'Going Home With Tyler Cameron' Needs To Address These Growing Pains

The Big Picture

• Tyler Cameron's journey on Going Home showcases his dedication to honoring his mother through home renovations.
• Robb Ritch's expert guidance and Jessica Quintero's design flair elevate Image One's projects in Jupiter, Florida.
• While Tyler's personal connections add charm to the show, Season 2 might benefit from focusing more on professional contracts.

Tyler Cameron has been busy since he was the runner-up on Season 15 of The Bachelorette. He went on to compete and become one of the winners in the second season of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test on Fox. In 2021, he published a collection of personal stories and experiences from his life titled You Deserve Better, meant to offer advice on how to navigate modern romance. Also on the subject of dating and romance, Tyler hosts a radio show and podcast titled Everybody But Me. Now he is turning back to his career as a contractor in a new series on Prime Video.

In 2020, Tyler returned to his hometown of Jupiter, Florida with ambitions of starting his own construction and home renovation company, Image One. The reality docuseries Going Home With Tyler Cameron sees Tyler stepping into the role of general contractor under the tutelage of his friend and house-flipping expert Robb Ritch. Tyler has gathered a team to support him in his new business endeavor, including interior designer, Jessica Quintero. And Tyler's father, Jeff Cameron, a general contractor with longstanding ties in the community, stops in on occasion to offer his son advice. He also generously shares his subcontractor list when his ambitious son needs extra hands on a project.

In fact, part of the charm of the series is this hometown focus on family and community. Tyler's two brothers join him on a renovation project to help turn their father's house into a home. Tyler and his brothers also pay touching tribute to their mother, Andrea Cameron, who passed away from a brain aneurysm in 2020. They host a benefit event for the charity they started in her name, and also renovate their family home just the way she would have wanted. But the series also has some growing pains that will need to be addressed if a second season is planned.

Going Home with Tyler Cameron (2024)

The series features Tyler Cameron visiting the hometowns of notable figures, delving into their pasts to uncover the relationships and locales that have defined them. It combines elements of a travelogue with personal interviews, providing a deep dive into the guests' formative experiences and the communities they come from.

Tyler Cameron's Team Elevates Home Renovations

Tyler's easy-going charm is a draw no matter what project he is on. The docuseries aspect of theshow focuses on Tyler's journey to honor his mother by renovating the family home he grew up in the way she would have wanted. When Image One isn't busy making a name for themselves in Jupiter with renovation projects, we also see Tyler bonding with his brothers over the loss of their mother, hosting one last party at the house before renovations begin on their family home. The passion for his family and hometown that Tyler brings to these projects adds another endearing layer to what the series has to offer.

Tyler's confidence is bolstered by the steady hand of Robb's expertise and guidance. Robb has over 20 years of experience renovating and flipping homes. He brings an avuncular energy to the series as he supervises Tyler's developing renovation skills. When Robb attends the "friends-giving," he recalls that Tyler's mother was "like a sister" to him. Tyler makes it clear that the reason he returned home to Jupiter to kick-start his new career was the chance to work with his close friends and family, saying "these are my people." Tyler refers to Robb's carpentry skills as his company's "secret weapon," observing that his ability to make well-constructed signature pieces helps them provide homeowners with unique custom furniture that ties the whole design together.

When it comes to design, however, Tyler decided to go with an outside hire, turning to Miami-based Jessica for her designer's eye and ability to create special visual moments in each renovation project. In a confessional, Tyler recalls that he landed on Jessica as his lead designer because her portfolio had a special flare, noting she brings "a different spice" to interior design. Tyler admires her attention to detail, commenting that she is able to produce something different from what he would typically find in Jupiter. Ultimately, Tyler turns to Jessica for that same factor of unique custom design that Robb's carpentry skills bring to the team.

One of the great things about the season is Jessica teaching Tyler to view their projects through her eyes, and Tyler seems to be a quick learner when it comes to picking up design elements. Jessica also challenges Robb to get creative so that his custom furniture creations adhere to her vision. She isn't afraid to push Tyler when it comes to homeowners wanting to compromise on her designs. Jessica occasionally insists that her expertise not be questioned and her design be adhered to, challenging Tyler to convince the homeowners to trust her judgment. Negotiating with confidence is a necessary skill for Tyler as an entrepreneur, and Jessica is giving him a free crash course on asking unruly clients for their trust.

