Sitting at Anna's Taqueria in Davis Square eating a burrito, Tyler Duckworth (LA '04) describes his day's activities thus far.
"Well, I was bored this morning after the gym, so I downloaded a bunch of Clay Aiken songs from season two of American Idol. It's kind of embarrassing to say, but man, does he have a voice that goes on forever. Is it weird that I want to go to one of his concerts with a shirt that says, 'I'm a Clay-Mate'?"
Only a year ago, Duckworth was like any other Tufts student, grappling with multiple midterms and desperately wishing Spring Break would come sooner. He had little time to download 'American Idol' songs and design corresponding outfits. However, fresh from a whirlwind few months in Key West as a cast member of MTV's popular series "The Real World," Duckworth has some time to take it easy.
He took this opportunity to reflect on his experience while spending his day shopping in Boston. Walking around H&M for what Duckworth calls some "good Midwestern bargain shopping," the soon-to-be television star searches for an outfit for his first red-carpet event next month, where he will debut "as gold-medalist swimmer Amanda Beard's arm candy," Duckworth said.
"Personally, I'd just like to wear a pair of jeans and a big shirt with a picture of Stalin and Lenin giving homoerotic glances to each other from across a big, Communist table," Duckworth jokes.
His newfound fame became evident during a recent trip to Medford's White Hen convenience store. The cashier, recognizing him as "the new 'Real World' guy" she had seen on the casting special that aired last week, asked, "Were you lying when you said were obsessed with Michelle Kwan?"
"Michelle is my role model, my hero. No one can ever replace her," he says, letting out a hearty laugh as he left the store.
His sense of humor - inappropriate, dry and refreshingly honest - is the most shocking thing about Duckworth. It's most likely the reason that MTV cast him in the provocative show.
Additionally, as an openly gay male, Duckworth's stories of growing up in the conservative Midwest were quite the selling points for a show that clearly tries to incite controversy and promote diversity amongst each cast.
But while Duckworth jokes about his upcoming red-carpet experience, he is also admittedly scared. Red-carpet events and Hollywood-type notoriety are a far cry from Duckworth's childhood in Burnsville, Minnesota. And although he "never took this whole Real World experience too seriously," he is just now realizing how "massive" the show really is.
"I honestly thought it would be a fun experience... nothing more, and perhaps even less. It's a great way to meet a ton of people in the production world and plus, it's five months on a beach, on an island. It's only now, after the show, [that] I see how many people are fans of the show," Duckworth says.
Duckworth's sense of humor, confidence and enthusiasm are evident to anyone he meets, but as he tries to "understand his place in his new world, and a new career," he finds himself both nervous and excited.
"I feel lucky to have a great Tufts education. All these incredible doors are opening, and I think the people I have around me, and the people who shaped me at Tufts, have given me an incredible advantage as I figure out what to do next," says Duckworth, who was a comparative religion major and a communications and media studies minor.
Many in the university setting may be wondering what would entice somebody to go on a reality television show. But Duckworth, like many others of this generation, actually loves to hate reality television.
"I was there on my couch every Monday night talking [badly] about these stupid people on 'The [Real World/Road Rules Challenge] Gauntlet' or 'Inferno,'" Duckworth laughs.
"And now I'm one of them. I pretend to be embarrassed about such affiliations, but secretly, I find a huge amount of satisfaction in knowing all their inside gossip," he adds.
But "The Real World" is in fact, a powerful catalyst for social activism. As a staple in the lives of young people over the past decade, and the beginning of reality television, former "Real World" cast members have been able to go on to effect social change in communities across the country. From promoting HIV/AIDS awareness to sex education and political activism, past cast members have used their notoriety for good causes.
Duckworth is adamant about using his newfound fame to spread knowledge and understanding about such issues as "gay rights, body image, youth involvement in politics, and the importance of education to teens and college students across the country," he says.
And now, the 23-year-old may very well become the most visible Tufts alumnus among the 18-24-year-old demographic.
Duckworth is insistent that he does not have dreams of becoming an actor, unlike many of his cohorts. Nor does he intend on becoming a "career challenger." (What he means by this is that he will not spend the next decade appearing on the popular "Real World" spin-off "challenge" series in which cast members from different "Real World" seasons compete against each other in challenges for cash rewards.)
Rather, Duckwoth says, his dream is to work for NBC Sports as a producer for gymnastics and figure skating events, or to develop his own satire show. His ultimate hope for the show, however, is that "America sees that I was really just being myself in Key West."
As "The Real World: Key West" premiers on MTV tonight, the young star launches into a life of fame - and he's likely to be recognized by mini-mart cashiers for some time to come.
