MTV Jordan Wiseley & Johnny Bananas from "The Challenge: Ride or Dies."
Champions Johnny Bananas and Jordan Wiseley are back for “The Challenge: Ride or Dies,” and the latter recently gave his take on the seven-time winner.
This article contains spoilers for the first episode of “The Challenge: Ride or Dies,” which premiered on October 12.
Both men didn’t appear in the opening episode of “The Challenge’s” 38th season besides Bananas walking onto the elimination grounds to set up a cliffhanger for episode two.
However, Bananas and Jordan are official competitors on “The Challenge: Ride or Dies,” and Heavy’s Stephen McCaugherty recently spoke with Jordan ahead of the season. The three-time “Challenge” champion spoke about Johnny, as well as other cast members like his ex-fiancée, Tori Deal, and fellow champ Turbo.
You can watch the entire interview below via the embedded YouTube video:
Jordan Has a Great Deal of Respect for Bananas, Knows That Johnny Would Likely Try & Eliminate Him at Some Point
When Jordan was asked where he’s at with Bananas in terms of a relationship and rivalry, Jordan answered:
“Tons of respect. I don’t know that there’s many that work harder in the (offseason). Johnny’s up there, Johnny’s gotta be one of the top five that worked his butt off in the offseason, keeping himself in shape. And so the amount of time that goes into his fitness and recovery and everything, the man pays his dues, and he puts it in.
“So competition-wise, I’m always like respect, but I’m gonna beat yo’ a**. You know what I mean? Like, every time he’s out there, it’s like, it’s a brother-on-brother thing. It’s like, I’m gonna get you. And I think we’ve come to know when he and I are on seasons, like longer and everything, it’s just better.
“We know when we’re there and kind of able to push everyone and kind of elevate things. So, let’s go to the final, let’s ride it out.”
However, Jordan knows that if Johnny has the opportunity to take a shot by throwing him into elimination and possibly sending him home, Bananas may seize the moment.
“But as you saw on ‘Total Madness,’ when they got shot, they’ll take it,” Jordan said.
“Like, they’re no dummies, you know? He’s no dummy to think that he’s going to win a marathon. But the dude knows how to play the game. So you got to treat him with respect.”
Jordan Is ‘Always Happy’ When Another Big ‘Challenge’ Name Is on a Season With Him
In general, Jordan is “always happy” to see a “Challenge” legend on a season with him, like champions Chris “CT” Tamburello and Wes Bergmann. Jordan said the presence of a notable “Challenge” figure elevates the game to a new level, helping create the “best show” in the reality TV competition universe.
“I’m always happy whenever I see the Johnny’s, the Wes’, the CT’s,” Jordan said. “These guys who are still competing at very, very high levels. Like, look at CT. I would even argue maybe (he looks) his best because it looks like he’s got the endurance down now. Right?
“I kind of I think that’s what eluded CT a little bit in early years, but dude’s an animal. So I love seeing that because I know we’re gonna get classic, just hard-nosed ‘Challenge’ play in the house.
“These people were talking about that I just mentioned, the game is inherently different when we are in the house. Like, the house is different. The way we compete is different, like everyone kind of steps up. And there’s a select few people who can do that. And so when I see that they’re on there, I love it. We’re the best. We’re the best show. We are the best competition show in the world. Okay, everybody else can eat our dust.
“Everyone’s chasing us, so I want us to all be at that level.”