The Challenge alum Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio endorses his longtime friend Chris “CT” Tamburello’s newfound romance with Phaedra Parks — and he is already dreaming of the pair walking down the aisle.
“I ship it, listen, I was on their season of Traitors [and I] love them both,” Johnny, 42, told TMZ photographers in Hollywood on Wednesday, September 9. “I know CT, he’s a brother to me.”
Johnny, CT, 46, and Phaedra, 52, all appeared on Peacock’s The Traitors season 2, which aired in 2024. While Johnny, his fellow Faithfuls and even viewers noticed CT and the Real Housewives of Atlanta star appeared to have a certain level of chemistry, the pair shot down viral showmance speculation.
Two years later, Phaedra confirmed her romance with CT days before they made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday, September 5.
“At the time [on The Traitors], they were in a time where they weren’t able to really see what the full potential of a relationship was, but I think they both leveled up,” Johnny quipped on Wednesday. “She went from Apollo to Zeus, and he went from an OnlyFans creator to an attorney, so I think they’re both winning.”
Phaedra was previously married to Apollo Nida, with whom she shares two sons, from 2009 to 2015. CT, for his part, separated from content creator Catalina White in January after two years of marriage. CT and Catalina, 40, have yet to finalize their divorce. (CT was previously married to Lilianet Solares from 2018 to 2023, during which period they welcomed son Christopher, now 10.)
While Phaedra and CT have played coy about their blossoming relationship, Johnny is firmly in their corner.
“I fully support it,” he told TMZ, predicting, “I’ll be jumping out of the cake at the wedding.”
CT presented at the 2026 Emmys Night 1 with Johnny and brought Phaedra as his plus-one.
“Some came for the awards. I came with the prize,” Phaedra wrote via Instagram on Sunday, September 6, sharing photos with CT on the red carpet. “Thank you to the real trophy for making a beautiful night even better.”
Johnny subsequently trolled the new couple and shared Emmys pics with CT via his Instagram, using Phaedra’s caption verbatim.
Phaedra and CT’s love story isn’t just apparent to Johnny, with a source exclusively telling Us that the duo are “the real deal.”
“They’re really smitten with each other. They became really close on The Traitors, but CT never thought he actually had a chance with Phaedra,” the insider revealed earlier this week. “He always had a bit of a crush on her and was interested, but he really valued their friendship and never wanted to cross that line. After his marriage ended, he and Phaedra started talking a lot more, and their relationship naturally grew from there.”
