Prime Video orders 'Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?'; Travis Kelce set to host

From MGM Alternative, game show to be 3-time Super Bowl champion Kelce’s first foray into series television
√ Iconic format is back with a twist

Press Release

Prime Video today announced it has ordered “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce is set as host. The 20-episode order is a spinoff of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” It is being produced by MGM Alternative, a division of Amazon MGM Studios. The series will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

“Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” offers a fun, new twist on the premise of the original popular format. Each game will welcome an adult contestant who 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 sixth-grade level.

Fresh off his victory at Super Bowl LVIII, Kelce, one of the most recognizable names in sports and pop culture, turns his attention to his first major television role as host of “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” An eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, Kelce continues to pad his Hall of Fame resume, reaching milestones that make him one of the greatest tight ends of all time. In addition to being a generational talent and the co-host of the top-charting sports podcast, “New Heights,” Kelce is building a portfolio across industries. He has a passion for the entertainment business and an interest in bringing more live events, entertainment, and community initiatives anchored in music, sports, fashion and comedy to his diverse global audience.

“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 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.”

“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, 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.”

“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 U.S. version of the Emmy-nominated “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” was co-created by Poznick and John Steven. The game show premiered in 2007 to a record-breaking 27 million viewers and a cumulative audience of more than 800 million total viewers during its run. Since 2007, it has remained the No. 1 game-show premiere in broadcast television history. Since first being introduced, the series has seen 55 countries produce local versions, with more than 3,000 original episodes produced globally. The “Are You Smarter” brand continues to be relevant today, inspiring late-night versions of the show and millions of dollars in merchandise, including a board game, a companion book and apparel.