Travis Kelce’s co-star unloads on NFL star’s quiz show hosting debut: ‘Had some hiccups’

Travis Kelce’s co-stars have given their verdict on the NFL star’s hosting debut ahead of his latest off-the-field project.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end stars as host of Amazon Prime’s new game show, “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?”, which premieres on the streaming platform on October 16 with three opening episodes.

It offers a fun twist on the popular “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” series, in which contestants answered elementary school questions while being helped by 5th grade students in hopes of winning a $100,000 prize.

In Kelce’s edition of the show, celebrities will replace schoolchildren on the panel and help contestants answer questions on a range of topics from elementary textbooks.

Days before the show’s debut, members of the A-List panel have opened up about Kelce’s appearance at the helm.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end hosts Amazon Prime’s ‘Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?’

Actor and comedian Ron Funches, who previously starred in Hollywood hits Trolls and Inside Out 2, admitted things haven’t always been smooth sailing for Kelce but insisted the three-time Super Bowl winner took on his hosting duties.

“I got to watch his whole progress and it was really nice to see him come in a little unsure, as anyone would be on their first day at work, especially when it’s so different from your normal job,” Funches shared. Newsweek.

“You know, he had a few hiccups here and there, and you can see how much he cared.”

Comedian Natasha Leggero, another celebrity who helped contestants win the jackpot, also revealed that she was pleasantly surprised by the NFL star.

‘We loved him. He was so cute and he was so prepared. He really blew me away because I didn’t have very high expectations… you could tell he took it very seriously and killed it,” Leggero also told the outlet.

A trailer released earlier this month shows Kelce – who is paid just $750,000 to host the show – laughing and joking with the contestants and celebrity panel; which also includes former NFL star Chad Ochocinco, comedian Nikki Glaser and media personality Lala Kent.

Comedians Ron Funches (L) and Natasha Leggero (R) are part of the celebrity panel

Kelce, who turned 35 on October 5, has explored opportunities off the field with acting and presenting.

He made his acting debut in Ryan Murphy’s latest horror show ‘Grotesquerie’ on FX and will also make a cameo in Adam Sandler’s sequel to the slapstick golf cult classic ‘Happy Gilmore’.

However, the veteran tight end has repeatedly emphasized that football is still his first priority.

The 5-0 Chiefs enjoyed a bye week this weekend, during which Kelce spent some quality time with pop superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift, and will return to action on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of this year’s Super Bowl.