Tyler Cameron on ‘DWTS’ and Rebuilding His Career, One House (and One Dance) at a Time

In his mid-20s, Tyler Cameron was introduced to audiences in 2019 through ABC’s The Bachelorette. Although he didn’t leave the show with a final rose, he won America’s heart.

Now 33, Cameron has competed on Fox’s reality series The Real Dirty Dancing and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, starred in Prime Video’s home renovation series Going Home With Tyler Cameron, and served as a judge on HGTV’s Bachelor Mansion Takeover. But pivotal life moments — including the death of his mother, Andrea Hermann Cameron, in February 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down New York City a month later — led him to move back home to Jupiter, Florida, where he returned to his roots by working in construction.

Along the way, he began dating Tate Madden, whom Cameron calls his “design genius.” The couple now work together on their business, TINKR, an ergonomic, design-forward home improvement and tool brand. They got engaged in August.

Soon after, Cameron says he got the call to join Dancing With the Stars. Given his popularity in Bachelor Nation, it may seem surprising that they didn’t ask him to compete sooner. Hannah Brown, the lead of the season following his, went on to win season 28. Now that Cameron is getting his own turn on the ballroom floor, Brown has shared some advice for his journey.

“Soak in every moment and have fun with it. Don’t take it too seriously,” he says of Brown’s advice. “So I listened to about half of it — I take it way too seriously,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter with a laugh.

And he has. Throughout his journey on the ABC dance competition, Cameron has experienced both highs and lows, including facing near elimination in week three before bouncing back the following week to earn his highest scores of the season. Ahead of week five’s Super Bowl Night, Cameron spoke with THR about his time on DWTS, the surprises he’s encountered, why making it to next week’s Dedication Night would feel like a Super Bowl of his own as he honors his late mother, and what to expect from his upcoming HGTV series, Let’s Go Back to Your Place, premiering in 2027

You’ve been in the public eye for seven years now, and been on several reality shows. Real ones know if they’ve watched The Bachelorette that you were almost a dance minor in college. So, what made now the perfect time to go on Dancing With the Stars?

I think it’s when you get the ask, then you say yes. I never got the offer — never got the ask. They called me probably a week before this show happened, and it was the quickest yes ever. I have some great partners that allowed me to move some things around to do this. Dancing With the Stars is the greatest show on television right now and it has been for the last few years. And once you’re in it, then you understand why. It is just truly the most incredible experience I’ve ever had in any reality setting. The fan base is just unreal. It reminds me of my time on The Bachelorette coming off. Also, people are putting a little too much play on this whole almost a dance minor thing. It was played to be a joke. I was the effort guy in class that took classes to get my GPA up, it was like a PE credit. People are like, “He has all this experience.” I’m like, “I am not experienced. I am no Harry [Shum Jr.] or Jenna [Dewan].” (Laughs.) I have no dance experience. Tequila is my dance experience.

I’m almost so grateful that it didn’t happen then, and it’s happening now, because I get to throw myself back into this crazy TV world. It’s been seven years since I was on The Bachelorette, and I’ve done some amazing shows since then. But this is like being thrown back onto the No. 1 show in America again, and I get to almost rebuild or rebrand and let everyone know what I have been doing these last seven years.

The Tyler at 26 when I got off that show probably wouldn’t have respected this opportunity. I think I would have taken it for granted. I would have been gallivanting all around L.A. Now, I’m locked in. I want to put in the work. This is an amazing opportunity to put myself back out there, challenge myself and show how important dance is for expressing yourself. It’s made me feel things that I’ve never felt before.

In week two, you already went viral with your Off Campus dance. What made you want to do that? Was that your idea?

It was not my idea. The great ladies over at Chicks in the Office are good friends of mine, and we always chat. Once everyone found out about the show, they were like, “Oh my God, for Viral Night you should do the song ‘Girls’ in Off Campus, by The Kid Laroi.”

We saw as an opportunity to try and go viral. We figured week one was a good dance, but no one was really talking about us. Everyone’s like, The guy from seven years ago, he should have done the show then, not now. I was like the forgotten one. We were like, Let’s make a splash and try and wake up the internet a little bit. The judges scored us great in week one, but the online fan base didn’t particularly care for us; we wanted to do that dance really for online.

How have you taken the judges’ criticism and applied it to improving each week to make it to the next round?

The judges are people who have been doing this for many years. Derek [Hough] has the most Mirrorball championships ever, so he’s going to always give you incredible notes. Bruno [Tonioli] is just giving me the greatest notes and Carrie [Ann Inaba]. It’s on me to go back, respect what they say, take it, and build on it. Last week was a culmination of all of that. They’ve had notes for me, and we wanted to work on them and put a full dance together, which I’m very proud of.

You said you weren’t thrilled with your week three performance. What did you learn from that and what are you still working to correct?

