NEW YORK – From snagging touchdown passes to now posing brainy questions, Travis Kelce is switching playing fields. The Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight end and fresh-off-a-Super-Bowl-victory is ditching his helmet and pads for a clipboard as the newly-minted host of Prime Video’s “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?”
Yes, you read that correctly. The trash-talking, endzone-dancing, Bud Light keg-smashing NFL superstar is taking his talents to the small screen realm of cerebral game shows. It’s a bizarre career pivotal pivot, but one Kelce says he’s amped up for.
“I was raised on game shows, just soaking them up like a sponge as a kid,” Kelce gushed. “To actually be handed the hosting reins for one is like an out-of-body experience. It’s iconic, really.”
The fresh TV gig puts an absurdist new spin on the classic “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” format. Rather than squaring off against whiz kids, contestants will attempt to outsmart a panel of big-name celebs from across entertainment and athletics.
Here’s the twisted genius of the premise: Instead of going mano-a-mano against the famous panelists, the player recruits them as impromptu tutors and accomplices. Need help solving an advanced quantum physics equation? Maybe ask that former NASA astronaut on the panel for a lifeline. Stumped on identifying ketogenic diet food groups? Perhaps that keto-crazy celebrity chef can slide you the answers.
“It’s like the wildest idea for cheating on a test ever,” Kelce cackled. “The celebs aren’t opponents, they’re human cheat sheets! I just get to be the ringleader watching the insanity go down.”
Of course, keeping that chaos contained and camera-friendly falls on Kelce’s broad shoulders. Luckily, the 6’5″ pass-catching phenom has shown a flair for the limelight with his post-game antics and commercial spots hawking everything from brewskies to dating apps.
“Travis has this magnetism and natural comedic timing that just pops off screen,” said Lauren Anderson, head of unscripted Amazon originals. “He’s going to be a hilarious ringleader umpiring the mayhem between our contestants and celebs.”
So just how zany could this celebrity-aided battle of wits get? The mind boggles at the thought of a contestant subtly mouthing “help me!” at a panelist while facing off against a fourth grader’s science head-scratcher. Or an A-lister hijacking the multiple choice answers to insert some comedic improv riffs and antics.
It’s a deliriously fresh breath for the oftentimes staid game show format. Leave it to an NFL star who courts attention and chaos to disruptacrowded TV landscape in need of new swaggering energy.
Could “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” be the start of a beautiful new chapter for the chutzpah-oozing Kelce? Or just the ridiculous flash-in-the-pan spectacle we’ve come to expect from his NO-bleep-given persona? Tune in to find out this bold experiment unfolds