The Docuseries Format Works for Season 1

When the team has a subcontractor come in to lay down drywall in the first episode, Tyler picks up a trowel and asks the professional to assess his skill level and to give him tips. Tyler's openness to admitting that he doesn't have experience with a task is commendable, as is his willingness to learn. Witnessing his skills grow over time is part of the charm of the docuseries. If the series was a dedicated home renovation series alone, without this focus on Tyler's personal journey, there would not be the same space for him to admit when he does not already have the skills or knowledge to execute an element of their design.

Image One's first clients are Theo and Ashley, a couple renovating their home and enclosed patio area. Viewers see Tyler and his team pitching their ideas to the couple in the first episode, envisioning a beautiful bedroom update, a renewed office and guest bedroom, plus an impressive indoor/outdoor makeover on their "Bali bungalow" patio. Featuring Image One's pitch to the client in each episode helps to build tension in the series, which is why it is a segment seen in many home renovation shows. Will the owners like the pitch? Will they be satisfied with the final design? After the first two episodes, the series often consists of projects generated by friends and family, and Tyler even purchases a home to turn into an income property in one episode, enlisting his friend and fellow Bachelorette alum, Jason Tartick, to join the venture as an investor. Although the series editors make a valiant effort to create tension in episodes where Tyler is pitching to his close friends, family, or business partners, whatever tension is achieved is certainly watered down with the assumption the client/family member/friend will already be on board.

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'Going Home' Has Some Growing Pains Before Season 2

While moments that lean more towards the docuseries format help create a unique viewing experience in Going Home, there are a few aspects that might find themselves on the cutting room floor in Season 2. For instance, the charm of featuring Tyler with his brothers on the series is undeniable. The juxtaposition of Austen's army discipline as they demolish their mom's house for renovation versus the chaotic energy of youngest brother Ryan, under the careful supervision of their older brother, creates great reality TV. But, to be a true home renovation series, professionalism also has to have its place. Scenes of Ryan bodily charging through the drywall and Austen chucking a mallet to help tear through it are understandable in the setting of brothers goofing around together on a home renovation project. From a liability perspective, though, it's almost certain that the production manager in charge of health and safety for the talent and the crew cringed while watching that footage.

Another aspect of the reality series that is certain to evolve is Tyler's tendency to flirt, a holdover from his time on The Bachelorette, no doubt. During the season, the flirtation between Tyler and Chelsea isn't a one-time occurrence. Tyler's body language around Chelsea is openly flirtatious as he leans with his arm above her head, or holds her waist while she demolishes cupboards above them. When Tyler puts himself up for auction at the charity event he and his brothers organize for their mother's foundation, Chelsea is shown in a bidding war with another romantic hopeful in the audience. The chemistry between the pair stems from a past romance, which certainly makes for great reality TV. But focusing less on Tyler's potential romances in the future would help ground the series in the home renovation world more soundly.

By the end of the season, Tyler also calls in a favor and rekindles his relationship with Hannah Brown, his one time romantic interest from The Bachelorette, and an interior designer. This whisper of romantic possibilities and hints of historical hopefuls popping up will need to be rethought in the second season, since Tyler is no longer single. In an interview with US Weekly, Tyler even speaks about his new girlfriend, rumored to be hometown sweetheart Tate Madden, popping up as a photographer in the background of Going Home. Unless Tate wants to be more heavily featured in Season 2, it seems like a shift away from the romance angle is inevitable.

As an entrepreneur, Tyler shows a lot of hustle to garner projects for his new company. But a man can only have so many friends and family members with the extra pocket change to undergo serious home renovations just to help a relative get his new company off the ground. Season 2 should outgrow this initial stage of creative problem-solving to find renovation projects for Tyler and his team to feature on the series by bringing in more clients outside the circle of Tyler's friends and family. Hopefully, the portfolio of projects that Tyler and his partners at Image One have achieved in Season 1 will go a long way to impress other homeowners in Jupiter looking to spruce up their digs. An abundance of professional contracts would allow the series to focus a little more on the home renovation aspect and slightly less on the docuseries side of reality TV.

Tyler's heart is certainly in the right place, and his community shines through in this hybrid docuseries/home renovation show. In a recent interview with Nick Viall on The Viall Files podcast, Tyler talks about his pride in building his company in his hometown, and his growth throughout the season on Going Home. He also appears fully in the nude for a significant portion of the interview as a gimmick to garner interest in the series. (Link here, for those interested. You're welcome). The strengths of the series going forward would be best showcased if the series' unique charm, featuring elements of heartwarming hometown history, coupled with Tyler's grit and determination to learn every aspect of the job, resulted in more consistent renovation contracts in Season 2. A slight shift away from personal projects and hints of romance will make the second season even stronger.

Going Home With Tyler Cameron is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

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