The Challenge’s Johnny Bananas addresses Season 40 cast complaints about living conditions

Johnny Bananas called out previous cast complaints about living conditions during MTV’s The Challenge: Battle of the Eras.

With Season 40, Bananas is on his 22nd season of the competition show, so he’s experienced various living conditions.

Among his rougher experiences on the show may have been MTV’s The Island and Total Madness seasons, both of which he won.

For his latest season, he’s one of 40 cast members competing for a $1 million prize, which involves not only daily challenges, eliminations, and the final but also coexisting with his 39 castmates.

Battle of the Eras was filmed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and The Challenge house, which seemed like a castle, appeared in the Launch Special and premiere episode.

However, before any episodes aired, there were some mentions online or in interviews about disliking the conditions or treatment by production during filming.

Bananas addresses Season 40 living conditions

Bananas appeared in a four-person group with castmates during a Z100 interview to discuss the upcoming season, including living conditions.

“That’s the thing. The Challenge, like the format changes, so does the house [and] so does the location,” Bananas said.

“Sometimes you’re in an amazing villa on a cliff in Buzios, Brazil. Other times, you’re in an anti-aircraft missile bunker in the side of a mountain in the Czech Republic,” he said, adding, “Just like the show changes, just like the format changes, the house changes.”

Bananas’ seventh win on The Challenge came during Total Madness in the Czech Republic, which he often calls a difficult experience.

During his Z100 remarks, he mentioned that it’s “called The Challenge for a reason” and that the cast isn’t “getting put up at Sandals Resort.”

“A lot of times, the ones that complain about the living conditions are the ones that aren’t mentally fit to be there,” Bananas said, calling out unnamed castmates.

Rachel Robinson participated in the group interview with Bananas and mentioned they were both on The Island season, which was far from ideal living conditions.

The format and theme of The Challenge Season 16 were similar to CBS’s Survivor. Cast members were on Coldon Island, Panama, and had to find food and shelter as part of their living conditions.

Z100’s interview didn’t mention any specific Season 40 cast members or complaints but instead brought up how “retired” Challenge star Wes Bergmann called out individuals complaining online about how they were treated.

Bananas called out part of The Challenge’s living conditions as ‘suspect’

A separate interview featured Bananas discussing other aspects of The Challenge, including food. While The Island had cast members searching for their own food, most seasons now offer them catering and have food available in the house.

He initially joked that “antibiotics” were the most common food eaten in the house because the living environment can quickly become a “petri dish” with all the people in it.

“Other than that, I’d say microwave pizzas because a lot of times, the catering that we get in other countries is suspect, to say the least,” he shared.

Bananas said for Season 40, burgers were especially popular because the house had Australian burgers in the freezer.

“A lot of hamburgers were consumed,” he shared regarding the Battle of the Eras menu.

Two of the show’s newest cast members, Olivia Kaiser and Kyland Young, had no gripes about the show’s overall living conditions. During their Z100 interview, Olivia said she came from Love Island, a show with a much different living experience, and she understood what she was getting into with a show called The Challenge.

Former Big Brother star Kyland mentioned that The Challenge 40 had the best living conditions he experienced during his limited appearances on the show. He recalled his debut on The Challenge: USA, where cast members lived in a warehouse with bunk beds.

The Challenge: Battle of the Eras airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.

Episodes of The Challenge are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!

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