Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has struggled to attract viewers to his controversial road trip reality show after months of delays.
According to a Thursday report by MeidasTouch, “almost nobody is watching” Duffy’s six-episode reality show, “Great American Road Trip,” which features his wife and nine children traveling with him through several states. The show has been criticized for its questionable funding sources and for showing off Duffy’s road trip vacation while Americans struggle to afford gas and groceries.
The show aired on Wednesday, and after 24 hours, the six episodes had accumulated only about 5,400 views combined, according to MeidasTouch. The most-viewed episode was Duffy’s Philadelphia episode, which had 2,300 views, and his Charleston and Arizona episodes drew fewer than 500 viewers each, MeidasTouch reported.
Four of the six episodes had only 600 views, and the most-viewed episode had only 59 likes, MeidasTouch added. Comments for the videos have also been turned off, MeidasTouch added.
Duffy spent months promoting the reality show as a celebration of America’s 250th birthday. It was originally supposed to premiere in June, but it was delayed until this week.
CNN reported that the nonprofit Great American Road Trip, Inc. covered production costs, including filming, crew, food, fuel, lodging, and activities. The Department of Transportation accepted the nonprofit covering the cost as a gift, according to CNN.
The Great American Road Trip nonprofit has come under fire because it was funded with millions from companies that the Department of Transportation is supposed to regulate, including Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, Chase Travel, and the Royal Caribbean Group.
The show was also slammed shortly after its airing, with CNN panelist Meghan Hays calling it “gross” on Thursday.
Duffy, a former reality TV star, has defended the project as an effort to encourage Americans to travel and experience the country, MeidasTouch noted.
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