Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio says he's 'fallen back in love' with The Challenge after season 38

Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio knows he's got a lot to prove. The seven-time Challenge champion is the most decorated winner in the history of the franchise, and the last time he competed on the series was when he won season 35's Total Madness two years ago. After taking some time off, he's finally back for season 38's Ride or Dies with Nany Gonzalez as his partner.

"I know there's a lot of people out there that are questioning whether or not I still have what it takes," Devenanzio tells EW. "Generally, I go on a season and I really just have myself to focus on and worry about, but coming into this one, I have a legacy I need to keep in mind. It's not like if I don't win it's going to undo what I've done in the past, but geez, if I go in and get eliminated week 1, what's that going to do? How's that going to affect my legacy and my overall psyche?"

Despite breaking the "curse" and winning his seventh championship last time he was on The Challenge, he felt like the stakes were higher than ever this time around. "I had a lot of pressure on me to make sure I didn't completely lay an egg right out of the gate, and then on top of that, I've got Nany and her legacy to also factor in," he says. "I know a lot of people are going to be banking on me to really put the team on my shoulders and help her get her first elusive win. This one definitely tested us in ways we've never been tested before, and it tests the strength and the bond of our friendship, and it really pushes us both to our breaking points, multiple times. It's going to be a wild season and a wild ride, so buckle up."

Below, Devenanzio dives deep into his Challenge return and what fans can expect to see this season.

MTV Nany Gonzalez and Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio in 'The Challenge' season 38

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I know it's only been two seasons since you won Total Madness, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

JOHNNY "BANANAS" DEVENANZIO: [Laughs] Other than Tom Brady making a return to the NFL, I don't know if we've seen a bigger newsworthy moment than this in sports history. So yeah, it's good to be back.

You've been teasing that you wanted to return for a while now on your podcast, and you were so close to joining All Stars 3. How did your return this season come about?

A few different things worked in my favor. One of them was just scheduling. And I had taken enough of a sabbatical, had enough time off, to where I was mentally ready to return as well. The format really played into that, being Ride or Dies, being paired with Nany who is pretty much the definition of my ride-or-die as far as the show goes. She's pretty much the closest friend and ally I have these days, and we've known each other for a really long time. All the stars just aligned, and it's going to be one hell of a season.

In the time you've been on a break, The Challenge has already changed so much. What was it like coming back into that world and having to adapt to the new game?

It was a lot, but I attribute my success over the years on The Challenge in large part to my ability to adapt to my surroundings and new environments. That's what The Challenge is — every season is different. But this is the most I've had to adapt to new faces. Prior to Total Madness, I had done 13 seasons in a row. This was really the first break I took, and coming back into the house and just seeing how much the faces had changed and all the new people that were there, I knew it was going to be difficult to ingratiate myself back in.

But that's the other reason having Nany as a partner really played into my favor this season — she hasn't taken the break I did. She continued on the show. She's in a relationship with Kaycee now, who is really tied in with a lot of the Big Brother crew. Coming back in with Nany was kind of my social security blanket. She has a lot of relationships with people I didn't necessarily have, and because she was tied to me, even if people wanted to throw me in — which I think they would have with relative ease if she wasn't there — they couldn't because me and her were paired up, and throwing me in would be throwing her in. So it definitely was a big plus having her as my partner.

The last time you were partners was way back on Battle of the Exes 2. How has your team dynamic evolved since then?

Exes was really mine and Nany's season, and the moment where we became solidified not just as an alliance and not just as people working together on the show, but as a true bond and true friendship. Since then, we've just built upon that. Over the years we've really become closer, and she's developed into somebody I knew I could rely on and I could trust, and who would have my back, even when it wasn't necessarily beneficial to her game to have my back.

Going into Total Madness, there was obviously a lot of motivation there to win, just because it was going to break this curse that everyone thought existed and it was going to be my elusive seventh win. I had a tremendous amount of motivation to come in and win that one, whereas coming into this season, you have to find new things to get you fired up, new reasons to win. Just putting another trophy on my shelf, having some more hardware, putting another notch on my belt, while it would be great, it just wasn't necessarily the greatest motivating factor. I found that motivation in Nany's win. I knew how much she deserved it. I know how close she's been so many times, and it was just that one last little hurdle that she had to clear to finally get her first win. So that was my goal: finally getting that elusive W for her. That was what I was really focused on fighting for this season. That's my girl, and I want to do whatever I can to help her get that win.

MTV Nany Gonzalez and Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio in 'The Challenge' season 38

On the flip side, what were you worried about when it came to working with Nany all season?

Listen, there's a reason she's made it to the finals as many times as she has and never won. It just takes a different gear, a different mentality, a different level of heart and hunger and tenacity. In the past, Nany focused a lot more on the partying aspect of the game and never really took the competition part and the final as seriously as she could have or should have. That was my big concern: Which version of Nany was I going to get? Was I going to get the new Nany that's locked in and has had this rebirth and this hunger and this desire to win, or was it going to be the old Nany that shows up and wants to party the entire time?

