‘The Challenge’: Johnny Bananas Thinks ‘Total Madness’ Would’ve ‘Broken’ Him if He Lost
Seven-time champ Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio took a three-season break after winning The Challenge: Total Madness before returning for The Challenge: Ride or Dies. In a recent podcast, the reality TV star admitted Total Madness would’ve “broken” him if he lost.
Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio took a ‘mental health break’ after ‘The Challenge: Total Madness’
After winning The Challenge Season 35: Total Madness in 2020, the winningest player, Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, took a three-season break before returning for Ride or Dies alongside ex-fling Nany González.
After the first elimination, the pair joined the cast and quickly put the power back in the veterans’ hands. Following the second episode, he appeared on MTV’s The Challenge Official podcast alongside hosts Tori Deal and Aneesa Ferreira.
When asked about his decision to return two years later, the seven-time champ admitted he knew he needed a “mental health break.”
He pointed out that he competed in 13 seasons in a row until Total Madness, as he last took time off between his season 22 Battle of the Exes win. However, the break only lasted one season as he returned for season 24’s Rivals 2.
Bananas returned for ‘Ride or Dies’ to help Nany González
Before his Total Madness victory, Bananas last won in 2016 when he infamously kept the entire $275,000 prize in Rivals 3.
He went on to compete in six more seasons back-to-back without seeing a final before Total Madness. Therefore, the Real World star admitted season 35’s Total Madness would’ve “broken him” if he lost again.
He chose to come back for Ride or Dies because he wanted newer rivalries to emerge so the massive target on his back would decrease, and he felt he had entered a “better space” after the break.
Additionally, he wanted to help Nany obtain her first win in over a decade of competing on the franchise. The season is also an emotionally charged one for her as she recently lost her mother. Finally, Bananas believes the two exemplify the term “ride or dies” as their relationship spans over 10 years.
Bananas and Nany weren’t their first choice for partners
While the two have been close friends for years, they weren’t each other’s first choice for teammates. Other competitors were initially tapped to work alongside Bananas, including The Inferno 3 champ Janelle Casaneve.
She tweeted that she declined the opportunity to return to the franchise with Bananas but planned to root for him and Nany anyway. She didn’t explain why she rejected the offer.
However, Janelle had a rough experience during the All Stars 2 final and previously revealed she intended to take a break from the reality series. Former champ Emily Schromm and Theresa Jones were also rumored to compete with him.
Additionally, Nany prepared to enter the show with her two friends, but producers opted not to use them. On the Death, Taxes, and Bananas podcast, the two explained that the crew attempted to hide Bananas’s appearance. However, a mixup with Nam Vo’s laundry exposed him. The Challenge 38: Ride or Dies airs Wednesdays on MTV.
