‘The Challenge 38’: Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio Almost Competed Alongside a Former Champ
The Challenge seven-time champion Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio is returning for his 21st season in Ride or Dies alongside Nany González. However, a former winner was reportedly initially tapped to compete with him.
Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio initially tapped to compete alongside Janelle Casaneve in ‘The Challenge 38’
The winningest competitor Johnny “Bananas” Devenazio, will return for his 21st season, the upcoming Ride or Dies.
Even though he will compete alongside veteran ex-fling Nany González, she reportedly wasn’t his first choice.
After MTV announced the cast for The Challenge 38, former champ Janelle Casaneve revealed in a tweet that she declined the invitation to compete alongside Johnny Bananas.
The All Stars 2 finalist didn’t explain why she said no but added that she would have “loved” to perform with him and is rooting for him and Nany. Additionally, other rumors named the two-time finalist and Rivals 2 winner Emily Schromm as someone initially tapped to compete alongside Bananas.
Janelle didn’t have the best experience during the recent season ‘All Stars 2’
It’s unclear why Janelle turned down what would serve as her third season on the flagship series. She last competed in spinoff All Stars 2 (2021), where she placed second alongside four-time champ Darrell Taylor.
They barely lost to Jonna Mannion and MJ Garrett, who appeared to solve a math problem for the final checkpoint. However, in her exit interviews, Janelle insisted that she got her equation right to open the safe containing the winning money, even though it didn’t open the safe.
She also claimed she noticed the champs running for the jet without opening their combination before returning and unlocking it on the first try. Confused about what happened during the botched final, the former champ didn’t want to say the season was “rigged.”
However, she admitted she might not return for another season due to the perceived production mishandling. In an Instagram story, Janelle explained it “never sat right with me” and revealed how hard she took the last loss, especially believing that she messed it up by getting the wrong answer. Therefore, it’s possible she declined season 38 because she isn’t ready to return to the competition show.
Johnny Bananas is competing alongside ex-Nany Gonzalez
After last competing in Total Madness, which he won, it was believed Johnny Bananas would retire as the winningest competitor of the MTV flagship following a historic 20-season run.
However, he decided to return alongside “ride or die” Nany for season 38. The upcoming season includes familiar faces competing with their close friends, family members, or significant others for a million-dollar cash prize.
Nany and Bananas previously had a fling after her 2011 seasons of The Real World. It didn’t materialize into anything serious, but they competed in several seasons together.
Although they appeared to have a flirty relationship during 2020’s Total Madness, nothing came of it, and he moved on to Morgan Willett and she Kaycee Clark. Even though Johnny Bananas is single, Nany is still dating Kaycee, who is competing alongside brother Kenny. The Challenge 38 premieres October 12 on MTV.
