Most people who search his name are trying to figure out one thing: how does the grandson of a U.S. president end up on a reality dating show and then turn into an online fitness coach? Hugo James Wentzel’s story genuinely goes there, and it’s more interesting than the average celebrity relative writeup.
Hugo was born on July 29, 1999, in Georgia, the only child of Amy Carter and her husband James “Jim” Wentzel. Amy is the youngest child and only daughter of former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, which makes Hugo one of Jimmy Carter’s eleven grandchildren. He turned 26 in the summer of 2026.
Growing Up With the Secret Service Around
Hugo’s childhood wasn’t ordinary, even if his parents worked hard to keep it that way. According to coverage from the South China Morning Post, he had Secret Service protection during school years and traveled internationally with his grandfather for humanitarian and political events, including a 2009 climate awareness trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where he joined The Elders alongside world leaders and their grandchildren.
He was also present for the reopening of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library on his grandfather’s 85th birthday and, per multiple outlets, holds the distinction of being the youngest person to ever open the Panama Canal. Away from the political side of things, Jimmy Carter taught him fly fishing, hunting, and cooking, and the two reportedly cut down their own Christmas trees together every year.
Amy Carter and Jim Wentzel kept their son’s upbringing largely out of the press. That’s part of why so many people are only now discovering who Hugo James Wentzel is.
The Claim to Fame Reveal
Hugo went properly public in the summer of 2023 as a contestant on ABC’s “Claim to Fame,” the reality competition where relatives of celebrities live together while trying to hide who they’re related to. He became the first descendant of a U.S. president to appear on the show.
His run ended in the show’s August 7, 2023 episode. As the designated guesser that week, he wrongly guessed that castmate Chris was connected to Elton John. Chris is actually Donny Osmond’s son, and the wrong guess forced Hugo to reveal his own identity as Jimmy Carter’s grandson on camera.
He didn’t walk away empty handed, though. He left with a relationship. Hugo started dating fellow contestant Olivia Aquilina, who is television personality Jenny McCarthy’s niece, shortly after the show wrapped. He told PopCulture.com at the time, “I LOVE OLIVIA SO MUCH. We are so in love and have been dating for like 4 months.”
Three years later, they’re still together. In a joint interview with Swooon in the summer of 2025, the couple talked about splitting time between Atlanta and Los Angeles before deciding Olivia would move to Atlanta to be with Hugo full time. Hugo described their relationship as a nonstop adventure, and the two continue to post frequently together on Instagram and TikTok.
From Presidential Grandson to Bodybuilding Coach
Here’s the part that surprises a lot of readers who only know Hugo from the Carter name. Over the past few years, he’s built a legitimate fitness brand from the ground up.
Hugo competes as a natural bodybuilder and has worked with supplement and fitness brands including Amino Asylum and Ekkovision. His Instagram, which now sits around 11,000 followers, has shifted from general lifestyle content into something closer to a coaching business. His current bio describes him as a “Fat Loss Coach for Busy Professionals” who helps clients lose 15 to 30 pounds through one on one online coaching.
He also runs a personal coaching site, hugowentzel.com, which bills him as an online body transformation coach focused on fitness and nutrition. Public posts show him documenting his own competition prep, including weighing the decision of whether to compete in a bodybuilding show and win his pro card. According to a report from SCMP, he was at one point also developing a fashion line called All You, though details on that venture remain limited as of mid-2026.
None of this is confirmed through official financial disclosures, but outlets estimate his net worth somewhere between $100,000 and $300,000, coming from a mix of his TV appearance, coaching clients, and brand partnerships.
Where He Was When Jimmy Carter Died
Hugo’s most emotional public moment came at the end of 2024. Jimmy Carter, the longest living U.S. president in history, died on December 29, 2024, at age 100, after years of hospice care in Plains, Georgia, following a stage IV melanoma diagnosis. His wife Rosalynn had died the year before after living with dementia.
Ahead of the state funeral on January 9, 2025, Hugo spoke to the Daily Mail about his grandfather’s final days, describing a limited range of motion and speech but a peace about what was coming. He said his grandfather, whom he called “Papa,” believed he was going to heaven and was proud of what he’d accomplished. Hugo also shared that Carter, at 100 years old, was glad he’d been able to vote in the 2024 election.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Hugo James Wentzel |
| Born | July 29, 1999, Georgia |
| Parents | Amy Carter and James Wentzel |
| Grandparents | Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter |
| Known for | Claim to Fame season 2, natural bodybuilding, online fitness coaching |
| Partner | Olivia Aquilina, Jenny McCarthy’s niece |
| Based in | Atlanta, Georgia |
FAQ
Is Hugo Wentzel related to Jimmy Carter? Yes. He’s Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter’s grandson through their daughter Amy Carter.
What show was Hugo Wentzel on? He competed on season 2 of ABC’s “Claim to Fame” in 2023, where he was eventually revealed as Jimmy Carter’s grandson.
Is Hugo Wentzel still with Olivia Aquilina? Yes, as of mid-2026 the couple is still together and living in Atlanta.
What does Hugo Wentzel do for work? He runs an online fitness and fat loss coaching business and has partnered with supplement brands as a natural bodybuilder.
If you’re curious how a guy who grew up around Secret Service agents and world leaders ends up coaching strangers through fat loss on Instagram, that’s basically the whole arc. Hugo Wentzel took a famous last name and built something separate from it, one workout post at a time.
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