Another season of Claim to Fame has come and gone, and Gabriel Cannon is the one taking home the $100,000 cash prize.
In a nail-biter of a finale, Gabriel, who is the younger brother of Nick Cannon, correctly guessed Monay’s celebrity relative in the last guess off of the season, ultimately making him the champion of Claim to Fame season 2.
After his oh-so exciting win, fans of the hit competition series were left with so many questions: How did he know Monay’s celebrity relative was JB Smoove? How does Nick Cannon feel about his victory? What is he going to do now that Claim to Fame is over? and more.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gabriel reflected on his time on Claim to Fame, answering all of the questions we were dying to get the answers to.
In a heartfelt Instagram post just one day after he was announced as the winner of Claim to Fame, Gabriel reflected on his exciting victory.
“Let’s be honest I didn’t win, we won! @claimtofameabc and @kineticcontent won! Each once of my cast members, I truly believe we all accomplished what we set out to do, which was to display and confirm to ourselves and others a glimpse of the light that we’ve known shined in us all along. We won!”
The champion of the beloved competition series then proceeded to give a shoutout to each and every one of his fellow contestants, complimenting them in a way that might have had us shedding a few tears.
“From the major queen energy of @j.monay21 abd @shayneaudra_, their grace, style, class and the fortitude to carry their fathers’ legacy and hold up high their honor, to the brilliance of @travisty.son. The fearlessness of @itscarlyreeves, and the overcoming loyal spirit of Hollywood’s future leading actor @sleepdaking. The humble beast @hugowentzel who’s actually the next generation’s only hope for a honest and fair leader #Hugo4President. @cineliv and her amazing fashion sense, style and brilliant art on film, canvas and flesh (tats). @jadastarmusic‘s gift for song and nurturing heart. My guy @cole_cook who laughs in the face of giants, and a creative genius! @kelledge3 and her relentless, fearless gangsta self who only few even dare spend a moment strapped in her seatbelt, and of course, the world’s favorite! The man, the myth, the legend, the Golden Child himself, my brotha, @chris.osmond. Seeing you express the whole cast’s hearts through your personal situation allowed everyone watching to understand the “why” for all of us. Thank you so much for that, because that was the truth that united us and the passion that drove every second of the show. I will forever ride for you champ!”
Gabriel then gave a shoutout to hosts Kevin and Frankie Jonas, the crews that made the show happen, and God himself — what a thoughtful guy!
Naturally, some of his costars commented on this post as well, congratulating him on the win and extending their love to their newfound friend.
Hugo: “Love you like a brother. Twin 4L CONGRATS BRO LETS GO LMFAOOOOOO π₯π₯π₯π₯”
Monay: “Awww Gabe!!! Love all of this!!! Proud of you πππ”
Shayne: “Aww π₯Ήπ« Lucky to know you!! So proud of you π«ΆπΎ”
Despite being such a kindhearted soul, Gabriel was known for being shady on Claim to Fame, lying to his fellow castmates and making them believe his celebrity relative was an athlete up until the very last episode.
“My strategy going in pretending I was related to an athlete was mainly because of my stature. Like I said in one of the earlier episodes, I was happy this time that I didn’t look like Nick. Trying to get in the club, it’s a little hard.”
While he played a phenomenal game from beginning to end, correctly guessing Monay’s celebrity relative is what sealed his fate as the champion of Claim to Fame.
People seemed to be clueless regarding the identity of Monay’s celebrity relative for the entirety of the season, so how did Gabriel know that it was JB Smoove?
“I kind of had a hunch. When they mentioned Saturday Night Live and Curb Your Enthusiasm, it kind of was a small pool, and it was only a few names that could have fit in there, so JB was always in my mind floating… In hindsight, my brother and JB Smoove did a lot of work together. I actually did a skit where I was freestyle battling a puppet and JB Smoove was the voice of the puppet. Not on set together, he had pre-recorded it in the studio and we went on set and shot it, but we had his voice in playback. I was probably 17 and for me it was a big deal. That’s JB Smoove!”
If it were not for that experience he had as a 17-year-old, Gabriel may not have guessed Monay’s celebrity relative correct that fateful night — he could have been the Claim to Fame runner up!
While Gabriel emerged as victorious at the end of Claim to Fame season 2, what did his oh-so famous brother have to say about it?
Apparently when Gabriel applied to the show, his celebrity relative was not 100% on board, however, he ultimately had a change of heart.
“Nick was kind of skeptical about it. He wanted to know more and know what it was. I think he secretly went off and watched the first season because his mood switched about it. [He learned that] it wasn’t me putting out his dirty laundry… He said something when it first premiered and I’ve kind of just been in my dungeon since then, but he was excited. He wanted to tweet about it [and I said] ‘No man, you gotta keep silent about it, but pay attention to your boy because I’ve done a good job for you.'”
Fortunately for Both Gabriel and Nick Cannon, a “good job” is exactly what he did. With $100,000 in his bank account, Gabriel has some big plans for the future that we are just too excited about, teasing that he wants to get more involved in the entertainment industry post-Claim to Fame.
“I had a front row seat to the entertainment industry just watching Nick. I was a guy shooting behind the scenes for him… It was always about big bro and helping build windows in his castle. For the last few years, I’ve been in the community working, [but] before that, I was signed to Death Jam in a group called Rydaz n Rtist (it’s supposed to be like writers and artist), and we went on tour with Mariah [Carey]. We’ve had an amazing experience. I couldn’t pay for the experience.”
Given that his Instagram handle is @gabrielcannonmusic, it is clear that the 36-year-old has a real passion for the music industry, however, he is looking to pursue some new endeavors in the near future.
“[I’m] definitely picking the music back up, but I think hosting is for me. It’s crazy to be able to watch yourself on TV for 10 episodes and to be able to critique yourself… I wanna host some game shows.”
With his brother being one of the most famous hosts of all time, Gabriel hopes to tag-team a gig with Nick someday.
“It’ll be beautiful. We can start co-hosting together. Pass the torch a little bit, Nick. Let me host. Let me get my feet wet. You’re about 20 years in!”
Until we see Gabriel on our screens once again, you can binge-watch Claim to Fame on Hulu to see his victory unfold.