The Kansas City Chiefs have made the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, and to get fans ready for another playoff run, the team released its own version of a Hallmark movie trailer ahead of the Chiefs’ Saturday game against the Miami Dolphins.
The trailer for the team’s fake “Falling for Football” movie was released Wednesday, and it features Hallmark actors Tyler Hynes and Janel Parrish as the main characters.
Parrish plays Amber, a woman who started hating football — especially the playoffs — after being left at the altar when her fiancé decided to attend a playoff game instead of their wedding.
In the trailer, she meets and falls for Hynes’ character, Ben, who works at a Chiefs merchandise store. When he learns she hates football, Ben hides his love for the sport and what he does for a living “until she remembers how magical the (football) season can be.”
Who is in the Chiefs’ Hallmark trailer?
Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend, center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith each have a line in the trailer. The Chiefs’ mascot, KC Wolf, is featured, as well.
The trailer also includes cameos from prominent members of the Chiefs Kingdom.
Amber turns for help to Donna Kelce, who, in the movie, is a diner waitress and not the mother of the team’s star tight end. She advises Amber that “the heart can be in two places at once,” which could be a reference to her sons playing on opposing teams.
The Chiefs’ radio announcer Mitch Holthus works at the same store as Ben and raves about the “Sweet Nectar of the End Zone” candle, which is one of his catch phrases.
Rapper Tech N9ne, who was born in Kansas City, is seen performing his song “Red Kingdom,” which features several references to his favorite team and its players.
He released the song the day before the Chiefs beat the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Conference Championship in 2019, according to Genius. Kansas City went on to win the Super Bowl two weeks later.
Singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge also makes a brief cameo as Amber’s editor. Since the Chiefs’ Super Bowl appearance in 2020, she has written a few songs based on her team’s success, such as:
- “I Loved the Chiefs Before They Were Cool” (2023).
- “Chocolate Cake” (2022).
- “Football, Thank You” (2021).
- “Chiefs are Going to the Super Bowl” (2020).
What Taylor Swift references are in the Chiefs’ Hallmark parody trailer?
With the romance of tight end Travis Kelce and singer Taylor Swift being a prominent part of the Chiefs’ season, the trailer also included references to Swift.
Donna Kelce is heard mentioning order No. 13, Swift’s lucky number, and in the merchandise shop, Ben is seen adjusting a display of friendship bracelets.
The romance between Travis Kelce and Swift “all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast,” Swift told Time magazine in December.
On his “New Heights” podcast in July, the tight end mentioned he made a friendship bracelet with his number on it to give to Swift at the Kansas City stop of her “Eras Tour” but was unable to give it to her, as the Deseret News previously reported.