around the world, and in addition she will have her own guest room to which she can invite younger family members and her friends. The only condition: "You still have to clean the poop and milk Mildred every day," B.W. insists. Of course, Hambone accepts the offer right away, and the show ends.
#65 - Aug. 30, 2015: "Goin' Big"
Highlights of all the family's special events so far are presented with new commentary from the farm residents. They include holiday celebrations, B.W.'s vow renewal ceremony, the New Jerusalem show, and the near-explosion of the Christmas car.
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