Big Brother’s Matt Hardeman and Makensy Manbeck are more than happy to spread the love.
Less than four months after season 26 of CBS’ hit reality show wrapped, two of the show’s former contestants — who are now dating — can’t help but celebrate fellow houseguests Tucker Des Lauriers and Rubina Bernabe’s relationship.
“I think they’re perfect for each other,” Makensy exclusively told Us Weekly. “I really think that they are such amazing people, and they do complement each other really well. I think that Rubina is an amazing person. I think that they, just like us, found their person on Big Brother, and I hope and wish them nothing but the best.”
After making a strong connection in the Big Brother house this past summer, Tucker and Rubina were open about their hopes to grow their friendship once the show came to an end.
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Once the season finale aired in October 2024, the former contestants quickly learned the spark was still there and committed to a long-distance relationship.
“Seriously, long-distance — us from Texas to Atlanta is hard — I can only imagine how difficult it’s to navigate coast to coast going from New York to California,” Makensy said. “I just hope that they’re doing well and I wish them nothing but the best in navigating that because that’s hard. That would be hard for me.”
Makensy confirmed to Us that she will soon be moving from Texas to Atlanta to be closer to her boyfriend. As she explained, “It’s just time for me to have a little change and I want to be close to him.”
From Matt’s perspective, he will always support a couple who falls in love in the public eye.
When Matt was evicted from the Big Brother house on Day 10, he wasn’t sure if Makensy would be interested in him after the show wrapped.
After nearly 80 days without any communication, the pair reconnected and decided to explore something romantic. They kept their relationship under wraps until going Instagram Official in December 2024.
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“I think we did get the justice of navigating some of [our relationship] privately,” Matt shared. “[Tucker and Rubina] were a showmance from the jump from the show so I have a lot of respect for them and navigating that together is very difficult. Doing it with some distance in between is even more difficult.”
While Matt — who is set to launch his “Figuring It Out” podcast in March — said he didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Rubina after the show, he was able to connect with Tucker because they were both eliminated before making jury.
“He’s a standup guy,” Matt said. “He’s a real deal. He’s got a great community in New York and I wish them nothing but the best. I’m happy for them and cheering them on and whatever comes next.”
