Kansas City Chiefs Team With ’Cash Cab’ for Season Schedule Reveal

It’s practically 9 a.m. on the final Monday in April and the sky is blanketed by clouds after a gray weekend in Kansas Metropolis. However regardless of the absence of sunshine, one thing shiny and yellow has landed in the midst of car parking zone L at Arrowhead Stadium, house to the NFL’s ever-hot Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.

A shiny taxi-cab, emblazoned with a customized KC Taxi emblem on its doorways, is mounted on a trailer and surrounded by near a dozen manufacturing crew members busy with last-minute logistics forward of what’s going to be a daylong shoot. “Expertise is en route,” a staffer declares, and moments later a black sprinter van cruises by to unload a handful of camera-ready passengers led by Ben Bailey. The veteran comic — greatest referred to as the host of Money Cab, a beloved flashpoint of the fact recreation present style — is able to leap behind the wheel to ignite a novel popular culture crossover because the hometown heroes resuscitate his present as “Chiefs Cab,” a one-off particular to assist the crew launch its 2025-26 schedule.

The Chiefs’ Money Cab crosser is the newest entertainment-infused schedule reveal amid a buzzy development that finds NFL groups (and their advertising and social media departments) getting artistic to chop by means of the noise. And it appears to be working. Followers pore over the dates, retailers feverishly rank the very best and worst schedule breaks, and there are Reddit threads devoted to debating the virality of the crew’s respective efforts. Final 12 months’s winner was undoubtedly the Los Angeles Chargers, which produced an animated brief impressed by The Sims. It has been seen 38.5 million instances on X.

“These viral schedule launch movies have taken on a lifetime of their very own,” says Chiefs chief advertising officer Lara Krug of the phenomenon. “This 12 months, we needed to do one thing completely different and located a components that works very well. How will we faucet into leisure and the cultural zeitgeist? The crew got here up with some concepts and the minute an idea surfaced round Money Cab, we noticed the potential. It’s such a nostalgic present with large followers behind it. We thought, ‘What if we’re capable of convey it again and recreate it?’”

The Chiefs had good purpose to mount a profitable displaying for subsequent season’s dates. The season kicks off with a gap week recreation overseas on Sept. 5, dealing with off towards the Chargers in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The NFL has struck a cope with YouTube to stream the sport in what marks a first for such a partnership. Additionally noteworthy is that the Chiefs will take the sphere on Thanksgiving Day (week 13) versus the Dallas Cowboys and as soon as once more on Christmas Day (week 17) at Arrowhead Stadium by internet hosting the Denver Broncos in a matchup that may stream on Amazon Prime Video. (See the total schedule here, which incorporates seven video games in primetime.)

However with a purpose to rev the engine for “Chiefs Cab,” Krug stated they wanted to ebook the present’s Emmy Award-winning host for the motive force’s seat. “There might be no model of this the place you didn’t have the unique host be part of it,” she says. “We’re small and mighty [in the marketing department] and I’m simply very happy with the crew for pulling it off. There’s strain yearly to determine learn how to do it and stand out amongst the opposite 31 groups.”

Not solely have been they capable of ebook Bailey, the Chiefs crammed the van with three separate teams that competed in a trivia recreation — a la the unique present — full with flashing ceiling lights to sign an accurate reply. These teams featured passengers together with cornerback Trent McDuffie, former Chiefs quarterback Trent Inexperienced, voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus, a trio of cheerleaders (Katie, Ari and Sadie) and a roster of social media influencers with Jason and Sophie Sadler, Jack O’Shea, Mikaela Pascal, and Steven and Jasmine Inexperienced.

Provides Krug: “We tried to rearrange the passengers nearly like puzzle items for every of the rides to have a mixture of personalities, a present and former participant, true followers of the crew and influencers, a few of whom have worldwide attraction so it provides a way of authenticity and goes a good distance.”

Bailey was key to nailing that authenticity. “I couldn’t imagine it,” Bailey tells THR of fielding the decision for the gig. “It’s all the time enjoyable to do one thing like this, particularly for a giant schedule reveal. I’m comfortable to be right here and it’s been actually enjoyable.”

After describing himself as “a giant soccer fan,” Bailey reveals a shock about his day in Kansas Metropolis. “I’m not truly driving the cab this time.” Because the host of the enduring recreation present, Bailey was not solely tasked with maneuvering Money Cab by means of the imply streets of New York Metropolis (and later, Las Vegas) however he needed to quiz the contestants whereas doing so. His affable demeanor, a velvety recreation present voice and whip-smart replies garnered him a great deal of followers in the course of the present’s run, which began on Discovery Channel (2005-2012) earlier than transferring to Bravo for a latest reboot.

Partnering with a high-caliber NFL crew just like the Chiefs would lead one to imagine that possibly there’s extra fuel within the tank for Money Cab. “The truth that it’s nonetheless related now and … folks nonetheless wish to see it and are nonetheless fascinated by it, it may come again,” says Bailey. “ It did as soon as so that you by no means know. Reboots changed into a phenomenon and everyone regarded by means of all of the outdated exhibits contemplating what to convey again. Who is aware of?”

McDuffie can be thrilled to see a revival. “That was a very cool expertise,” the star participant tells THR. “After they first advised me about it, I’d heard of it and possibly I had seen one or two episodes, however I hadn’t actually watched it totally. I didn’t understand how a lot cash they have been competing for. As soon as we acquired inside and acquired to play, I used to be like, ‘OK, I low-key actually wish to play this recreation.’ I truly want it was Money Cab, that’s how a lot enjoyable it was.”

The cornerback even loved being “stumped” by a number of the trivia questions and studying details about Coach Andy Reid, who was the topic of a query throughout his trip. However the alternative additionally proved a check drive of what’s potential within the present period of NFL stars as on-camera personalities.

“Truthfully, my largest blessing is that we’ve Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes on the crew,” says McDuffie. “Travis hosts exhibits like [Saturday Night Live] and does a bunch of commercials and Patrick has all of his commercials [and endorsement deals]. The previous few years, I’ve been surrounded by that form of ambiance and it’s actually cool. As a participant within the NFL, you may have extra of a platform to attempt new issues. We’re with the Chiefs and our faces are names now. We’re the attraction of why followers wish to come see us.”

And recently, there’s been extra eyes than ever on the Chiefs because of Kelce and his important different — world pop celebrity Taylor Swift.

“We’re in a really, very lucky place due to the success on the sphere in addition to our similar stage of success exterior of the sphere or off the sphere, whether or not that’s with Taylor Swift being part of what we name our Chief’s Kingdom or because of folks like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Coach Reid,” says Krug. “Not solely are they unbelievable on the sphere however they’re world superstars and types, and individuals are turning into followers of the Chiefs due to them. … Our job, the crew’s job and positively my job is to fulfill our followers the place they’re and have them develop into lifelong Chiefs followers.” Even when meaning selecting them up for a trip to Arrowhead in a shiny yellow taxi-cab.