After a long day of work at children’s summer camps, the one thing I wanted to do when I got home over the summer was flop on the couch and watch tv. Now, it’s no secret that I will consume almost every show airing on Bravo (go check out the life lessons I’ve learned from the Real Housewives if you haven’t already), but there was a new show that completely blew all my favorites out of the water.
Enter “Claim to Fame.” A show my mom turned on solely because Kevin and Frankie Jonas were hosting (we are a family that loves the Jonas Brothers) quickly became our new favorite. My mother, sister and I eagerly anticipated a new episode each week, theorizing about which contestant would be eliminated that night.
The show is utterly addictive, and here are my reasons why “Claim to Fame” needs to be the next show you binge-watch:
- It’s Like Clue Mixed With Big Brother
Twelve contestants, each of whom are related to someone famous in one way or another, are put into an LA mansion together. Their goal is fairly simple: try to figure out who each other’s celebrity relatives are while keeping their own celebrity relationships hidden from their competitors. However, mix in some Big-Brother-style challenges, and what seemed like a simple goal turns into something much more interesting. Winners of challenges get granted immunity, players form alliances to decipher clues about the other players in the house and a big blue board full of clues serves as a reference point for each week of the competition. Not only are the players trying to uncover secrets, but you as an audience member are as well (that is, if you don’t cheat and look up the answers on Google).
- A Variety of Celebrities, A Variety of Contestants
The show is unique because no two contestants are the same, and no two celebrity relatives are the same. Players are related to sports stars, singers, models, actresses and even a martial arts legend. Some contestants lie about their names, some choose to divulge who their relatives are to the audience right away in the confessional booth and some decide to keep everything secret.
- Logan and L.C.: The Best Duo
I adored both Logan and L.C. as individual players, but their alliance is one of the greatest parts of the whole game. L.C. is quite the strategist, and each week considers which players she wants to keep around in order to help her solve clues, and which person is the biggest threat in the house at that stage in the game. Logan is a true comedian, and his sweet southern-boy charm immediately won me over. He also has the best one-liners in the show, and somehow uncovers his competitor’s secrets with only a few glances at the clue board. Somehow, he takes one look at a photo of random objects like sharpened pencils and a dinosaur and flips the entire game upside down. The two together are seemingly unstoppable.
- The Games
The challenges each week kept the show super entertaining. From poker night, lie detectors, truth or dare, a fashion show, a talent show, a complicated game of telephone and even more. The show takes classic games and adds little twists that leave both the audience and players guessing.
- Kevin and Frankie Jonas
These two are some of the best hosts of reality tv game show history. The dynamic between the brothers is unmatched, and you can tell they’re genuinely just as curious as the audience is to see how strategies and takedowns play out week by week. They’re trying to unravel the mysteries of the season along with us, and are a breath of fresh air during tense moments.
This show is unlike anything else on television right now, and since the first season just ended, you can watch all ten episodes the next time you have nothing else to do on a rainy day. You won’t be able to get enough of it!