Plus, her and I, as well as we vibe and get along and connect on so many levels, we also are kind of like an old married couple or like siblings, where we have the ability to really get on each other's nerves. We lose our temper with each other pretty quick. How were we going to work together in those intense moments? Were we going to be able to come together and be cohesive and work as one, or were we going to just lose our tempers and get frustrated and fight with each other? That was also a big question mark.

Taking all that into account, your partnership makes a lot more sense than some of the other ride-or-die pairings this season.

[Laughs] Yeah, tell me about it. When you think of ride-or-dies, you think of someone you are going to ride with, you're going to die with. Based on the length of our friendship, what we've been through, the moments that we've had on TV where we've had each other's backs up until the very end — dude, she was one of these people who stuck by me. War of the Worlds 2 and War of the Worlds 1, the entire house was against me and she was one of the only ones that, even though it was unpopular and might jeopardize her own game, she stuck with me and supported me and rode it out with me. It's well documented how close of a bond we have.

Then you have these other people come in and it's like, wait a minute. When did Jordan and Aneesa become ride-or-dies? You know what I mean? And you've got these newbies, and it's like, why are they ride-or-dies? If this was The Challenge: Friends With Benefits, maybe that would apply. Some people fit the mold a lot better than others did, and if you really drill down to what the true definition of what ride-or-dies are, Nany and I fit that definition better than any other pairing there.

Who did you see as your biggest competition?

This is a cliché thing to say, but I think I was my own biggest competition coming back into the show. Like, dude, do I still have what it takes to compete at this level against this new crop of competition? You don't have to be a student of history to know that Devin and I have never gotten along. We've gone at each other's throats. So this would be the first time I'd be going back into a house where I'd be having to live and coexist with him, and that was a big concern as well. What's this going to be like, and how big of a thorn in my side is this guy going to be, and what's going to transpire here? Not necessarily from a competitive standpoint, but just from a pain-in-the-ass standpoint, I think Devin was probably my biggest concern. Everybody else I either have neutralized my issues with or didn't have any with them going in.

MTV Nany Gonzalez and Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio in 'The Challenge' season 38

As usual, Fessy's been making waves recently, taking shots on social media. What was it like reuniting with him and competing against him this season after you beat him on Total Madness? 

Listen, I've got to say, Fessy's got a very high ceiling on the show, and I think we've yet to see what he's capable of accomplishing. The problem is, the guy needs this constant validation where it's like, dude, just let your performance speak for itself. You don't have to put it out there and keep trying to remind people of what you're able to do. Compete and let people see it. But yeah, he's a tough guy to compete against, man. For a guy his size and at his strength level and his athleticism, it's very rare you see somebody that big who's still that fast and has that much endurance.

But sometimes his overall mentality… it's like self-inflicted wounds. He does and says things that are unforced errors that get him into trouble. That's all part of the learning process. Dude, that used to be me on social media, or just in general! Constantly out there chirping, trying to get under people's skin and remind them. It's almost like, "If you're not going to give me the respect I deserve, then I am going to force you to." I think that's his mentality. There's still people who question my ability and whether or not I should have the wins I have, and they put asterisks next to things I've done. That's just the nature of the game, and you just have to put your head down, go to work. I think he'll eventually come around. He'll learn that. It took me years.

You enter the game late this season. How does your entrance shake up the house? 

You want to talk about literally turning a house upside down? Nany and I enter at the perfect time. You'll see this season just how lopsided the numbers are based on rookies to vets, and because of the way the numbers were going in, the rookies get a very firm stranglehold on the power dynamic of the house early on, and me and Nany come in, and true to form, that's what I do, man. I'm the great disruptor. We basically come in and turn things on their head very quickly, and there's no more appropriate way for me to make an entrance than the one we do, so buckle up.

[Laughs] I know everyone's looking forward to the premiere, but episode 2, the way we come in, the way that episode goes down, might be one of the greatest entrances ever on a television show.

How did your experience this season affect how you think about your future on The Challenge? Did it inspire you to keep coming back, or are you starting to think about retiring? 

You know those dysfunctional relationships where in so many ways they're good, but you also know the amount of mental anguish they cause you? That's like my relationship to The Challenge. You break up for a little bit, then you miss each other, and then you're like, "Let's give this one more shot." That's where I'm at right now, dude. We had our little break from each other, but I've fallen back in love.

The Challenge is always going to have a very special place in my heart. It's really difficult to see myself without it. And I took a much-needed break and was able to hit the reset button and refresh my mind, body, and soul. What this season did is prove to me that I do in fact still have what it takes to compete at a very high level. It reignited that competitive flame that's always burned inside me, and it's made me even more hungry to not just come back and win, but to remind everybody why Johnny Bananas is and always will be the greatest of all time.

The Challenge: Ride or Dies premieres Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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