Tyler Cameron Shares How “Special Forces” Grew His Respect and Admiration for His Brother in the Army (Exclusive)

'The Bachelorette' alum admits to PEOPLE that he was "overconfident" joining the reality series, but now deems it "the hardest thing I've ever done"

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test is one of the most difficult things Tyler Cameron has ever done for more than one reason.

The Bachelorette alum, 30, exclusive tells PEOPLE he went into the boot camp-style reality series "very overconfident."

"I saw Hannah [Brown] and Carli [Lloyd] finish in season 1, and I was like, 'They got it.' But then I've watched it. I was like, 'Hollywood's got to be involved. It can't be that hard.' But there's no production on our side," he says. "There's no production on the [Directing Staff's] side. They own us for those eight days. And I really underestimated it."

Related: Nick Viall Says He Hopes His Special Forces Experience Will 'Help Toughen Me Up' for Fatherhood (Exclusive)

The reality star explained that the show has made him experience some of "the hardest days" of his life and that it is "the hardest thing I've ever done."

Taking on the challenge of Special Forces held special meaning for the reality star, not only because his brother Austin is an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, but also because he is still staying strong for his family three years after his mother Andrea Hermann Cameron died of a brain aneurysm on Feb. 29, 2020, at the age of 55.

"I wanted to make my brother proud," he explains. "We have a saying, simply, 'Just make my mama proud.' And the whole time, I was like, 'Damn. I'm complaining, but I know my brother Austin has to sit in a little sleeping bag for weeks in the miserable swamps of Louisiana for some of his training sometimes. I can get through this.'"

Related: Savannah Chrisley Calls Her 'Special Forces' Appearance 'a Way to Connect' with Imprisoned Parents

Cameron also shared that the show was "just a taste and a glimpse" of what his brother has gone through.

"And it was still incredibly challenging, incredibly tough. Just makes me admire and have so much more respect than I already [had]," he says. "I already respected him to a high amount, but this just [brought it home for me] how much our military goes through. The veterans, what they've gone through. Truly, truly incredible and remarkable."

Related: Tyler Cameron Says 'Life's Been Tough' Since His Mother's Death: A 'Continuous Beat Down'

After their mother's legacy, the Cameron brothers (including brother Ryan) are launching the Andrea C. Foundation to honor her.

According to a joint statement on the organization's website, “We want to continue the way she chose to live her generous life. Our foundation will seek to award scholarships to students and to help contribute to the local community."

As the oldest brother, Tyler has previously expressed that he feels an obligation to take care of his family.

"I just lost my mom not too long ago, so now my motivation is to take care of my brothers and make sure they're good," he said in a February 2020 Instagram Live with Venus Williams. "I'm grateful to be in the position that I am to do that now."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The season 2 finale of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test airs Monday at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.