'The Challenge' star was nearly on another reality show.
Johnny Bananas nearly headed to the beaches of Paradise. When ET spoke to the reality star he revealed that he was supposed to be on season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise.
"I was this close to going on Paradise, but it was a conflicting schedule. It was almost like the risk-reward wasn't enough," he told ET. "I ended up choosing The Challenge... over potentially being the next Bachelor if I went on Bachelor in Paradise and held it down. But I kind of missed that boat. Who knows, maybe they'll come knocking again."
While Johnny hasn't made the jump to Bachelor Nation just yet, he has considered what it'd look like for fans to see him date 25 women at once.
"If you knew what I did in my normal life [it would be] kind of similar to that, just in a much more enclosed environment. Yeah, sorry Mom and Dad," he quipped. "They're like, 'When are you gonna settle down and get married?' I'm like, 'I don't know. How much time do I got?'"
During ET's chat with Johnny, he looked back at his long-standing reality TV career, which began in 2006 when he was on The Real World: Key West. Johnny said he believes he landed a spot on the show because of what others perceived as his cocky nature.
"I think that's what they cast me for. I think that was kind of the persona that they cast me for," he said. "... They wanted to pigeonhole me into being a frat guy and, like, no offense to any frat boys or ladies out there, but that was just never my gag."
"I was just coming out of college. I was 23 years old, just burning the candle at both ends," Johnny added. "I literally went directly from college onto The Real World. I have not had a real job in 18 years now, to the dismay of my parents... I've managed to turn 15 minutes [of fame] into 18 years and counting."
That same year he appeared on Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Duel, which he admits wasn't one of his "finer moments."
"That was my first season of The Challenge and I was eliminated first," he recalled. "But I think it was a valuable lesson that I learned and it was just to not take things for granted. I went and I just did not know what I was doing. That really helped focus me... I think that was my first true test."
Many more seasons of The Challenge followed throughout the next decade plus. All the while, Johnny said he made it a point not to think about the show when he's not actively competing.
"When I know there's a season coming up that's when I kinda start getting to game mode... I need to take a mental break in between seasons, which is getting more and more difficult because now there are so many shows and so many spinoffs," he admitted. "... Once I check out of this reality, I need to check back into my real reality, which is why I've always felt it's very important to keep to keep a divide between my real life and my Challenge life 'cause if it's not, they start to like blend into each other and you start questioning, 'Who am I really?'"
Now, he's preparing for fans to see him on The Challenge: USA, which will premiere later this month on CBS.
"I'm like a cockroach, dude. You just can't get rid of me," he quipped. "... I'm always up for an uphill battle. I'm always up for a challenge, and let me tell you, all the seasons that I've done, I don't think I've ever had a more difficult road to slog in the beginning than this season."
"For the first time I went on The Challenge feeling like I was the odd man out... I felt like I was on my first season. I felt like The Duel all over again," Johnny added. "I literally felt like I was a rookie in the game, but a rookie with a tremendous amount of experience. It's going to be a long day at the office trying to get rid of me."
Given that, it's no surprise that Johnny, who's competed on 22 seasons of The Challenge and has seven wins under his belt, has no plans of stopping anytime soon.
"I don't see a scenario that's outside the realm of possibilities where I could be competing against some of these cast members' children one day. I'm going to be that guy coming in with like tennis balls on his walker, you know what I mean?" he questioned, before sharing why he wants to continue to compete.
"As long as I can still play the game at a high level, and as long as I can still compete, and as long as I can still hold my own, and as long as I can still put that fear of God into my competitors, then there's no reason not to, because I still think that I still have a lot left in the tank and I still have a lot more to accomplish," he said. "There are a lot more to win, a lot more people to embarrass, a lot more hearts to break and lives to ruin. Seven wins, 22 seasons, $1.184 million, zero signs of stopping."
The Challenge: USA premieres Aug. 10 on CBS.
RELATED CONTENT:
