After Tom Hanks' Niece Had Epic Meltdown Over Claim To Fame Premiere Elimination, She Admits She 'Overreacted'

Carly Reeves on Claim to Fame.
(Image credit: ABC)

Spoiler alert! The following story contains spoilers for the Season 2 premiere of Claim to Fame, which aired June 26. Proceed with caution.

Claim to Fame’s second season got off to an impressive start, with the niece of a two-time Oscar winner being revealed following a high-stakes talent show. But while the identity of Carly Reeves’ uncle was easy enough for the other celebrity relatives to figure out, nobody could have expected her reaction to being the first person eliminated in a guess-off. Reeves tore through the house in a rage, as she packed her bags, and following Monday’s premiere, she spoke out about her jaw-dropping exit, admitting that she “overreacted,” while explaining that she’s a “very dramatic person.”

The drama must run in the family, as it didn’t take long for Carly Reeves’ housemates to figure out that her uncle was none other than Tom Hanks. The Clue Wall didn't do her any favors, as she immediately realized it contained several pretty obvious Hanks-related items — most notably a park bench like the one in Forrest Gump. She definitely brought that up as she stormed into the house to pack her bags, screaming: 

His freaking clues were so freaking obvious! Freaking bench? It’s the freaking poster of freaking Forrest Gump, are you kidding me? Why a bench? Why a bench? There’s literally no reference to benches in any other movie. Even Gabriel found that out, he’s not even, like, smart. I didn’t even get to do any challenges! I don’t deserve this. I should have more camera time!

The other contestants were in shock, as they could apparently hear her screaming all the way from outside the house, and Carly Reeves admitted to EW in the aftermath of the season premiere that she overreacted. Tom Hanks niece explained: 

Yeah, I was really upset. I think I overreacted a little bit, but I'm an emotional, very dramatic person. I was really angry that I didn't get a chance to play as long as some of other contestants. I mean, there was no one to be angry at. I was just angry in general at myself, and at the fact that I was going home. And then that turned to complete despair and sadness. I even say, like, ‘I should get more camera time!’ That's just so silly of me to say. But I also was just saying things out of my mouth.

Her emotions clearly got the best of her, especially since she was caught off guard. Carly Reeves thought she’d done enough misdirection with the clues to throw people off, and she even offered up her theories on other players, hoping the good will would keep her out of the guess-off. It did not, and you can see exactly what went down in this video: 

It was certainly a wild start to Claim to Fame’s second season, and if that was any indication of what viewers are in for, it’s going to quite the dramatic ride. New episodes air at 8 p.m. ET Mondays on ABC, and available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription. Also be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other premieres are headed our way soon. 

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.