Amazon MGM Studios on Tuesday announced “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” will be coming to Prime Video with host Travis Kelce.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, was previously rumored to be in talks to host a revival of the popular game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,” which was originally hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy and later by John Cena.
The new spinoff will have adult contestants rely on a classroom full of celebrities “from stage, screen, and sports” to help them answer 11 questions pulled from elementary school curriculums in a bid to win the $100,000 prize. Unlike the original, in which contestants competed against children, contestants will instead enlist the celebrities’ help, “and, in some cases, can even ‘cheat’ off of them.”
The final question, which is at the sixth-grade level, will be worth $100,000, and the contestant will be able to select one celebrity to discuss the answer with before locking in.
“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 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.”
The three-time Super Bowl champion has been spending his offseason with girlfriend Taylor Swift, vacationing in the Bahamas and partying at Coachella before she heads back out on her Eras Tour. But his famous girlfriend isn’t the only one in the relationship with stage presence — Kelce previously appeared on the reality dating series “Catching Kelce,” and currently hosts the successful “New Heights” podcast with his brother, recently retired Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce.
The folks at Amazon MGM Studios took notice of Kelce’s “natural, comedic dynamic.”
“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,” said Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD originals unscripted and targeted programming, Amazon MGM Studios.
“After producing more than 3,000 episodes of ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?’ globally, we wanted to come up with a new, loud twist on the format. Replacing the kids with celebrities gives us more laughs and surprises, like a roast, as contestants cheat off their famous classmates,” said Barry Poznick, general manager of MGM Alternative and co-creator of the series. “And now, with the ultimate class clown, Travis Kelce, hosting, viewers should expect the unexpected!”
The original “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?” premiered in 2007 to a record-breaking 27 million viewers, and has retained its title as the No. 1 game-show premiere in broadcast television history.
“Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity,” produced by MGM Alternative, will feature 20 episodes and will premiere in 240 countries and territories worldwide on Prime Video. A release date has not yet been announced.
Story via TMX
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