‘The Challenge’: Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio Details Fears He Had Before Helping Ukraine
MTV’s The Challenge star Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio is known for stirring the pot on TV. But currently, he’s helping Ukrainians during the crisis against Russia. He recently talked about how he’s assisting refugees as well as the fears he had going into helping the global issue. Here’s what he said — plus, whether fans can expect to see him join The Challenge Season 38 cast.
MTV’s ‘The Challenge’ star Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio is currently helping Ukrainian refugees
Fans know MTV’s The Challenge cast member Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio for becoming a seven-time champion of the show after Total Madness. Devenanzio competed on the show for years, and he proved he’s a serious competitor and force to be reckoned with. After his seventh win on The Challenge, he went on to host and take part in other reality shows.
More recently, Devenanzio used his celebrity status for good. He joined a humanitarian convo in March 2022. It was led by the refugee foundation Humanosh to deliver supplies to Ukrainians in need, E! News reports.
“I just wanted to contribute in some way shape or form,” he said. “And it’s easy to be like, I want to donate money to the Red Cross, or whatever. And that’s all fine and great, but I feel like I am able-bodied enough … my skills would be better put to use if I was actually able to like go and contribute and be on the ground.”
The reality TV star detailed the fears he had prior to helping Ukraine
Helping Ukrainians in need currently has its challenges. And The Challenge star had a number of fears prior to helping out.
Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio spoke to Page Six about the sleepless nights he spent in Warsaw, Poland, trying to help the refugees. Additionally, he noted he had a number of fears prior to traveling to Lviv, Ukraine.
“I’m like, ‘I’m going into a war zone tomorrow, how wild is this?’” he said. “And then obviously your mind goes to all the worst places. Like, what if I get shot by a sniper? What if like, you know, you hear on the news, I mean, a Fox News [cameraman] was just killed like a few days ago … it’s like, what if we’re that statistic where we’re driving down the road and some random rocket just blows our van up?”
Despite the tragedy, sadness, and terror, Devenanzio said many people came to help the Ukrainians in need. “But what you don’t hear about is the amount of support that is coming to Ukraine,” he added.
Will Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio join ‘The Challenge’ Season 38 cast?
MTV’s The Challenge Season 38 cast is still completely unknown, though fans have their picks of who they hope to see compete in the next season. Will Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio join The Challenge Season 38 cast?
The star hasn’t confirmed his return. But while speaking to contestant Kyle Christie on the Death, Taxes, and Bananas podcast, he noted he missed the show. He also said there’s a “good chance” fans will see him return.
Current rumors surrounding The Challenge Season 38 state Zoom interviews with rookies are happening now, and filming doesn’t begin until May 2022.
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