At Home with Tyler Cameron

Tyler Cameron is carefully navigating his way around paint cans, power tools, boxes, and myriad other construction hazards, leading his visitors (us) on a tour of his new home. It’s March, and 31-year-old Cameron is in the midst of a total renovation of the Hobe Sound property he purchased last May. He greets us looking like an average dude—lived-in jeans, a tee, a happy dog (Harley) bounding out the front door—“average,” of course, except for his way-above-average good looks. On this particular day, his guys have just installed the new wood flooring upstairs, and Cameron is excited. There are also some folks outside taking measurements for the deck addition, while one of his friends/team members sits at a desk in the cluttered garage working on a laptop. There’s a lot going on.

“Upstairs, that’s where we’re going to have the podcast studio,” he says as we walk through the home. We head out to the sprawling backyard—his home sits on a half-acre lot—and he points out where the outdoor kitchen is going to be, noting that he eventually also plans to install a pool. As the quick tour comes to an end, we head back to the garage to prep for the shoot. He opens a suitcase on the floor that’s filled with fancy duds sent by his New York PR team, and we sift through, pulling the first look. Cameron grabs a pair of navy Brunello Cucinelli trousers and an Etro button-down and goes behind a stack of boxes to change.

The photographer hangs a tarp from the garage door as a backdrop as “I Feel for You” by Chaka Khan blares through the giant portable speaker someone wheeled out at the request of the photographer. Cameron’s never heard this song before, but he seems to be enjoying it. As the photographer finds his light and starts clicking…that’s when it happens.

Suddenly, Cameron is someone else. He’d been clunking around in work boots and cracking jokes, but now he’s on . He’s a natural in front of the camera, knowing exactly how to angle his face and move his body. The kid from Jupiter who works in construction has transformed into a GQ model in the blink of an eye.

And that’s the thing: Tyler Cameron has been living a sort of dual life ever since he shot to fame in 2019 after melting hearts on The Bachelorette . Once the show aired, he was everywhere. He walked the red carpet at the People’s Choice Awards (a nominee for “Favorite Competition Contestant”) and was seen canoodling with supermodels in the tabloids. In 2021, he wrote a book ( You Deserve Better ), had a cameo in a Netflix film ( Good on Paper ), and appeared in an SNL skit with Kim Kardashian. The following year, he launched a podcast ( Everybody But Me ) and competed on ABC’s The Real Dirty Dancing . All the while, he was also modeling for brands like Calvin Klein, Steve Madden, Uncommon James, and Clarins.

“I think there’s a little bit of nerves sometimes,” he says of walking into the world of celebrity. “I get the feeling like, do I belong? Like, why am I here? It’s almost like these people are gonna realize it’s just me and kick me out of here soon, you know?” But he adapted quickly. “You start to learn that, okay, I’m supposed to be here I guess,” he continues. “And you kind of get more confident within it. I’ve always just wanted to have fun with it, meet new people, and enjoy all the cool new experiences. ”

One of his favorite experiences that came in those early days of fame was going to the People’s Choice Awards with his mom, Andrea. “That was a cool deal and something that she was just through the roof about,” he recalls. “She was calling friends to help her go shopping and get bags and this and that, and it was such a big deal for her. Having her there walking the carpet with me, that’s an experience I cherish most. I got to have that moment with her.”

That memory is just one of many he cherishes with his mom, who passed away suddenly in 2020 from a brain aneurysm. It shook Cameron to his core. Andrea, a real estate agent, was a beloved local who spent her life helping others. Cameron recalls a funny story that speaks to her warm heart: “I remember she sold this older lady a home, and I’d be talking to my mom two months later and she’s bringing this woman to her doctor’s appointment. I’d be like, ‘Mom, part of the job is you sell a house and move on to the next one.’ And she’d say, ‘No, I take care of my people.’ That’s just how she was.”

Growing up, Cameron says his Jupiter home was a welcoming place for all, and his mom would help his football buddies with their academics to make sure they’d get into college. Education was really important to Andrea, and that’s what motivated Cameron and his brothers—Austin, 28, who is in the army, and Ryan, 24, who is currently finishing up firefighting school—to start a foundation in her honor when she was gone.

The Andrea C. Cameron Foundation gives college scholarships to local high school students, and the family hosts a big gala each year to raise money. Since it was founded three years ago, the foundation has grown immensely. “Our first year, we gave out two scholarships, and they weren’t even full-tuition scholarships,” says Cameron. “Our next year, we were able to give out five [full-tuition cost for in-state schools], and this year we’re giving out 15. Our goal is to get to 20 or 25 next year.” Beyond scholarships, the foundation also provides mentorship to help students land internships, get into graduate school, and more.

His dad, Jeff (whom he affectionately calls “Pops”), has the same generous nature, says Cameron. “To this day, if he sees a kid who wants to play football, he goes out and trains them one-on-one,” he says. “My dad’s 66 at this point and doesn’t move too well, but he’s out there still yelling at these kids and coaching ’em up, you know? He just wants to help kids out.”

His dad also coached Cameron hard when he was young, and it paid off. Cameron was a star quarterback at Jupiter Community High School, went on to play for Wake Forest University and then FAU (where he earned his MBA), and was eventually invited to the Baltimore Ravens’ mini-camp. But an old shoulder injury acted up, and he was cut from the pro team. He was devastated. “I felt like a full-blown failure because something I devoted my entire life to didn’t work out,” he recalls. He wasn’t sure what to do next now that his formerly clear path to the NFL was bulldozed. “When you’re an athlete, it’s your whole identity,” he says. “You don’t go and do internships in the summer or anything to gain experience in the work force. So when it was done, I was like, what do I do with my life?”

