‘Claim to Fame’ Season 3 Update — All You Need to Know
Network and streaming television studios are relying heavily on reality TV for 2023-2024 programming as the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike presses on. CBS, for example, has doubled the length of Survivor and The Amazing Race to fill up empty time slots, and where there isn’t a new episode of reality TV to air in the prime time slots, reruns of scripted programs will fill in the blanks. What does this mean for the possible return of Claim to Fame over at ABC?
Jason Segel’s sister, Ali Segel, tweeted a casting email gauging her interest in applying for the series in October. While this tweet makes it seem the casting process is underway, TV Insider has learned that an official renewal decision has not yet been made.
Claim to Fame Season 2 ended on Monday, August 28, with Nick Cannon‘s younger brother, Gabriel Cannon, being declared the winner. The season saw a noteworthy ratings increase in Season 2. The first season, which premiered in July 2022, averaged 1.82 million viewers. Season 2 averaged 2.066 million viewers.
The list of famous names attached to Season 2’s contestants also hints at a greater general interest in the series (relatives of Dolly Parton, President Jimmy Carter, and Tom Hanks were some of the season’s biggest gets). The Kevin and Franklin Jonas-hosted competition also produced a couple of viral moments as fans reacted to the mysteries unfolding in each episode. And from our own perspective, we saw a massive increase in reader comments on Season 2 articles compared to Season 1.
By all accounts, Claim to Fame seems to have improved in its second season. It’s hard to imagine ABC wouldn’t renew Claim to Fame for Season 3 when the show has a growing audience, and the network isn’t in a position to lose more programming.
ABC/John Fleenor
New seasons of TV shows typically air one year apart (on network television, at least — streaming is a whole other story). Assuming the renewal of Claim to Fame is inevitable, could it come back for Season 3 sooner because of the strikes? Like any TV and film production trying to plan its future right now, it’s complicated, but the end of the WGA strike on September 27 made things somewhat easier.
The SAG-AFTRA strike rules do not apply to game shows, as those series operated under the Network Code agreement that’s active through 2024. The Network Code also covers daytime dramas, variety shows, and other unscripted series. That means SAG-AFTRA members can appear on game shows without penalty, and it means that non-union members (like most if not all of the Claim to Fame contestants) can compete in game shows without being banned from joining SAG-AFTRA in the future (the consequence of violating the guild’s strike rules as a non-member). This also allows for the eldest and youngest Jonas brother to host and promote the series without penalty from the guild.
Since the WGA strike ended, the series could assemble whatever writers’ room it has to begin putting Season 3 together. The tweet above does mention the Claim to Fame casting application, so it seems casting is commencing while the series waits for a renewal decision (Claim to Fame is produced by Kinetic Content, the production company behind Love Is Blind and The Ultimatum). Given its successful second season, a renewal is certainly possible. But only time will tell what ABC’s plans are for the reality competition series.
Claim to Fame, Seasons 1 and 2, Available Now, Hulu
