Spoilers below for anyone who isn’t caught up with the latest season of The Amazing Race, so be warned!
The Amazing Race said goodbye to Rubina and Kristine Bernabe in the latest episode, but not before the former dropped a bombshell comment on host Phil Keoghan. The host of the globe-trotting CBS series asked her who she’d like to win, and rather than mention her then-boyfriend Tucker Des Lauriers, Rubina mentioned Izzy Gleicher as her top choice to win it all.
Rubina and Tucker aren’t together in the present, but they were during The Amazing Race after their love story on Big Brother Season 26 was highlighted throughout the season. As such, it was a bit strange to hear she didn’t want Tucker and his brother Eric to win the million-dollar prize, though she explained why in an interview with Gold Derby:
You could see on this man’s face, he was so sure I was going to say Tucker. Here’s the thing: I stand by what I said, because at the end of the day, I root for women. As women, we are always underdogs. I see that for myself. It’s been so long that a female-female team has won. For me it’s about the bigger message of women can do anything. Sorry — not sorry! I’m tired of women apologizing. I will not apologize for wanting women to win.
Rubina and her sister are super fans of The Amazing Race, to the point she openly campaigned to be on the show while still filming Big Brother. She’s correct that it’s been a long time since an all-women team won the show, with the last instance of that happening back in Season 25 with Amy DeJong & Maya Warren. Given that context, I don’t fault Rubina at all for making that comment to Phil Keoghan.
I’m also sure, in hindsight, Rubina is glad she didn’t say she wanted Tucker to win as well. The reality star, who was on television before Big Brother, said in the same interview that she was “totally okay” with broadcasting that she’s no longer in a relationship with him, despite Big Brother online feeds having fans thinking they would maintain a lasting bond.
No such luck. Ultimately, Rubina Bernabe relished thrbe opportunity to compete with her sister Kristina, having watched the show with their mother growing up. Her mother passed in 2018, but the sisters used their “trauma bond” caring for her over the years to make a solid run in The Amazing Race Season 38. They could’ve gone further, but their late start in last place did them no favors as they did the entire leg without running into the other teams.
As TAR rolls on, Jag and Jas Bains remain the odds-on favorites to win the season. That said, Tucker and Eric Des Lauriers have had a solid run the past couple of episodes, and could be the team that pulls the surprise upset in the end. Unfortunately for Rubina Bernabe, the number of remaining all-female teams is rapidly dwindling, but we’ll see if the ones that remain can make a run.
The Amazing Race continues on CBS on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET. I love watching this season so far as a hardcore fan of Big Brother, but I will be eager to see more feedback from TAR fans once it’s over.
