Travis Kelce is briefly hanging up the football cleats as he embarks on a new TV job — hosting a new Amazon Prime Video show.
The NFL star will host the show titled Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, a spin-off of the Fox game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. The new series will feature adult contestants tackling sixth-grade-level questions with celebrity cameos. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon has ordered 20 episodes.
"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 shared in a statement. "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. 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 5th Grader? became an iconic game show since its debut in 2007, captivating audiences with its unique format where adult contestants tackle questions drawn from elementary school textbooks, spanning from first to fifth grade. The show had a lengthy run on television screens, airing until its revival in 2019.
"For years, fans around the world have tested their smarts with this fun, nostalgic game show, and we look forward to bringing this reimagined format to Prime Video," Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD originals unscripted and targeted programming, Amazon MGM Studios said. "Travis has proven to be an incredible talent on and off the field, and we appreciate the trust he has placed in us with his first foray into television. His natural, comedic dynamic with our panelists and guests, coupled with some exciting new twists, will keep our global customers coming back week after week."
In the new show, an adult contestant "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."
General manager of MGM Alternative Barry Poznick, who produced over 3,000 episodes Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is a co-creator of the new show. He shared that he "wanted to come up with a new, loud twist on the format."
He continued: "Replacing the kids with celebrities gives us more laughs and surprises, like a roast, as contestants cheat off their famous classmates. And now, with the ultimate class clown, Travis Kelce, hosting, viewers should expect the unexpected."
The premiere date for the series has not yet been announced.
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