The Amazing Race returns with a twist in Season 38 — a cast packed with Big Brother alumni, familiar faces, and relationship volatility that feels ripped straight from the Big Brother house. Contestants like Taylor Hale and Kyland Young, along with former Big Brother couple Tucker Des Lauriers and Rubina Bernabe, are already making headlines before the first leg even airs.

All‑Star Big Brother Invades The Amazing Race

Season 38 of The Amazing Race premiered on September 25, 2025, on CBS. Host Phil Keoghan returns as the guide around the globe. What makes this season stand out is its “BB invasion” concept: every team features at least one former Big Brother contestant.

Among the cast announcements in August 2025: former Big Brother winners Taylor Hale (Season 24), Jag Bains (Season 25), and Chelsie Baham (Season 26) will race. Fan favorites like Angela Murray, Tucker Des Lauriers, Enzo Palumbo, Natalie Negrotti, and Kat Dunn also joined the roster. Taylor Hale is paired with fellow BB alum Kyland Young (who competed in Big Brother Season 23) in a dating-couple team.

Filming ran from March 17 to April 9, 2025. The route travels through Europe — Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Greece, Italy, and France — before finishing in New York City. Many production mechanics return, like a pre-start task, gifting a second Express Pass, and the Hazard twist.

When Two Big Brother Stars Race Together: Taylor Hale & Kyland Young

Longtime Big Brother fans were stunned when Taylor and Kyland, each a Big Brother alum, were cast as a pair on The Amazing Race. They competed on Big Brother Season 24 (Hale) and Season 23 (Young), and their relationship has been “on‑and‑off.” Ahead of TAR’s premiere, Hale confirmed their romance was always “on‑and‑off,” and teased fans would “see them trying to figure it out” during the race.

But as of August 2025, they broke up. Young stated in a video on X: “Even though we’re not a couple right now, we did date. … There was no blow up with huge fights or cheating or scandals or any of the wild things I’ve seen online.” He added that their split was due to “the combination of our challenges and current circumstances of our lives [that] have made being a couple not really something that could work for us right now.”

Young also said that there were “multiple times” they dated, and they were “even fully boyfriend and girlfriend” at points. He left fans with hope: “We don’t know what the future holds for us.”

Split Up Before They Even Race: Tucker Des Lauriers & Rubina Bernabe

Tucker Des Lauriers and Rubina Bernabe met and formed a romantic bond on Big Brother 26. Their relationship made headlines again after the two competed separately (with siblings) on The Amazing Race Season 38 — and revealed their split had come months earlier.

Their breakup was publicly revealed in May 2025, less than a year after their Big Brother match. By that time, TAR filming was complete. In interviews, Tucker revealed he and Rubina didn’t cross paths much during TAR filming, because “you don’t get to see the other teams a lot.” After the split, they maintain they have no bad blood. As one update put it: “There’s no bad blood between Big Brother exes Tucker Des Lauriers and Rubina Bernabe following their split.”

This makes for compelling television drama: two former lovers, now separated, competing in parallel—will they strategize against or avoid each other, or will past feelings influence alliances?

Cast & Relationships at a Glance

  • Taylor Hale (Big Brother 24 winner) & Kyland Young (Big Brother 23 alum) — dating-couple team, now broken up as of August 2025
  • Tucker Des Lauriers (Big Brother 26) — paired with his brother Eric Des Lauriers on Race; ex‑partner Rubina Bernabe is paired with her sister Kristine Bernabe
  • Rubina Bernabe (Big Brother 26) — now racing with her sister Kristine; formerly partnered (romantically) with Tucker
  • Jag Bains, Chelsie Baham, Angela Murray, Enzo Palumbo, Natalie Negrotti, Kat Dunn — other Big Brother alums in the Race cast

Strategy, Drama & The Big Brother Mindset

Casting an entire season around Big Brother alumni means pre-existing gameplay instincts are at work. These competitors have lived in a social experiment environment under cameras; now they must extend that into physical and mental endurance on the road.

Taylor and Kyland’s “on-and-off” romance may complicate alliance decisions. Tucker and Rubina’s fresh split could create tension if their paths cross. Unexpected team dynamics could emerge that mirror Big Brother — blindsides, side deals, and public confrontation — but now across countries.

What to Watch — And Why The Amazing Race Matters in 2025

The Amazing Race continues to be one of reality TV’s most compelling formats. This ambitious twist elevates it: Season 38 merges the sealed‑house strategy of Big Brother with the unpredictable challenges of global travel. The stakes — a $1,000,000 prize — remain, but now every leg has emotional undercurrents.

Viewers should watch how the Taylor/Kyland storyline develops — will they remain cooperative? Will lingering feelings sabotage legs? Also, keep an eye on Tucker and Rubina: will they intentionally avoid each other or create drama through indirect confrontations?

With Big Brother tactics, interpersonal drama, and physical challenges all in play, this season of The Amazing Race promises to be one of the most riveting in years.

And rest assured: despite the Big Brother overload, The Amazing Race — not Big Brother — remains the spotlight. The wind in your hair, the pressure to move fast, the leg-to-leg breakdowns — it’s still a race. But now with extra plotlines.

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