MTV reality star Tyler Duckworth was found dead at the age of 44 in his North Dakota home on Aug. 11, a spokesperson for the Grand Forks Police Department has confirmed.
After making his television debut in 2006 on “The Real World: Key West,” Duckworth became a fan-favorite of the long-running competition series, “The Challenge.” He participated in six seasons of the popular franchise and would go on to take home two championships; Season 20, “Cutthroat” in 2010, and Season 21, “Rivals” in 2011.
Following concern from Duckworth’s downstairs neighbor, who reported water leaking through the ceiling, police officers visited the home for a wellness check. Duckworth was found dead in his bathroom.
Police confirmed to People Magazine that Duckworth’s cause of death is “pending the results of an autopsy.” Once complete, results of a toxicology report can be expected in 10 to 12 weeks. Although his time of death is unclear, officials confirmed he was seen the day before.
“My son, Tyler, passed away earlier this week,” Duckworth’s mother, Joni, announced in an Aug. 13 Facebook post. “I will post on Facebook about services as soon as his dad and I figure it out.”
Two weeks prior, Duckworth had visited his hometown of Minneapolis to attend a “Challenge Mania Live” event—a variety-style show where viewers can interact with cast members. Following the July 31 gathering, Duckworth took to Instagram to express gratitude for fans of the franchise and his fellow “Challenge legends.”
“Like he did every day, he put a smile on everyone’s face and lit up the room with his infectious energy and incredible stories,” Scott Yager, “Challenge Mania” co-host said in a People Magazine statement. “We loved him very much and he will be greatly missed by the whole ‘Challenge’ fandom and community around the world. He was truly one of a kind.”
Per his official MTV bio, Duckworth was a “high kicking, champion swimmer and marathon runner” with “athletic prowess” and a “harsh sense of humor.”
Tributes immediately flooded from the MTV community. Duckworth’s roommate from “The Challenge: All Stars 2,” Derrick Kosinski, opened up about briefly living with the Minnesota native.
“We shared a room on ‘All Stars 2’ and he was an amazing human being,” Derrick said. “His passing is so sad. He was always such a bright light and incredible joy to be around.”
In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Duckworth opened up about his experience as an LGBTQ+ contestant on the competition program.
“I take it very seriously that I’m going to represent the gay community,” he said, noting that his experience returning to the show in 2021 was a stark contrast from his first stint in 2006.
“It was kind of funny to enlighten some of the other cast members on what it must be like for me being a gay cast member whenever everyone there is straight,” he recalled. “But at the same time, I have to say that this is not ‘The Challenge’ that it was when I first did it on ‘The Duel.’ It’s 2021, and the love and acceptance I got from every single male cast member was unbelievable.”
“I cannot say enough about how welcoming and supportive and what allies each and every one of those cast members were,” he continued.
In addition to competing in six seasons of high-stakes television, Duckworth held a full time role as a middle and high school teacher.
“My Ty-Guy would skip school when he was little,” Duckworth’s mother shared with People Magazine. “He has now gone on to a better place where the hurts and challenges (pun intended) are no longer. Tyler found his passion in teaching and he was good at it. I understand his students loved him. He taught world history. He loved history and geography and he has traveled the world over. I am sure he brought many insights to his students.”
Duckworth occasionally shared insight from his career on Instagram, such as a playful video at a laser tag facility where he joked that he “taught his students how to survive a zombie apocalypse” and some footage from a workout routine where he showcased his hard work after a week of teaching middle school.
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