Tyler Duckworth, a two-time winner of MTV’s The Challenge, was found dead at 44 after water from his bathroom began leaking into a neighbor’s apartment below.
Duckworth first appeared on television in The Real World: Key West in 2006 before becoming a recurring competitor on The Challenge. He competed across six seasons of the franchise, winning Cutthroat in 2010 and Rivals in 2011.
After spending roughly a decade away from the competition, Duckworth returned for The Challenge: All Stars 2 in 2021 and All Stars 3 in 2022. An official Paramount Plus cast announcement credited him with two victories across his first four Challenge appearances.
Duckworth was last seen publicly at a Challenge Mania event in Minneapolis on July 31, where he reunited with other personalities from the series and thanked fans for their support.
Police say Tyler Duckworth’s cause of death remains unknown
The Grand Forks Police Department told People that officers were dispatched to Duckworth’s North Dakota apartment at approximately 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, August 11.
Police entered the apartment after Duckworth’s downstairs neighbors reported water coming through their ceiling. Officers traced the leak to the bathtub inside his bathroom, where Duckworth’s body was found.
Authorities said it was not immediately clear how long he had been dead, although he had reportedly been seen the previous day. Police found no apparent signs of foul play or anything indicating that his death was suspicious.
Duckworth’s cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy, and a toxicology report has also been ordered. The North Dakota State Forensic Examiner’s Office told Us Weekly that the full investigation is expected to take at least 90 days.
His mother, Joni Duckworth, confirmed his death in a Facebook post on Thursday, August 13.
“My son, Tyler, passed away earlier this week. A cause of death has yet to be determined,” she wrote, adding that the family would share information about services once arrangements had been made.
Outside of reality television, Duckworth had returned to teaching at the middle and high school levels. In a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said returning to The Challenge was about testing himself again rather than adding another victory to his record.
Duckworth’s passing follows several other recent losses covered by Dexerto, including Botched personality Jordan James Parke, Fishtank Live and Kick streamer SuzieSmalls, and YouTuber Adam the Woo.
