Johnny Bananas Says He Blames Himself for Losing Touch With Tyler Duckworth
Johnny Bananas says he blames himself "in some capacity" for drifting away from Tyler Duckworth before Duckworth died at age 44. He told Us Weekly in an exclusive interview on Friday, October 30.
John Devenanzio, who fans know as Johnny Bananas, is 42. He spoke to Us while promoting The Challenge: Cutthroat, a season of MTV's long-running reality competition now streaming on Paramount+. Devenanzio is a seven-time Challenge champion, according to People.
Duckworth was a winner of The Challenge and competed on six seasons of the show. He and Devenanzio also knew each other from The Real World, where they were castmates. In one of the show's best-known moments, Duckworth eliminated Devenanzio in a backpack challenge that fans call "Back Up Off Me."
Duckworth's mother, Joni Duckworth, announced on August 13 that her son had died earlier that week. Police officers had gone to his apartment on August 11 after downstairs neighbors reported water coming through their ceiling. The water was coming from the bathtub, according to Us. Us also reported that Duckworth had been seen one day before his body was found, and that investigators saw no signs of foul play at the scene.
Devenanzio paid tribute the next day, August 14, on Instagram. He posted a video montage with a message calling Duckworth the brother he never had. In the clip, Devenanzio plays Zach Bryan's "Pink Skies" on acoustic guitar, with scenes from The Challenge woven through it, as Cleveland.com reported.
Duckworth was laid to rest in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Us reported on August 22. Friends and family gathered for a memorial service on a Sunday in North Dakota, and Devenanzio shared photos from the service, according to ExtraTV. People reported that Devenanzio and other loved ones also spoke during a celebration of life.
In the October interview, Devenanzio said he had lost touch with Duckworth in the years before his death. He said he blamed himself for that distance, though he did not say what he would have done differently. He described Duckworth as someone he cared about deeply, and he said the friendship mattered to him.
Duckworth's family has not publicly described how he died. Anyone who wants to share a memory can look to the tributes his castmates and his family have already posted.
