Y’all, there’s been a lot of drama surrounding Tyler Cameron lately. Just one week after the fan-favorite Bachelorette contestant showed up looking fine as hell in a suit on After The Final Rose, he’s already been on a date with Hannah Brown and two dates with Gigi Hadid. Yes, world-famous supermodel Gigi Hadid. And all this dating around has some people (including Chris Harrison) questioning Tyler’s future on the franchise. But I’m here to make a case that Tyler Cameron should still be the next Bachelor, and the evidence is impossible to ignore.
First, let’s back things up a bit, shall we? During the devastating finale of The Bachelorette this season, Hannah broke up with Tyler to get engaged to Jed Wyatt, only to dump him after learning he had a girlfriend going into the show. Hannah-Tyler stans everywhere were heartbroken, but their hearts soared when Hannah asked Tyler out for drinks on live television during the finale.
Then, just a few days later, the drinks date happened! TMZ posted photos of Tyler leaving Hannah’s Los Angeles home on the morning of Aug. 2 after presumably spending the night there. For a hot minute, it looked like this romance might really be happening, and Tyler’s Bachelor chances seemed slim (but for the best reason).
But wait, plot twist — on Aug. 4, Tyler was spotted out in NYC with none other than Gigi Hadid, hanging out with her at Brooklyn’s SoHo House. They reportedly went on two dates in just two days, and he was photographed leaving her NYC apartment on the morning of Aug. 6. As all this news broke, Bachelor host Chris Harrison told Entertainment Tonight that these dates with Gigi might affect Tyler’s chances of being the next Bachelor. "If Tyler is bouncing around from girl to girl and loving the life and enjoying the limelight — which, by the way, good on him. That's fine. If that's what you want to do right now, I don't blame him,” Chris said. “He's probably enjoying life really, really well — but that's not someone we're going to want to have as our Bachelor or Bachelorette … if that's where he is in his life, then he's not the guy for us."
OK, Chris, I get where you’re coming from. If Tyler is out there dating multiple women at once, it doesn’t make him appear very serious about the prospect of getting married. But I’d actually argue there’s more to the story here, which shouldn’t be ignored. Here’s why I still support Tyler as the next Bachelor — the lead this world needs and deserves.
01He’s emotionally mature.
As someone who watches The Bachelorette religiously every season, I can tell you that it’s rare to see a man as self-aware, mature, and open as Tyler is. He stole fans’ hearts this season with his ability to cheer Hannah up with his comforting words of support.
At their one-on-one date in Rhode Island, Hannah had just had a really difficult day dealing with fighting among the guys. She told Tyler she was struggling, and he gave her the pep talk of the century. “I want you in your highs, and I want you in your lows,” he drawled in that hot Southern accent. “Just know that I got you, and I’m always going to have you.” He’s above the drama and totally willing to go the distance with someone.
02He knows how to talk about his feelings.
The Bachelor needs to be someone who can talk openly and honestly about what’s in his heart. And Tyler can do that better than almost anyone. On July 30, he came on Nick Viall’s podcast to talk about his time on the show, where Nick played a game called “Is this a quote from Tyler C. or The Notebook?” And TBH, it’s hard to distinguish between Tyler’s poetic quotes and lines from the iconic movie.
My personal favorite speech is the one he gave Hannah during the June 24 episode: "You were wearing all white, and you looked Heaven-sent. You looked like an angel. I pray to God that you're my angel … Where did this fighter come from? Because I adore it." Is he even real? I mean, this is just beyond.
03He’s super serious about relationships.
On the show, Tyler and Hannah opened up to each other about their parents’ relationships and what they had learned from them. Tyler’s parents are divorced, and he vowed not to make the same mistakes they did. “My parents had a hard time turning to each other, and they kind of turned away from each other," he told Hannah during a one-on-one date. "And eventually my Pops had to move out and it was hard to see that."
When Hannah’s parents asked Tyler about his intentions for marriage, Tyler said he was all in. “I want her to be my wife, and I want to be her best friend, and I want to be her biggest cheerleader,” he told Hannah’s mom, who, in turn, was super impressed by him. “Tyler just kind of blew me away today,” Hannah’s mom said after she met him. “I think he so completely loves her.” Tyler isn’t afraid to commit to someone who means the world to him.
04He’s a proud feminist.
While this season brought fans a lot of wonderful guys to love, it also brought the infamous Luke P. to center stage. And as much as I hated watching Luke condemn Hannah, judge her, and try to control her, I loved seeing Tyler stand up for his girl, both during filming and while the show aired.
On the June 24 episode, Tyler called Luke on his bullsh*t for being angry at Hannah about her naked bungee-jumping date with Garrett. “Do you not think it’s a double standard that you’re able to parade around in a Speedo in front of everybody and show your big, bravado self, but she can’t go do bungee jumping?” Tyler clapped back. He’s also been vocally supportive of Hannah on Twitter as the season aired, which is technically after she broke up with him. And, he was incredibly respectful of Hannah when she told him she didn’t want to sleep with him in the fantasy suite. That’s pure class right there.
05He has a compelling family story.
If you think back to Tyler and Hannah’s first one-on-one date, you’ll recall learning that his father was recently very ill, and Tyler almost didn’t go on the show because of it. But he also said his dad was actually the one to push him to take the leap. "[He said], 'Tyler, this is your girl. You've got to go make the best of this opportunity,’” he explained.
And during their hometown date in Jupiter, Florida, Tyler’s family was super supportive of their son finding love with Hannah. "I look at you with her," Tyler's dad said to his son. "And I think, 'Oh my gosh, he might be in love.'" So, even though Hannah ultimately wasn’t the one, it’s safe to say that Tyler’s family would support his journey to find love as the Bachelor.
06He has a heart of gold.
Outside of The Bachelorette and his modeling career, Tyler works with a group called ABC Food Tours, where he spends time inspiring kids from low-income backgrounds to reach their career and personal goals. It’s clearly his passion, as it’s one of the main things he talks about on social media.
Tyler is using his newfound fame to bring awareness to this cause, and that makes me love him even more. Unlike some members of the Bachelor franchise who fill their feeds with sponsored ad deals and sexy selfies, Tyler is using his platform for the greater good. (But he still gives the people those hot modeling photos too, don’t you worry.)
07He’s keeping his options open — and that’s a good thing!
All this Gigi drama has caused some people to turn against Tyler as the potential next Bachelor, but honestly, why are we faulting him for this? Just like Hannah dated multiple men to find her Mr. Right, Tyler is testing out his compatibility with different people. Just because he and Gigi went on two dates doesn’t mean he’s not serious about finding love.
The entire purpose behind the Bachelor franchise is to help people determine what they want by, you know, dating multiple people at once. Plus, Gigi definitely followed Tyler first on Instagram — and if you had the chance to get to know her, wouldn’t you want to, as well? Let’s cut Tyler some slack for enjoying his time in the spotlight. Who’s to say that when his Bachelor journey begins, he won’t pursue love with intention?
And with that, I rest my case. If you’re not convinced by now that Tyler Cameron would make an amazing Bachelor, I don’t think you and I can be friends. (Kidding… sort of.) Seriously though, here’s hoping that Chris Harrison gives him another shot, because a season with Tyler as the Bachelor would be a season no one could easily forget.
