Pop The Balloon star Johnny Bananas faces backlash after a controversial comment on a female co-star

The Challenge star Johnny Bananas is facing significant backlash following his recent appearance on Netflix's new dating show, Pop The Balloon, which premiered its first episode on April 10.

Bananas made his debut in the premiere episode as one of the featured singles, standing before a group of women who each held a balloon, ready to pop it if they weren’t interested in him.

Near the end of Bananas' segment, host Yvonne Orji asked him about his type and what he was looking for in an ideal partner. Instead of offering a straightforward answer, he began judging the women based on their feet.

After complimenting two of the contestants, he pointed to a third and, while eyeing her feet, joked that they looked like she "sleeps upside down in a tree," a comment that drew shocked reactions from both the host and female participants.

“You look like you sleep from a tree upside down,” he said.

The way the scene was presented in the episode made it appear that Bananas' comment was aimed at the black contestant, Shila. Viewers quickly criticized him online, interpreting the remark as racially insensitive.

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What happened with Johnny Bananas in episode 1 of Pop The Balloon?

Netflix's Pop The Balloon is based on the speed dating–style internet series of the same name, created by Bolia Matundu (BM) and Arlette Amul.

Now brought to the streaming platform, the show promises even more drama, dilemmas, and raw, unfiltered romance, featuring a mix of regular and celebrity contestants.

In episode 1 of Pop The Balloon, Johnny Bananas made his debut as one of the singles, but nearly all of the female contestants popped their balloons. His entrance—emerging from behind a prop tree—left many feeling creeped out.

After interacting with the participants and sharing his unfiltered opinions, all of them popped their balloons, reasoning that he wasn't their type.

One of the Pop The Balloon female contestants, Evita, noted that she rejected Bananas because she preferred Black men. In response, the Challenge star quipped that he was "Black from the waist up."

When it was Sheila's turn to explain why she popped her balloon for Bananas, she sarcastically answered that she liked her "men Black from the waist down."

After getting rejected by all the participants, host Yvonne Orji asked Bananas what his ideal partner was and the things he admired in a woman.

The Pop The Balloon celebrity contestant soon began analyzing the female participants. After pointing at the feet of two of the women and complimenting them, he moved his hands towards the third and remarked that she looked like she "sleeps upside down in a tree," a comment that shocked everyone present.

Based on Bananas’ finger-pointing, the cast’s reactions, and the camera angle, it looked like his remark was directed at the Black contestant, Sheila. Sheila even tried to confirm it before warning the Challenge star that he shouldn't mess with her.

Following backlash over the Pop The Balloon comment, Bananas uploaded an explanation post on X on April 10, sharing his side of the story. The reality star claimed that the comment was actually aimed at the white woman next to Sheila, Kathrine, who was wearing a green floral dress.

"Hey morons, I was actually talking about the WHITE girl whose toes were hanging over her shoes who is literally dressed like a fucking tree. It's wild how fast some people can twist a moment into a false narrative. There's real racism out there, weaponizing fake outrage for clicks cheapens it," he wrote.

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Pop The Balloon releases new episodes every Thursday on Netflix.