#66 - Jan. 1, 2017: "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 Katie 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, and Blake (brother of Brandy and Bunky) competes in the U.S. Games in Indianapolis, throwing the javelin.
#67 - Jan. 8, 2017: "North, the Rush Is On"
Miss Hambone organizes a going-away-for-now and reveal party at Rose Pond. In front of family, friends, and neighbors, she asks Beth the baking cousin to bring out a cake that she made. The filling would be purple and green if she chose to go to Louisiana, or two shades of blue and silver if she picked Alaska. It was blue and silver. Hambone explains that she is in love with Gabe Brown and that maybe they can settle down and have children. Also, there is a flashback to the previous spring as the boys battle it out in the fishing derby.
#68 - Jan. 15, 2017: "A New Gig"
Buddy Wayne joins Popeye, Ralph, and cousin Boo Boo in a frog hunt at Rose Pond. The four set traps in order to gig the frogs, or catch them by the legs. Afterward, the frogs are the centerpiece of a delicious dinner; B.W. tells the rest of them, "I wish I had done more of that before, but hey, I should do this more often!" Popeye adds, "That's the good ol' boy I wanted to see all along!" Meanwhile, Bryson collects more stuff for his treehouse, and lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles salute Bunky at a BBQ as he returns from Sydney.
#69 - Jan. 22, 2017: "Punkin' Pie"
So much for Hambone's plans to go to Alaska; at the last minute, she decides that this family farm is more important and decides to stay home. (Reportedly, the real reason is a dispute over who would hold the video rights to film her time together with Gabe.) So with that, she decides to go on a prank trip in the neighborhood with cousins Brookie Barefoot and Sammy Bizzell. They spray much of Meadow with Silly String, toilet paper, and shaving cream; then they end up at an old barn and blow it up with explosives. Brandy and Hylton, meanwhile, settle in at their new home in Greenville where they live with Hylton's parents and brother.
#70 - Jan. 29, 2017: "Statue, No Limitations"
Buddy Wayne has a statue of himself designed and erected. First, he goes to Montreal to meet the designer and approve of his work, then it is on to the Singing Grove in Benson for the dedication. The statue shows him running straight-ahead at full stride with a checkered flag, as he cradles a guitar over the shoulder; this represents the championships and awards he has won as a race-car driver and as a recording artist. Cousin Blake, meanwhile, considers several scholarship offers to play college football.
#71 - Feb. 12, 2017: "Fouled Out?"
(There was no episode the week before due to Super Bowl LI.)
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.
#72 - Feb. 19, 2017: "The Big Project"
Popeye has conducted years of research on all the descendants of local patriarch Miles Vinson "Pink" Barefoot, and now the largest chart ever has been revealed. The 13 residents find out that they have far-ranging ancestors and descendants, hundreds(!) of them in some cases. This leads to the recognition of new accomplishments by cousins, among them: Katie Lynn's career as a movie actress, Silas Surles competing in athletic meets against fellow police officers, and Boo Boo's life as a professional lumberjack.
#73 - Mar. 5, 2017: "Use Your Noodle"
(There was no episode the week before due to the 89th Academy Awards.)
Hylton Tripp teaches Brandy a new fishing style called noodling, in which fish are caught with bare hands and reaching into the fish's mouth. She thinks it is "downright disgusting," but is willing to play along for the sake of the relationship. In addition: Buddy Wayne wins the appeal of the athletic department ruling and can continue to play for the Meadow Indians in the upcoming basketball season, Popeye and Annie debut as a team in contract bridge, and uncle Oliver's design of the irrigation system for all the local farms earns him recognition from the state of North Carolina.
(Photo of Amanda Barefoot and Jared McLamb courtesy of Ken Tart Photography via Facebook)
#74 - Mar. 12, 2017: "It's Fair Game"
Several family members go to the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. Buddy Wayne takes Ellie and Mildred, the farm's primary source of dairy products, for contest judging and demonstrations. A case of bovine "stage fright" could cost Ellie in the show cow contest, while Mildred gains her own celebrity status. But that's nothing compared to Miss Hambone, who is crowned "redneck queen" in front of the largest crowd in fair history. Finally, Bunky plays "pied piper" as he continues his one-man band career and promotes his new album.
#75 - Mar. 19, 2017: "Ain't No Moonshine"
As part of the clan returns from Raleigh, B.W. sees a new use for all the briar corn he's harvested: Mash some of it up and mix with sugar to create what he bills as a non-alcoholic version of moonshine. "It looks like booze, it tastes like booze, but it's not booze," he boasts. However, when he gives it to Hambone to taste, she's not impressed: "This is a sad version of the real thing!" B.W. is disappointed because he thought 'Bone had kicked the habit. "I'll keep trying," he insists. Also, the Barefoots accept a donation of a bush that produces a berry called mayhaw from the Robertsons, who are paying back the family after Hambone had visited them twice, once to tape Duck Dynasty and then a separate hunting trip. Finally, the family tastes goat milk that Popeye had made during the cows' trip to Raleigh.
#76 - Mar. 26, 2017: "Battle of Legends"
With the battle over B.W.'s eligibility resolved, it's on to a basketball showdown against Bud Strickland and Four Oaks in a nationally-televised game. This time, Four Oaks wins, but B.W. counts the experience as the most important. Meanwhile, another clan member goes overseas, as Blake is a rookie on the professional darts circuit and qualifies for the PDC World Championship at Royal Alexander Hall in London.
#77 - Apr. 2, 2017: "Snow Day"
#78 - Apr. 9. 2017: "That's Not My Name"
Belinda calls the entire house in to witness an "emergency meeting" of all her dolls. There, she discloses that "Little Jill Horner," her actress doll, is just a stage name and that her real name is Anna Maria McMarrmiller. And that's not all: Anna says she hates acting and got into it only because she wanted the money and fame that came with the job. "In my heart, I want to stay home, work on my garden, and raise kids. I am done with Hollywood!" Buddy Wayne and Bobby Ray are moved by Belinda's story, because that's what their own lives are all about. In addition, B.W. surprises a radio station's Christmas party with a performance, Annie looks for a dog at an adoption event hosted by her niece Melinda, and Bryson learns how to play basketball and joins the school team.
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