Shane Brando Explains His Chicken Wing Necklace from Claim to Fame

Claim to Fame season 3 contestant Shane Brando sure turned heads with his unique chicken wing necklace.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for season 3 of Claim to Fame.

Shane wore a remarkably realistic chicken wing on a chain throughout the competition. Interestingly, the quirky accessory had no connection to his secret celebrity relative, his grandfather Marlon Brando.

“I wore it on the show just as a joke,” Shane shared exclusively with Us Weekly after his elimination during the August 28 episode of the ABC reality series. “I wish I was smart enough to say, ‘Oh, yeah, this is gonna be a fake clue that’ll confuse people.’ For me, it was just a little part of my personality and sense of humor. It kept me grounded. It was a daily reminder [not to] take this game too seriously.”

Shane noted that he’s had the odd accessory for about six years, using it as a conversation starter at music festivals and concerts. “It’s just a fun little conversation starter,” he added.

Even without his chicken wing bling, Shane was well-liked in the Claim to Fame house. His wine bottle clue was the last to be pulled. However, when Mackenzie and Hud figured out that Shane is related to Marlon Brando, who died at age 80 in 2004, Mackenzie targeted Shane during the guess-off, leading to his elimination.

Once Shane’s celebrity relative was revealed, several Godfather references were made by his castmates and Claim to Fame cohosts Kevin and Frankie Jonas. Despite hearing numerous “terrible” impressions of his grandfather over the years, Shane takes it in stride. “I think it’s very funny. … It’s like, ‘Let me see every rendition of the worst Marlon Brando impression.’ And I love it,” he joked. “There’s only a few people in this world that I actually have heard do a really good Marlon impression.”

Shane mentioned that actor Ed Begley Jr. does “probably the best rendition” of his grandfather because “they were really close friends.” He also praised Johnny Depp and Grey’s Anatomy alum Justin Chambers from the show The Offer for their impressive impersonations.

A fascinating revelation came when Shane and fellow contestant Dedrick, whose real name is Siggy Jackson and who is Michael Jackson’s nephew, discovered their families’ connection. Shane’s dad, Miko Brando, worked for Michael, and Marlon and Michael were friends for years.

Reflecting on the moment he and Dedrick realized their connection, Shane said, “Right when the show finished [taping], we probably spent a good two hours just shooting the s–t, like, ‘Have we run into each other? How could we have possibly missed this?’ We honestly had no idea, and just throughout the shooting of the show, me telling stories all day about being [at Michael’s property] Neverland [Ranch], and him sitting there like, ‘Oh, that’s great. That’s a cool story, man.’ … When I actually found out who he was related to, I kind of felt so stupid for a little while.”

As for his own celebrity relative, Shane said Marlon was “funny” and a lover of pranks. “He was a huge practical jokester. You never knew if there was gonna be a whoopee cushion under your seat or if he would pop up and scare you,” Shane recalled, sharing a memorable story he recounted at Marlon’s funeral.

“There was a time we were swimming in his pool and a bee landed on the edge of the pool. … My grandpa goes up to the bee, kind of brushes it onto his hand. Then, he’s like, ‘Shane, watch this, very calmly,’ he said. “[He] sticks his tongue out, places the bee onto his tongue, sticks his tongue in his mouth, and closes his mouth. A little while later, [he] opens his mouth, sticks his tongue out … and then he just lets out a little breath and the bee flies away.”

Claim to Fame is now streaming on Hulu.

Source: Us Weekly