Big Brother 26 crowned Chelsie Baham as the winner on Oct. 13. Rubina Bernabe placed fourth after losing everyone else in the Five Points alliance. Tucker Des Lauriers was the competition shield for that group, but was evicted after 45 days in the house. One of the last things Tucker did was use the A.I. Instigator power to reveal his showmance with Rubina to the houseguests so they wouldn't have to hide it. Rubina, an event bartender, was upset at the time and had no clue he was behind it — but she forgave Tucker at the reunion.
The couple gave an update on their relationship on Nov. 18. "We're better than ever," Rubina told Us Weekly. "We actually like each other even more now." The former houseguests have met each other's loved ones since the show ended. "Getting to see her and her friends and meet her family and just everything, it makes me like her even more," Tucker added. The couple attended the 11th Annual Reality TV Awards together.
Tucker currently lives in New York City and Rubina lives in Los Angeles. They documented her first New York trip on social media in November.
In the caption, Rubina wrote:
"First NY trip in the books and can confidently confirm that whatever we had inside the BB House is, in fact, 100x better outside in the real world… and we're just getting stahtedddd [sic] *insert Boston accent for dramatic effect*"
The Instagram post includes pictures of Rubina and Tucker at a farm, going to a museum, and more. It's not surprising that the showmance is lasting. There are multiple married couples who met through Big Brother who lasted after living together on the CBS show for a long period of time.
Tucker and Rubina revealed if they're interested in doing another reality show. Tucker said he's interested in doing The Challenge or teaming up with Rubina for The Amazing Race. Rubina placing fourth and Tucker winning America's Favorite Player on Big Brother 26 make them good contenders for CBS travel competition. It might be a while before we see either of them in a Big Brother house again, since Big Brother: Reindeer Games isn't returning in 2024 (although future seasons are still possible).
Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss were the last Big Brother showmance to compete on The Amazing Race season 34. They won the $1 million prize. Cody Nickson went on to win the racing show with his wife, Jessica Graf after they met on Big Brother 19. Both couples are still together after winning.
The Challenge is a different beast because there are more physical competitions. Tucker won three veto competitions and two BB A.I. Arenas. Season 26 was applauded for not having so many physical competitions to be more equitable. Some involved carnival games, memory, and puzzles. The sales executive happened to be good at all of these, and it made him a target with other houseguests. His showmance with Rubina also worried his former ally, Angela Murray.
Hopefully, the pair will have better luck if they compete again. However, they consider themselves to be winners for finding each other.
