Suits and Muck Boots: Putting the Fabulous into Farming

This last week, those Beekman Boys, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge headed to Los Angeles for the Television Critics Association Press Tour to introduce the new docu-series, “The Fabulous Beekman Boys.”

The Fabulous Beekman Boys is a funny and irreverent peek into Brent and Josh’s world as they shuck their New York City suits and trade them in for muck boots in order to create the organic lifestyle brand, ‘Beekman 1802.’

The series, slated to premiere on June 16 (9:00 p.m. eastern) on Discovery Channel’s Plant Green, provides an interesting and oft times amusing look into Josh and Brent’s unique relationship, their desire to create a business and transform their lives. “Watching it unfold in real time is hilarious and entertaining,” said Laura Michalchyshyn, Planet Green’s Health and Fit TV President and General Manager. “Brent is the quintessential type A personality with a ‘my way or the highway’ attitude while Josh is a laid back, genteel kind of guy who spends weekends on the farm but is still commuting to work in the city during the week.”

I’ve had to sit on my hands and not talk about the series since our visit to the farm last fall during the Harvest Festival (timing is everything…). David and I witnessed first-hand the series filming at the farm and at the Harvest Festival as we sold our supporting line of “Beekman Basics” to festival attendees next to Brent and Josh, who were giving samples of Beekman BLAAK.  We had the  pleasure of meeting the great production team from World of Wonder Productions who actually, were some of our best customers!

top:  shirts, hats, and eco-totes are still available!

bottom:  Josh and Brent serve up samples of Beekman BLAAK

Plant Green released a synopsis for a few of the upcoming episodes:

When Pigs Fly - Episode 101

With Josh still living in the city to earn a paycheck and Brent living full time at the farm to launch their organic lifestyle brand, the couple tries to make the most of their weekends together on the farm. Brent and Josh welcome two new residents to their growing family as they bring home a pair of baby pigs who seem more than a bit reluctant to join the Beekman menagerie. Later, Josh asks Brent to come into the city for the first reading of his new book, but Brent says he's too busy with the business and Josh is left disappointed. Personal feelings are quickly put aside after Polka Spot, the llama, appears to have become ill after her feeding. Brent's calm doctor skills take over, while Josh sets off in a panic, only to later discover that the llama was simply sunning herself. Josh heads back to the city for the week and has a successful first reading of his book as he recounts the first time he met Brent's former boss, Martha Stewart. When Josh returns to the farm looking forward to a relaxing weekend, Brent has other plans in mind and immediately sets off to do work. Josh can't handle the fact that Brent has turned their weekend getaway into a business and Brent reminds Josh that they have committed to a year of sacrifice to get their company up and running. But Josh threatens that he'd rather not have a business at all if it means having to sacrifice their relationship in the process.

Beekmanpalooza - Episode 102

In order to bring attention and business to Sharon Springs, as well as to the burgeoning Beekman brand, Brent plans a Harvest Weekend. The 3-day event includes a garden party on the Beekman property, a harvest festival in the village and a feast at the American Hotel. Brent stresses out Josh and Farmer John, wanting to make sure everything will go off as perfectly planned and Josh laments that Brent has no idea how to throw a good party. The garden party goes off without a hitch, but the question of whether people will actually show up to the festival still looms. Josh exchanges his farming attire for an outfit more appropriate for debuting their new Beekman cheese at the harvest festival, while Brent frets about the poor attendance. Eventually, the crowds turn out and the festival is a success. At the harvest feast, Josh is dismayed when Brent announces he didn't get them reservations to the gourmet dinner, because he wanted to sell out all the tickets. Brent and Josh resort to eating a less-than farm fresh meal, but still find that the weekend was, in its own way, pretty perfect.

Unhappy Birthday - Episode 103

Josh heads home to the Beekman from NYC looking forward to his 40th birthday weekend on the farm. But because Brent has agreed to host the first-ever wedding at the Beekman, Josh's birthday is put on the back burner. Josh has a hard time accepting that the weekend won't be all about him and he freezes Brent out, but his anger is overshadowed by sympathy when the ominous weather threatens to ruin the bride's special day. Brent and Josh pitch in to help with the ceremony, and Josh confesses that his disappointment lies less in the fact that he didn't get a birthday party, and more in that another couple is getting married at the Beekman before themselves. In the end, the wedding goes off without a hitch and Brent gets back into Josh's good graces with a birthday present that truly takes Josh by surprise.

“We believe that a farm can be much larger than its fences. If someone told us that we’d trade in New York City for eighty goats, two pigs, a dozen chickens and a narcissistic llama, we would have told them they were crazy,” said Brent and Josh. “It turns out that we are.”