The Challenge typically includes many traditions, including cast members running into the house to fight over which rooms they get and a celebratory toast to kick off each season.
Fans were likely surprised when Johnny Bananas, who was in the cast of Season 40, Battle of the Eras, didn’t give the toast he typically does when on the show.
Instead, returning MTV OG and two-time champion Rachel Robinson gave the toast and celebrated the women at the start of the epic new season.
Meanwhile, production filmed another toast that didn’t appear in the Battle of the Eras Launch Special or the premiere episode.
However, Bananas shared that footage, which he somehow obtained to reveal during the season.
He called it the “best 70 seconds of television to never make air” as it focused on his speech.
Bananas gave a toast celebrating The Challenge’s 40 seasons and former castmates
Taking to his Instagram, Bananas and The Ringer Reality TV shared the unaired toast he gave for Battle of the Eras. He and OG Mark Long stood in front of their castmates in a large room, presumably as part of the Launch Special.
“I want everybody here to look around right now. You guys are surrounded by the greatest crop of Challenge competitors ever on any season of The Challenge in the history of this show,” he said.
“We’ve got those who lit the torch. We’ve got those who carry the torch, but it’s up to all of us to keep this torch burning,” Bananas said as castmates cheered.
He also paid tribute to several castmates they’d lost in previous years: Diem Brown and Ryan Knight.
“I want you to look up to those who are no longer with us. Diem and Knight, this is for you,” he said, pointing up toward the ceiling.
He followed up his spirited toast by popping the bottle in his hand and spraying the room before spraying himself with some bubbly in the face.
“My eyes are burning! My eyes are burning!” he yelled as castmates laughed and cheered.
In his caption, Bananas referred to it as the “best 70 seconds of television to never make air.”
“This one’s for you, Diem and Knight,” he wrote with hashtags #GOATtoast, #TheChallenge40, and #RetiredToastmaster.
Rachel spoke about her Season 40 toast and women driving The Challenge ratings
Last week, Rachel shared a video clip about how she gave the traditional toast for The Challenge: Battle of the Eras.
Rachel talked about how Bananas typically gives a “male-centric” toast where he passes the torch from one man to another. However, she said her good friend Tina Barta encouraged her to do a Season 40 toast.
“I would like to give a cheers to the women. Underappreciated. Overlooked. Underestimated,” Rachel said in the cheers shown during Season 40’s launch special.
“Clearly always the reason for the real ratings,” she said.
“The women’s storyline has really driven the ratings for decades,” Rachel said while appearing on the Exes & O’s podcast.
One of the biggest storylines in Season 39 involved a falling out between friends Olivia Kaiser and Nurys Mateo. That carried over to Season 40, as did storylines featuring rivals Cara Maria Sorbello and Laurel Stucky or Amanda Garcia and Tori Deal.
Ratings have been down in several recent MTV seasons. However, a resurgence occurred after the Battle of the Eras premiere, with much higher ratings reported than in previous installments. That could be due to the inclusion of OGs in a 40-person cast.
In past seasons, some suggested there are cast members who only show up for television time to gain popularity on social media away from the show. However, the new season had $1 million up for grabs as the prize pot and features the best of the best.
During her time on the podcast, Rachel said for Season 40, “everyone came in guns blazing” as it was the “cream of the crop” for the show’s competitors.
The Challenge: Battle of the Eras airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.
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