Is this the final ‘Challenge’ for Johnny Bananas?

It’s hard to imagine a season of “The Challenge” without veteran competitor Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio. But after his shocking move during “The Challenge: Rivals III” finale, this looks to be it for him and the MTV series.

Bananas made the bold and unpopular decision to cut out his partner Sarah from taking her well-deserved half of the first place prize money — that’s a total of $275,000 — earning him the title of the most winningest player in “Challenge” history.

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Bananas doesn’t do anything half-assed and it’s hard to think of a more spectacular way to finally hang up one’s Reality TV shoes.  Actually … we take that back.

It would’ve been an even more fantastic bow out if Bananas decided to split the money with the woman who got him to the championship in the first place. In one fell swoop, he could’ve made $137,500, buried the the hatchet with Sarah once and for all and walked away with a clear conscious.

But we’re talking about Johnny freakin Bananas here, not Mother Theresa. Oh, and let’s not forget the crap ton of money that would make even the nicest person second guess making the split.

So, it’s not that surprising he cut Sarah out. However, his speech after announcing his decision sounded very much like a retirement announcement. And it would make a lot of sense if this was indeed his swan song.

Honestly, how could Bananas ever top himself? Aside from the fact he will never be able to repair his friendship with Sarah, there isn’t one person who will be able trust him on “The Challenge” ever again. After seeing him make such a self-serving move, every single competitor would probably make it their mission to rip Bananas from getting to the finals ever again.

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It’s safe to assume Bananas decided to keep all the money because he has no intention of doing another season of the show. He’s ridden this Reality TV train for so long, has somehow made a great living from it and no longer cares about these alliance.

And why should he? He’s sitting pretty with all that moolah in his bank account. He has won at life.

But the question remains: At what cost?

He pretty much stole $137,500 from Sarah, who’s very much more than half the reason he was in this position in the first place. No one is going to forget that. If he were to step foot onto the set of another “Challenge,” who would ever want to join him in an alliance? Even his cousin Vince is probably now weary of him.

Let’s be clear, Bananas is not a dumb guy. Zap2it has interviewed him on numerous occasions, and as fans knows, there’s nary a move he makes that isn’t calculated down to a tee. He is the evil mastermind we all love to hate.

But at 34-years-old, it’s not crazy for him to want to throw in the towel on this long-running competition series. It will be sad to see him leave “The Challenge” — he’s been an MTV staple for over a decade. But at the same time, it’s hard to imagine how or why he would ever want to come back.

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