Elton John? Billy Idol? What Donny Osmond thought of the ‘Claim to Fame’ contestants’ wild guesses

Lottie Elizabeth Johnson
·5 min read
Chris is pictured in the “Claim to Fame” finale.
Chris is pictured in the “Claim to Fame” finale. | John Fleenor, ABC
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For a while, it seemed like Chris was a shoo-in to win “Claim to Fame.”

Although it was clear to the outside world — especially moms who grew up in the 1970s — the reality show’s contestants were having an extremely difficult time figuring out that Chris was related to Donny Osmond.

Even after uncovering remarkably revealing clues — born in Utah, “amazing coloured dream coat,” Las Vegas residency, to name just a few — the “Claim to Fame” cast seemed to be at a complete loss. But they were so determined to figure out Chris’ celebrity connection that they used four of the show’s 11 official guesses to take a shot at Chris — a pretty high number when you consider there were 12 contestants total.

And three of those guesses were wrong — and got progressively wilder.

Elvis. Elton John. Billy Idol.

Osmond’s name didn’t even enter the picture until the start of the second to last episode, and it was rather unexpected when it did come up. During the episode, Gabriel and Monay were visualizing themselves dancing in the 1970s and imagining the singers they would go and see perform. Names like John Travolta and Paul McCartney came up. And then Gabriel mentioned Osmond. While Gabriel laughed at his own suggestion — possibly to deflect? — Monay said it wasn’t so far-fetched. They then thought of Ozzy Osbourne (talk about far-fetched).

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Moment of speculation: The fact that Gabriel apparently knew Osmond was a star in the 1970s — yet didn’t bring him up when all of the clues earlier in the season clearly pointed to the singer — is suspicious. It’s possible that Gabriel, who proved to be one of the most strategic players of the season, knew early on that Chris was related to Osmond but wanted to keep Chris in the game since he was also a great player.

Going into the final episode of the season, Gabriel and Monay both leaned into Osmond, and then the biggest clue of all offered them validation: A lunchbox with a picture of Donny and Marie.

That pretty much sealed it, and Monay took the guess. Chris finished the season in third, followed by Monay (who is the daughter of actor/comedian J.B. Smoove) in second. Gabriel, who is the brother of Nick Cannon, claimed the $100,000 prize.

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So what did Donny Osmond think of watching a young generation of reality TV stars be seemingly unaware of his stardom week after week?

Apparently he thought it was hilarious.

“Honestly, he’s been laughing his head off,” Chris told People shortly after the finale. “We talk on the daily and he’s been a good support, but he also has been laughing through it.”

And for those who are still worried Osmond’s feelings may have been a little hurt, the singer’s own post reveals anything but.

“For those of you who’ve been watching the ABC reality show, Claim to Fame, I thought my son, Chris, did an amazing job!” Osmond shared on X, formerly Twitter. “He made that show so interesting because no one could guess which celebrity he was related to. I’m proud of my son.”

But Osmond didn’t end his tweet there. Instead, he opted to conclude it by signing his name .... but not until he included 12 other celebrity names that the “Claim to Fame” contestants thought of before him — everyone from John Mayer to John Travolta.

“Chris, you’re a star!” Osmond wrote at the end.

“PS. I don’t like that lunchbox anymore!”

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What Chris said about Donny Osmond, ‘Claim to Fame’

It’s been a busy season for Osmond, who recently extended his Las Vegas residency through the spring of 2024. The singer also recently appeared on an episode of “Generation Gap” — where kids were able to identify Osmond much more quickly than the “Claim to Fame” contestants.

“This dynamic of having Chris on the show, that’s what’s making it exciting because the older generation, they know exactly what it is. And the younger kids, they have no idea,” Osmond recently told People.

“It’s funny because I can only imagine how many moms are screaming at the television because he’s done such a great job to keep it hidden,” he joked. “Everybody has been screaming at the television set, ‘Oh, it’s Donny Osmond.’”

Following the big reveal on “Claim to Fame,” Chris got emotional as he shared with his fellow contestants how much his father means to him.

“My dad is my hero,” he said, noting that Osmond has 33 gold records and is still going strong after six decades in the music industry.

“He’s an old man but he looks really good,” he laughed. “I’m just happy that I get to represent him and the entire Osmond family, for that matter.”

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Chris told People that being on “Claim to Fame” helped him realize he doesn’t have to live in his dad’s shadow.

“Growing up and being part of an entertainment family, not just an individual, there’s a lot of pressure to that,” he said. “Even with my dad. He’s a very strong performer. He’s got an amazing voice and is a perfectionist, and I’m a perfectionist too, so I think that kind of got to me over the years of like, ‘Oh, I need to measure up to this guy.’ But doing this show made me realize, ‘Hey, I can be my own person. I’m Chris. Yes, I’m part of the Osmond family, but I have my own talent.’

“That’s why I did this show in the first place,” he continued. “To have an experience on television in front of millions of people, which is daunting. It was a little scary for the first week or so, and then we kind of got into our rhythm and I realized in the moment I’m like, ‘I can do this. This is fun.’”