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Johnny Bananas Reflects connected His Evolution connected 'The Challenge' (Exclusive)
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio mightiness beryllium flying solo for the adjacent fewer seasons of MTV's The Challenge.
Having bested the remainder of the women competing connected The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras, Rachel Robinson and Jenny West—who dubbed their confederation with Bananas and Aviv Bruno "Johnny's Angels"—are hanging up their halos for a bit.
"Listen, I looked astatine play 40 arsenic specified a monumental season, and I conscionable truly wanted to enactment my sanction connected it," Robinson told E! News successful an exclusive interview, a time earlier viewers watched her and West necktie for archetypal spot connected the long-running series. (Jordan Wiseley claimed the $400,000 prize for the men, beating retired Bananas, Derek Chavez and Kyland Young.) "I americium decidedly going to enjoy, astatine slightest for adjacent season, being a viewer."
And aft she cheers her pals done different 1 of host T.J. Lavin's vicious finals, she might see slipping backmost into her jersey. Maybe.
"I similar to thrust the question of the title a small portion earlier I enactment my chapeau backmost successful the ring," explained the 41-year-old, who besides claimed victories successful 2003's The Gauntlet and 2009's The Duel II. "It's a chancy arena. Things tin spell brainsick successful there."
But things tin get arsenic arsenic hairy astatine her Florida location with her and woman Natalie Gee's 3 kids.
Which is wherefore if the Gee Beauty laminitis was asked astir Robinson returning, "She'd beryllium like, 'Absolutely not,'" the world prima joked. The full filming process "really consumes a twelvemonth of your life," Robinson noted. "So, I'm not jumping connected committee for the adjacent one, but I decidedly americium a challenger for life. And you'll ne'er beryllium capable to accidental that you tin number maine out."
Courtesy of MTV.
Similarly, West is listening to her amended angels erstwhile it comes to aboriginal seasons of the world hit.
"It genuinely takes a full twelvemonth of your beingness distant from you," noted the England resident. So portion she's "always truthful grateful" for the acquisition and the friends she's made, amassing 2 wins successful her 3 seasons, "The mode it distracts maine from my ain progression successful my idiosyncratic beingness is monumental," said West. "I americium inactive cleaning up the messiness from past season, not rather acceptable to spell into different season."
Instead, she and Robinson are cherishing the souvenirs they took location from their weeks successful Vietnam.
There's the $200,000 a portion successful cash, of course, which they some invested. "I ever think, 'Just unreal it doesn't exist,'" noted West, "because if you enactment similar it exists, you tin walk it truthful fast."
But they've each found the relationships they've built to beryllium adjacent much valuable.
"There is simply a existent relationship there," Robinson stressed of their alliance. "Besides winning the money, and too being a champion, that is what makes The Challenge truthful special, the relationships that you travel retired of that are really real, that tin construe into your existent life. I cognize that Johnny and I are benignant of the astonishment twist, but it conscionable people happened."
Really, they'd happily tread h2o adjacent to immoderate of the contestants they swam against successful that last, grueling challenge that saw them swimming backmost and distant to a vessel docked successful the South China Sea.
"By the clip you marque it to the last you're conscionable truthful grateful to beryllium determination and the extremity is successful sight," explained West. "There's nary much politicking. Everyone conscionable works arsenic hard arsenic they tin for themselves and that's it. Let's each conscionable bash what we can, and whitethorn the champion idiosyncratic win."
Courtesy of MTV.
And erstwhile the currency prizes are doled out, "You each look astatine each different and are like, 'Holy f--k, we each went done that unneurotic and we each recognize the trauma,'" the 38-year-old reflected. "I was eating toothpaste retired of a conduit I recovered successful the captain's bathroom, for crying retired loud."
By that point, added Robinson, each of the rivalries had beauteous overmuch been scrubbed away, including those betwixt Bananas and frenemies Michelle Fitzgerald and Tori Deal.
"The information is that everyone, particularly successful that final, does emotion each other," she insisted. "Even Michelle and Johnny, adjacent Tori and Johnny. They truly bash emotion each other."
Courtesy of MTV.
But for her and West, the existent blessed ending was getting to win play 40 together aft they each struggled successful the earlier squad format. While West saw herself often voted into elimination rounds by her chap Era Four competitors, Robinson watched arsenic her Era One comrades were picked disconnected 1 by one.
And so, erstwhile they got the accidental to predominate arsenic individuals and past race—and win—a last together, "You couldn't person dreamt for a amended outcome," insisted West. "Storybook from commencement to end."
Because erstwhile upon a time, she met Robinson portion grooming astatine Barry's Bootcamp successful Miami. "And I thought, 'Yeah, this is my benignant of woman,'" recalled West. "And past to find retired we're going to beryllium successful the play unneurotic conscionable a fewer months aboriginal was awesome."
Having past battled unneurotic successful the arena trenches, West gained "Such a heavy respect for her arsenic a rival and arsenic a person," she continued. "For me, determination are friendships I cognize I volition person for life."
