Tyler Cardenas

Tajo Ignacio Cardenas (born November 2nd 2016), known professionally as Tyler Cardenas, is a Filipino actor and presenter who is best known for his starring role as Mitch Oakley in the ice skating drama Figures.

Born in Caloocan, Cardenas dropped out of STI College in 2035 to pursue a career in acting. After appearing in a string of commercials, soap operas, and variety shows, Cardenas gained international fame after signing with Euphoria Network and joining the cast of Figures in 2042. He made his film debut in 2045 as chronomancer Sid Blaise in the Weavingway franchise.

Early lifePermalink

Tyler Cardenas was born Tajo Ignacio Cardenas in Caloocan, Philippines on November 2nd 2016 to Isidro Cardenas, a radio host, and Maria Vicente, a professor at Manila Central University (MCU). He is the youngest of six children.

Cardenas took an interest in performing arts at an early age, participating in theatre productions from elementary school onwards. In 2035, Cardenas dropped out of STI College to pursue a full-time career in the entertainment industry, signing with the Globestars Talent Agency. ^[1]

CareerPermalink

2036 – 2042: BeginningsPermalink

Cardenas moved to Quezon City soon after joining Globestars, acting in commercials and taking on minor roles in the soap operas Nanghihinayang and Fated Connection. From 2038 to 2040, Cardenas served as a recurring host on the noontime variety show Hey Hey!, typically appearing alongside fellow Globestars talents Hanni Aguilar and Nico Corrales.

2042 – 2046: FiguresPermalink

Cardenas joined the cast of Figures in 2042, replacing Rudy Tonelli as male lead Mitch Oakley halfway through the production of the show’s second season. Euphoria Network, which had been under pressure to cancel Figures following Tonelli’s arrest on domestic battery charges, touted the then-unknown Filipino actor as a “reset” for the popular series.

The move provoked fan backlash that intensified after Euphoria released a “Fresh Beginnings” edition of the first season, which replaced Tonelli’s performances with new footage of Cardenas. Stand With Rads, a harassment campaign targeting Cardenas as well as showrunners Keane Ismail and Cissy Leung, dominated the show’s social media footprint in the weeks that followed.

Subsequent efforts by Tonelli to sue Euphoria over lost residuals were struck down after a judge ruled that the negative publicity surrounding the actor was sufficient cause to remove him without violating his contract’s F&R clause.

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Despite an initial downturn in viewership, the second season of Figures earned positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth, ultimately spending eight consecutive weeks in Euphoria’s global Top 5 rankings. ^[2] Streaming review site Gotta See! praised Cardenas for offering a “lighter, twinkle-eyed alternative to Tonelli’s lunkhead charms” and named the show the ninth-best series of 2042. ^[3]

In January 2043, Euphoria announced that Figures had been renewed for two more seasons. By this time, Cardenas had established a sizable fanbase, further bolstered by his highly active online presence. Alongside his work in Figures, he also made appearances in the Euphoria series Crashed!, The Slow Ride, and Pretty/Vacant, and served as a special guest commentator at the 2044 World Figure Skating Championships.

In 2045, Cardenas made his film debut as chronomancer Sid Blaise in Blood & Tears, the second movie in the Weavingway franchise. ^[4]

2047 – PresentPermalink

Following the release of the fifth and final season of Figures, Euphoria announced that Cardenas had signed on to host Wildstyle, which began streaming on the network on August 5th 2047. Screentime Weekly proclaimed the show to be a highlight of the 2047-2048 season, praising its “anarchic but ultimately warm-hearted mission.” ^[5]

In November 2048, it was reported that Cardenas will be reprising his role as Sid Blaise in Smoke & Mirror, the upcoming fourth entry in the Weavingway series.

Media blackoutPermalink

On October 5th 2049, social media accounts linked to Cardenas and sixteen other Euphoria-affiliated personalities were terminated on multiple platforms, including Grandstand, MeHive, and Viuvee. Though a statement from Euphoria blamed the deletions on an “unknown system error,” tech site Quanter later reported that Grandstand users who attempted to repost content shared by the terminated accounts received error messages claiming their posts violated Global Media Provenance Standard (GMPS) guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI)-generated media.

A community investigation on Sassback focusing on a house tour posted by Cardenas on MeHive in 2047 claimed there was a 94% likelihood that the shared footage had been entirely AI-generated. Cardenas himself briefly addressed the speculation on a recent episode of Wildstyle, dismissing the Sassback claims as “weird and honestly, kinda creepy. Are you going to tell me my own living room isn’t real?”

Personal lifePermalink

Cardenas is currently in a relationship with Bekaylee Kikelomo, a frequent guest on Wildstyle.

Cardenas has been an outspoken advocate of biosurveillance after losing his older brother Renato to Cariappa-Muren disease (CMD), and has served as a spokesperson for Healthy Horizons since 2045.

See alsoPermalink

• Figures
• Wildstyle
• Euphoria Network

ReferencesPermalink