'Big Brother 26's Rubina Bernabe Felt 'Relieved' to Get Her Showmance With Tucker Outed

Big Brother ’s house is open once more! Every week, Parade.com’s Mike Bloom will be bringing you interviews with this season's houseguests as they get evicted from the game.

Rubina Bernabe's MO, unfortunately, is to come up short. Of course, there's the literal read of that, as the event bartender was the smallest of the Big Brother 26 houseguests. But that also denoted her 87-day run in the house. Rubina's fate was nearly sealed in the first month of the game, only to get saved by Kimo Apaka and T'kor Clottey . Unfortunately, what the trio had in cohesion the latter half of the game, they lacked in power. As a result, Rubina lost her tightest allies, and was the last one standing going into the Final Four. And though four is her favorite number, it did not prove to be her lucky one, as losing out on both do-or-die competitions had her finishing just shy of the finale.

While Rubina spent the early part of the game outside of much of the wheeling and dealing, she was largely regarded as a non-threat. That is, however, until she and Tucker Des Lauriers began kindling what would spark into a full-out showmance. As Tucker's target grew, Quinn Martin decided to weaken him by putting up one of his closest people in Rubina. It seemed like an open-and-shut case she would be gone, especially next to the universally beloved Cedric Hodges . But T'kor and Kimo put together the first big house flip of the season, stunning Rubina and half the houseguests as she discovered she had been spared. Now locked into an alliance of four, and with Tucker and T'kor winning the next two HoH competitions, Rubina was now sitting at the top of the pecking order.

But just when Rubina thought she was rolling her way to $750,000, the wheels began to fall off. Tucker volunteered to be a pawn on T'kor's HoH, only to get evicted when his relationship with Rubina became public and even more threatening. Rubina took home a victory in a must-win "AI Arena" competition. Unfortunately, that would be the last thing she would win, or really any of the trio for that matter. Out of power, Rubina and her allies were seen as easy nominations, causing her to hit the block four times in the jury phase. Going into the Final Four, she had just lost Kimo, and was facing a seemingly unbreakable trio. She was given a glimmer of hope, however, when Chelsie Baham and Makensy Manbeck both told her they wanted to see all women in the Final Three for what they believe was the first time in the show's history. When Chelsie and Makensy won the week's competitions, Rubina pushed that angle hard, and even told Makensy she would take her to the Final Two if she made it to the finale. Unfortunately, Makensy's loyalty to Cam Sullivan-Brown won out, sending Rubina out the door.

Now on her way to the jury house, Rubina talks with Parade.com about her reaction to Makensy's goodbye message, how she would fared against the trio in the end, and how she felt her relationship with Tucker affected her perception in the game.

Related: Everything to Know About Big Brother 26

What was your reaction to your goodbye messages, particularly Makensy saying she couldn’t keep you because “your resume was insane,” and formally revealing her Final Three alliance?
Makensy's goodbye message, specifically saying that my resumé was stacked, was a surprise to me. Honestly, I didn't see it that way. But it's nice to think maybe I am a little bit of a threat, because I did not see myself that way. I did already have an inkling that they were in a Final Three. It was giving that energy. So it wasn't too much of a surprise, though. I was hoping for a women's Final three to take priority. I do understand her being loyal to that.

Ultimately, how do you look back on the past week and the way you approached pitching to Makensy. Is there an angle you wish you would have taken to help your chances of staying?
My final pitch to Makensy was just true to everything I had discussed with her previously in this season. So it felt like the right way to go, and even if it meant me going out, I just, first and foremost, wanted to stay true to who I am, what I believe in, and what I stand for. And I can't regret being my most authentic me in there. And so I don't think I would really change anything about it. I think what's meant for me will always be mine. I think what's meant for me will always be mine. So, if this isn't it, there's something else out there for me.

Talk to me about the tight relationships you formed with Kimo and T’kor. What do you think your chances were in the endgame against them?
T'kor and Kimo in the house as my besties were my lifeline. I truly don't know if I would have even made it past Week 4 without them. And I know you're not supposed to be outwardly besties and have friendships that everyone can see in the house. But I am so grateful for those too. I know we're going to be besties even outside the house. My chances in the end game against T'kor and Kimo, honestly, I do think they had a better social game than me. But I don't think I would be too mad about sitting in the Final Three with two people I love and adore and support.

Talk to me about how your feelings grew and changed about Tucker during your time together in the house. How do you think being explicit about your feelings for each other affected the way you were seen by the other players?
When I first met Tucker in the house, I thought, "How am I going to deal with this type of person?" Because I'm gonna be honest, I thought he was gonna annoy me. But as I grew to know him inside the house, outside of just being a game player, he had so many endearing qualities, it was hard not to fall for this guy. As much as I didn't want to, as much as I said, "I'm not having showmance. Couldn't be me. He made it nearly impossible to resist him."

Us being outward and finally explicit about our relationship was not a surprise to the other players. I think they felt honestly relieved that we finally were out about it, because we tried really hard not to make it a thing. though everyone was fully aware, I am pretty sure. So it was, I think, as much as the relief to them as it was for us to finally share it. [ Laughs .]

Next, check out our interview with Kimo Apaka, who was evicted in Big Brother 26 Week 11 .