‘Claim to Fame’: Miguel Says It Was a ‘Relief’ to Have His Famous Relative Revealed (Exclusive)

Claim to Fame‘s star Miguel was admittedly relieved to have his famous relative – and true identity – finally exposed. During Wednesday’s episode of the ABC show, Miguel (real name Raphael Curtis) was revealed to be the nephew of Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis when an incorrect guess sent him packing. Following his elimination, Raphael opened up to PopCulture.com about his exit from the house, and why he was “kind of happy” to be sent home. 

With a target on his back going into Wednesday’s elimination, Raphael admitted he was feeling the pressure. “It was an equally exciting and terrifying experience,” he told PopCulture. “Knowing everyone is gunning for you definitely makes it hard to focus on what’s at hand, and having gone into this competition not having much experience with knowing a ton of celebrity names and associations made it extremely difficult to come up with good guesses for the Guess Off.”

Going with his “gut feeling” that fellow player Dedrick was related to Little Richard, Raphael wasn’t devastated to learn he was incorrect – and that it would be him revealing his celebrity relative before going home. “I was honestly kind of happy,” he confessed. “It was a relief to get out of the stress of the situation – the lies and deception were tiring to keep up with.” Raphael joked, “It was a lot of fun while I was there, but it was almost too exciting at times.”

Seeing the rest of his castmates’ shock at his relation to the Halloween star “completely made [Raphael’s] night” as well. “It felt like truly nobody was expecting it,” he shared. “I was so happy after that – going home after having played my best and shocking everyone in the process.”

After a “really sweet” and “really reassuring” message from his aunt, Raphael made his exit from the house, but not before sharing just how much his relationship with his famous family member has meant to him in an emotional moment. “My aunt has always been a part of my life,” he told PopCulture. “Although we haven’t spent that much time together … she’s been helping my mother and me since she was in the hospital. She’s an extremely giving and caring person, and I’m so proud to be able to call her family.”

As for the TV advice the iconic actress gave her nephew before his time on Claim to Fame? “She told me to keep it short and sweet and keep it professional,” Raphael revealed.

Claim to Fame (produced by Kinetic Content) airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.