Claim to Fame’s Hud and Mackenzie Are ‘Hanging Out’ (Exclusive)

This post contains spoilers from the season 3 finale of Claim to Fame.

Hud and Mackenzie may not have won Claim to Fame, but they have the show to thank for their blossoming romance. 

Following a dramatic challenge earlier in the episode that sent Adam to the emergency room, the guess-off got even more heated as Mackenzie and Hud found themselves in the hot seat. 

Having won the previous challenge, the power was in Adam’s hand as he selected himself as the guesser, correctly guessing Mackenzie’s relative as her father Trace Adkins and Hud’s relative as his father John Mellencamp. 

As a result, Adam was crowned the season 3 winner of Claim to Fame, eventually revealing his own celebrity relative as his uncle Michael Bolton. 

Though Hud and Mackenzie admit they had wished things had played out differently for them, Hud notes he was happy to be in the final two with Adam after working with him all season long. 

“I can only be happy for him,” he says. “He went through so much just getting hurt that day. That’s a nightmare situation to get taken out of the game if you’re getting hurt, so there was a moment there where we thought he was going home just for putting in time the effort and to get hurt like that stinks. It’s the worst way to go out. So I’m very happy for him, but at the same time I wanted to win also.” 

Mackenzie adds that she felt very accomplished going into the guess-off, especially knowing she followed her father’s advice. “My dad told me before I left, just be on all the episodes,” he quips. “I played a good game.” 

Aside from all the chaos of Adam’s injury and the final guess-off, the season finale also saw sparks fly between Mackenzie and Hud as they put their flirty relationship on display during a montage set to season 1 runner-up Logan Crosby’s song “The Girl Next Door.” Though Mackenzie teased their romance was “all for the game,” she quipped that that might change once the show was over. 

So, what exactly is the state of their relationship now? Though Mackenzie and Hud play coy about their official relationship status, they do confirm they’ve seen each other quite a few times since filming wrapped.

“We’re just hanging out, seeing what happens,” Hud teases. “He visited me a few times in Nashville,” Mackenzie adds. “I visited him. Yeah, going well.” 

Mackenzie notes that it’s been incredible connecting with Hud and her fellow castmates as they share similar walks of life. “That was one of the one things I was so excited about going into it because I was like, these people will just get me,” she says. “Especially Hud, because both of us, it’s our dad, and they’re both musicians. It’s just very similar. It’s been amazing, so much fun getting to know everyone.” 

In fact, both of their families will come together for a Claim to Fame season 3 finale watch party at Mackenzie’s home. “My dad’s actually flying through to Nashville tomorrow just so we can all watch the finale together. We’re doing a little party thing, Mackenzie’s hooked it all up,” Hud says, adding that his dad is convinced he won the show. “I haven’t told him anything, and he is furious.” 

“My dad did the exact same thing,” Mackenzie adds. “He’s convinced that I won. He is like, ‘You wouldn’t be having all these people coming to visit you if you didn’t win. There’s no way.’ He’s like, ‘Hud’s coming down with his dad. You won. Easy.’”

In addition to bringing their families together, the watch party will also bring their Claim to Fame family together, including season 3 contestants and stars from earlier seasons. 

“It’s going to be so much fun,” Mackenzie says. “I’m excited. A lot of them haven’t been to Nashville, so I’ll give up a full Nashville experience.” 

While Mackenzie is hosting, Hud is bringing the refreshments with his new Mellencamp Whiskey. “I’ve got my whiskey coming out next month or so, so I’ve got my unreleased whiskey I’m bringing,” he adds. “All our drinks should be made with it. It’s going to be fun.” 

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Claim to Fame season 3 is available to stream on Hulu.