Contestants shocked by a surprise double elimination on ‘Claim to Fame’ Season 3.
The third season of “Claim to Fame,” co-hosted by Kevin and Franklin Jonas, continues to surprise its audience with unexpected twists.
In the latest episode that aired on July 17, viewers witnessed a dramatic double elimination that left contestants and fans alike in shock.
During the guess off, contestants Jill and Gracie Lou (whose real name is Gracie Hyland) faced a startling twist. The hosts announced that it would be a double elimination, a revelation that caught everyone off guard.
Both guessers, Jill and Gracie Lou, were ultimately sent home after making incorrect guesses, largely due to some strategic maneuvering by their fellow contestants.
Gracie Lou recounted her reaction to the surprise twist in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “It was sickening hearing that,” she said. “My heart dropped to my stomach when I heard [Kevin and Franklin] say that, and I thought, ‘It’s still early, we don’t have any clue really who anyone is.’ I felt very nervous.”
Jill shared similar feelings, expressing her eagerness to stay in the competition. She chose to guess Miguel’s celebrity relative, believing it to be Antonio Banderas—a theory widely supported by the house.
However, Miguel had been collaborating with Dedrick to mislead everyone. Reflecting on her incorrect guess, Jill said, “I was just shocked that I was wrong. I had no clue anything was going on.
I was ‘99% sure’ I was right based on what everyone in the house was telling me. It gave me confidence going into it. And then once I guessed wrong, I was just like, ‘Did I trust too much? Probably.’”
Jill’s celebrity relative was revealed to be her uncle, John Stamos. The cast was surprised by the reveal, but Jill noted several subtle clues around the house that hinted at her connection to Stamos, such as basketball references for his Disney+ show “Big Shot,” Greek yogurt for his Oikos commercials, and a San Francisco trolley for “Full House.”
Despite her disappointment at being eliminated, Jill was uplifted by a sweet video message from her uncle. “It was honestly incredible,” she said.
“Being away from family, being away from my phone while I was there, I built a family with all the cast that was there, but just seeing that little bit of home while I was away was such a heartwarming experience. I’m so happy that I got to have that.”
Gracie Lou faced her elimination after being misled by Naomi about Adam’s celebrity relative, whom she was told was Dustin Hoffman.
This led to her incorrect guess and eventual elimination. Her own celebrity relative was revealed to be her uncle, Jon Cryer.
Gracie Lou shared her thoughts on the betrayal, saying, “I really fully, truly thought I could trust what she said. After the fact, I started to process everything and then realized, ‘Oh, okay, that’s what was going on.’”
Naomi later revealed in a confessional that her relative, hinted at being a Brat Pack princess, had more in common with Gracie Lou’s relative than initially thought, suggesting they might have starred in a notable ‘80s film together. Gracie Lou hinted that she had an idea about Naomi’s relative while on the show.
From the outset, Gracie Lou had been playing a strategic game, crafting a fake persona to make others believe her celebrity relative was in country music. She planned to convince everyone that she was related to Billy Ray Cyrus, leveraging her uncle’s appearance on “Hannah Montana.”
She explained, “My uncle has been on Hannah Montana, so I wouldn’t have to lie about being on set on Hannah Montana. I wanted to separate myself and going into the house, I was like, ‘I can totally be a country girl.’”
Despite her elimination, Gracie Lou cherished a touching moment with her uncle Jon Cryer, who picked her up from the house. Reflecting on this experience, she said, “It felt like such an honor.
He’s such a wonderful person and he’s very involved in my life and always has been. Growing up, watching him just be wonderful and amazing and then getting to share a moment on screen with him and work with him just really is something that I will cherish forever because not a lot of people get to do that with their relatives.”
The latest developments in “Claim to Fame” have certainly kept viewers on the edge of their seats, and with more episodes to come, the surprises are likely far from over.
“Claim to Fame” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
