The Traitors season 2: Why did Johnny Bananas shade Big Brother alum Dan Gheesling after elimination?

The Traitors US returned to screens with season 2 on Friday, January 12, 2024. The premiere included the first three episodes of the show, by the end of which, the three traitors were revealed, two cast members were murdered, and two were banished.

It's safe to say that a lot conspired during those three hours, but one contestant wasn't happy with how things went down. One of the first players to be murdered was The Challenge legend Johnny Bananas, who opened up about his elimination after the episodes and also took to social media to chime in on the happenings.

While several fans commented on the contestants selected to be the traitors for season 2, Johnny Bananas took to his X account to shade one of them. He replied to a fan's tweet which discussed Big Brother alum Dan Gheesling and Survivor legend, Parvati Shallow. The tweet read, "Dan saying Parvati is the female version of him is iconic."

In response to the tweet, The Challenge alum wrote:

"As in neither has a set of b*lls."

Bananas also spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his elimination and noted that he wasn't shocked by it, adding that he was perceived as a threat. He blasted Dan's choice to eliminate him early on and called it an "unforced error." Bananas further pointed out that it wasn't the "best move to make."

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Johnny Bananas discusses his exit from The Traitors season 2

Johnny Bananas was the first person to be murdered on The Traitors season 2 and was killed by Dan Gheesling and Phaedra Parks. The cast member recently spoke to EW about his elimination from the Peacock show and said what gave him a little bit of a "reprieve" was that he had no control over his place in the game.

While his elimination from The Traitors season 2 was exactly how his The Challenge journey started back in the day, he called the situation "unfortunate" and "annoying."

Johnny Bananas stated that he already knew why he was targeted and stated that was no doubt that it was Dan Gheesling's decision. He noted that the Big Brother alum saw him as a threat in general and not just during the game.

The Challenge alum noted that he and Dan are "completely different people" and stated that their approach in The Traitors season 2 was also poles apart. Bananas termed Dan's decision to murder him an "emotional one."

"Because let's be real, from a strategic standpoint, keeping me around would have probably benefited him and his game, if he's trying to play the game that he says he is, which is work in the shadows and not say a whole lot. Listen, don't you want a big, loud, shiny object around to divert attention from you?"

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Why did the traitors murder Johnny Bananas?

During the season premiere of The Traitors season 2, Dan and Phaedra discussed who to murder further and agreed on not wanting to kill one of the "weaker" players. Instead, they wanted to pick one of the stronger players who would be able to figure out their identities in the future and picked Bananas.

They noted that they wanted to send a message that they weren't afraid of removing the power players and the threats during the game and termed him a "wild horse."

The Peacock show will return next week with a brand new episode on Friday, January 18, 2024.