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The Challenge's Johnny Bananas Talks Helping Ukraine
Twenty years into his vocation connected The Challenge, Johnny Bananas inactive enters each location reasoning this could beryllium the clip he, uh, slips up.
Sure, he's competed connected 24 full seasons of the show—including the franchise's caller planetary spinoff, The Challenge: World Championship—has a grounds 7 wins nether his loop connected the flagship and is arguably the series' astir notable figure, but don't fto his signature toasts and quippy one-liners fool you: The contention takes its toll connected the 40-year-old.
"I don't cognize if you're ever afloat mentally prepared for the rigors of The Challenge location and what comes on with that," Johnny told E! News successful an exclusive interview. "The intelligence strain and the affectional strain that location takes connected you."
While galore radical presume he's utilized to the manner by now, the world TV vet said his agelong past connected the amusement makes it adjacent harder.
"It's not thing that gets better," helium explained. "It astir makes it worse successful a mode due to the fact that you cognize what to expect. I spot rookies coming successful and I'm envious of the information that they person nary thought however miserable the situation is gonna get. Ignorance is bliss."
James Dimmock/Paramount +
To beryllium fair, Johnny admitted helium didn't marque the two-month modulation from the 38th play of The Challenge—where helium and his thrust oregon dice Nany Gonzalez came successful 2nd spot aft a grueling 100-hour final—to World Championship immoderate easier connected himself. In Spain for work, helium admitted to "indulging a small excessively hard" earlier filming began successful South Africa connected the spinoff, which teams legends with MVPs from the U.S., England, Australia and Ukraine spinoff series. "I wasn't feeling excessively great," the big of NBC's First Look acknowledged. "Just from a carnal standpoint, it wasn't precisely however I wanted to participate the game."
Even when helium is, by his ain definition, out-of-shape heading into the game, Johnny Bananas is inactive considered a large menace by anyone's standards, fixed his awesome resume, carnal quality and governmental game. Which is why helium had to commencement campaigning immediately on World Championship, contempt not having immoderate past with the planetary competitors.
"I was nationalist force fig one, the infinitesimal I stepped successful the house," Johnny, who is partnered with The Challenge: USA's Justine Ndiba, explained. "You radical aren't adjacent from this country. How bash you cognize that? I request to beryllium the archetypal 1 to beryllium targeted here. I don't get it. But that's the furniture that I've made, truthful I'm comfy sleeping successful it."
MTV; E! Illustration
As for an interior pressure, "I don't consciousness similar I person thing to beryllium anymore successful my ain opinion," helium said earlier acknowledging, "but it's astir similar you're lone arsenic bully arsenic your past performance."
And his past outing was a peculiarly devastating one, with Johnny and Nany making a important mistake successful the past spot of the 5 day-long final aft they were successful the pb for a bulk of the race. Even though helium was this close to securing his eighth win, Johnny said his critics "will find thing they can" to usage arsenic a crushed to accidental his "time is up" and helium should person retired aft his triumph on Total Madness successful 2020.
"It's tough, man," helium admitted. "Because I spell successful and I don't needfully enactment a tremendous magnitude of unit connected myself but determination are outer forces retired there. He conscionable tries to remember, "But you tin delight immoderate radical immoderate clip but you can't delight each the radical each the time."
And, astatine the extremity of the day, Johnny inactive holds the grounds for astir Challenge wins and has an extra $1.1 cardinal successful the slope to amusement for it.
"I consciousness similar I americium playing with location money," the Death, Taxes and Bananas podcast big said. "For amended oregon worse my bequest is is what it is and it's been etched successful stone. Anything that I execute from present connected out—any wins, finals, wealth I marque oregon steal—will beryllium the cherry connected top."
Jonne Roriz / Paramount +
Still, helium intends to support lacing up his sneaks connected the OG mentation of the franchise. Initially slated to look connected play 3 of that The Challenge: All Stars anytime soon, helium has nary plans to marque the leap for good. While helium said helium "would love" to yet the modulation implicit to the nostalgia-fueled spinoff, he's inactive bare for the level of contention that the flagship and World Championship are providing.
"Maybe erstwhile I'm acceptable for a breather oregon to beryllium sent retired to pasture, I'll dabble successful All Stars," Johnny explained. "But close present I consciousness similar I'm inactive capable and consenting to vie astatine a precise precocious level."
And, with the tease of different imaginable spinoff that "may oregon whitethorn not beryllium looming connected the horizon," Johnny said, "You tin ne'er person excessively overmuch Bananas."
The Challenge: World Championship drops a caller occurrence each Wednesday connected Paramount+.
