January 11, 2024
Kate Frese/for PhillyVoice
Ah, the sweet smell of flip flop! Philadelphia candlemakers weigh in on what a Jason Kelce-inspired candle would smell like, after the topic came up on the latest episode of the 'New Heights' podcast he hosts with Travis Kelce.
During the latest "New Heights" podcast episode, Eagles center Jason Kelce and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce veered away from chatting about sports, as they often do, and the conversation soon turned smelly.
While sorting through mentions from fans on social media during the episode released Wednesday, the brothers came across someone who had posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he had received a candle with a label that reads, "this candle smells like Travis Kelce" as a Christmas gift from his wife. "The candle does smell nice to be fair," the person tweeted.
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Travis noted he did not partner with the candlemaker, wick + wonder, on that product. The company's website sells other celebrity-inspired candles, too, including one inspired by Travis' girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
"Do you think people just make up things?," Jason asked in reference to the scent of the Travis-inspired candle.
"1,000% they just made that s*** up," Travis replied.
"... I kinda want to have one of those candles just to find out what people think you smell like," Jason later joked.
A Google search turned up tons of "smells like Travis Kelce" candles but none that advertised smelling like Jason. In the episode, the bros went on to hypothesize what people think they each smell like. For Jason, some of the less-than-flattering scents they came up with included chicken grease, baby poop, mold, wet boot, old hockey skate and wet flip flop.
Travis then suggested some more complimentary smells for Jason, including cinnamon and apple cider.
"Can we make (a candle) of Jason and see what Jason smells like and then have a smell-off?," Travis asked, possibly foreshadowing a future installment on the pod.
In meantime, the question remains unanswered: What would a candle inspired by Jason Kelce actually smell like?
So we asked experts — a.k.a. candlemakers in Philadelphia — for their thoughts, and they didn't disappoint, drawing inspiration from Kelce's tough attitude, love for his family, status as an Eagles legend, facial hair and choice in footwear. Here are the responses:
"If I were to create a custom scented Jason Kelce candle, it would embody his tough, masculine, yet expressive features that we know and love. I’d blend notes of leather, sandalwood and smoked cherry. The leather and sandalwood is not only a fave of ours but represents the scents of the football. We’d add smoked cherry to showcase his sweet little girls and Jason’s charisma which is the cherry on top of our O-Line!"
"Notes of sea salt, pine, teakwood, and leather. Aside from being a blend that smells delightful ... the candle embodies the essence of Jason Kelce paying homage to his beach-going, signature-shoe choice (the flip flop), a classic outdoorsy scent in pine, a rich cologne scent in black teakwood, and of course, the crisp scent of a pigskin."
Not long after responding for this article, Straub noted a new post on Cork and Candles'' Instagram, describing a limited edition "Sexy Batman" candle with a blend of scents similar to the one outlined above, adding it was inspired by the "New Heights" episode. That was quick.
"First thing I think of is our black pepper candle: Top notes of black pepper and lemon leading to spicy cumin, coriander and ginger atop a deep, long-lasting base of oakmoss, musk and amber. Masculine without being macho. Powerfully aromatic yet never cloying or overbearing. Everyone loves the black pepper."
"If Jason Kelce were going on a date night with Kylie, he’d definitely smell like a scent from the Mount Airy Candle Co. Secret Menu collection - Whiskey & Oak. Whiskey & Oak is an intriguingly bold and cozy candle fragrance - deep notes of cedarwood and oak come together with softer notes of amber and aged-whiskey. The perfect candle for a date night or cozy morning at home."
“To start I’d go with our Musky Leather scent and not for the reason you might think; yes, it reminds us of an actual football, but for a Jason Kelce candle you have to pay homage to his sandals. I’d mix that with a little Bourbon Bitters (perfect for those that love a bit of day drinking during the Mummers Parade or just dressing like mummers) and then round it out with our Barbershop scent to shoutout the best beard in Philly. It might be a bit much for some, but if they don’t like it … we don’t care.”
"I feel like people would be turned off by a candle that smells like me," Jason said during the episode. But, the Philly candlemakers' predictions sound pretty aromatic. Plus, not one of them mentioned chicken grease, baby poop or mold!
Perhaps Jason will have some "smells like Jason Kelce" candles to sniff during future "New Heights" episodes. Until then, watch Wednesday's episode of the podcast below, if you haven't yet:
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