Tucker Des Lauriers Breaks Silence on Special Moment with Rubina and Reveals Surprising Truth About Their Future After ‘Big Brother’

Tucker Des Lauriers did it all in his 45 days of playing Big Brother. He won numerous competitions. He volunteered to go on the block multiple times… and then got upset when the Head of Household did not align with his plans. He entered a showmance… which he predicted would happen. He won America’s vote… becoming the A.I. Instigator… He was the BB A.I. Assist… meaning he dressed up in a unique outfit. And, yes, he got voted out.

The guy who enjoys biscuits and games was voted out 5-3 on Thursday’s live eviction episode, sharing a moment with showmance partner Rubina Bernabe on his way out. Why volunteer to go on the block again? Why stick with Angela after she betrayed him? Why build his A.I. Arena puzzle backwards? And, perhaps most importantly, what does the future hold for Tucker and Rubina outside the house? We asked the recently eliminated houseguest all that and more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why are you here talking to me right now? What went wrong?

TUCKER DES LAURIERS: I didn’t perform well on the puzzle, and I love puzzles. Honestly, I didn’t follow the directions closely enough, and I was building it so that the numbers were facing the podium with all the number memory chip things, and that’s all that happened there.

I knew I had to win or I was going home. People were assuring me that I had the votes, but I knew that I was going to be a significant target based on my gameplay. So, unfortunately, I am here. It’s as bittersweet as it can be. I’m excited to see my friends and family, but it feels like I just left them. So yeah, that’s what I’m going through right now. But you play hard.

Well, you definitely played hard, but we see it all the time on Big Brother when someone volunteers to go up on the block as a pawn and then goes home. It happened to Cedric a few weeks ago, and it happened to you. Why volunteer again to do that and put yourself at risk?

I honestly didn’t think T’Kor would take me up on it. There were plenty of other options for people to put up. I was expecting, honestly, Leah, to be there, not me. But I was a gentleman to the other two, Chelsie and Cedric, to offer that up and wasn’t in an alliance with them. So I would’ve felt bad if I didn’t offer it to T’Kor. And her joy is so contagious and makes you feel really good, so I wanted her to enjoy and soak up that HOH for all it’s worth, and to not have it be stressful. So if she needed me, she could use me, and bottom line, it backfired. But still, I wouldn’t take anything back. I would just want to redo that puzzle.

Tucker Des Lauriers on ‘Big Brother’ season 26.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Do you feel T’Kor owed it to you not to put Angela up as the replacement nominee after she put you up as a pawn and you gave her $5,000?

Yeah, I was surprised. I very clearly requested that she did not. I felt like my actions and words were ignored at that point, but, at the same time, I’m someone who was raised to be true to oneself and to stick with your instincts. So after getting over the initial shock and emotion of that and having a moment to talk with T’Kor, I was really just proud of her for doing what she thought was best for her game. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s best for my game, but I do think for both our games it might’ve been better to go the other way. But, at the same time, it wasn’t Angela who got me out, it was Makensy, and she’s a great competitor and athlete. But I also didn’t take the Hawaii trip from her!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Explain why you would support Angela after she went behind your back and tried to take you out. I know you wanted to be loyal to her, but she wasn’t loyal to you.

Well, if she stayed, which she did, and if I was there, I still think she would be grateful for now the third chance she’s had in there. But I was telling T’Kor that all that loyalty and trust she had in me would be returned to her if she didn’t put her up there, or if she was saved and not evicted. And I hope that ends up being the case because Angela is a wild card in there, to say the least.

It still hurts a little, but I care about her. It’s just part of the game. And it was all to try to keep Sixth Avenue alive. And when you have someone who feels excluded and not a part of it, all of us were trying to include her, but the paranoia really gets to you in there. So I can understand why she did what she did. I told her that I was proud of her for being the first one to try to take a shot at me. I would’ve done it after nominations, but yeah, it is what it is.

Tucker Des Lauriers and Angela Murray on ‘Big Brother’ season 26.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Is Angela the most dramatic person you’ve ever met?

No. She is up there, but she’s not the most dramatic. We’ll see once I watch the show and see her Diary Room sessions. Maybe she’ll move up another level, but no, she is great. And honestly, that could just be part of her strategy, and I don’t know how, but it’s working.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: We asked you to make a bold prediction before the season and you said you were probably going to get into a showmance. How did you know?

I didn’t think I was going to, but everybody was saying I was going to. I’m not someone who dates unless I feel… I’m at the age where I’m trying to find a life partner. And to find one in a game like this, I was very much feeling there was a slim chance of that happening. And just meeting Rubina and seeing how much she is herself and how lively and fun she is, I couldn’t resist, and I’m glad she felt the same way.

We’ve had several talks about how we know we’re in this game and everything is heightened in there and we have our outside lives to get to, and we don’t know how each other lives their outside life, but in there, we care about each other. And we really are looking forward to seeing how much we can enjoy each other’s outside lives and really believe that nothing’s going to stop us. So it’s exciting, it’s fun. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but it’s all good butterflies and she’s amazing. And I hope she challenges Quinn. I told them not to trust him.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was up with that special moment as you were leaving?

We had that planned for a while. When she was on the block, that was what we were going to do. That was going to be our introduction of that to the world. But we had a week or so longer in there, and people in the house ended up seeing it. I don’t purposely go against the grain or take the path less traveled. I just naturally follow that path. And I wanted to show people what this game is really worth in terms of my gameplay.

And also, in terms of the showmance stigma, I think we had a group of people in there that really did appreciate our relationship. And as much as they said they wouldn’t use it against us, we weren’t going to let them use it against us. So yeah, follow your heart in terms of your gameplay and your emotions. And don’t let that house or anything in the outside world change that tonight. To thine own self be true.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Who is playing the best game in the house?

It’s Quinn, and maybe Joseph. I hope Joseph can beat Quinn out, but Quinn is a very skilled player. He had T’Kor, Kimo, and Rubina convinced that he really wanted to work with me, and I knew he didn’t. If I won this HOH, I was putting him up, I was putting Leah up, and I was maybe putting Cam up because I think Cam, Chelsie, and Quinn are in a three called the Ballers. I think Quinn accidentally let that leak, and if that’s not true, it still makes sense for the Pentagon to get pushed down to that.

Cam formed a final two with me before the Veto competition to ensure his safety. I knew it was fake; otherwise, he would’ve voted for me. And I think Quinn had Kimo and Rubina in his back pocket. Chelsie has T’Kor in her back pocket, and they just needed to get me. I was a wild card. So Quinn and Cam were working me. I was playing back with them, but I knew what I was going to do if I won HOH.

But Quinn is a very strategic player. He is a super fan. Joseph is a super fan. Chelsie’s a super fan. And people in our alliance were skeptical of Joseph because they didn’t know about our final two. And so I would love for Rubina to win, or Kimo would be second, then Joseph. But I think Quinn might be able to deceive them all, as much as I hate to say it.

Tucker Des Lauriers on ‘Big Brother’ season 26.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Finally, did you get to keep your BB A.I. Assist costume?

I’m going to bike around New York City in that, no joke. I am going to wear it for Halloween. I’m going to be wearing it when people least expect it. Expect the unexpected! That costume is just getting started in my life. Yes, I get to keep it. I will get the whole thing after the show wraps, hopefully before Halloween. And yeah, you guys only saw the beginning of that outfit.

Well, it was a blast watching you make an impact in the house, and I have a feeling we may be watching it again at some point.

Thank you. I hope so. And it was an honor and a pleasure. Thank you to everyone involved in it, from casting to filming. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I’ll forever cherish very near and dear to my heart.