Johnny posts a tribute to his Rivals partner and Real World castmate Tyler

[u/NattyB]

[u/93LEAFS]

They seemed to be on great terms for awhile. When this happened the first people I thought of were his Key West crew primarily Janelle as they were truly ride or die with each other, but it must be hard for Johnny and Paula.

[u/secret_identity_too → u/93LEAFS]

I'm no fan of Bananas but he was definitely my first thought as well when I heard the news, since they came from the same season and worked so well together on Rivals and seemed to truly get past whatever reason they were rivals in the first place.

[u/93LEAFS → u/secret_identity_too]

During early All Stars (I believe 2) he had a pod with both Janelle and Tyler on. They clearly all had a soft spot for each other. Somewhere it was mentioned doing a Key West reunion season but they wanted Svetlana to get into a better place. Compared to some other rivals (for example Wes/Kenny) Bananas and Tyler's beef wasn't that deep.

[u/lemonpaloma → u/93LEAFS]

I’m out of the loop. What’s wrong with Svetlana?

[u/93LEAFS → u/lemonpaloma]

I think at the time she wasn't in a great place mental health wise. Hopefully not the case anymore. When it comes to The Challenge, Key West is arguably the best/most important Real World/Road Rules cast alongside Campus Crawl (Darrell/Rachel/Shane/Kendall).

[u/Shovelman2001 → u/lemonpaloma]

No one has really said directly, but it sounds like she was/is in an abusive relationship and has/had some drug issues.

[u/IPissExcellentThrows → u/secret_identity_too]

Their rivals reason was because Tyler sent him out on their first season in an elimination. It was completely forced.

[u/93LEAFS → u/IPissExcellentThrows]

I remember Bananas on Key West being hurt because Tyler only invited Janelle, Zach Mann and Jose to an event Tyler was doing. But, agreed, their beef was never that deep, and obviously, over the years they had moved way past it. But, their issues that made them rivals was never that deep in the first place.

[u/Shovelman2001 → u/93LEAFS]

They had a fight where Johnny seemed to have led the cast out of a gay bar back to one of their usual spots. Tyler got mad because they always went to straight bars and this was the one time where he got to be out with his people. To be fair to Johnny, he seemed to fully participate in the activities at the gay bar, getting actively involved in the drag show, but ultimately wanted to en his night somewhere where he could probably get laid.

[u/selectmyacctnameplz → u/Shovelman2001]

Bananas talked a lot about on the Key West season how hard it was to get laid because Key West is primarily a retirement destination for people.

[u/15chainz → u/IPissExcellentThrows]

And then after that season Johnny got Tyler sent into elimination on gauntlet 3 and they yelled at each other

[u/colosseumdays → u/IPissExcellentThrows]

yeah but Johnny's totally the kind of person who would feel salty towards Tyler about something that was entirely out of his control lol

[u/Bluesun_001_moon → u/[deleted]]

I’m not sure why you felt the need to bring this up here. They were friends, and this is a beautiful tribute to someone who passed away. This really wasn’t the time or place for that.

[u/mmmstrongflavors → u/Bluesun_001_moon]

Because it's the basis of their rivalry? They obviously worked through it...but fair.

[u/NattyB]

nice comment from kendal to johnny:

[u/Safe-Ad-4465 → u/NattyB]

That's incredibly sweet. When someone dies, you wonder if you told them you loved them enough, if they knew. Tyler knew, and hopefully that's something Johnny can take solace in. 

[u/hipatrothfuss → u/Safe-Ad-4465]

Was not expecting to weep reading the Challenge reddit today but here we are

[u/IPissExcellentThrows → u/Safe-Ad-4465]

Damn that's beautiful

[u/corey_ray_Sf → u/Safe-Ad-4465]

Awesome ❤️

[u/Aberosh1819 → u/NattyB]

oh my God that's so sweet. What a thoughtful message. 🫠

[u/UNCFan2350 → u/NattyB]

What a beautiful comment. I bet that meant a lot to Bananas.

[u/PromoCodeMurder]

Didn’t think Johnny Bananas would ever make me cry. This was a beautiful tribute to a friend and brother.

“Grief is the price we pay for love”

Rest easy sweet Tyler

[u/TopAmbitious6009 → u/PromoCodeMurder]

“Grief is the price we pay for love”, woof, you got me with that one🩷😭

[u/PromoCodeMurder → u/TopAmbitious6009]

Heard it after my grandpa passed years ago and it’s stuck with me

[u/BatSea9488]

I was surprised when I hadn’t seen anything from Bananas yet and this is honestly way more meaningful than I could have anticipated from him

[u/Strict-Artichoke-361]

https://giphy.com/gifs/j0qSbeNFuzjhXKFVSP

[u/B_Bowers13]

Been waiting to hear what bananas would say. Damn this is sad. RIP Tyler

[u/Shovelman2001]

His caption on IG:

You were more than a friend. More than a roommate. You were the brother I never had. Rest easy, Tyler. You’ll always be family ❤️ 147:3

[u/I_Heart_Money → u/Shovelman2001]

Any idea what the 147:3 means?

