Spoiler alert! This story contains details from the July 10 episode of “Claim to Fame,” including the eliminated contestant.
Hello, Dolly’s niece!
Jada Star Roberts might’ve poured herself a cup of ambition before entering the “Claim to Fame” house. But the daughter of iconic singer/songwriter Dolly Parton’s sister faced elimination Monday.
Roberts, who used the pseudonym Jane on ABC’s summer game show (Mondays, 8 EDT/PDT) hosted by brothers Kevin and Frankie Jonas, was one of a dozen relatives of celebrities assembled in a house filled with clues about their famous family members. The contestant who can successfully conceal their identity for the entire season wins $100,000.
Roberts’ housemates voted her as guesser for Monday’s ceremony, meaning she needed to correctly identify a housemate’s famous relative or she would be out. But she incorrectly thought Chris’ famous relative was Elvis Presley.
She then was axed and her connection to Parton was revealed.
The “Jolene” songstress appeared via a video message recorded for her niece’s sendoff. “It’s been a joy watching you grow up,” Parton said. “You know how much I’ve loved you and how close we’ve always been, being your aunt and all. Proud of you, girl.”
Roberts, 44, shared Parton’s thoughts on the series, a glimpse at their relationship, and defended her fellow “Claim to Fame” competitor Carly Reeves. (Edited for length and clarity.)
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Question: What did your Aunt Dolly think of you doing the show? Did you run it past her?
Jada Star Roberts: When it looked like this was definitely a thing that was going to happen, I very nervously called her and was like, “So, I did a thing, and I want to know what you think of it, and if you think it’s OK.” I didn’t get on the show for me, who am I? I got on the show because my aunt is everyone’s fairy godmother. Everyone loves her.
When she saw what it was, and when I explained it to her, she said she was really proud. She told me she knew it was scary for me because she knows that I have a lot of anxiety. She was a little worried about me there but she was also really proud that I was getting out of my comfort zone. She’s the best cheerleader on Earth.
You get quite emotional during your elimination while talking about her. What is your relationship like?
It’s wonderful. She is the absolute best aunt you could ever dream of − for all of my cousins and our family, she’s (our) mom and she’s (our) confidant. She’s got you when it feels like no one else has got you. She would always make jokes about, “Well, I’m like a grandma. You get to come, and I spoil you, and then you get to go home to your parents.” So we just called her Aunt Granny.
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Is there anything about your Aunt Dolly that might surprise people?
What’s really funny and what I love (and) something that she says a lot, is that all this looks really fake, but everything inside is 100% real. You guys are getting who she is. You’re getting the silly, goofy sense of humor. What you see is 100% what you get with her. She’s absolutely genuine.
There is some concern after your departure that you might’ve been set up by Shayne and Monay, who you discussed Chris’ clue with. Do you feel set up at all?
Every single one of us should have expected to have been set up, betrayed, backstabbed (and) drowned in the toilet. That’s the kind of game it was. In every episode, someone has to go home. If we could have all chosen as a group, everyone would have just made it to the end.
When I spoke to cast members from Season 1, it felt like they were a little family. They even had a group chat. Is it similar for your season?
A (producer) said to me, “We love the first cast. They’re so much fun. We just wish maybe they’d been a little more competitive with each other. They liked each other too much.” And I said, “Well, what do you expect? You curated a group of friends who have the same experience.”
All of us have issues trying to find genuine people in our lives because of our celebrity (relative) and just something we didn’t get to choose about ourselves. Finding a group of people that share that experience (and) that you feel like right away you can trust − it’s so valuable, you don’t want to just throw that away.
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Your housemate Carly Reeves faced backlash for her emotional rant after her elimination. Do you have any thoughts about it?
I adore Carly, and all of us adore Carly. You can’t judge or determine how another person is going to handle their nerves − we were all very nervous. It was our very first time (at the guessing ceremony). Everyone has different reactions. She has handled it and addressed it very gracefully.
(My rule is) I would like to receive mercy in life when I mess up. Therefore, we have to give mercy to other people, too, if we expect that for ourselves. Carly is a sweet person, and I love her, and she’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. She just had kind of a bad day.
