Claim to Fame 's Shayne didn't warn her famous father about her elimination: 'He has no idea'
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Claim to Fame, season 2, episode 4, "Flirting With Disaster."
Eddie Murphy may have an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but one thing the superstar comedian hasn't received is early warning that his daughter, Shayne, is surprisingly eliminated on the latest episode of Claim to Fame.
"He's watching in real time so he has no idea that I am going to be going home this week," Shayne tells EW about her exit from the ABC reality competition in which people with famous family members try to keep their identities under wraps. "He's probably gonna be a little disappointed because he's invested."
Below, Shayne shares her father's reaction to the show, explains her strategy, and reveals how she and Monay instantly had each other's backs (watch out, Cole!).
Gizelle Hernandez/ABC, Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty 'Claim to Fame' star Shayne; her father Eddie Murphy
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Were you frustrated that everyone figured you out so soon?
SHAYNE: Honestly, I feel like because my celebrity is as known as he is, going into the house I knew it would be kind of easy for my fellow contestants to figure that out if they had access to my clue. I was just hoping that I'd be able to get people to not look at me for as long as possible because I knew as soon as they did start looking into me, I'd definitely be one of the easier people to scope out.
Have you talked to your dad about your elimination?
No, I haven't. He is enjoying watching the show. He's watching in real time so he has no idea that I am going to be going home this week. He's probably gonna be a little disappointed because he's invested.
What did he say when you told him you were doing the show in the first place?
I am very indecisive so I wasn't sure if I was coming until maybe two days before we were scheduled to start filming. So that's when I let him know and I'm sure he was surprised, but he's very supportive of everything that I do.
Do you think openly admitting that you and Monay were playing Jane led to your downfall?
No, I was already a target.… I was definitely on edge after that happened because if I were in a better position without people knowing who my relative was already, I wouldn't mind having this image of being this mastermind. But already having such a big target on your back, that was not the mood that I was wanting for myself. I was very nervous the entire time I was in the house, honestly.
Tell me more about your strategy.
I was sort of thinking two eliminations in advance. I was hoping that [Jane] would be right about Chris. I really wasn't sure who Chris was related to at all. Elvis sounded good to me because I had no idea. I was hoping that she'd be able to take out Chris and then the next week we could go after Jane and that saves me for two eliminations.
It seemed like you had Cole wrapped around your little finger. Did you have any indication that he was going to choose you instead of Karsyn?
There was definitely some reservation there just because Cole was a little bit more in the middle. He wasn't really a part of my alliance, but he was someone that I was trying to get on my side because I felt like I needed all the numbers I could have at that point.
After you left, Monay said to Cole, "That was your girlfriend. That's nuts," almost as a warning that the target is on him now. Did you talk to her before to say if he does cross you to go after him?
Monay and I had just sort of an understanding and loyalty to each other in that game. I think if the roles were reversed and somebody had done that to her, that would have been my next target also. When I hugged her, I think I told her to get him out next. She's definitely someone that I could have counted on to do that for me.
What led to your instant bond with Monay?
She was in the bed right across from mine, so proximity.... Where you sleep kind of plays a role in who you start to align with in the beginning and we just connected. It ended up growing from there.
Did you get the impression that Cole really thought there was a romance between you two?
I think we both were playing the game. If there was a romance there then I probably would have been a lot more upset in that moment [he picked me] and then it would have been a bigger situation than it actually was.
Anything you would have done differently from day one, knowing now how it all went down?
Probably just kept my alliances a little tighter because in that house being able to trust people is so valuable. I think that I was starting to get a little paranoid and just feel like I have to flip as many people to get them on my side as possible…. Also, I should have definitely paid closer attention to the bottle clues from last season, because they were apparently repeating characters and I was so bad at that, like it's embarrassing watching it back.
Claim to Fame airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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