‘The Challenge’: Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio Showed Off His $100,000 Check He Never Cashed
There are plenty of competitors who’ve won MTV’s The Challenge, but few are as infamous as Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio. Devenanzio won the game seven times, making him the reigning champ. And it seems he has one check for $100,000 he never cashed. Here’s what he posted on his Instagram Stories.
Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio showed off one of his checks from MTV’s ‘The Challenge’
There are few competitors from MTV’s The Challenge as infamous as Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio. He’s played ruthlessly in the past to get himself to the top, and it’s proven fruitful. While he’s made certain decisions over the years that have gotten him into hot water with fans (the most notorious being his decision to take all of the money from Sarah Rice on Rivals III), he proves he’s a competitor on the show to win.
So far, Devenanzio’s won The Island, The Ruins, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Free Agents, Rivals III, Champs vs. Stars in 2017, and, finally, Total Madness. And he hasn’t cashed all of his checks. On May 9, 2021, he posted to his Instagram Stories that he’s doing some spring cleaning. And it seems he found an old check from Rivals. That season he won his share of $100,000 with Tyler Duckworth by his side.
“Here’s a blast from the past, people,” Devenanzio tells his camera while panning over the check. “It’s what you used to earn for winning the final. And this was split between two people. Mine and Tyler’s grand prize for Rivals I. Love you, T-Ducks.”
Will Johnny ‘Bananas’ return to ‘The Challenge’?
With this “blast from the past,” will Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio consider coming back on to MTV’s The Challenge? We’re not sure, but we do know he didn’t opt in to participate in season 36, Double Agents, or All Stars, which is currently streaming on Paramount+. As for The Challenge Season 37, we’re not sure. But rumored casting lists don’t seem to include him.
“I’m 20 seasons in and I’d be lying if I said that I’m the same person physically and mentally as I was before I started this journey 15 years ago,” he explained to People after Total Madness. “I don’t say this lightly, but every season that I go on The Challenge, I feel like a little piece of me dies.”
With that said, Devenanzio loves the game and became an icon over the years. While he may not return anytime soon, we bet we’ll see him again. “I’m not gonna sit here and say, like, you know, I’m 100% hanging it up, ’cause I’m not the type of person to do that,” he admitted to the Chicks in the Office podcast.
What’s Johnny ‘Bananas’ net worth today?
If Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio was to come back to The Challenge, it’s probably not for the money. He has an estimated net worth of around $200,000, but thanks to his additional endeavors aside from the MTV series, it’s likely more. He also was a finalist on the celebrity edition of Worst Cooks in America, and he hosted NBC’s 1st Look.
Now, Devenanzio has a new project gaining traction. He’s hosting Celebrity Sleepover, a show featuring plenty of fun guests he interviews.
“Everyone has fond memories of sleepovers they had as kids,” Devenanzio explained of his show to TV Insider. “We wanted to create that fun unconventional environment. These celebrities are in their safe space. They are at home on their couch in PJs. They have a cocktail in their hands, if they prefer.”
We’re excited to see what Devenanzio does next. For now, we’re sure Challenge fans hope he comes back for additional seasons.
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