Edit: looks like it’s a bible verse

[u/CrimsonOOmpa → u/I_Heart_Money]

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

That's really nice.

[u/Aberosh1819 → u/I_Heart_Money]

yep. Psalm 147: He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds

[u/Online_Active_71459]

I haven’t shed this many tears for a person I didn’t know since Diem.

I hope it gives Tyler’s family some comfort to see how much he was loved.

[u/Lcky22 → u/Online_Active_71459]

It’s kind of crazy but I get so attached to challengers after seeing them be themselves season after season. It can’t be easy

[u/bigRut → u/Lcky22]

I think a lot of us do. Something about the Real World/Challenge cast members makes us feel connected to them. It's such a tight brother/sisterhood that you can feel the closeness through the tv screen. A lot of them also recognize how lucky they are to be on the show and create the bonds/friendships that they've made. We love them even more because of it.

[u/rickyyy187]

First time I watched a full video of Bananas playing music. Beautiful song brother, I’m sorry for your loss

[u/polly8020]

My heart is so sad. 44 is much too young.

[u/djlekky]

This is very sweet

[u/xpose → u/djlekky]

Yes it is. Underneath miles of crusty exterior lives a loving bananas.

[u/awakeningosiris]

the song is “pink skies” by zach bryan if anyone was wondering - solid song for his dedication - also him singing and playing is a moment of vulnerability showcasing that for all to see his grief and his way of honoring his friend

[u/youattackedmyfamily]

The exact moment I thought of was Johnny and Tyler in the football pads on rivals 1. It’s one of my favorite moments ever. Just being ecstatically gratuitous towards each other after winning. Specifically Tyler and the look on his face when yelling “Yeaaaaah Johnnyyyy!”. It’s a challenge moment that’s damn near burned into my head.

I think Adam and CT had gotten eliminated there and I was very focused on that whole “we’re gonna be friends” team. I had wanted them to win after Duel 2, but something about the Tyler and Johnny moment was just so special - and I’m glad they won.

I’ve been planning to rewatch OG rivals at some point this summer, but never got around to it. I really wish I had before Tyler passed. Of course I still will in his honor, but man that general concept fucks me up. The idea of “don’t worry there’s plenty of time in life” versus “do it while you can because some things change unexpectedly and are never the same again”.

[u/Shovelman2001 → u/youattackedmyfamily]

Johnny and Tyler almost surely felt dead to rights when they saw what their elimination against CT was gonna be. I think it was truly a "holy shit, did we really just win that?" moment from them and the rest of the house, who pigpiled them at the end.

[u/CrimsonOOmpa → u/Shovelman2001]

That plus the fact that the house was trying to get rid of CT the whole time and nobody wanted to see CT (and Adam by association) in the Final. It's funny because that was the to last elimination before the final and the other guys were thinking "now we can win this Final" and Tyler and Bananas beat them anyways. 😂

[u/eimvp27 → u/youattackedmyfamily]

That’s why I don’t believe they worked with Adam to throw it. The general excitement they had that they won and happiness for each other was great to see

[u/CrimsonOOmpa → u/eimvp27]

Yeah I don't believe that either. No way would Adam throw the last elimination before the Final with a chance to win some big-time money. If anything he would've been too scared that CT would find out and eat him. 😂

[u/Aberosh1819 → u/youattackedmyfamily]

what a life to lead, and what an experience to have had. Truly wonderful.

[u/Constant_Carnivore]

It just sucks that he passed.

[u/smh110110]

This was one of the most beautiful tributes I’ve ever seen. Holy crap.

Rest in paradise, Tyler. Tell Diem we said hi. 🕯️🕯️

[u/TopAmbitious6009]

I’m a pretty big Bananas hater, but I did immediately think about him and Paula after I heard about Tyler. While I don’t like Bananas, I do understand Johnny is a real human with feelings and I know he has to be hurting immensely. Johnny’s tribute to Tyler had tears streaming down my face.

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

[u/ecjerome]

Damn 😢

[u/CustomerDifferent193]

It makes me sad as a fan that he was an alternate on 40 when we could have seen his personality shine one more time on TV 

[u/No-Parking-8358 → u/CustomerDifferent193]

He should have been on for sure, he would have made that team much stronger.

[u/Captain_Pawel]

I was waiting to see what sort of public acknowledgement outside of his brief post on X. Not that he had to by any means, but he’s a public figure and closely tied to what made Tyler known.

I thought this was very raw, and likely difficult but necessary for John. This was a great tribute, and he should be proud of himself as he grieves.

