The Challenge star John Devenanzio, better known as Johnny Bananas, is reflecting on the life and legacy of his dear friend Tyler Duckworth after the reality star’s shocking death at age 44.
“I think one of the hardest parts about losing somebody close to you, or losing someone you’ve known for so long, is everyone wants to think it’s their fault somehow, right?” Johnny, 42, exclusively told Us on Friday, October 30, while promoting The Challenge: Cutthroat, streaming now on Paramount+.
“I think everybody did that,” he continued, adding that he also blamed himself “in some capacity” because he had somewhat lost touch with his friend before his death.
“This is just how it is with people in your reality family or just your family in general — you’ll go for really long periods of time where you don’t speak and don’t catch up and you haven’t spoken in a while but you almost do it never thinking that, well, if I don’t talk to this person I might not ever be able to talk to them again,” Johnny explained. “And that’s what was really hard for me — after Tyler passed — just thinking back and just kind of wishing that I would have had more time to connect with him and I would have, you know, spent more time with him.”
The reality TV star added, “I think he got a pretty unfair shake when it comes to his reality TV career. He brought so much laughter and so much energy and so much physicality. People remember Tyler for his antics and his precision high kicks and his love for Michelle Kwan and gymnastics and his crazy outfits. What they don’t remember him for is just what an absolutely incredible force he was on the show in a physical sense.”
Tyler’s mother, Joni Duckworth, announced on August 13 that her son had died “earlier this week.”
“Cause of death has yet to be determined. I will post on Facebook about services as soon as his dad and I figure it out,” she added.
The Grand Forks Police Department told People on August 14 that the Challenge alum was found dead in his apartment after receiving a call from his downstairs neighbors complaining about water coming through the ceiling. Officers arrived at Tyler’s apartment on August 11, confirming that the water was coming from the bathtub in his bathroom.
Police said it is not clear how long Tyler had been deceased. The reality competition star was seen one day before his body was found in the bathroom, and investigators didn’t notice any signs of foul play or a suspicious death at the scene.
“You were more than a friend. More than a roommate. You were the brother I never had,” Johnny wrote via Instagram on August 14, paying tribute to his friend with a video montage accompanied by the reality star playing guitar and singing a song.
“Rest easy, Tyler,” the caption continued. “You’ll always be family. 147:3.”
While speaking to Us on Friday, Johnny reiterated what he hopes fans will ultimately remember about his late friend and how he was in life.
“[Not only for] what a fun-loving, charismatic, hilarious character he was, he also just what a gritty and determined, amazing competitor that he was,” Johnny said. “I’m glad he got to do All Stars, so he kind of got to get back into it, but according to his family and everyone that knew him, he died loving what he was doing and the time — and that was teaching.”
He continued, “I think he really found this love for education and for educating kids. And it’s crazy because we went to his hometown in North Dakota, and it was this really small town, but everywhere we went people knew him.”
In the end, and despite the fame that often comes with competing on reality TV, Johnny believes his friend “kind of did choose the simple life” and, as a result, “left the Earth in a good place.”
“I think he left the Earth in a good place with his friends and his family and he seemed very happy,” Johnny added. “But the one thing I do wish is that I could have just sat by him one more time, just to let him know what he meant to me and how he was the closest thing that I had to a brother. He’s missed every day.”
