Former Bachelorette contestants Tyler Cameron and Mike Johnson spent an evening with TCU students

Tyler+Cameron+and+Mike+Johnson+at+TCU.+%28Photo+Courtesy+of+Jillian+Miller%29

Tyler Cameron and Mike Johnson at TCU. (Photo Courtesy of Jillian Miller)

By Jarrett Harding

Tyler Cameron really wanted to be on WWE. Mike Johnson was looking for a relationship. Both ended up courting the bachelorette from season 15 on the ABC reality show.

TheEnd hosted Cameron and Johnson Friday night in the BLUU Ballroom to talk about their time on the show and their lives afterward.

Cameron and Johnson competed against many other men to win the heart of the bachelorette, Hannah Brown. Johnson was eliminated on week seven, but Cameron made it all the way to the finale before he was eliminated. Both are currently single.

Tyler Cameron at TheEnd event Friday evening. (Photo courtesy of Jillian Miller, junior mathematics major)

Their reasons for joining The Bachelorette were different for both Cameron and Johnson.

Cameron was home one day studying and saw an ad to join World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). “I wanted to run around in a red speedo,” he said. So, he sent an application in and also found an application for The Bachelorette.

Cameron heard back from producers of The Bachelorette two weeks later and was asked to send in videos of himself. “I don’t know how to do all that stuff. What am I going to send [ABC] a video of?” Cameron said.

So instead, he was asked to set up a Zoom meeting. “I had the camera set up, I couldn’t see myself, but I could see the casting directors,” said Cameron. “I don’t even know if I had boogers or anything.”

Later he went to Los Angeles to do the final castings and got the call that he would be on the show on Valentine’s Day.

 
Mike Johnson speaks to a student audience at theEnd event. (Photo courtesy of Jillian Miller)

Johnson’s story was a little different. Instead of signing up out of boredom like Cameron, Johnson claims he wanted in because he truly wanted a relationship.

“I was at work as a financial advisor,” said Johnson. “I remember tossing my phone and my uncle asking, ‘What is wrong with you?’”

Johnson’s uncle and coworkers laughed and didn’t believe him when he said he wanted to be in a real relationship.

A few weeks later, Johnson received a Facebook message from a coworker about a casting call for The Bachelorette.

Cameron and Johnson were then asked what they were doing after the show.

“I am kinda getting back to my roots right now, which is fun, and being with my family who I love most,” said Cameron.

Cameron has been working with his father, which he said is “a blessing and a curse.” He compared his dad to Richard Harrison from the show Pawn Shop.

Cameron also starred in The Real Dirty Dancing on Fox TV. He has also since started his own YouTube channel, on which he posts everything from vlogs to workout videos.

Johnson has been focusing on self-love and mental health awareness. He currently lives in Mexico, where he has learned Spanish.

Since the show, Cameron and Johnson have received a huge following on their social media. Cameron’s Instagram has around 2.1 million followers and Johnson’s Instagram has around 587,000 followers. They shared they both have motives for what they would like to accomplish with their platforms due to their large followings.

Tyler Cameron and Mike Johnson laugh on stage. (Photo courtesy of Jillian Miller)

“I lost my mom in 2020,” said Cameron. “She was basically a single parent. She raised me and my two brothers.” The family started the Andrea C. Cameron Foundation, a nonprofit organization that awards scholarships to students.

Johnson also used his platform to promote his book, “Making the Love You Want,” published in 2020. His book is about self-love and his own personal life. 

“I wanted to help people and give them applicable exercises to let them know they are worthy, and I love you,” said Johnson.

Cameron and Johnson said they don’t let their social media following get to their heads, saying that social media is fake. “Even mine is fake,” said Cameron. 

People tend to compare themselves to others on social media, said Cameron. “Don’t compete with anybody,” he added. “You are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Enjoy what is in front of you.”