He decided to get his general contractor’s license and pursue a career in construction like his dad. “I’d always thought the business was fascinating, so I figured I’d pick up a hammer and hop right in,” he says. Then one day, on a whim, he applied to be on The Bachelorette . “It was a joke with my friends,” he explains. “I had applied for the WWE one night, and then I thought, let’s see what else I can find. ”

To his surprise, ABC called—they wanted him on the show. He went with it. “I’m a big believer that life is just a story, and you’ve got to make the coolest story you can,” he says. “So why not try and be a wrestler? Why not go on The Bachelorette ? It’s fun taking these gambles and risks and seeing where they take you. The Bachelorette was the first one to hit me back, and we just kind of rolled from there. And I tell you what, if the WWE would’ve hit me, we’d be having a different conversation.”

In early 2020, Cameron was busy being famous in New York City post-show when his mom passed away. He came home to Jupiter for the funeral, and then COVID mania happened and he decided to stay put. During those first couple of years back home, he got involved with 3Natives (eventually opening his own franchise in Delray Beach in August 2023), started buying land and building houses, and before he knew it, he had planted new roots in his hometown. “I realized I’m happier here,” he says. “This just feels like where I need to be.”

It was then that Cameron also started focusing on a passion project he’d been thinking about for a while, something that combines his love for both his hometown and the real estate/construction business. He’d had the idea years prior, but it was derailed for various reasons. But now the timing was right, and last month the result of his hard work finally paid off when his new television show— Going Home with Tyler Cameron —was released on Amazon Prime April 18.

The eight-episode series, which filmed for about six months starting in September 2022, centers on Cameron’s construction company, Image One, and follows him and his crew as they renovate homes in Jupiter. “This is something we thought about years ago, and it took forever to get it going,” says Cameron. “I’ve always thought [Jupiter] is the most incredible place in the world and I’d love to showcase it.” An executive producer on the show, he was involved in all of the production meetings and was able to provide a lot of direction in terms of showcasing what Jupiter is really all about.

For Cameron, this project was a labor of love—and there was a lot of labor. “We did nine houses in seven months,” he says of the home renovations filmed for the show. “It was insane.” There are a few celeb cameos including former Bachelorette Hannah Brown. But mostly, the show features locals. Cameron and his close-knit crew—Image One partner Robb Ritch, a friend he’s known for years, and designer Jessica Quintero—work on renovations for clients including some of Cameron’s friends and family (like his dad and high school girlfriend). They are helped out by a “village” of contractors, many of whom Cameron is personally connected to—like Coach Chip, his pee wee football coach, who did the drywall in one episode; designer Angela Reynolds, one of his mom’s best friends;
pro golfer Justin Thomas; and mural artist Bulk Styles. Says Cameron: “I knew this was going to be a tall task, and I had to call on the people that I know, that I can trust and rely on. What’s so great about our town is, it’s really a little big town. It’s gotten big, but it’s still little to the people who grew up here. We take care of each other and help each other out.”

Going Home with Tyler Cameron is both a home-renova tion show and a reality series that digs a bit into Cameron’s personal life. It has its fair share of humorous moments (Cameron’s a lovable goofball really), but it’s also quite emotional. Throughout the series, while working on other projects, the team is working on one very special renovation: Cameron’s mom’s home. It’s something Andrea had always wanted to do, and just before she passed Cameron was planning on surprising her with a renovation. Completing it was a way to honor her memory and provide a bit of closure to her family and friends. Without giving away too much, the show culminates in the big reveal of the finished home, which, suffice to say, is a tearjerker (in a good way).

Now that season one is out, Cameron is continuing to build his construction business here and stepping back into the spotlight from time to time, as he’s been doing. Last year, he went to New Zealand to tape the Fox TV show Special Forces , and this past February he flew to L.A. to attend the Grammy Awards. The modeling projects will continue, and he will effortlessly morph back and forth from celebrity to Jupiter dude. It’s something that comes easy to him and one of the things he appreciates most about the life he’s carved out for himself.

“ I think there’s a more sophisticated side of me that people never really see down here, but I love dressing up and all that stuff,” he says. “But I also love to be able to go play in the dirt, go build whatever we’ve got to build, or rough it on the boat all weekend. I’ve always been able to fit into whatever job I need to fit into, and that’s what I love about what I do. Every day is different. To me, that’s the thrill of it all.”

Follow Tyler on Instagram @ tylerjcameron and donate to the Andrea C. Cameron Foundation at accfdn.org .

Fast Talk

Fashion Forward: “In middle school, I bet my mom and dad I wouldn’t drink soda for a whole year, and if I did it, they’d give me a thousand dollars. And so I did it, I got my thousand dollars, and I immediately became a shoe collector—I had like 40 pairs of shoes. They all had to match my outfits every day, and I was voted ‘best dressed’ in eighth grade at Jupiter Christian. I still don’t really drink soda.”

Dancing King: “At Wake Forest, I took a bunch of dance classes to get my GPA up. Modern dance, ballet, hip-hop, jazz, African dance… What I realized is, one, I loved it. It was so much fun and great for my flexibility. But two, it was always, like, 20 girls and me. And I love a class like that!”

Life at 40: “I hope I have a bunch of little kids running around and a bunch of rescue dogs running around with them. I want to be in a place in my life financially where all I do is have a family and coach [high school] football. I’m giving myself nine more years to hustle up and do it.”

Musical Notes: “Juice WRLD is one of my favorites. I’d put Zach Bryan up there too, and Luke Combs and Eric Church.”

Travel Bug: “I need to go see the world still. I want to explore Asia first—Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, China. I want to see it all.”

On Philanthropy: “This is a very prosperous town, and people make a lot of money here. But we’ve got to make sure we bring up the ones from the bottom too.”

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