In Coming home with Tyler Cameronhe Bachelorette party runner-up: who’s still single, ladies! -returns to her hometown of Jupiter, Florida, after the unexpected death of his mother. He moves into his house; His intention was to work on the place while she still lived there, but now he wants to do an extensive renovation and make the place his own. He is also starting a home renovation business called Image One. His business partner is his old friend Robb Ritch, who has been in the renovation business for years; They have also had Jessica Quintero, interior designer.
COMING HOME WITH TYLER CAMERON: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Initial shot: Tyler Cameron stars in a bathroom demolition by brandishing a sledgehammer he calls “The Big Dipper” at an unsuspecting dresser.
The essence: Image One’s first project is the home of Ashley and Theo, an engaged couple who recently purchased the home. They want their basic bedroom tidied up; They want a bathroom vanity, which is in a recess outside the bathroom walls (think hotel room), enclosed, among other changes. They also want to better utilize space in an office or guest room. Finally, they are looking to use a three-season enclosed porch year-round. Your budget is $25,000.
Tyler and Robb begin demoing the bathroom and run into a problem: the wall between the sink and the rest of the bathroom actually has sink pipes running through it. Moving the pipes behind the sink will cost $3,000. But Robb has a solution; He simply makes a “privacy” half-wall between the sink and the toilet, something Ashley and Theo agree with. Tyler gets his old football coach to do the drywall and loves the work he did to turn a linen closet into an arched makeup vanity. He also talks to his father, nicknamed “Pops”, who has been a general contractor for decades, about his return home and how much they both miss Tyler’s mother; Although Tyler’s parents had been porced for some time, Pops called her “my best friend.”
What shows will it remind you of? Coming home with Tyler Cameron It’s primarily a home renovation show; it’s a little Mallsa bit Love it or list itbut with some Bachelor Nation touches included.
Our opinion: One of the fun things about a home renovation show is, well, the renovation itself. We understand that most programs that last approximately 40 minutes, such as Coming home with Tyler Cameron We may not have time for a full look at the renovation going on in a particular episode, but we saw very little actual renovation in this first episode.
There is a quick flash of an automatic awning being set up on the 3-season porch. There is a scene where Robb shows Tyler how to use dowels on the table he is building and an argument between Tyler, Robb and Jessica about the material to be used for the table. There is some drywall and discussion of plumbing. But we barely see anything happening anywhere other than the bedroom. And, while the end result looked good, although it didn’t have enough storage for our taste, we wondered if it’s the usual case where something that looks good on TV is actually made cheaply when examined closely. .
Then again, are you really watching this show for home improvement tips? No, you’re watching it for Tyler Cameron’s goofy charm, especially if you’re a fan of Bachelor franchise. The show will likely focus more on how he deals with the death of his mother, renovating his old house, and finding and retaining clients than anything involving tools, paint, or joint compound.
From what we have read and seen, Bachelor Nation favorites, including Hannah Brown, the former Bachelorette party who Tyler was courting on the season he was on will appear on this show. Maybe that will liven things up a little. But the first episode has a hard time deciding whether it will really be a renewal show or one about Tyler. We were bored anyway.
Sex and skin: None. We don’t even see Tyler shirtless.
Parting Shot: Ashley and Theo seem pleased with the results and Jessica thinks she’s “on the same page” with Tyler and Robb.
Sleeping star: Pops comes in to see the renovations and is impressed. We thought for sure he was going to be touchy-feely, because that’s what happens on reality shows.
Most pilot line: We get the feeling that the only thing Tyler really knows how to do is swing a sledgehammer. When he says that he wants to learn everything to know if his subcontractors are doing the job right, we feel really bad for Ashley and Theo, who are basically putting all their faith in a neophyte.
Our call: SKIP IT. Unless you are a Bachelor Nation completist or Tyler Cameron fan, there’s no reason to watch Coming home with Tyler Camerongiven how little is shown in the series about actual home renovations.
Joel Keller@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and technology, but make no mistake: he’s a couch potato. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.comFast Company and other places.
