After weeks of intense competition, endless drama, and shocking hook ups, Johnny (“Bananas”) Denvenanzio and Laurel Stucky were named winners of MTV’s The Challenge: Free Agents.
After what was called the most “grueling” final in Challenge history, according to Entertainment Weekly, Bananas and Laurel walked away with $125,000 in winnings. The physically intense final challenge included kayaking through white water rapids, a 10k run, rock climbing up a mountain, biking 25 miles, and scaling a snowy (and active!) volcano, according to Bustle.
After this win, Bananas has become the most-record breaking competitor to ever participate in The Challenge series. With five total wins, he has earned more than $400,000, and has become one of the most respected veterans in the game, reports Entertainment Weekly.
The format of this season’s Challenge was different from any other and created unpredictable competition week after week. Rather than compete in pairs or teams, all of the competitors were “free agents” and were solely responsible for their fate in the game.
“This [season] was the sweetest victory ever. My back was against the wall the entire time. This was the first Challenge I’ve come into where I really had no support [from] an alliance. This was a struggle for me from day one until the end,” Bananas said.
Stucky told Entertainment Weekly that she thinks this season of The Challenge may be her last, but Bananas doesn’t seem to be finished yet. “I don’t think [if I had] 10 wins I would be satisfied… Until the day that I fall over and die or retire from Challenges, there’s always something more to be accomplished,” he said.
Check out what happens when all the cast members of season 25 of The Challenge get back together to talk about everything that went down this season on the reunion special below!