A cast member of ‘The Real World: Boston’ was nominated to the Trump Cabinet. So we binged the season.

Before his days in Congress, before he was a political commentator on Fox, Sean Duffy was a “typical Midwestern boy” from Wisconsin, trying to make an impression in the chaotic world of 1990s reality television.

So when President-elect Donald Trump, whose path to political power was also shaped by reality television, nominated Duffy to be transportation secretary, journalistic duty called. Across 23 grainy episodes on YouTube, we watched a young Duffy stir up controversy with his six housemates on “The Real World: Boston,” accusing a Black housemate of being biased against white people, sleeping through a speech by President Bill Clinton, and flashing the women at the house before dashing off in American flag underwear.

Aired in 1997, the sixth season of MTV’s longest-running reality series featured Duffy as a 25-year-old bespectacled, flannel-clad law student. He and his fellow cast members lived in a converted firehouse on Beacon Hill for six months, experiencing a new city as cameras followed their daily lives and interpersonal relationships.

The group quickly adjusted to Boston, frequenting such bygone local spots as the Beacon Hill Pub, a Fenway club called AXIS, and a grocery store that is now succeeded by a Nuts Factory, as well as places that still exist today, including restaurants The Paramount and Figs.

Those relationships, as fans of the show know well, featured no shortage of dramatic confrontations and heated discussions over sensitive social issues. He notably butted heads with roommate Kameelah Phillips, whom he called a “bitch” during a heated argument and later compared to Adolf Hitler while accusing her of reverse racism.

During a conversation with castmate Jason Cornwell, Duffy claimed another housemate had told him they heard Phillips say that “Blacks are the king and queen of society.”

“That is the mentality of the white man of the 1850s, that we are the king race and we’re gonna put the Black man in slavery. She wants to have that racism right now and that same mentality for the Black people against white people,” Duffy said. “That’s a ‘master race’ kind of thought, that’s what Hitler thought.”

When Duffy confronted Phillips about the alleged comments, she responded “I don’t think I’ve ever said anything like that. As a Black person living in the US, how do I have room to be prejudiced?”

This wasn’t the only time Duffy engaged in tense conversations about race. Earlier in the season, Duffy and Syrus Yarbrough, the only other Black cast member, clashed over differing views on racism in the United States. In a pair of conversations, Duffy argued that Black people should not blame their circumstances on historical racial injustices and said Yarbrough likely has better job prospects than he does because of affirmative action.

“Just because my grandpa enslaved your grandpa doesn’t mean I should be punished for that,” Duffy said.

Reminiscent of his conflict with Phillips, Duffy argued white people can face discrimination as well.

“If we switched and I walked into a Black neighborhood, you know I would be taunted or whatever, be discriminated against, probably like you may be if you walked into a white neighborhood,” Duffy said to Yarbrough. “It’s the same, it’s all relevant.”

Despite the two’s clashing perspectives, their discussion ended in a fairly lighthearted manner, with each expressing openness to the other’s opinions. The two ultimately hit it off and maintained a friendship for the rest of the season.

“I haven’t been exposed to a lot of the issues that Syrus has brought to the table with me but I’m open to him and I’m trying to learn,” Duffy said during a direct-to-camera interview.

“Sean was jumped by some Black guys one time,” Yarbrough said in a later clip. “For him to actually come to live with me shows you that he has to have an open mind.”

Phillips, however, did not share the sentiment. In a different episode, Phillips spoke to a friend over the phone and expressed her frustration at having to educate Duffy about the Black experience.

“He is like the whitest white boy I’ve ever met. The first Black person he’s been a friend with is one, my roommate Syrus, and then me,” Phillips said. “I don’t think it’s fair for me to have to live here and be his roommate and spend all of my time teaching him about Black people and blackness.”

Later that episode, while at breakfast with housemate Montana McGlynn, Duffy brought up his conflict with Phillips ahead of the group’s trip to Martha’s Vineyard and joked that they should “bring a gun for [Phillips] and she can play Russian Roulette,” a comment that startled McGlynn.

Their tensions continued long after the show aired. In a podcast interview in 2020, Phillips, now a gynecologist in New York who endorsed Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election, said she “lost [her] shit” during a virtual cast reunion after realizing Duffy had called in from an anti-mask Trump rally.

“I’m literally in the hospital and in an environment where people are trying to save lives, get people to wear masks, understand how serious this is, and he again, 20 years later, still on the opposite side of the coin as me,” Phillips said.

Duffy also caused trouble at the group’s assigned workplace, an afterschool program in East Boston. While chaperoning a group of students on a trip to a presidential summit in Philadelphia, he slept through President Bill Clinton’s speech. The next day, he and Yarbrough showed up late to a rally after partying with a group of female college students the night before.

In another case of professional misconduct, Duffy was sent home from work after what his boss described as a “melodramatic outburst” in front of students about having overheard Phillips supposedly having sex at the house the night before. He was also caught for drinking alcohol in front of students at the summit but ultimately avoided punishment.

In one of the final episodes, titled “Redemption,” Duffy tried to make amends by starting a log rolling program at the school, drawing from his experience in lumberjack competitions.

“Just right there, I’m making an impact on these kids,” Duffy said of the positive responses he received from students and parents about the program.

His reviews at home, however, were increasingly negative. At one point, he upset housemate Elka Walker by mocking her “crusty undies,” but later apologized. He was then dubbed “asshole of the year” by castmate Genesis Moss after an argument about house cleanliness.

Despite these tiffs, Duffy was not unanimously disliked by the group. He was close friends with Yarbrough, frequently pairing up on group trips and going out for drinks. Duffy also developed a playful bond with McGlynn and they often shared dinners together. In one direct-to-camera interview, McGlynn is seen wrapping her arms around Duffy as they joke with each other.

Unlike several other castmates, Duffy also avoided any relationship drama and was seen talking to his girlfriend on the phone. However, the status of their relationship was unclear during the season as he rarely mentioned her and at times flirted with McGlynn and Moss.

One of Duffy’s first comments upon entering the house was an inquiry about a hot tub, which recent viewers said sent “really bad vibes.” In one clip, the women of the house laughed in bewilderment after being flashed by Duffy, who is recorded running away in American flag underwear.

In an early episode, Duffy declares Moss “hot” and later tells her he wants to “have sex with [her] for sure,” a remark she laughs at. That same night, Duffy and McGlynn drunkenly ran around the house pretending to have sex to rattle Walker, who is outspokenly religious.

“I have never seen drunk people be so crass and vulgar in my life, even during spring break,” Walker said.

In 1998, Duffy continued his MTV journey as a contestant on the spinoff show “Road Rules: All Stars,” where he met his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, who had starred in “Real World: San Francisco” in 1994. Since then, the two have shifted into politics as conservative pundits on Fox News.

In 2002, just five years after the show, Duffy was appointed as District Attorney of Wisconsin’s Ashland County, a position he held for eight years. The next year, he appeared as both a commentator and competitor on ESPN’s “Great Outdoor Games.” In 2010, he was elected to Congress, serving until 2019, and in December 2022, was named co-host of Fox Business’ “The Bottom Line.” He exited the network after Trump selected him as transportation secretary.

In his nomination statement, Trump praised Duffy as “a tremendous and well-liked public servant.”