‘The Challenge’: Devin Walker Doesn’t Think Johnny ‘Bananas’ Blocked His Return After ‘Final Reckoning’ Fight
The Challenge star Devin Walker went on a three-season break after his tense fight with Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio in Final Reckoning. He says the winningest competitor denied blocking his return but has other theories about why he didn’t compete again until Double Agents.
Devin Walker says he and Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio didn’t have a make up conversation
Although it didn’t get much camera time, rivals Devin Walker and Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio put their issues behind them to team up for the season. They also had deals in place to sabotage other teams, ultimately leading to them facing each other in the final stage, where he and partner Tori Deal came out on top.
Following his win, Devin returned to the Challenge Mania podcast and explained it made sense to work with Bananas because not many other teams want to pair up with him due to his success in the finals.
However, the Are You the One? alum believed he could beat him at the end, where it mattered the most. Additionally, Devin admitted he would have never targeted Nany González because he also lost a parent during filming.
When asked if he and Bananas had a conversation hashing out their past, which included the seven-time champ bringing up Devin’s dead father during an argument, the Massachusetts native said they didn’t. He pointed out it happened a few years ago and noted they saw each other at Tori’s party before entering the season and didn’t have an issue. Additionally, he preferred not to have the conversation on camera to close the loop, as Bananas had previously accused him of using the 20-season veteran for a storyline.
Devin says Bananas denied blocking his return
After Final Reckoning, where the two had their tense run-in, Devin didn’t return, whereas the Real World alum returned for Total Madness, where he won his seventh championship. Then, the two-time finalist returned for Double Agents, during which Bananas took a break.
Therefore, some fans believed the winningest competitor might have blocked Devin’s return. Additionally, the AYTO standout made a video seemingly apologizing to Bananas, which many cited as an attempt to get back on the show.
Devin acknowledged it worked, comparing it to moving a chess piece, but insisted he got cast for Double Agents before uploading the video. He said he created it if his rival competed in the season as he didn’t want to return with an immediate target on his back.
Additionally, the Ride or Dies winner said he asked Bananas point blank about the assumed block but noted the seven-time champ denied it. Instead, Devin thinks his ex-rival might have had conversations with the crew, claiming he wouldn’t return if the Spies, Lies, and Allies finalist did. The reality TV star said he was an alternate for every season after Final Reckoning before returning for Double Agents and never got a direct answer about why he didn’t get cast.
Devin shares theories about his three-season break from ‘The Challenge’
However, Devin has a theory about his three-season break. He pointed out that people were getting removed from reality TV shows for resurfaced tweets and things they did in previous episodes around the Me Too Movement, which took place around that time.
The two-time finalist called himself a “problematic person” as he can have politically charged conversations without crossing the line but has noticed other castmates have gone too far.
Therefore, the show might not have cast him as he admitted to intentionally having these discussions. Devin threw out another possibility, noting The Challenge probably wouldn’t want to cast someone who will immediately target a player with a massive guaranteed appearance fee because the show might only get a couple of episodes out of them.
Ultimately, he doesn’t know why he didn’t return for three seasons but appreciates the full circle moment in getting to beat Bananas while also spitting part of his earnings with him.