I was very upset with myself. I messed up the whole top half of the dance, and my timing was off. That was something that was never an issue the whole time I was prepping that week. I was so worried about the bottom part with all the kicks. I was so in my head all week, and I was so negative to myself. I think it all just caught up to me.

I was very emotional, and I thought I was going home. I felt like this amazing opportunity was about to go away. I kicked my feet so much that we tried to do these jive kicks that I couldn’t even lift my legs up midweek. I had to have someone come in here and work on my body to get me moving again. So I took it very hard. Then I was very emotional because I got saved. I couldn’t believe I got to come back into these rehearsals, and ballroom again. I told myself, “We are going to make the most of this. We are going to get it done.” Week four is something that I’m very proud of because we took all that and built on it and got better.

Sharna [Burgess] is back as a pro this season. What have you learned from her throughout this journey?

It’s very divine that we are each other’s partners because I think we’re both in a phase of our careers and lives where we’re rebuilding. She hasn’t been on the show for five years, and I haven’t been on this type of television for seven years. We’re both reintroducing ourselves back into this world. TikTok and social media weren’t that big when Sharna was on the show last, and it’s the same for me. It’s completely changed. I’ve been pushing Sharna to push herself out there more because the lore of Sharna is all over TikTok, but people don’t know Sharna yet. She’s a genius on the dance floor; her choreography is amazing. I’ve been a challenge for her, and [after Mariah Carey Night], she cried to me after we got our scores because she was so concerned that she has let me down these last few weeks by not putting the right dances on me. This means so much to her, too.

To finally have it all come together, she felt like, I am doing this. I am the old Sharna. It’s still here, and I can still do this. I think we all have those doubts when we come back into this world. I have tons of negative thoughts, and thank God for her. She is the hardest-working woman I know. I don’t think people understand when you do Dancing With the Stars today; it’s all-consuming. You wake up, you think about dance. You’re going to practice. You have to do social media. You have to dance more. You break down your dances. And when you’re sleeping, you’re thinking about dance. Sharna does all that while also being a super mom. She’s the greatest person I could have had doing this.

You gave your fiancée, Tate, a rose during week four’s dance. Why was that important for you to do?

Tate has put her whole life on pause to be out here. We have so much stuff going on at home. We have many businesses together. She put all that on pause to just be here and be the greatest support system I could have ever asked for. She gets up with me, helps me work on my steps and stretches me out when I’m sore and beat up. Sharna gives me homework, and Tate and I go work on it. She is there for me every step of the way. When I was super emotional last week after the jive, she ran out of the audience to me.

The song [in our number] was called “Beautiful,” and I was like, this song really encapsulates what Tate is to me. She’s beauty in all ways to me. I wanted to find a way to make her feel special after all this because it’s called Dancing With the Stars, but the pro is so important, and so is your support system back at home. I think I’d be eliminated already if she wasn’t here.

You guys recently got engaged. Is there a timeline for your wedding?

We’re probably looking at the end of 2027, possibly early 2028. We haven’t really dug into it much. We want to get through this experience, and then my next show, Let’s Go Back to Your Place for HGTV, starts filming right after this show. I think that’s when we’ll start to dive into how we want to do everything and start really planning.

Week four episode ended with another shocking elimination with Ciara Miller going home. What was your reaction, and did you get a chance to talk to her after? Do you know how she’s doing?

Ciara has been someone who I’ve only got to be around a few times, and every time I met her, she’s been so much fun. This show allows you to see people in their true, raw element because we’re working hard. Every time I see her, she brings a smile to my face. She always has something funny to say and she’s always grinding. She’s someone who I’m genuinely going to miss being around.

From week one to where we are at week four, I feel like we’ve seen such a transformation in her confidence and her being proud of who she is. I hate see her leave, but we all know Ciara bounces back, and goes on to bigger and better things. I can’t wait to see what’s next for her.

Week five is Super Bowl Night, which seems like a perfect fit given your football background. What do you have planned?

This week is going to be a jazz dance, and the dance is “The Time” by Black Eyed Peas. A little nod to the old Patrick Swayze Dirty Dancing, but in a fun modern version. Jazz intimidates me because I’ve danced my whole time on this show next to Sharna, and on Sharna’s hip. I feel like I’m a little boy holding onto her hip, and now I’m being pushed away and have to figure out how to dance on my own. There’s a lot of individual dancing, but I take it as a challenge. I want to show that I can have fun and look great dancing on my own.

I’ll be wearing a jersey that’ll be that’ll be shouting out my old college team that really helped kind of get myself on the right track: Florida Atlantic University, which they say is the Harvard of the South… no one says that. (Laughs.)

You’ve said you went on Dancing With the Stars to honor your mom, since she always wanted you to go on the show. With Dedication Night coming up, do you know what you want to do yet?

I definitely want to do something in honor of my mom. She would have loved this show. My mom passed away not even a year after I went on The Bachelorette, and I feel like she was finally getting to live her best life. It was a sudden loss, and it was very hard. We still grieve to this day.