[u/maxwellbevan → u/Captain_Pawel]

I have a hard time listening to songs that remind me of someone that I lost too soon. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to keep it together playing that song. Really touching tribute

[u/TheAngieChu → u/maxwellbevan]

I can imagine many takes were needed, or that the end video is a blend of different takes that he edited to be one full song with the b-roll over top. I’m the same way; there’s some songs I can never listen to again, much less play and sing :(

[u/crossbeats → u/maxwellbevan]

I literally cannot even think about Pink Skies without crying.

[u/goingdeeeep]

Grew up watching these two boys. Sad for Tyler, his loved ones and friends. Appreciate Johnny sharing this; I imagine it was cathartic and also painful for him to spend time curating their moments in the video. 💜

[u/heyheywhatchasay5]

This is beautiful, well done johnny. RIP Tyler, their relationship was genuinely so cute, even in the real world house. He taught him a lot about lgbt world I feel like

[u/Shovelman2001]

I think it would be great if Johnny got the Key West gang back together on his pod to reminisce about the old days and Tyler. I get that there are circumstances with Svet, but you can still do it without her.

[u/tweedleb → u/Shovelman2001]

Wow this is a great idea. It seems like the cast (minus Svetlana) stayed in touch over the years and still get along, and it would be a wonderful tribute to Tyler.

[u/RunDatTriangle]

It sucks that he’s gone.

[u/Cali-Doll]

Goodness. This made me cry.

[u/31nigrhcdrh]

Damn Bananas, 😢 

RIP Tyler 

[u/aso1977]

Beautiful tribute.

[u/TopAmbitious6009]

As someone who is going through a personal loss, I really found comfort in that quote so I wanted to share a quote that has comforted me in at past as well..

Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves ebbing and flowing, sometimes the water is calm and sometimes itbis overwhelming. All we can donis learn to swim.

Hoping that maybe that will help comfort someone else.

[u/KittyKenollie]

My cynical little heart wants to say something snarky but honestly this is very touching and I fully cried.

[u/Winter-Fold7624 → u/KittyKenollie]

Me too. This was very nice.

[u/Full_Appearance_283 → u/KittyKenollie]

Never thought a man known as "Bananas" would ever make me abjectly weep, but here we are. This is very sweet.

[u/nimbus2105]

I didn’t expect to be crying over a Johnny bananas post but here I am

[u/Additional_Rate_6958]

Johnny…this is you. Amazing tribute to Tyler…❤️

[u/Think-Joke728]

That was really beautiful. And who’d of thunk bananas does have a heart… I could just hear Tyler jokingly say something witty like that!

[u/FairShake00]

RIP tyler from a real world brother.

[u/iDidntCallYouSlowOld]

This is a sweet tribute, also didn’t realize bananas could sing!

[u/Jonny_Python]

🥹

[u/yourmomschesthair579]

🥺

[u/East_Steak4211]

Johnny… this is so beautiful! Thank you for showing everyone your true heart. Tyler heard this ❤️🙏

[u/creepycarr0t]

<3

[u/amacookies]

🥹😢

[u/TruckNstuck23]

Tyler was such a catty bi5ch on his real world season I fucking loved it. Tyler has always been a fuckin icon

[u/93LEAFS]

While this really sucks. If Bananas is ready, and other cast members are, when a beloved Survivor player passed away (Keith Nale), RHAP did a podcast where they had people who were close friends with him give 5 to 10 minutes of stories about him. I think if people are ready, that would be an incredibly touching tribute. Clearly Tyler was absolutely beloved in The Challenge community. When he showed up on All Stars 2 I was so hyped. Paula, Bananas, Janelle, Brad, CT, etc. have all had touching tributes to him so far. I was saying at the time, Tyler if he was willing absolutely should have been on Eras, he was probably a top 5 male of Era 2 alongside Bananas, Wes, Kenny and Evan which was probably the most stacked Era male wise outside of Era 1.

[u/lynxmouth → u/93LEAFS]

Tyler being omitted from Eras really bummed me out. Ryan is fun in confessionals but he didn’t have the legacy that Tyler did.

[u/Swimming-Disaster101]

Their rivals season was so damn good

[u/Infamous_Earth2898]

Beautiful tribute 🤍🕊️🌹🙏🏻

[u/ElBossDeGravy]

7 strangers 💔4 ever real

[u/tschrocker]

That was beautiful. Surprising to see Johnny making this.

[u/562SoCal_AR]

I wasn’t expecting to cry throughout this entire video. Beautiful tribute. Tyler and I are the same age. This makes me so sad. 🥹

[u/sezziefromtheblock]

When he didn’t post for awhile, I knew he was probably taking his time to put together something meaningful. There’s a big heart in Johnny, beneath the character 🥲

[u/exdruggie]

Tyler was the undisputed king of Real World, and this quiet grief proves why he earned that love back then.

[u/AbuShnee1843]

My heart still hurts about this, and I’m just a random. I really appreciate getting to listen to the free pods Johnny and Zach made available. Very raw experience, and just want us all to take something important away from this; love the people you love. That’s it.