Travis Kelce to Host Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Spin-Off

Three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce is on board to host Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, a spin-off of the hit game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, for Prime Video.

The new format will welcome an adult contestant to a classroom full of celebrities from the stage, screen and sports to help answer 11 questions on a range of subjects pulled from an elementary school curriculum in a bid to win $100,000.

For the final question, always at a 6th-grade level, the contestant selects one celebrity to discuss the answer with before locking in.

Kelce, an eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, recently won his third Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in February. This marks his first major television role.

The original U.S. version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? was co-created by Barry Poznick and John Steven. It debuted in 2007 to a record-breaking 27 million viewers and achieved a cumulative audience of more than 800 million total viewers during its run. Since 2007, it has seen 55 countries produce local versions, with more than 3,000 original episodes produced globally.

The new spin-off is being produced by MGM Alternative, a division of Amazon MGM Studios, and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios Distribution. Wes Kauble is attached as showrunner. He will also executive produce, alongside Mark Burnett. Co-executive producers are Sean Kelly and Steve Hughes.

“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. “The original show is a great success, so 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.”

“For years, fans around the world have tested their smarts with this fun, nostalgic game show, and we look forward to bring this reimagined format to Prime Video,” said Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD originals unscripted and targeted programming at Amazon MGM Studios. “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.”

Co-creator Poznick, also general manager of MGM Alternative, added, “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. And now, with the ultimate class clown, Travis Kelce, hosting, viewers should expect the unexpected!”