'The Challenge' Star Johnny Bananas Has a Message for His Haters Who Think He Should Leave the Show (Exclusive

etonline.com:

star — who turned 40 in June — recently spoke with ET's Ash Crossan about his longevity on reality TV and the pressure he feels for the upcoming The Challenge: Ride or Dies competition.«Listen, to say the weight of the world is on my shoulders every time I do a challenge would be an understatement,» Johnny, whose real name is John Amadeus Devenanzio, shares. «Especially before my win on, which is the last season that I did.»After winning seven seasons of the show, Johnny says he knows there are people who «harbor resentment» over him and expect him to give up so other contestants can win. «I think a lot of people are not happy with the amount of success that I've had on the show and breeds jealousy and envy,» he explains. «Listen, I'd be the same way if it were somebody else.

If there was a guy who won seven times coming into this season, I probably wouldn't want that person there either, because it's like, 'Spread the love a little bit, dude.'»«So I know what it is, I know what I'm getting myself involved in every season,» he continued. «I'm not gonna win any popularity contest, but I've made my bed and now I gotta sleep in it. ...I'm a victim of my own success, I guess, but I wouldn't have it any other way.»When it comes to throwing in the towel, Johnny isn't ready to give up, despite just celebrating a milestone birthday, he's «still having a ton of fun doing [].»«I wasn't sure how I was gonna respond coming back this season,» he added. «Obviously there's a lot of people out there questioning, you know, if I still have it in me to be successful and to compete at a high level and I'm not gonna lie — I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have those same questions going into this season as well.