It is almost hard to believe that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce once had his own dating show, in which he dated 50 women — one from each state — in the hopes of finding a girlfriend.
Fortunately for Swifties everywhere, he was unsuccessful and the show, titled Catching Kelce, lasted only one season in 2016.
Nearly a decade later, his former teammate Derrick Johnson remembered that football season and the ribbing Kelce, 35, took from his teammates.
“He tried not to [talk about the show in the locker room] but we kind of teased him at times, because when you’re playing for Andy Reid, there’s no distractions,” Johnson, 42, told Fox News Digital in an interview published Tuesday, August 12. “You got to do your job and do it at a high level. So we were aware of the show in the locker room. We’d throw different stuff out there. But when it came to football, it was all business.”
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Even though it didn’t work out with the show’s 50 suitors, Johnson said Kelce had no problems in that department — well before he began dating Taylor Swift in 2023.
“He had that taken care of. Good or bad, that’s the area that he needs no help in,” Johnson said.
Johnson, who finished his career as the Chiefs’ all-time tackle leader, couldn’t resist throwing one more playful jab at his former teammate.
“He outkicked his coverage. Taylor’s big time,” he said. “Kelce’s big time as well, football-wise, but she is globally. So they’re definitely a power couple.”
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Kelce, for his part, doesn’t exactly look back fondly on his foray into reality TV. In a July appearance on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, he called Catching Kelce, “The worst thing I ever did.”
“It didn’t set me up for anything. I didn’t realize what reality TV really was,” he said. “I don’t even think anybody watched it.”
He also joked about it in his monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2023.
“[It was] kind of like The Bachelor, except instead of roses I handed out footballs,” he said. “And instead of watching, people did not. It was a little embarrassing, but I got really good at reality TV.”
Though Catching Kelce didn’t work out the way he wanted, things turned out OK for Kelce. He recently gushed about his relationship with Swift, 35, in an interview with GQ, published Tuesday, August 12.
“I hadn’t experienced somebody in the same shoes as me, having a partner who understands the scrutiny, understands the ups and downs of being in front of millions,” he said.
