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Is Johnny \u201cBananas\u201d Devenanzio<\/strong><\/a> and Paulie Calafiore<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s The Challenge<\/em><\/a> rivalry finally coming to an end after all these years?<\/p>\n \u201cLife is too short to carry hate in your heart,\u201d Johnny, 41, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> on Tuesday, August 10, ahead of the season 2 premiere of The Challenge USA<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what the situation with Paulie was gonna be [on the show.] Dare I say, we\u2019re friends or something?\u201d<\/p>\n Johnny and Paulie, 43, first met on MTV\u2019s The Challenge: Final Reckoning<\/em> in 2018 before going on to appear on the first and second installments of War of the Worlds<\/em> in 2019. While the duo didn\u2019t align in their respective seasons, a feud brewed between them off-camera. Paulie and Johnny would often clap back at each other<\/a> via social media. Most recently, Paulie shaded Johnny in November 2022 for his failed showmances over the years.<\/p>\n After butting heads for multiple seasons, the twosome seemingly buried the hatchet after they were forced to work together on the second season of The Challenge USA<\/em> \u2014 the CBS spinoff of the iconic competition series<\/a>. In the premiere episode, fellow competitor and Big Brother 19<\/em> winner<\/a>, Josh Martinez<\/strong><\/a>, put Paulie and Johnny on the same team.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it worked out better in a weird way that Paulie and I were on the same team,\u201d Johnny confessed to Us<\/em>. \u201cOnly because coming into this season, he was the only one I really had long-standing issues with. He hasn\u2019t been on [The Challenge<\/em>] in a while. We\u2019ve obviously had a very public beef So by putting the two of us in the same team, it almost kind of neutralized that right out of the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnny explained that he and Paulie grew closer in the game because they ended up bunking next to each other.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also helped that [Paulie] chose to not just room with me, but basically picked the bed right next to me,\u201d Johnny said. \u201cSo we went from hating each other to being roommates [and] bunk mates very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout his many reality TV appearances, Johnny is well known for igniting rivalries every season due to his fiery personality. When going into The Challenge USA<\/em> earlier this year, Johnny wanted to make sure he neutralized any outstanding conflicts. His plan? To make his game easier.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve just gotten to a point in my Challenge<\/em> career and in life, where it\u2019s just like, I\u2019ve got enough difficulty just navigating my way through the house,\u201d he confessed. \u201cThe more of these meaningless rivalries that I could put aside. It\u2019s just gonna make my life easier.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulie, for his part, exclusively told Us<\/em> in July he planned on going into the game without ruffling any feathers<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, I went into this season with the mindset of, like, \u2018There\u2019s always two wolves that everybody has within themselves, and you can choose to feed one or the other.\u2019 So, I chose to feed the one that was peaceful,\u201d he explained. \u201cNot to say that the not peaceful one wasn\u2019t chirping in my ear, being like, \u2018Hey, what\u2019s going on? What are you doing?\u2019 \u2026 I really had to keep my eye on the prize this season.\u201d<\/p>\n Season 2 of The<\/em> Challenge USA<\/em> premiered on Thursday, August 10, and featured some of the biggest personalities from MTV\u2019s The Challenge<\/em>, Big Brother<\/em><\/a>, Survivor<\/em><\/a> and The Amazing Race<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n Johnny Bananas, Paulie Calafiore<\/span> Shutterstock(2)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n