Top Five Reba Episodes

Unless you've been living under a (B)rock, you know country queen and icon Reba McEntire had a hit sitcom on TV . . . and I'm not talking about Malibu Country. Reba played the titular character Reba on the show REBA from 2001 - 2007. She played a single mom who worked two jobs, AND NEVER STOPPED! And ouu-wee, this lil gay boy fell deeply in love with Fancy Rae Baker (or Reba if you nasty).

I’ve seen all six seasons at least 1000 times. ACTUALLY it’s five and a half seasons. They couldn’t even give REBA a full final season. Even though the finale was watched by 8.7 Million people! BUT I DIGRESS. 

In my first year at University I began watching REBA from start to finish every night, and this continued until the “Great REBA YouTube Blackout of 2016”, when YouTube deleted the episodes because of copyright. But in my dorm room I would plug my headphones in and watch episode after episode in my single bed, while my roommate Tom did Hetero Things (yes, they put two Tom's in the same room). I know Reba can relate, cuz in Season 2 Episode 15 Seeing Red, Barbra Jean gets her hair done in Reba’s ICONIC style and, let’s just say, hilarity ensues.

So what I’m trying to say is . . . I know Reba, and if you need something to binge watch during the BIG Q look no further than Reba’s 127 episodes! Here is my run down of the TOP 5 REBA EPISODES, IMO! 

5. Season 4 Episode 16 Who Killed Brock 

BJ (Barbra Jean, the partner of Reba’s ex Brock) gets a new dog which she obviously names after her husband. What did you expect from a woman who owns 5000 beanie-babies?  For some reason BJ lets Reba dog-sit, leaving Reba with a list of rules that includes not letting Brock the Dog outside. Reba let's Brock the Dog outside after the yorkie somehow jumps four feet up from the floor to the counter (pretty cool if you ask me). Meanwhile, BJ goes to a psychic (Dallas, Texas is known for the best psychics) and she becomes convinced that someone in the family killed Brock the Dog). The next 20 minutes are jam packed with whodunit flashbacks and SICK HAWK JOKES!  

4. Season 6 Episode 8 As We Forgive Those 

In Season Six, BJ is working at the local TV station as a weather girl under the name Stormy Clearweather. When a young trainee, played by Kelly Clarkson, shows up, BJ fears she will steal her job, and brings her to Reba. At first Reba adores Kelly*, but quickly realizes she is just a BJ 2.0 (if anyone can figure how to do a BJ 2.0, let me know, could be fun). So, by logic, if Reba loves Kelly she should love BJ (whom she still resents her for boinkin’ her husband). A real From Justin to Kelly moment. In the secondary story of this episode, Van and Cheyenne Montgomery (Reba’s son-in-law and daughter) have to find a way to break the promise Cheyenne made when she was younger to name her first son Brock. SELFISH, BROCK! You already had a dog named after you. 

*FUN FACT: Kelly Clarkson is the world's nicest stalker IRL. She loved Reba (IRL) so much she married her son. So Reba (IRL) is Kelly Clarkson’s (IRL) mother-in-law (IRL).

3. Season 6 Episode 1 Let's Get Physical  

There is A LOT to unpack in this season opener. BJ comes back with a huge weight loss, Adele-styles, and Reba is suddenly worried about her own weight gain. So YES, THEY PUT HER IN A FAT SUIT IN A DREAM SEQUENCE - yay the early 2000’s! But the real Drama is the return of Reba’s daughter Kyra, played by Scarlett Pomers, who returns after inexplicably leaving the show mid-way through Season 4 (the actress went to rehab for an eating disorder). Like, they don't EVER address the fact that their daughter is gone for over a year and half. No boarding school storyline or anything. It was reported that this was what Reba wanted because “she (Scarlett) was going to come back”. And she did. In her first scene on this episode she leaves the kitchen and Van asks her ‘Where she has been?’ and Kyra replies, “Getting something to eat.” WILD!!!!! 

2. Season 3 Episode 4 The Big Fix Up

This episode is the third to feature gay icon Leslie Jordan’s character, Terry. Reba’s ready to wring Barbara Jean's neck after BJ secretly plans a blind date for her favourite redhead with Terry. The cherry on top is that BJ and Brock are gonna tag along on the date. Why? Like, why would this ever happen? But we, the audience, choose to just GO WITH IT. Reba does, cuz Fancy was her name after all. In a previous episode, Terry had won “Football Lessons” from Van. Van thinks Terry is gay and doesn’t want to give the “Football Lessons” to him - another early 2000’s WIN! The tables are turned when Terry Ru-veals that he wanted the “Football Lessons” to connect with his son and wife, but he doesn’t want them from Van cause he looks and dresses like a “Mary”. GAY RIGHTS!!! I loved my time in “Football Lessons”. 

1. Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot

Wanna cry? Then this is the episode for you. We see Reba’s life BLOW-UP Hindenburg styles when she learns that both her 17-year-old daughter Cheyenne and the mistress of her estranged husband BJ, are pregnant. After Van is evicted from his parents house, he proposes to Cheyenne and they move in with Reba. Reba struggles to plan an AT HOME shotgun wedding and for some reason Brock’s ONLY JOB is to bring ice. PS if you haven't seen the bloopers of Reba saying the word “ICE”, you need to live more. Brock shows up to the wedding with more than ice, and Reba gives us a EGOT worthy performance (we failed her by letting this show flop). Thanks a lot, the mainstream media. 

Learn more about Reba here.

-Tom Hearn