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Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio scored his seventh win on The Problem: Complete Insanity, which aired in 2020, and after taking practically three years off, he’s able to go for quantity eight on The Challenge: Ride or Dies. Johnny is partnered along with his longtime buddy, Nany Gonzalez, and mentioned that she was an enormous a part of the rationale that he determined to return again. “[Winning] has eluded her for therefore lengthy and I felt like her greatest shot at lastly profitable could be with me,” Johnny admitted HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “I couldn’t choose a greater particular person to need to compete subsequent to and help and assist cross the end line than her. She deserves it a lot. That woman has put in a lot effort and time through the years. It gave me a motive to need to compete and win apart from my very own egocentric causes.”
When Johnny gained Complete Insanity, he was in a six-season drought following his notorious determination to steal his accomplice’s cash on Rivals III. The Complete Insanity win “broke the curse” for him, so the potential of serving to Nany get her first W was the brand new motivation he wanted to return as soon as extra. Plus, he admitted that Complete Insanity took lots out of him “bodily, mentally and emotionally,” so the break was essential.
“I had ripped off 13 seasons in a row,” Johnny defined. “To not point out that after profitable my seventh one, as if the goal on my again wasn’t large enough already, it was now going to be rattling close to inconceivable to maneuver round the home with out being focused out of the gate. So I assumed stepping away for somewhat would profit me in a number of methods. And I needed to understand the present once more and stay up for doing it, somewhat than simply taking a look at it like a monotonous job. I needed to step away and take a while to reestablish my love for the franchise.”
Whereas filming Trip or Dies, Johnny celebrated his fortieth birthday, and mentioned it was a milestone that can deliver out a distinct aspect of him this season. “You’re going to see somewhat little bit of a distinct model of me,” he dished. “I did a number of soul-searching within the time I took away, and simply by way of different adjustments I’ve made in my life. Look, clearly I’m by no means going to lose that mischevious nature of mine. I’m by no means going to not need to stir the pot and never need to ruffle some feathers. However I’m undoubtedly doing it in somewhat extra of a grown up and mature manner.”
Johnny additionally identified that this will likely be his first season on the present as a single man in “fairly some time,” and teased that there is perhaps some “onscreen sparks flying” for him. “I simply needed to verify if that was the case and if that’s what occurred, I might take the extra grownup strategy to it,” he defined. See extra of our interview with Johnny beneath!
You and Nany have been companions earlier than [on ‘Exes II’], did that provide you with a bonus this time round? Oh yeah. We each, from a social standpoint, have the identical methodology about how we navigate the sport and the way we navigate the home and the way we play a social recreation with out us even having to speak. She’s not somebody I’ve to fret about doing one thing or saying one thing silly that’s going to jeopardize us. She’s been on the recreation lengthy sufficient. When you could have a accomplice and are working with somebody and also you confide on this particular person a few technique, it’s at all times the most important concern that that’s going to get out — that they’re going to say one thing or open their mouth once they’re drunk and jeopardize your recreation. Along with her, I didn’t have to fret about that. It was good. I had somebody I knew I may belief and depend on and I didn’t have to take a seat there checking in to verify we had been on the identical web page.
On how being partnered with Nany benefited his recreation: These final two years I’ve taken off, she stayed on and made the finals and has continued to ascertain friendships. She’s relationship Kaycee [Clark] now, who clearly has a number of ties in the home to the Massive Brother crew. So from a social side, coming in, it was virtually as if I used to be capable of are available with some built-in alliances that I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t paired up along with her.
Her having these connections and the social recreation that she did, it actually helped to neutralize a number of the potential points that I used to be going to have with individuals. Any time I stroll right into a Problem home, there’s going to be a large goal on my again and I’m going to attract a number of consideration. Coming into this season, had I not been paired up along with her, proper out of the gate, issues would have been harder. However being partnered with Nany helped neutralize a number of these potential points I could have had.
On the rookie vs. veteran dynamic this season: You’re clearly going to gravitate in direction of individuals who you’ve labored with prior to now and who you already know. It’s a distinct world we’re dwelling in today, although. The vets used to outnumber the rookies and the sport sort of at all times went the identical each season — we’d outnumber and torture them till they had been gone after which we’d run the present. The panorama is totally totally different now. All these newcomers and rookies are right here and we’re those who’re outnumbered! It’s virtually like we sort of have to hitch forces, as veterans, to guard the home. It’s cool as a result of it offers us one thing to battle for. You be part of these alliances and band collectively and work collectively, not out of need or need, however out of want. It’s going to make a extremely cool storyline and energy dynamic for this season.
Did you are feeling rusty coming again on this season? If you’re within the routine of going yearly, or generally twice a yr, that’s sort of a part of your rhythm and also you keep in that rhythm. Getting out of that and every little thing shutting down due to COVID and the world altering, I questioned a number of issues about my skill to return again. Was I going to have the ability to carry out on the similar psychological and bodily stage I had prior to now, or was it going to get the very best of me? There was a number of query marks there. I used to be actually curious to see how I used to be going to carry out, not simply socially, but additionally bodily.
Did coming again mild a hearth in you to need to compete once more or do you see an finish in sight? I didn’t understand how a lot the present and the franchise meant to me till I got here again. I might say this season, simply based mostly on the best way it went down and the best way I carried out, actually did reignite the aggressive flame that burns within me. If anyone on the market hoped they’d seen the final of me or that this may be my swan track, they higher preserve hoping.
The Problem: Trip or Dies premieres on Wednesday, October 12 at 8:00 p.m. on MTV
