WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT CLAIM TO FAME SEASON 3!Claim to Fameseason 3 contestantHud placed second on the show, and was revealed to be Grammy-winning singer John Mellencamp’s son. Hosted by Kevin and Franklin Jonas,Claim to Fameseason 3 featured 11 celebrity relatives competing to uncover each other’s identities while keeping their own secret in order to win the $100,000 grand prize. Now all 11 celebrity relatives have been revealed, including those of Bianca (Robin Roberts), Jill (John Stamos), Gracie Lou (Jon Cryer), Miguel (Jamie Lee Curtis), Naomi (Molly Ringwald), Dedrick (Michael Jackson), and Danny (Marc Anthony).
During the two-partClaim to Fameseason 3finale, the final four contestants' celebrity relatives were revealed. Shane placed fourth, and was revealed to be the late actor and activist Marlon Brandon’s grandson, while Mackenzie placed third and was shown to be Trace Adkins' daughter. Runner-up Hud is John’s son, while winner Adam is singer Michael Bolton’s nephew.Here’s how Hud’s clues proved that he was related to John.
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Hud’s Claim To Fame Season 3 Clues
Hud’s Wine Room Clue Was A Giveaway
During theClaim to Fameseason 3 Two Truths and a Lie game,Hud shared that his celebrity relative was his mom, who’s a singer who won a Grammy Award. During week 2, whenNaomi won the privilegeof choosing a Wine Room clue, she picked Hud’s because she’s in an alliance with him and Adam. They all agreed to keep their own clues safe from the other players. Hud’s rebus puzzle included cherries, a bomb, a painter, an owl with a speech bubble, a person with a hurt knee, a needle and thread for sewing, and a thumbs up emoji.
Naomi easily deciphered the first part of the clue to mean"Cherry Bomb artist.“However, she wasn’t sure what the rest of it meant. She said that she knew that it said, “Cherry Bomb,” which is a song by Joan Jett. However, she knew that Joan doesn’t have children, so she settled on another “Cherry Bomb” singer: Cherie Currie from The Runaways. However, if Naomi had figured out the rest of the clue, she would’ve realized that it said,“Cherry Bomb artist who hurts so good.“When Hud saw his clue, he said in his confessional that it was"incredibly obvious.”
DuringClaim to Fameseason 3 week 3, the contestants played a game of telephone during which they had to memorize and recite limericks to each other in order to retell them correctly. The first line of the first limerick was,“On the mountain there once was a lion.“Although none of the contestants mentioned it, this clue refers to Hud’s relative. During the week 4 interrogation challenge, Hud answered no when his fellow contestants asked if his celebrity relative is famous for country music. During theClaim to Fameseason 3 week 5 senses game,Hud recognized that the clues"chili dog"and"melon"were his clues.
During theClaim to Fameweek 6 celebrity connection challenge, another clue about Hud was revealed. It said,“Madonna and this ‘small town’ farm boy were both inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.“Adam won this clue and had a feeling that it belonged to Hud.
During the first part oftheClaim to Fameseason 3 finale, Hud’s relative was revealed in a challenge to be known as “Cougar,” and to be part of the music field. When the challenge was repeated in the second part of the finale, more clues were added, including thathis notable appearance was at Farm Aid, and that his notable co-star was Me’Shell Ndegéocello. A watermelon was once again a clue during the challenge.
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Hud Is Singer John Mellencamp’s Son
Hud’s Clues & Instagram Page Prove His True Identity
Hud’s clues proved that he’s singer John Mellencamp’s son. Hud is John’s son with fashion model Elaine Irwin, to whom John was married until 1992.Hud can be found on Instagram at@hudmoney. In a December 2023 Instagram post, Hud’s half-sisterTeddi Mellencamptagged Hud in a family Christmas picture. He can be seen in the back of the photograph. John is also in the picture. Therefore, Hud’s Instagram page confirmed that he was John’s son.
Hud’s Wine Room clue referenced two of John’s biggest hits, “Cherry Bomb” and “Hurts So Good.“In addition, Naomi saw a scarecrow on the Clue Wall, which she thought wasa clue to Dedrick’s identityas a member of the Jackson family when he slipped and said his own name. Naomi remembered that Michael Jackson played the Scarecrow inThe Wiz.
