Travis Kelce is considering how to gain yards on a new field of play.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is in discussions to host a celebrity-focused reboot of the long-running game show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” that would stream via Amazon Prime Video, according to two people familiar with the matter. The deal, if signed, would represent the football great’s latest move toward general entertainment after appearances on “Saturday Night Live,” the reality series “Catching Kelce” and a podcast he hosts with his brother, Jason.
Amazon Prime Video declined to make executives available for comment, and CAA, the agency that represents Kelce, could not be reached for immediate comment. There are some questions, according to the people familiar with discussions, about how much of a commitment Kelce could make to the venture if he continues playing football.
The new version of the program, originally hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy and appearing on Fox’s broadcast network, would rely on celebrity guests rather than children, according to these people.
Kelce would take the helm of a durable property. “Fifth Grader” ran on Fox for three seasons starting in 2007 before moving to syndication. It returned to Fox for a fourth season, then migrated in a new version to Paramount Global’s Nickelodeon, where it was hosted by John Cena.
He would not be the first athlete to host a game show. Michael Strahan has led a modern version of “The $100,000 Pyramid” on ABC, and Peyton Manning has hosted a retooled version of “College Bowl” for NBC and Peacock.
Producers would no doubt hope to leverage Kelce’s relationship with singer and musician Taylor Swift to draw new fans to any series that might come to fruition. Swift’s appearances at various NFL match-ups involving the Chiefs last season — including the team’s appearance in Super Bowl LVIII — caught the eye of many younger consumers who might not ordinarily be football fans.
