Friday, September 9, 2011
Grantland Network Podcast: Reality Czar David Jacoby, Bill Simmons, and The Challenge's Johnny Bananas
By David Jacoby
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.
