Grantland Network Podcast: Reality Czar David Jacoby, Bill Simmons, and The Challenge’s Johnny Bananas

MTV The Challenge: Rivals

I’ve been putting off doing a podcast for weeks. It is an odd feeling being in charge of the Grantland Network and calling your own number. I bet Pete Rose didn’t have any trouble putting himself in the lineup when he was player-manager of the Reds, but I am no Pete Rose. It was a fantastic time, though. Once Bill and I started breaking down the melee that occurred on Basketball Wives LA this week, that familiar “knowing this much about these reality TV shows is kind of embarrassing but this is way too much fun to care” feeling came back and off we were. We started talking about The Challenge: Rivals, and we called the show’s winner, Johnny Bananas. Mr. Bananas exceeded expectations as a guest. He candidly spoke about the prison-like conditions of The Challenge set, the Mount Crazymore of female Challenge contestants, the hosting circuit, and his lawsuit against HBO. Then he went off to continue bachelor-partying in Dewey Beach, Delaware, because, you know, he’s Johnny Bananas.

Listen to Friday’s podcast here:
ESPN.com Podcenter

Subscribe to the Grantland Network on iTunes, and check out our podcasts page.

David Jacoby is Grantland’s Reality Czar. Listen to him on the B.S. Report or follow him on Twitter at @jacoby_.

Previously on the Grantland Network:

Jonah Keri (with Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper):
ESPN.com Podcenter

Jonah Keri (with Dave Dameshek)
ESPN.com Podcenter

Men In Blazers
ESPN.com Podcenter

Bill Simmons and Gus Ramsey
ESPN.com Podcenter


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Filed Under: Grantland Network, The Challenge: Rivals

David Jacoby is an ESPN producer who somehow became a writer and editor for Grantland.

Archive @ djacoby