Johnny Bananas' competitive flame has been reignited. The Challenge star -- who turned 40 in June -- recently spoke with ET's Ash Crossan about his longevity on reality TV and the pressure he feels for the upcoming The Challenge: Ride or Dies competition.
"Listen, to say the weight of the world is on my shoulders every time I do a challenge would be an understatement," Johnny, whose real name is John Amadeus Devenanzio, shares. "Especially before my win on Total Madness, which is the last season that I did."
After winning seven seasons of the show, Johnny says he knows there are people who "harbor resentment" over him and expect him to give up so other contestants can win.
"I think a lot of people are not happy with the amount of success that I've had on the show and The Challenge breeds jealousy and envy," he explains. "Listen, I'd be the same way if it were somebody else. If there was a guy who won seven times coming into this season, I probably wouldn't want that person there either, because it's like, 'Spread the love a little bit, dude.'"
"So I know what it is, I know what I'm getting myself involved in every season," he continued. "I'm not gonna win any popularity contest, but I've made my bed and now I gotta sleep in it. ...I'm a victim of my own success, I guess, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
When it comes to throwing in the towel, Johnny isn't ready to give up, despite just celebrating a milestone birthday, he's "still having a ton of fun doing [The Challenge]."
"I wasn't sure how I was gonna respond coming back this season," he added. "Obviously there's a lot of people out there questioning, you know, if I still have it in me to be successful and to compete at a high level and I'm not gonna lie -- I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have those same questions going into this season as well. I just turned 40 so there was a lot of question marks, but I really do feel like after going back this season it has definitely reignited my competitive flame.
"So for any haters out there who are hoping that you'd seen the last of me, be patient, because I have way more for you to be angry about," he teased.
While Johnny is set to compete again this season, he's the previous champion of seven seasons: The Island, The Ruins, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Free Agents, Rivals III, Champs vs. Stars, and Total Madness. He first got his start on reality TV appearing on The Real World: Key West in 2006.
The Challenge: Ride or Dies premieres Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
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