The last time we saw Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, he ended a streak of six straight series of The Challenge in which he was eliminated before making the final, winning Total Madness.
Yes, that would be his seventh Challenge title.
But since then, he’s stayed out of the fray and watched Chris “CT” Tamburello win two seasons of his own (Double Agents and Spies, Lies & Allies), making some fans wonder: Who’s the true Challenge GOAT?
Did that factor into Bananas coming back for another season? We dove into that and more with him in a Q&A ahead of Wednesday’s premiere of The Challenge: Ride or Dies at 8 PM ET on MTV.
(This interview was condensed and edited.)
The last time you appeared, you won! So why come back now?
My story is not anywhere near being completed. I took some time off — I definitely needed a mental and physical break from what I subjected myself to in the bunker in the Czech Republic.
Retirement was never really an option. I know I might have alluded to that, but a lot of that was getting myself in the right mindset after that grueling Total Madness win. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines watching certain people close in on a record and all these new people start making waves on the screen, I felt it was my time to remind everyone what I bring to the table.
"Certain people" ... I was going to ask: How much CT winning recently was a factor in your return?
It wasn’t like, had he not won the last two, I would have taken more time off.
Listen, me and him have had a very storied rivalry for a long time. It’s almost like, whoever’s currently winning or on top is the fan favorite at that point. It definitely lights a fire under my [butt], seeing what he’s accomplished. He’s still running circles around these kids at 42 years old. I just celebrated my 40th.
How did you get to choose your partner for this season?
We submitted a list of people we considered our ride or dies. We had a short list of people to pick and Nany [Gonzalez] was on the top of my list. We’re talking about people who would ride or die for you. There’s nobody else who fits that definition and that profile better than Nany based on what we’ve been through in the past — the ups and downs we’ve had in our relationship over the years, the fact that I literally trust her more than pretty much anyone I have in my life and I know she’ll be there for me on or off the show.
How much was it also about helping her get that elusive first Challenge win?
A lot. Last time we ran a final together was Free Agents and she was minutes away from winning. We ran a leg together. I maintain to this day, had she just ran a little faster and pushed a little harder, she could have taken that W home.
I feel like she’s given so much to franchise over the years and been so close so many times. You have to find new ways to motivate yourself every season. It’s hard for me to come and be like, win No. 8 is the way to convince myself why I need this win so badly. I was able to come in and have someone else to play for. To try to get her a first win, that was a huge driving force for me.
Devin will be on this season, someone you've had a heated rivalry with. If you were able to work with Wes, how about with him now that he's built himself into a contender?
Or what you meant to say: He made a name for himself beefing with me.
With Devin, he and I have a very heated rivalry on and off screen. We haven’t seen each other or been on the same show since Final Reckoning, when things ended very badly between the two of us. I’m curious as everyone else is about our dynamic. You see the cast list — seeing his name on there, I was not happy about it, but if I’m able to work with Wes, anything’s possible.
Was training and prep for this season business as usual for you?
It was pretty much the same. Physical strength hasn’t been my issue. I’ve always managed to get in shape. For me, the puzzles have been the big question mark for me. After watching the last few seasons and seeing how heavy the puzzles are figuring in, that was my big concern. I started incorporating puzzles into my regimen. It’s trying to stay mentally and physically sharp and not letting the impending doom of The Challenge overwhelm me. I downloaded some puzzle books off Amazon, I guess I have to start doing Sudoku.
Anything else from this season that you can talk about?
I go into this season single, and there’s a good possibility I don’t necessarily leave as single as I went in!
