Johnny Bananas Calls New ‘Challenge’ Showmance a ‘Great Play’

CBS Johnny Bananas on "The Challenge: USA" season 2.

John “Johnny Bananas” Devenanzio is shipping the “Challenge USA” showmance between Tori Deal and Sebastian Noel as a “great play.”

Compared to other seasons of MTV’s flagship series, fans haven’t seen much in terms of romance thus far on CBS’s “USA 2.” But, there have been glimmers of a showmance brewing between Deal and Noel.

And Johnny Bananas told Us Weekly in an interview earlier this month that he believes it was an intelligent decision for Noel to have pursued Deal, a “Challenge” champion.

“Tori loves herself some company on ‘The Challenge’ and I think it was a great play for Sebastian,” Johnny Bananas said. “This guy’s coming in as a rookie, what better way to kind of like [to] find protection and kind of also get a great storyline right outta the gate than falling into a showmance with pretty much the female face of ‘The Challenge’ at this point.”

“USA” season 2 marks the second iteration of “The Challenge” that’s aired on CBS. This season pits reality stars against each other from three staple CBS series — “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “The Amazing Race” — as well as veterans from MTV’s version of the show.

Noel is carrying the “Survivor” flag on “USA 2.” He competed on “Ghost Island,” the long-running franchise’s 36th season that aired in 2018. Noel made it far into the game but ultimately fell short, placing sixth overall.

For Deal, she made her reality television star on “Are You the One?” season 4 in 2016. Since crossing over to “The Challenge,” Deal’s competed on seven seasons of the flagship show, as well as several spinoffs, including both “Champs vs. Stars” seasons and “World Championship.”

She picked up a first-place trophy during last season’s “Ride or Dies” alongside her partner, Devin Walker.

Johnny Bananas Said He Wasn’t Focused on Romance During ‘USA 2’

Although Johnny Bananas is a bachelor, he told Us Weekly that he had little interest in pursuing a showmance on “USA 2.”

“I’ve got enough to worry about when I’m on the show,” Johnny Bananas said. “I think just staying focused on the ultimate prize at the end and the goal,” he explained to Us. “Once you kind of start getting distracted, you lose focus on what the ultimate goal … it’s sure not to end well.

“But I encourage everybody else to continue on with these meaningless nonsensical showmances. And then I’ll just be there to pick up the pieces when it all falls apart.”

Johnny Bananas Is Looking for His Eighth ‘Challenge’ Championship

The following section contains spoilers through “USA 2’s” fourth episode, which aired on Sunday, August 20.

Johnny Bananas is heralded by many as the greatest “Challenge” contestant of all time. He’s notched seven championships in the flagship series. And it’s clear the 41-year-old is laser-focused on obtaining his eighth belt.

As one of six MTV veterans in a house full of CBS stars, Johnny Bananas remains one of the biggest targets in the house.

He’s consistently received votes for “The Hopper,” and had to fight for his life in the game during episode 3 when he eliminated “Big Brother 18” houseguest (and several time “Challenge” contestant) Paulie Calafiore in “The Arena.”

After taking out Calafiore, Johnny Bananas left his Red team to join Blue. And it’ll be interesting to see if that decision grants him more security.

“The Challenge” USA season 2 is currently airing two episodes a week — Sundays at 9 p.m. ET and Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET — on CBS and Paramount Plus.