‘Claim to Fame’: Kevin & Franklin Jonas Tease the Mysterious Nepo Babies of Season 2
“Nepo babies” (short for nepotism babies) have become a hot topic of internet discussion in the time since Claim to Fame Season 1 aired on ABC. Now, brothers/hosts Kevin Jonas and Franklin Jonas say the nepo baby discourse makes their reality competition series all the more relevant.
The second season of Claim to Fame premieres Monday, June 26 at 8/7c on ABC (catch the Season 20 premiere of The Bachelorette directly after). In it, the family members of celebrities fight to keep their identities a secret while simultaneously trying to reveal everyone else’s. The heavy doses of lying begin during the opening ceremony, when each Claim to Fame Season 2 cast member tells two truths and a lie about their famous relative to the group. See some of those moments and more in the TV Insider exclusive look into Season 2 above.
Kevin and Franklin (the oldest and youngest of the four Jonas brothers) tell TV Insider that the accolades among this season’s celebrities are mind-blowing (think Oscars and Nobel prizes). But one change from Season 1: viewers won’t be in on the celebrity identity secrets this time around.
“We are definitely upping the ante” in that regard, Kevin says. The audience needed to be clued in last year in order to get a handle on the show’s format. Now that everyone knows what’s going on, Franklin says game play is going to “be way more intense” as the contestants solve a string of mysteries in an idyllic new mansion (it’s Brad Pitt‘s house from Babylon, Kevin reveals). The changes come from lessons learned from Season 1. And it’s not just the hosts and creators who have a better grip on the game now.
Early on, it was abundantly clear to the hosts that the Season 2 cast did their homework before coming onto the show. “They definitely watched the first season, which helps because they understand gameplay,” Kevin explains. “But then we really switched up the gameplay. I think everyone came in with the ambition to stick to their story and try to really craft their environment, and some people were really aware of how to manipulate without saying too much.” Ironically, they say one of the most repeated mistakes from last season is people talking too much. “They get too comfortable,” Kevin says.
ABC/John Fleenor
Still, this group is savvy. “I think the biggest issue with the first season was that there was no precedent, right? So people just came into it and were figuring out how the game works in general,” Franklin explains. “But this time, we noticed night one that people came to play. They came with strategies, they came with cover stories, they knew exactly what they were getting into. So I think it makes for a much more enjoyable game to watch, at least from our perspective hosting it.”
Everything is bigger in Season 2. “The location is much bigger, the shots are much wider, it’s just expansive,” says Kevin, adding that the challenges, both old and new, have “tripled in size,” as has his and Franklin’s hair. Kevin and Franklin are left to guess the celebrity identities as well. And some of those moments left Kevin “in utter disbelief.” “I was in shock that it got as good as it did.”
The cast themselves got so good at guarding their own secrets, the Jo Bros say many of the guesses turn out wrong. Expect some shocking reveals when the right answers come to light. “There are some big gets this season,” Franklin teases, “even to the point where, when we found out who they were in the moment, you can [see] our genuine surprise and shock.”
We had to ask: who are Kevin and Franklin’s favorite nepo babies? Kevin’s answer is his two daughters with wife Daniella Jonas, a sweet and expected response. Outside of the Jonas family, Franklin says Sofia Coppola is his top pick. And the Jonas family does, indeed, love Claim to Fame.
“I know Joe [Jonas] and Sophie [Turner] were into it,” Franklin says of Season 1. “They loved it.” As Kevin adds, “Yeah, they were pretty obsessed. I asked them if they wanted to know anything from this season, and they got really upset that I would even consider spilling some of the beans. No, I did not tell them anything.”
An anti-spoiler family — you love to see it.
Claim to Fame, Season 2 Premiere, Monday, June 26, 8/7c, ABC
