‘Claim to Fame’ season 3 review: A mystery game that found its rhythm

It’s a villain uprising in the Claim to Fame Season 3 house. After all was said and done, the house target walked away with the grand prize and correctly guessed the remaining two celebrity connections. It’s a surprising finish for what has been a competitive and captivating third season of ABC’s underrated reality TV gem. In a game of uncovering true identities, the season’s “villain” defied the house and put the pieces together, even when everyone was against him. Claim to Fame has shown yet again that there isn’t a perfect formula to win its game – all that matters is who solves the riddles first and gets in the power position.

The clue to success

Season 3 of Claim to Fame covered many of the same improvements and changes that were enacted during the second season. The same mansion was used, the clue wall was created in color, some fan-favorite games were carried over, and the bottle clues kept the same challenging spirit. Along with the returning elements, like the competitive mindset and the dynamic casting, Claim to Fame Season 3 had all the elements of a fantastic season … and it didn’t squander any of it! The third season was a fun and surprising edition that showcased how Claim to Fame could be when it finds its rhythm. Plus, with Frankie and Kevin Jonas returning as hosts, there was some cheeky charm that uplifted the serious game elements too.

Unlike the newbie round of Claim to Fame Season 1, the players during Season 2 and Season 3 all respected how competitive the game could be. For those unfamiliar with the game, Claim to Fame focuses on contestants keeping their celebrity connection (e.g., their parents, cousins, siblings, etc.) a secret, while also uncovering the connections of their competition. Just like The Circle, the players can lie about their facts and come up with new personas about themselves to throw others off the scent. For example, Gracie Lou made up an entire country music background so that she could hide her celebrity’s acting history. This tactic is just the tip of the iceberg; I love that Claim to Fame inspires players to think outside of the box and consider any theories while investigating the clues. Besides a few stragglers, the contestants of Claim to Fame Season 3 were dynamic, competitive, and created good TV.

Also, we need to shout out the clues and connections that popped up this season. They were tough to solve! Not every celebrity was a world-renowned A+-lister who was obvious with one or two clues. Sure, they were famous and very recognizable, but the clues didn’t give themselves away so easily. Claim to Fame did a great job making it feel like a challenge for both the contestants and viewers at home. And just like The Mole, part of the fun of Claim to Fame is playing again and trying to uncover the celebrity connections. The hints from the clue wall and during the challenges added to the mystery. This is the third season of the series and the contestants/viewers are getting used to the game. Season 3 felt like it heightened the competition to match our growth with the show.

Connecting the web of clues

One great aspect of this was the Clue Wall. Having many of the clues possibly connect to multiple contestants increased the paranoia and dread. The scenes where players heard someone else theorizing about their celebrity or picking out a clue that related to their celebrity kicked up the tension immensely. You never could quite know if they would get it right or wrong. The moment when Adam was toying with Mackenzie and blatantly calling out her clues? Jaw-dropping. The times Miguel let the others follow the wrong path? Hilarious. The clue wall played a very important part during Season 3; it should never be taken away.

A new update this time around was the improvement in the editing. Claim to Fame experimented with flashbacks and recall elements to add to the storytelling. It’s a common trope infused before dramatic moments, but it was interesting to see how it was used in this type of reality TV game. For example, the callback to when Gracie Lou shared her Naomi clue right before her elimination, which led to the guesser correctly eliminating Naomi later on. It’s simple editing twists like these that breathe so much life and energy into the episodes. We need more moments like these to spice up the game and how we follow along with the story.

Making the wrong guess

One big drawback to Claim to Fame Season 3 was that the season felt more like a victory of failure instead of a solved investigation. What I mean by this is that more people got eliminated by incorrectly guessing celebrity connections rather than correctly guessing the answers. Don’t get me wrong, I love the challenging aspect of the clues – it’s one of the benefits mentioned above! However, as compared to the previous two seasons, Season 3 was the weakest in terms of investigative wins. It feels like a hollow victory when the majority of players are eliminating themselves and the correct answers happen too close to the end. There should be an incentive for the group if the guesser gets it correct, instead of only surviving elimination. This win would push them all to hone all their skills and pay attention to every clue.

Speaking of the clues, Claim to Fame needs to make the clues and celebrity connections more equitable across the board. By nature, some celebrities have more recognizable pieces that could tie to their identities, while others can slip through the cracks. For instance, Naomi’s clues were more obvious to her celebrity connection. On the other hand, Adam’s clues were harder to decipher – if it wasn’t for him making it to the end, he barely had any major clues that pointed to his connection. It doesn’t seem fair in some regards when certain contestants have more well-known connections still in mainstream pop culture and others can rely on the time periods to hide.

Claim to Fame Season 3 found its rhythm for what the game could be. It had plenty of fun games, complex clues, and competitive contestants vying for the prize. The riddles made the game feel challenging and fun, and the contestants embraced the spirit of the game. The same nagging hindrances were still present this time around, but even with them in the mix, the third season was an enjoyable watch and mystery to solve.

Claim to Fame Season 3 is available to stream now on ABC and HULU.