CLAIM TO FAME - ÒAbsolutely ShreddedÓ - Two contestants form an alliance while the challenge has everyone piecing together paper shreds for clues. A Òpower playerÓ is targeted in the Guess Off. MONDAY, AUG. 7 (10:01-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/John Fleenor) CHRIS, GABRIEL

Best-bets for Aug. 28: finales for “Claim” and “Mars”

1) “Claim to Fame” finale, 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. There have been plenty of wrong guesses this year, most aimed at Chris (shown here, left). Despite obvious clues – teen idol, puppy love, Utah, many-colored dreamcoat — people guessed he was related to Elvis Presley, Elton John and Billy Idol. They also linked Karsyn with the wrong race-car driver, Jeff Gordon. Now both remain, with Gabriel (shown here, right) and Monay. One person is ousted the first hour, two more in a fun finale. Read more…

1) “Claim to Fame” finale, 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. There have been plenty of wrong guesses this year, most aimed at Chris (shown here, left). Despite obvious clues – teen idol, puppy love, Utah, many-colored dreamcoat — people guessed he was related to Elvis Presley, Elton John and Billy Idol. They also linked Karsyn with the wrong race-car driver, Jeff Gordon. Now both remain, with Gabriel (shown here, right) and Monay. One person is ousted the first hour, two more in a fun finale.

2) “Stars on Mars” finale, 8-9 p.m., Fox. This is why it’s important to watch television: Last week’s challenge included listing planets in the correct order; Adam Rippon (an Olympic skater) and Tinashe (a singer) both said they’d learned it on “Blues Clues.” Now they’re in the finals, with basketball’s Paul Pierce, “Iron Chef” champ Cat Cora and Porsha Williams Guobadia from “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” One will be the champion.

3) “NCIS,” 8 p.m., CBS. Here’s a rerun of January’s three-hour crossover event. Agents gather in Washinton, to celebrate a professor’s retirement. When they’re told the prof committed suicide, they start a probe that continues on “NCIS: Hawaii” at 9 p.m. and “NCIS: Los Angeles” at 10.

4) “Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland,” 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. For 30 years, Irishmen split into opposite factions. “They were a bunch of hotheads,” one recalls, “and I was one of them …. They weren’t bad people; they did terrible things.” The result left 3,500 dead, 100,000 wounded, many more shattered emotionally. This compelling documentary continues from 9-11 p.m. Tuesday and 10-11 p.m. Wednesday, as old people reflect on years of rage.

5) “Miracle Workers” season-finale, 10 p.m., TBS, rerunning at 10:30. After three oft-hilarious years, this fourth one has been inconsistent, often stretching too hard for laughs. Still, it ends big – with robots maching in to destroy all humans. It’s big, messy, and, at the right times, quite funny.
— Mike Hughes, TV America

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