Travis Kelce, NFL star and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, to host celebrity spin-off of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? | Entertainment News
Travis Kelce has secured his debut TV hosting role for the game show Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?
The American Football star – who gained more notoriety after his relationship with Taylor Swift began last year – is a player for the Kansas City Chiefs and played a key role in their consecutive Super Bowl victories in February.
Kelce and Swift at Coachella. Pic: Jennifer Johnson/Shutterstock for Neon Carnival
Their high-profile relationship has been associated with attracting a new audience to the NFL and generating excitement whenever they are seen together, such as their recent appearance at the Coachella music festival.
The Prime Video production is a derivative of the popular US game show Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, which debut on Fox in 2007 with host US comedian Jeff Foxworthy.
Later, Nickelodeon revived the show in 2019, hosted by action star John Cena, and also inspired a board game and a book.
In the UK, the show was adapted as Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?, with hosts Noel Edmonds, and later Dick and Dom.
In Kelce’s new spin-off of the series, an adult contestant must answer 11 elementary-level questions with the help of a classroom full of various celebrities.
The last question is from the sixth grade curriculum and carries a $100,000 (£80,000) prize. Only one celebrity can guide the contestant through the answer to the final question. In the US, sixth graders are typically 11-12 years old.
Filming for the 20-episode series has already concluded.
Swift at this year’s Super Bowl with Kelce. Pic: Reuters
‘The ultimate class clown’
Kelce expressed in a statement that he grew up watching game shows and is “thrilled to be following the path of many TV icons”.
He continued: “Given the success of the original show, presenting a new format with beloved celebrities on screen will be truly entertaining.
“I’m delighted to be on the hosting side of things here and eager to see how these renowned figures measure up.”
The original series co-creator Barry Poznick described Kelce as “the ultimate class clown,” and added, “substituting kids with celebrities will bring more laughs and surprises, like a roast, as participants cheat off their celebrity classmates”.
Earlier in the month, Kelce obtained his degree from the University of Cincinnati, 12 years after completing his studies.
He fulfilled his remaining credit hours in 2022 to earn his degree in interdisciplinary studies, as reported by The Cincinnati Inquirer.
Producer, podcaster and festival founder
Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity? is not Kelce’s initial TV role. He starred in his own 2016 dating competition show for E! called Catching Kelce and hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live last year.
He is also a producer on the upcoming documentary King Pleasure, focusing on American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Aside from television, he co-hosts the podcast New Heights with his brother, fellow NFL star Jason Kelce, discussing popular culture along with football.
He also founded his music festival, Kelce Jam, which will return for a second year later this month, with headliners including Lil Wayne and Diplo.
