WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT CLAIM TO FAME SEASON 3!Claim to Fameseason 3 contestantAdam won the $100,000 grand prize and was revealed to be Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Michael Bolton’s nephew. Hosted by Kevin and Franklin Jonas,Claim to Fameseason 3 featured 11 celebrity relatives trying to figure out each other’s identities while keeping their own secret. They included Bianca (Robin Roberts), Jill (John Stamos), Gracie Lou (Jon Cryer), Miguel (Jamie Lee Curtis), Naomi (Molly Ringwald), Dedrick (Michael Jackson), and Danny (Marc Anthony).
During the two-partyClaim to Fameseason 3finale, the final four contestants' celebrity relatives were revealed. They included Shane, who was revealed to be the late actor and activist Marlon Brando’s grandson, and Mackenzie, who was shown to be country singer and actor Trace Adkins' daughter. Runner-up Hud was revealed to be singer John Mellencamp’s son.Adam was crowned the winner after correctly guessing both Mackenzie and Hud in the final guess-off. Here are the clues that revealed that he was related to Michael.
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Adam’s Claim To Fame Season 3 Clues
Adam Noticed The Lightning Bolt On The Clue Wall Early On
During theClaim to FameTrue Truths and a Lie game,Adam revealed that his celebrity relative’s greatest award was a Grammy. TheClaim to FameInstagram page gave the rest of his information, including that his celebrity relative is his uncle, who’s an actor. Later in the episode, during the talent show,Adam shared that he’s excited about singing and sharing his music, but he wasn’t going to do it because his singing voice sounds just like his celebrity relative’s, who’s a singer. He called it a “dead giveaway.“Adam played with a hackey sack, acted, and played the drums instead.
After Miguel andBianca were in the bottom two,Adam said that Bianca grew up around the 1980s and 1990s, so she might be able to figure out who he was. This was another strong clue about his celebrity relative. However, when combined with the other hints, the most telling clue from the premiere was whenAdam saw a lightning bolt on the Clue Wall. He said that it was his clue.
DuringClaim to Fameseason 3 episode 3, Adam made a comment that Shane seemed to be on the older side, so he might be able to guess his celebrity relative. In addition, during the game of telephone, the contestants had to memorize and recite two limericks to retell them correctly. One of the lines was,“But his hair was too long,“which referred to Adam’s celebrity relative.
During the week 4 interrogation challenge,Adam told several lies about his celebrity relative,including that he was an actor who’d appeared in the movieThe Internshipand the TV showFriends.He also admitted that his celebrity relative won a Grammy Award. Mackenzie shared that she and her fellow contestants were certain that Adam was related to an actor, such as David Schwimmer or Owen Wilson. Danny thought that Adam was lying about his celebrity relative winning a Grammy.
DuringClaim to Fameseason 3 week 5, Adam revealed a personal detail to Danny, which was that he grew up in special education.He also told Mackenziethathis celebrity relative babysat for Paula Abdul as his side hustle when he moved to California. Mackenzie then realized that Adam’s celebrity relative couldn’t be Owen Wilson because he wouldn’t be old enough to babysit Paula, but Shane didn’t know if Adam was being truthful.
While looking at the Clue Wall with Hud and Shane,Adam tried to deflect attention from his celebrity relative by saying that the lightning bolt might refer to David Bowie. During the senses challenge,the lightning bolt clue returned, paired with a mullet. Adam said that it was"too close for comfort,“and tried to steer his partner Hud in the direction of electricity, rather than the word bolt.
During theClaim to Fameseason 3 week 6 challenge, Shane won a clue about Adam. It read,“This love ballad specialist gave Kelly Clarkson a true fan-girl moment when he surprised her by singing a duet with her on her talk show.“Later in the episode,Hud pulled Adam’s Wine Room clue, which included a long and short pencil with the short one crossed out, hairs, the number 90 in a star, the symbol for"who,“a singer, a heart, a baseball, a plus sign, and the word"advertising"in a box.
During the first half of theClaim to Fameseason 3 finale, several clues were revealed about Adam’s celebrity relative, including thathe was known as Mr. Time, Love and Tenderness, he was in the music field, and he had a notable appearance inThe Masked Singer.
When the eliminated contestants returned in the second half of the finale,Adam told Dedrick and Shane that his relative was from the 80s and 90s, was a"white boy singing R&B music,“and received lots of attention from older women. He also said, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” which is one of Michael’s most famous songs. Bianca overheard him, and said that it all just made perfect sense.
Claim To Fame Shouldn’t Have A Week One Elimination
It’s always thrilling to see who the contestants are related to on Claim to Fame, but the competitors shouldn’t have to make guesses during week one.
Adam Is Singer Michael Bolton’s Nephew
Adam’s Fellow Claim To Fame Season 3 Contestants Didn’t Figure Out His Identity Until It Was Too Late
Adam’s clues revealed that he’s singer and songwriter Michael Bolton’s nephew. Michael was very popular during the 1980s and 1990s, and has won two Grammy Awards. Because Michael isn’t an actor, that was Adam’s lie. The lightning bolt clue referred to Michael’s last name, which Bianca used to confirm that Adam was related to him.
In addition, Adam has a raspy voice that’s similar to Michael’s. He also looks a lot like him.TheClaim to Fameseason 3telephone game clue about long hair was also a reference to Michael.When Michael first began his career, he was known for his long hair, which was his signature look. This is also why there was a mullet paired with the lightning bolt during the senses challenge.
The clue that Shane won in the week 6 challenge referred to whenMichael surprised Kelly Clarkson by singing with her on the August 21, 2025 episode ofThe Kelly Clarkson Show. They sang a duet of his hit song, “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.” When Kelly asked Michael which artist he’d like to collaborate with, he chose her, much to her delight.
When Adam wonClaim to Fameseason 3, he received a message from his uncle Michael. The message read,“Congratulations, Adam! We knew you could do it! I’m sure you played the game like you live your life – with integrity, determination and humility. We are all so proud and can’t wait to see where your next great adventure takes you. Adam, you are awesome! Love, M.B.“Adam cried as the message was read to him.
Adam then revealed that Michael is his mother’s brother. He said,“Uncle Michael is my mother’s brother. He is the hardest working man I’ve ever seen before in my life. He’s taught me that if you chase your dreams, and you work hard, you can do it. And you can build a great life. He had a tumor removed from his brain recently, and he’s a strong ox. They built him strong! That’s good stuff right there!”
In his confessional, Adam gushed,“This is beyond amazing!Every day from this point, I’m just gonna keep pinching myself! Come on, it doesn’t get much better than this!“He then danced all around the confessional room at the end of the show. Adam had a lot of trouble with pop culture during the show, so it was wonderful to see him making two correct guesses duringtheClaim to Fameseason 3 finale.
Adam’s win was amazing because he was able to figure out Mackenzie and Hud’s celebrity relatives all on his own. His fellow contestants decided to sabotage him during the final challenge, which led to him injuring his head when he banged it doing an individual course during one of the challenges, instead of receiving help. Adam eliminated five contestants: Gracie Lou and Dedrick, who incorrectly guessed his celebrity relative as Dustin Hoffman and Owen Wilson, respectively, and Naomi (with Hud’s help), Mackenzie, and Hud, whom he guessed correctly.Adam should be very proud of hisClaim to Fameseason 3 win.
Claim To Fame
Cast
Claim to Fame is a reality television competition series that brings together lesser-known celebrity relatives. These contestants must live together and compete in challenges, while keeping their identities and celebrity family members a secret. Hosted by brothers Kevin and Frankie Jonas, the show awards $100,000 to the last contestant standing.
