Tyler Cameron has opened up about the emotional moment he walked off the Dancing With the Stars set after receiving disappointing scores during Horror Movie Night, admitting that frustration got the better of him after he mistakenly believed filming had ended.
The former Bachelorette star and professional dance partner Sharna Burgess performed a Viennese waltz to Annie Lennox’s “Love Song for a Vampire” on Tuesday’s live show. Their routine earned three 7s and a 5 from the judges, a result that left Cameron visibly upset.
He was later eliminated alongside Jackson Olson and his professional partner, Emma Slater, in a double elimination.
In a TikTok video filmed after the show, Cameron reflected on the experience, expressing gratitude for his time on the competition while acknowledging that his reaction to the scores was not a moment he was proud of.
“This has been a once-in-a-lifetime, incredible experience. I mean it from my heart, I am so grateful for everything,” he said.
He then explained what had happened backstage.
“I also want to say, too, y’all saw a real human moment out of me. Not my proudest moment, when I was upstairs getting my scores. I thought we were done filming, and needed to step away from it all. I was disappointed in myself.”
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Sharna Burgess and Tyler Cameron on ‘Dancing With the Stars’.Credit:
Disney/Christopher Willard
Cameron Felt the Pressure as the Competition Intensified
Cameron explained that the seventh week of the competition felt like a decisive moment for him and Burgess. With the pressure mounting, he believed they needed a particularly strong score to remain in contention.
“In my estimation, week 7 of the competition was boom or bust at that time,” he explained, adding that they needed an excellent result to avoid elimination.
“And it was bust. In my head, I felt like I let myself down. More importantly, I felt like I let Sharna down,” Cameron said.
His comments suggested that his frustration was rooted not only in the judges’ scores but also in his disappointment with himself and his concern that he had let down his professional partner.
Cameron later acknowledged that he had become overwhelmed by the pressure of competing on live television.
“I was extremely disappointed,” he admitted. “That was just real and raw. This show is a pressure cooker, and all I wanted to do was score well and crush it.”
Despite the difficult moment, he made clear that his overall experience on the show remained deeply meaningful to him.
@tylerjcameron3Tough night but it was an incredible run. Thank you guys for helping me get this far. This was one of the most incredible experiences so I thank yall!♬ original sound – Tyler Cameron
Sharna Burgess Defends Her Partner’s Performance
Burgess also weighed in on the scores, suggesting that Cameron deserved higher marks for the routine.
The professional dancer explained that the technical issues identified by the judges were precisely the areas they had spent the week working to improve.
“Every bit of technique that got called out is everything we’d been working on all week,” she said.
After watching the performance back, Burgess maintained that Cameron had executed much of the choreography beautifully and questioned why the judges had awarded him 7s.
“Watching it back, to be honest, I think you executed a lot of it beautifully. I think your score should not have been sevens. I don’t know why you were given sevens,” she said.
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Burgess suggested that 8s would have been more appropriate, while acknowledging the 5 awarded by guest judge Shirley Ballas. She noted that Ballas’s score was actually the highest she had given a ballroom dancer that evening.
Her comments offered a glimpse into the difference between the judges’ assessment and the professional dancer’s view of the routine, particularly after a week of focused preparation.
Cameron Apologizes for Letting His Emotions Take Over
As the initial disappointment faded, Cameron reflected on how much the experience had come to mean to him.
He explained that his reaction was connected to his passion for the competition and the disappointment of realizing that his journey in the ballroom was ending.
“Every week with you, every week here has been a blessing. That’s what I was upset about,” he told Burgess.
He continued by expressing how difficult it would be to leave the show behind.
“I’m going to miss this place, I’m going to miss this ballroom, I’m going to miss dancing with you and it stinks. It’s going to burn for a little bit, it’ll sting for a couple days, but I love this experience overall.”
Cameron also apologized for his reaction, acknowledging that his emotions had taken over in the moment.
“I’m sorry that I let my emotion get the best of me earlier, but it came out of a place of love and passion and it was tough,” he said.
His message combined disappointment over the scores with appreciation for the opportunity to compete and the partnership he had developed with Burgess.
A Difficult Exit After an Emotional Dedication Night
The disappointing result followed another challenging week for Cameron and Burgess. During the previous episode, Dedication Night, the pair had received similar scores for their performance.
That episode also featured a personal milestone for Cameron, who announced that his fiancée, Tate Madden, was pregnant during a dance dedicated to celebrating mothers.
The announcement added an emotional dimension to the performance, making the couple’s journey on the show particularly memorable.
Although Cameron and Burgess ultimately left the competition during Horror Movie Night, his post-show message made clear that the experience had been about more than scores or advancing to another round.
For Cameron, the combination of intense preparation, live-show pressure and the prospect of leaving the ballroom proved difficult to process in the moment. By addressing the incident afterward, he acknowledged his reaction while expressing gratitude for the opportunity and for Burgess’s support throughout the competition.
Dancing With the Stars continues to air on Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+.