During week 4, Hud mentioned in his confessional that everyone thought that the Scarecrow on the Clue Wall was a clue for Dedrick, but he was pretty sure it was for him.Scarecrowis the name of John’s legendary 1985 album. The clue referred to both Hud and Dedrick. In addition, in 1983, John won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male for “Hurts So Good.”
The first line of the first limerick was,“On the mountain there once was a lion.“This referred to John because he used to go by the name John Cougar Mellencamp, and a cougar is a mountain lion. There was also a pink house on the Clue Wall, which referenced John’s song, “Pink Houses.” This was referred to in his billboard clue too.
During theClaim to Fameseason 3 week 5 senses challenge, Hud confirmed that the chili dog and melon were his clues. He hoped that his fellow contestants would go with the"water"part of the watermelon, instead of the"melon.“Melon obviously referred to Hud and John’s last name, Mellencamp.The chili dog referred to the lyrics of John’s song, “Jack & Diane,” in which he sings,“Suckin' on a chili dog outside the Tastee Freez.“Jack and Diane also appeared in Hud’s billboard clue, along with"The Authority Fighters,“which referred to John’s hit, “Authority Song.”
Hud’s week 6 clue was also an obvious reference to John. It read,“Madonna and this ‘small town’ farm boy were both inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.“One of John’s most famous songs is “Small Town.“In addition, both he and Madonna became Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members in 2008. Other clues were important as well.In 1985, John created Farm Aid, along with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. He also sang with Me’Shell Ndegéocello in the 1994 song “Wild Night.” In addition,John is 72 years old, which explained the"No one under 72 admitted"clue on Hud’s billboard.
When theClaim to Fameseason 3 contestants returned for the finale, Naomi was still convinced that Hud was related to Cherie Currie. However,Mackenzie figured out thatHud was related to John with the help of Gracie Lou and Bianca, the latter of whom told her that “Cougar” was part of John’s name. However,Adam also figured out that Hud was related to John on his own, and he guessed him correctly, earning his win.
When Hud was revealed, he received a video from Johnin which he said,“Hey Hud! Time to come home! All the Mellencamps miss you!“Hud then introduced himself, saying,“What’s up, world? I’m Hud Money Mellencamp. The Coug is my daddy. That’s my best friend we just saw. I live a couple of minutes away from him. I walk down to his house every day. We have breakfast every morning. He’s helped me out so much in this life. He’s taught me everything he knows.”
In his confessional, Hud reflected on hisClaim to Fameseason 3 experience. He said that one of the best things that he was able to do was form friendships with his fellow contestants. He added that he couldn’t have made it to the finale by himself.Hud concluded by saying that he was a"happy guy"and he made some great friends along the way.
Hud played a very strategic game. Although he was aligned with Naomi, he knew that she had his clue because they teamed up to get their own clues to keep them out of everyone else’s hands. When Hud felt threatened by Naomi because she said that she knew who he was and wouldn’t make him the guesser because he was the only contestant she was sure of, he betrayed her along with alliance member Adam. Hud helped Adam by telling him that she was related to Molly, which led to her elimination whenAdam guessed her correctly.
However, Hud nearly ruined his game right before the finale, when he accidentally gave away that his celebrity relative was a man instead of a woman to Mackenzie, and later said part of his own nameto her while telling a story. He told Mackenzie that a bar has a shot named after him. When she asked if people buy it, he said they say,“Could I get a Hud Melon shot?“Mackenzie remembered the melon clue from the senses challenge, but she didn’t guess his identity until she had help from the eliminatedClaim to Fameseason 3 contestants.
One of Hud’s most strategic and memorable moves was when he destroyed the clues that he won in the week 6 challenge by blending them into a smoothie. Hud was a fantasticClaim to Fameplayer, and he certainly made his mark on the game.Hud should be proud of what he accomplished duringClaim to Fameseason 3.
Claim To Fame
Cast
Claim to Fame is a reality television competition series that brings together lesser-known celebrity relatives. These contestants must live together and compete in challenges, while keeping their identities and celebrity family members a secret. Hosted by brothers Kevin and Frankie Jonas, the show awards $100,000 to the last contestant standing.
