CELEBRITY
DONE DEAL Travis Kelce stuck with ‘low fee’ to host Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? show as he signed contract pre-Taylor Swift; The Kansas City Chiefs player has missed out on making millions with his new Amazon TV gig but apparently “doesn’t care”
It was announced this month that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, who is now in a serious relationship with superstar Taylor Swift, has signed up to host Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?
The three-time Super Bowl winner has had success with his hit podcast New Heights with his brother, Jason Kelce, and now the star is turning his attention to TV. But one of his first deals was reportedly signed before he could command millions of dollars. According to a source, he is getting around $ 1.8 million per season for the Amazon Prime Video spin-off project – which amounts to around $750,000 after taxes.
“The deal is for two seasons and there’s an option for the third and more if the money is good,” they told The U.S. Sun. “He is also working on being one of the producers of the show.” A second source said Kelce, 34, was in talks to host last year and signed the deal before his relationship with Swift got serious. “He could have commanded a lot more, but he doesn’t care because he loves the show and is excited to host,” they said.
“It’s filming in Los Angeles, so he’ll be working out his schedule. “He’ll also be in Europe a lot this summer with Taylor and their families around the Eras tour dates but he’s committed to the project.” The U.S. Sun has reached out to Travis’ rep for comment. Kelce’s new gig was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter last week. “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?” he told the outlet.
“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,” he added. The show’s format is based on the 2007 Fox series hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, which has already run for over 3,000 episodes in more than 50 countries. But under Kelce, the showrunners wanted to create a “fresh twist” on the genre, bringing in celebrities instead of children.
Amazon revealed adult contestants will rely on a “classroom” of well-known faces to help them answer 11 questions from an elementary school curriculum. The winner will walk away with a $100,000 cash prize. The streamer added, “They are not competing against the stars, they’re enlisting their help and, in some cases, can even ‘cheat’ off of them.” Amazon has reportedly ordered 27 episodes of the show hosted by Kelce so far.
Meanwhile, The U.S. Sun reported that Swift plans for her and Kelce’s families to travel with her during the European leg of her sold-out Eras tour. Swift embarks on a three-month, 52-date tour stopping off in Paris, Milan, London, Dublin, Stockholm, Vienna, Madrid, and Lisbon – as well as many other cities.
But with her parents teaming up with Donna and Ed Kelce – and his brother Jason – the Cruel Summer star will have a strong support network on the road. The insider says the plan is for the families to meet up at the beginning of May for the four-show run in France and will stay until May 30.