To me, Dancing With the Stars being 10 weeks — it’s like a football schedule. You hope to make it all the way to 10. You always have a game circled; that’s my go-to game this year. For me, that’s Dedication Night. I think if I can get Dedication Night, it will be one of the greatest gifts I can ever give my mother and a way to honor her. Sharna is an incredible storyteller, and when she tells me how she wants to tell this story, I get the shivers. In week two, she told me how she wanted to do it, and I almost started tearing up. To me, that’s like my Super Bowl, getting to that night.

You started in construction before The Bachelorette, and you’ve now built a construction company, gotten your real estate license, and expanded into flipping and development. What is the bigger vision you’re trying to build for yourself in the home and real estate space?

Before this, I was a football player, got hurt and got into construction. My dad was a builder. My mom was a real estate agent. It was always my life. Then one day, I randomly got a call to come on The Bachelorette. It changed my world and gave me all these opportunities, but it was so important to come back and do what I love, which has been construction and real estate.

Losing my mom made me feel like I needed to get grounded again and come back home. COVID also changed the world, where you don’t have to live in Los Angeles or New York to be in entertainment. You can be anywhere. So I took that as an opportunity to really build my business and career. Now we build, flip and renovate.

Tate is my partner in all this. She is my design genius, and she’s also way better at DIY and doing the handy stuff. It’s our business. I got my real estate license because I was buying homes all the time, and people were asking me about homes. We’ve put social media and tied it all together. Everyone needs a home. Everyone wants to to build a home or renovate their home, and this world has gotten way too expensive. People can’t afford to go hire the person to go renovate their place. So we want to show you fun ways to also renovate your place that aren’t expensive. We’re going to drop a fun brand [TINKER] that’s going with some amazing products for your home, and we’re going to keep renovating, making beautiful spaces and growing our business.

You’ve already done a renovation series and judged Bachelor Mansion Takeover. What made Let’s Go Back to Your Place the right next TV project for you?

It’s always been a dream to get back on HGTV. I did the Bachelor renovation show, and that really got me introduced to the HGTV family. They came to me and brought this project in development, and I was like, “Heck yeah, I would love to give this a try.” They brought me on to host. This is my first opportunity to truly host a show for HGTV, which I’m very excited about and hey’ve been incredible partners.

Imagine House Hunters, and then taking the old, crazy MTV Room Raiders, essentially putting them together and having a baby. I get to take someone through three homes, and we’re going to go see who they want to go on a date with based on the home they like the most. Going through someone’s home is very telling. It’s almost kind of like you can cut through half the crap, you can just see the house before you ever see the person. I think this show has some great legs that can run for a long time.

When we shot the sizzle reel, there was a guy who had really cool artwork. You can you can gather a lot of his taste and what he’s into right away from the home. Then we had other homes that were almost a little too perfect, and you’re like, I don’t know if my life fits with this. Like, am I going to be the messy one? Is he going to hate me for that? This one home was so symmetrically perfect and placed everywhere throughout the house. I would never be able to do that. My house is a wreck always. So that person and me could never be partners. It shows you a lot of what personality traits are for these people before you even meet them.

Have you met any of the cast yet, or you do that when you start filming?

We start filming December 1, but we shot the first episode already. I got to meet our first, let’s say Bachelorette, and then we got to meet the other three guys. She was a rock star. If everyone is like her, we will have an amazing show because she was so much fun and she really leaned in and went for it.

A lot of reality stars, especially from The Bachelor franchise, have a hard time sustaining the momentum of fame they get from the show. What do you think it is about you that continues to connect with audiences?

On The Bachelorette, I was known as the guy who was very respectful to Hannah, had her back and took care of her. But that show happened seven years ago. There’s a new show every year, a new guy every year. There’s the new Rob Rausch. You have to figure out what your niche is.

I looked at my Instagram back then, it was just shirtless pictures. I was giving no substance. With social media changing to everything being short videos, you have to give your audience something of substance that keeps them. With home renovation, everyone wants to learn about their homes; everyone needs tips; everyone needs something that can benefit them. I’ve gained a ton of knowledge from doing this and if I can save you a few bucks and teach you things, that’s great. Your audience gives you so much; you have to give back.

Post-Dancing With the Stars, is home renovation the No. 1 thing you want to hone in on. Would you be open to other competition reality shows like The Traitors?

I always love a competition, so you always count me in for anything. My team has had to pull me back from some of the craziest competition show ideas that have come our ways because I was like, “Yeah, Stars on Mars? I’ll do it!?” I love a challenge and I love a competition. My team has done a great job of guiding me into the right things. If it was me, I would do anything that sounds cool.

Season 35 of DWTS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m., simulcasting across ABC and Disney+, and streaming the next day on Hulu. Read all of THR‘s DWTS coverage here.