Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Is Going Back to His Reality TV Roots-With His Family
Long before Sean Duffy was the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, the politician was a reality TV star. Way back in the ‘90s (1997 to be precise), Duffy debuted in The Real World: Boston. And now the former congressman is ready to hit the small screen again in a brand-new family-focused reality series, The Great American Road Trip. And no, it has absolutely nothing to do with MTV's Road Rules.
Sean Duffy on The Real World
MTV revolutionized the way viewers watched TV, introducing a fully unscripted series in 1992. The original Real World featured "Seven strangers picked to live in a house, work together, and have their lives taped to find out when people stop being polite and start getting real." The New York cast struck a chord with Gen X, ushering in the age of reality TV.
Following the show's NYC season, MTV moved the series to other major cities. Los Angeles, San Francisco (where we first met Duffy's future wife, Rachel Campos), London, Miami, and then in ‘97…Boston. When Duffy moved into the firehouse with castmates Montana, Syrus, Genesis, Kameelah, Elka, and Jason, he was just a plaid-clad Midwestern competitive lumberjack with an innocent charm.
Of course, this wasn't Duffy's only stint on an MTV reality series. He returned the following year, starring in the spinoff, Road Rules: All Stars. Duffy, and as the show's name implies, a few other all-stars, crammed into an RV and traveled across the country. New York's Eric Nies, L.A.'s Jon Brennan, Miami's Cynthia Roberts, and San Francisco's Rachel Campos joined Duffy for the road trip of a lifetime.
In the first episode, Duffy meets his now-wife, Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, saying, "Rachel's a cool girl, very bubbly…and I like her right off the bat." And almost 30 years later, the pair are happily married with one (yes, nine!) children.
Sean Duffy's New Family Reality Series
Duffy and Campos are going back on the road. But this time, they're bringing their brood. Even though gas prices are skyrocketing, the rising cost of fuel isn't stopping Duffy from airing his on-the-road family vacation.
The Transportation Secretary quietly filmed his new reality show, The Great American Road Trip, over the past seven months. In an interview on Fox News, he explained, "I want to lean in to America's 250th birthday. Rachel and I actually met on a road trip on a reality show. And so over the course of seven months, we just kind of found these moments where I might be able to do some work. I could take the kids with me on a road trip. Oh yeah, and our motto is ‘To love America, is to see America.' And there's so much to see in this beautiful country."
You can watch The Great American Road Trip with the Duffy family online starting this June.
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 3:05 PM.