The Challenge All Stars 3 Player Preview: Tyler Duckworth
2x Challenge Champion Tyler Duckworth is back for his second All Stars season! The former collegiate swimmer is ready to dive back in and get some redemption after a crushing Pole Wrestle loss last season. Tyler has always been one of the more underrated male competitors in Challenge history; going against one of the strongest male casts ever, he has a shot to prove he’s just one of the best.
Tyler’s Cheat Sheet (TLDR Version)
Introducing Tyler: Coming out of Real World Key West, Tyler debuted on the Duel 1, winning the first elimination of the season after shockingly calling out his castmate Johnny Bananas. He lost the subsequent elimination after choosing Derrick Kosinski as his opponent. Tyler came back a season later for the Gauntlet 3 as part of the Rookies Team. Johnny Bananas exacted some revenge, getting Tyler thrown into the second male elimination of the season, where Tyler got outsmarted and outworked by Frank Roessler in anklebreaker (a reverse tug-of-war type elimination). Tyler had a hook-up with Ryan Kehoe in this season where the feelings felt one-sided.
When Tyler returned a couple of years later, he had noticeably put on some pounds. Even though it was played for jokes with Johnny & Derrick calling him fat and heavy, the added weight filled out Tyler’s body in a massively positive way. Tyler was a legit high-level collegiate swimmer and a real athlete, except because he was undersized, people saw him as someone they could throw into elimination without fear. Not to mention, gay men on the Challenge have an uphill battle due to preconceived notions of weakness. On Cutthroat, Tyler’s mix of size, skill, and athleticism led to him being a solid contributor on the Red Team. Tyler won two eliminations against champions in Bananas and Derrick and then took home the win alongside his Red Team.
He came back for Rivals 1 with Johnny as his partner. While CT, Wes, and Kenny were the stars of that season, Tyler and Johnny won 3 out of 8 daily challenges, the last elimination of the season against CT/Adam, and then pulled out a win in the Hardest Final in Challenge history (at that point) even with Tyler overcoming food poisoning. People might throw asterisks on the elimination/Final due to extenuating circumstances; nonetheless, Tyler won back-to-back seasons and three consecutive eliminations against Challenge legends. Tyler held his own and staked a claim in Challenge history.
Tyler returned for All Stars 2 burlier than ever. He played a stellar social game toeing the middle as a perfect floater. That is until the partner twist. He and Jasmine came in last place during a daily challenge forcing him to face Laterrian in Pole Wrestle, where he got smoked 2–0. This time around, Tyler gets another shot where maybe a partner twist doesn’t decide his fate.
Player Vitals & Stats
Tyler Duckworth: 40 Years Old, 5'11, 230 lbs, 4 Seasons, 4–2 Elimination Record, 2x Champion (Cutthroat & Rivals 1), 2x Finalist, 1 All Star Season, 0–1 All Star Elimination Record
Skills and Physical Strength: First and foremost, Tyler is a skill/endurance athlete. After his initial run on the Challenge ended, he transitioned into running Iron Mans and Triathlons. Despite putting on weight, Tyler’s natural endurance makes him a massive threat in the Final. His forte is swimming, where at one point in time, Tyler’s 100 Meter Freestyle PR was less than 5 seconds slower than the World Record Holder. The 230 lb frame also worries some of his foes in case the elimination might be weight-based.
What Tyler lacks is explosive athleticism. He falls behind in the daily challenges/eliminations where it comes down to a dead-sprint or who can climb a rope or ladder quicker. Likewise, his 230 lb frame is difficult to support in any challenges/eliminations where players need to lift their own bodyweight. He needs more of an X-factor to him as we saw Laterrian completely dismantle him in their Pole Wrestle. Tyler played that elimination strategically, trying to wear down his opponent, but he had no offense going at any point.
SSMP (Social, Strategic, Mental, and Political) Game: Tyler doesn’t try to anger any of the men and focuses on forging his relationships with the women. He knows most men already have their #1 or 2 guy, so he becomes the #1 or #2 guy for the girls in the house. It will be interesting to see how long he will be able to play the middle this time around.
I don’t know where Tyler fits in Politics/Strategy wise. On Cutthroat, he was a team player who aligned with his friends, and on Rivals, Johnny’s MOB alliance made the decisions for him. We’ve never seen Tyler make moves when in power. When it comes to the mental side of the game, Tyler is highly educated and does well in games of memorization. Part of why he went into elimination last season was because he and Jasmine took the longest to complete a swim & puzzle, and while Jasmine mainly was at fault for the swim, Tyler could have made up ground in the puzzle and didn’t.
Eliminations & Winning Potential: You look at Tyler’s elimination history, and he’s defeated strong players (Bananas 2x, Derrick, CT). Looking closer at the eliminations themselves: one was watermelon lifting, another two were purely weight-based, and the other, an opponent (Adam King) maybe threw it. Tyler still lacks an elimination win where he truly bested an equal opponent. We need to see him compete against a Brad or a Nehemiah in a Knot So Fast type elimination. That would tell us a lot about who he is as a competitor. We know Tyler’s good… It’s a matter of whether he’s elite.
Can Tyler win? He is a 2x Champ with an endurance background, is a good eater, and is capable mentally, so if Tyler gets to the Final, he’s a threat. At the same time, many men check the same boxes, so for Tyler to win, a bigger threat or two needs to be taken off the board. The more important question is can Tyler get to the Final? There are so many strong players in this game that I can envision anyone taking down anyone. Tyler needs to be on his A-game socially; even then, he’s likely to see an elimination or two.
