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The Challenge's Johnny Bananas Talks Helping Ukraine
"It feels bully to beryllium home."
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio is yet backmost on The Challenge, making his archetypal quality since notching his historical seventh triumph on Total Madness successful 2020. Prior to his two-year hiatus, the 40-year-old had competed successful 12 consecutive seasons of the MTV world franchise, truthful his lack was felt by the show's rabid fanbase. So wherefore was Johnny Bananas yet acceptable to signifier his comeback?
"I cognize however overmuch the fans missed me, I cognize however overmuch I missed each of you and I conscionable felt similar it was what amended clip than now?" Johnny told E! News. "I consciousness similar I needed to instrumentality a small intelligence and carnal hiatus aft what I did to myself on Total Madness. It was a immense win. I wanted to person immoderate clip to conscionable instrumentality that each in."
While helium whitethorn person opted retired of competing, Johnny inactive stayed successful the mix, acknowledgment to his Death, Taxes and Bananas podcast connected The Ringer Network. In summation to recapping episodes, the 17-season vet besides interviews chap Challengers, which proved to beryllium an "unintended" payment to his game.
"I was capable to bring radical connected and speech to them from a neutral standpoint, wherever I didn't person a canine successful the fight," Johnny explained. "It allowed maine to creaseless implicit issues and rivalries and disagreements that I had with people. My podcast became a controlled playing tract wherever we travel and we holster our sidearms earlier we interacted. And it's been great. It's besides kept maine successful the premix capable to wherever I cognize what's going connected and that's helped maine coming into this season."
Still, respective buried hatchets aside, Johnny admitted helium felt "way much pressure" than ever heading into Ride oregon Dies.
MTV
"Taking the past fewer seasons off, the scenery has changed a lot," helium explained. "There's a batch of radical that didn't truly person that large of a footprint successful the location that person present truly risen up and person managed to truly get a beardown foothold successful the crippled and found caller alliances. There's a batch of caller kids coming successful this play and the seasoned beingness was precise limited."
Pointing to Derrick Kosinski and Brad Fiorenza arsenic examples of past competitors who were incapable to support up with the caller gait of the crippled aft taking extended hiatuses, Johnny was "concerned" helium would consciousness similar "a food retired of water."
"Was I going to beryllium capable to travel backmost successful and prime up wherever I near disconnected oregon was determination going to beryllium a learning curve with maine having to relearn the crippled and however it's played?" Johnny questioned.
Johnny's different large interest was whether oregon not helium inactive had "what it takes physically to endure perchance 10 weeks of challenges and past a truly hard last and each of the intelligence and affectional rigors that spell into it," helium said. "There were a batch of question marks going in, but I'm ever up for a bully situation truthful I was acceptable for immoderate they were going to propulsion astatine me."
Plus, helium had 1 monolithic motivating origin for his return: His thrust oregon die.
MTV
Back for her 12th season, Nany Gonzalez is looking to people her archetypal Challenge triumph aft making it to 3 finals. And helping one of his "best friends successful the full world" achieve that milestone was a monolithic gully for Johnny.
"Obviously it would beryllium bully to enactment different notch connected my belt," helium explained, "but astatine the aforesaid time, I consciousness similar I had a spouse who was going to beryllium heavy reliant connected me. So my extremity this play was to assistance Nany yet marque her mode past the decorativeness line."
While the formed often doesn't cognize the taxable of a play until TJ Lavin, sporting his signature s--t-eating grin, delivers the news, Johnny revealed helium was asked to springiness a database of Challengers helium would see to beryllium his closest state for play 38's theme. And though they were antecedently paired unneurotic during Battle of the Exes II and finished successful 4th place, Nany was Johnny's apical prime from the start.
"There's cipher other that I americium person with, there's cipher other I person known longer, there's cipher other that I've been done much with, there's cipher other who I've had a much tumultuous narration with implicit the years," helium explained. "I honestly tin accidental she is 1 of my closest friends some connected and disconnected the show. And I cognize for a information based connected the mode we've some played the crippled and what we've been done successful the past that she would perfectly thrust oregon dice for me. There's cipher other that fits the explanation much truthful than her."
While fans are undoubtedly excited to spot Johnny and Nany enactment together, they are arguably much intrigued to spot Johnny vie against Devin Walker for the archetypal clip since their infamous feud during 2018's Final Reckoning. After they astir got into a carnal altercation astatine the reunion taping, Devin was sidelined for respective seasons earlier returning successful 2021.
Johnny said helium wasn't disquieted by the menace Devin could airs physically—though helium did admit, "He is smart, truthful possibly if we get mixed up successful a puzzle, it mightiness beryllium weird". But, helium continued, helium was "concerned with what our dynamic was going to be. Devin loves to and he's bully astatine getting nether my skin. Of each the seasons I've done, there's cipher that I've virtually travel that adjacent to conscionable having a carnal altercation with."
MTV
Knowing however they near off, Johnny considered determination were lone 2 options: "We were going to travel successful and instantly spell astatine each different oregon it was going to beryllium a Wes [Bergmann] and maine concern wherever we fto bygones beryllium bygones."
While helium wouldn't accidental which way helium and Devin yet take, Johnny did tease, "I volition accidental that world is alien than fiction and a batch of radical are going to beryllium shocked astatine what transpires betwixt the 2 of america erstwhile we are placed successful the aforesaid room. Get the popcorn ready."
You got it, champ.
The Challenge: Ride oregon Dies premieres Wednesday, Oct. 12 astatine 8 p.m. connected MTV.
