Naomi Burns, a contestant on Claim to Fame Season 3, revealed that her decision to join the ABC reality show was influenced by her cousin, Molly Ringwald. Naomi shared with Us Weekly after her elimination on July 31 that she sought Ringwald’s approval before agreeing to participate.
“I have a lot of respect for Molly, and I wanted to make sure she was OK with me doing the show,” Naomi told Us Weekly. “I asked her if she was comfortable with it, and she said, ‘Why not? Have fun.’”
Naomi also noted that privacy is a significant value in her family. Before her appearance on the show, Ringwald, 56, reminded her to maintain that privacy. “Molly said, ‘As long as you respect my privacy like you always have, we’re good,’” Naomi recalled. “‘Just have a good time.’”
Ringwald has recently chosen to remain out of the public eye, as evidenced by her absence from Andrew McCarthy’s documentary Brats, which premiered on Hulu in June. McCarthy spoke with Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Jon Cryer, Demi Moore, and Rob Lowe for the film but mentioned he regretted that Ringwald did not participate. “She said she’d think about it, and that was pretty much the end of it,” McCarthy told Us Weekly.
Naomi didn’t directly ask Ringwald about Claim to Fame; instead, Ringwald overheard Naomi discussing the show with another family member. Naomi recounted, “I was talking to [Molly’s] mother, and she had me on speakerphone. When I mentioned the show, Molly overheard and joined the conversation. We ended up having a family meeting about it.”
Growing up, Naomi lived with Molly’s family, strengthening their bond. Naomi described their relationship as being “more than cousins but less than siblings” and expressed gratitude for the support Ringwald and her husband, Panio Gianopoulos, gave her after college, encouraging her to move to Los Angeles.
Naomi’s elimination from Claim to Fame marked the first instance of a contestant correctly identifying another player’s celebrity relative. Although Naomi’s ally Adam made the correct guess, he had to write Ringwald’s name on his arm to remember it. Naomi revealed that Adam didn’t initially recognize Ringwald and that Hud, another ally, ultimately gave Adam the clue after becoming suspicious of Naomi’s knowledge.
Naomi acknowledged some miscommunication and feelings of betrayal during the game but has moved past it. “We’re all friends now,” she said. “We have a saying: ‘What happens in the house, stays in the house.’ We’re all really close.”