Showmances from The Challenge can be shortlived despite attempts at a relationship off the show. That appears to be the case for Johnny Bananas’ Season 39 showmance.
The seven-time champion has been linked with several castmates during his years on MTV’s show, including Nany Gonzalez and Morgan Willett.
After stepping away from the show for several seasons, the 41-year-old returned on Ride or Dies, teaming up with his longtime friend and ex-girlfriend Nany.
During the season, he became close with another castmate, rookie Moriah Jadea, who was teamed up with Faysal “Fessy” Shafaat.
Bananas and Moriah, who is 14 years younger, were shown having moments of flirtation during Ride or Dies episodes with teases of their showmance. Moriah said in an early confessional that Bananas wasn’t typically her type, but he had a great personality that she liked a lot.
Now, months later, it appears the two have officially parted ways and have disconnected from one another on social media amid cheating rumors.
Light spoilers are included in this report regarding an upcoming season of The Challenge.
Bananas and his Ride or Dies showmance have unfollowed each other
While Bananas and Moriah were featured as a flirty couple during Ride or Dies, they’re no longer pursuing a relationship following their time on MTV’s show.
Not only that, they don’t even appear to be on amicable terms after splitting up, and there may be some hurt feelings in the mix.
A recent Instagram post from @challengeteaa shows a screenshot of Moriah and Bananas’ IG accounts and that they no longer follow each other.
Moriah, 27, arrived on Ride or Dies as Fessy’s teammate and revealed she’d met the former Big Brother star after he contacted her online.
It was Moriah’s first reality TV show appearance. She and Fessy lasted until Episode 16, eliminated by Bananas and Nany just before the final.
Bananas and Nany finished as the runner-up team in the final, losing to champions Devin Walker and Tori Deal. It’s believed that Bananas and Moriah continued dating after filming, but things went awry.
Spoilers suggest cheating with castmate may have caused issues
Online spoilers may give some indication about what happened between them. Speculation about Season 39, which features Moriah in the cast, is that she hooked up with a castmate.
There are also rumors that Bananas turned down appearing on Season 39 as a one-time mercenary for an elimination event because he didn’t want to be around his ex and her current showmance.
Many fans of The Challenge also know Bananas made headlines due to his split from castmate Morgan, whom he teamed up with on War of the Worlds and dated for about two years after the show.
Based on Morgan’s side of the story, Bananas’ cheating on her led to their breakup. Bananas never commented on what went wrong in the relationship, choosing to keep things private on his part.
Bananas seen hanging out with former Bachelor star
While The Challenge Season 39 is likely months away from airing on MTV, Bananas is set to return to TV for the spinoff, The Challenge: USA 2 on CBS, premiering on August 10.
As anticipation builds for the premiere, Bananas has been keeping himself busy. Earlier this week, he shared a carousel post of photos as he hung out with stars from Vanderpump Rules during a birthday celebration at LAVO Ristorante in West Hollywood.
In one photo, Bananas struck a pose with former The Bachelor contestant Genevieve Parisi at his side. On his August 2 IG Story, Bananas shared a video clip where he was grocery shopping with Parisi and joking with her about a bottle of wine.
Parisi, 28, a bartender originally from Rehoboth, Massachusetts, appeared in Season 26 of ABC’s The Bachelor and Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise. Parisi currently lives in California, also where Bananas resides.
It’s unclear if Bananas and Parisi are dating or just reality TV star friends enjoying time together in California. However, it seems pretty clear Bananas and Moriah don’t want anything to do with each other on The Challenge or outside of it anymore!
The Challenge: USA 2 premieres Thursday, August 10 at 10/9c on CBS. The Challenge Season 39 is TBA for MTV.
Episodes of The Challenge are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!
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