Tebow joins Fox's 'Home Free' reality TV -- 'I wanted to be a part of this'

LOS ANGELES (Christian Examiner) – You won't catch Tim Tebow on just any reality program, but if it involves sacrifice and selflessness, he just might be there.

That's the case with Fox's second season of the unscripted program Home Free, which premiers Thursday night (9 ET/PT) when Tebow joins the series to co-host it with Mike Holmes.

But unlike last season – when contestants competed to win their own dream home – this year's series has a twist: Contestants are competing to win a dream home for someone else, a personal hero. For some contestants, that hero is a family member, and for others it's a friend – such as a war hero.

Tebow told the Christian Examiner and other media members during a conference call that he accepted the role because of the show's unique premise.

"It can be cool to be able to love and sacrifice for other people, to give for other people, and I just believe it's just more blessed to give than to receive. I think that's something that it really shows every single week in this show," Tebow said. ".... That's the overarching theme, and that's what really drew me to this. That's why I wanted to be a part of this."

The former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL player has stayed busy as a television sports analysis, and he made his reality TV debut earlier this year on Spike's Lip Sync Battle, which he called "super fun."

During the second season of Home Free, the 11 contestants build an entire neighborhood of 11 homes. The dream home sits at the end of the subdivision. Tebow, who is well known for his Christian faith, called it "probably the biggest build show America has ever seen."

The series is "something that families in America can watch together," he said.

"This show promotes to young people and even not-so-young people that it is such a blessing to help other people and sacrifice for other people – whether it's your money, your time, your energy, your effort," he said. "Whatever it is, it's worth it."

It's worth it, he said, "because of the lives that you're able to change" – and not because of anything you get in return.

"Especially in this day and age when it can be so much about 'me, me, me,' and 'how can I get mine?' -- this show is totally about helping other people, and that's really cool," he added.

Michael Foust has covered the entertainment industry for more than a decade. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelFoust