Chiefs star Travis Kelce in talks with Amazon for ‘Are you smarter than a 5th grader?’ reboot

As Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce enters his 11th year in the league in 2024, his retirement and a post-playing career are approaching on the horizon. With his success in the NFL and as the host of the New Heights Podcast with his brother Jason Kelce, the former Cincinnati standout will have no shortage of opportunities. According to Hollywood news outlet Deadline, one of those opportunities could be hosting a game show.

Deadline reported this week that Kelce is in talks with Amazon about becoming the host for a reboot of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? The former Fox game show ended its syndication run in 2015 before John Cena hosted a reboot for Nickelodeon in 2019. Now, Amazon is considering Kelce as a host for a new edition.

The original host of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? was comedian Jeff Foxworthy. He would ask adult contestants to answer questions based on subjects taught during elementary school. During the game, contestants could lean on a group of real fifth graders to save them if they didn’t know an answer. They could even choose to “Peek,” “Copy,” or “Save,” answers from their young cohorts.

At the end of the game, adults who could not answer enough questions correctly would sometimes “drop out” and confess to the camera that they were not smarter than a fifth grader.

The John Cena reboot for Nickelodeon lasted just one season, running from June 2019 through November. Since the first season on Fox, the game has been replicated or similarly adapted by more than 40 other countries.

Kelce explores post-playing career options

Kelce has plenty of prior experience on TV outside of his role with the Chiefs and as a podcaster. He hosted reality dating show Catching Kelce early in his NFL career, and he also recently hosted Saturday Night Live. He’s also credited as a producer on new 2024 film ‘My Dead Friend Zoe.’ As the boyfriend of Taylor Swift, the Chiefs star is becoming very familiar with the show business.

Kelce announced Thursday along with Patrick Mahomes that the duo is investing in an upscale steakhouse. It won’t feature their names, just the jersey numbers that the NFL fans love and fear.

They’re calling it 1587 Prime. And it will be opening in early 2025. Who knows, maybe Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will be celebrating another Super Bowl win by then. The two are partnering with Noble 33, a hospitality group that has upscale restaurants across the country.

On3’s Suzanne Halliburton contributed to this report.