‘The Challenge’: Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio Threw Shade at Stephen Bear With an Instagram Comment
The Challenge: Total Madness is heating up, and there are plenty of returning competitors who know how to make a splash on the show. Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio is known for his physical and mental gameplay, as he’s one of the best schemers in the house. And now that he and longtime rival Wes Bergmann have paired together, the duo seems unstoppable.
Veteran player Stephen Bear also does quite well on The Challenge. But he’s known for his huge personality and antics that often get him in trouble with the ladies.
In April 2020, Devenanzio posted a photo of him with Bear — but he then threw shade Bear’s direction with an Instagram comment. Here’s what’s happening.
Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio is known for being a devious schemer
Devenanzio’s been on The Challenge for many years, and he’s won a boatload of money by scheming his way to the end. His most infamous move was against Sarah Rice on Rivals III. While Devenanzio and Rice made their way to the end as a team, a twist gave Devenanzio the ability to take all the winnings for himself and leave Rice with nothing — and he did just that with zero regrets.
Many wonder how many more years Devenanzio has left in the tank, as he’s 37 and certainly one of the oldest Challenge competitors to date. He’s hinted that he may be ready to call it quits sooner rather than later. And he’s also clued his fans in that his real personality is nothing like how he presents on the show.
“I always say, what people envision me to be like, in reality, is not who I really am,” Devenanzio told the New York Post. “This guy who you are talking to — Johnny Bananas — in real life, would never survive on The Challenge. When I go on the show, it’s like a coat of armor and changing who I am.”
Devenanzio seems to like Stephen Bear
Devenanzio and Bear are nothing alike in the way that they go about playing The Challenge. Even so, it seems Devenanzio appreciates Bear’s candid and chaotic nature, and Bear likes Devenanzio back.
Back in April 2019, Devenanzio appeared with Nany González and Bear in an interview for On Demand Entertainment. And it’s clear Devenanzio had a certain fondness for the newcomer. “Before he came on the show, it was told to me by other castmembers who came over to The Challenge from the crossover … they were like, ‘Listen, there’s this guy, Bear, he’s as equally as big of a d*ck as you are.’ … And then I met him, and uh, yeah,” Devenanzio told the interviewer.
“Johnny is the legend on The Challenge,” Bear added, clearly in awe of getting to compete against Devenanzio. “The man, the myth, the legend — this is him. And we’ve been compared to each other.”
Devenanzio threw shade at Bear on Instagram
So, are Devenanzio and Bear really friends, or are they Challenge “frienemies” who plan on using each other? On April 24, Devenanzio posted a photo with Bear that they took while out at a restaurant. “A Fireman and a Banana walk into a bar,” Devenanzio captioned the post. And fans seemed to love their surprising friendship.
It didn’t end there, though. One follower asked, “How does he have more followers than you????”
To that, Devenanzio threw some shade. “I don’t buy mine,” he wrote back.
To that, the original poster commented, “Savage!”
We’re excited to see how Devenanzio and Bear continue their friendship (or not) on Total Madness. And we’re hoping for more evidence, one way or the other, regarding if they really are friends or just hoping for some extra attention with photos together online.
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