'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?' Spinoff Announced: NFL Superstar Set to Host It
Perhaps realizing his skills are beginning to diminish to the point of no return, Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce is obviously looking at other career options.
(And yes, this writer is a bitter New England Patriots fan who wants to see the budding Chiefs dynasty crumble.)
All snark aside, the gregarious, almost childlike innocence of Kelce is probably perfectly suited for a career as a game show host once he hangs up his cleats.
And that very role appears to be what’s next on the plate for the three-time Super Bowl champion.
According to a news release, Kelce has been tapped to host an upcoming spinoff of the self-deprecating game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”
Instead of comparing intellect with the American school system, however, this new version hosted by Kelce would have contestants working with… maybe the likes of Taylor Swift?
While the music sensation isn’t officially connected with this new show in any way — association with the host notwithstanding — “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” still has plenty of power behind it.
And that’s because this new show has Jeff Bezos’ deep pockets behind it, as it will be an Amazon Prime Video show.
(The original “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” originally started as a Fox show hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, before bouncing around a few places.)
“I grew up loving game shows, and I’m excited to be following in the footsteps of so many TV icons by hosting my very first one with Are you Smarter than a Celebrity,” Kelce said about his new gig, per the release.
“The original show is a great success, so to be bringing a new format with everyone’s favorite celebrities to the screen, will definitely be entertaining,” Kelce added.
In a small jab at his own intellect, the 34-year-old Kelce also noted: “I’m just happy to be on the hosting side of the equation here and excited to see how these famous faces keep up.”
“Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? offers a fun, new twist on the premise of the original popular format,” the release boasts. “Each game will welcome an adult contestant who will rely on a classroom full of celebrities from stage, screen, and sports to help them answer 11 questions on a range of subjects, pulled from elementary curriculum, in an effort to win a $100,000 prize.
“They are not competing against the stars…they’re enlisting their help and, in some cases, can even ‘cheat’ off of them. And on the final question, worth $100,000, the contestant selects one celebrity to discuss the answer with before locking in.
“The final question is always at the 6th-grade level.”
Amazon has already ordered 20 episodes of the show, though no release window has been given yet.
Kelce has indicated that he plans to suit up next year again for the Chiefs, though he has also acknowledged that he is much closer to the end of his playing career than the beginning.
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