Nothing lasts forever, but in the MTV universe there are few things that have lasted as long as the Wes vs. Johnny rivalry. The two have been competing on The Challenge together for eleven years, and over the course of these seasons they’ve had many battles.
Let’s look at all of their appearances together to see who has done better job than the other.
The Duel– There’s not much of a rivalry here, but I’m going to give this to Wes only because Wes won this season and Johnny left first. If Johnny stayed, I bet Wes would have welcomed the opportunity to work with him only because Wes was rallying the rookies and I don’t see Johnny having the ability to lead rookies like Wes did. (+1 Wes)
The Ruins– We all know Johnny won this season and that’s heavily due to the fact that the whole Champions team had Bananas’s back and no one had Wes’s. On this season, Wes’s presence alone was enough to instill some genuine fear in Bananas and his alliance and getting rid of Wes was a struggle. Still, Bananas made it to the end this season, so I’ll give him the point. (+1 Bananas)
Rivals– Unlike The Ruins, the pairings this season meant Bananas had to swallow his pride and work with Wes. As we know, Bananas won this season… again… but Wes seemed to have the upper hand for the bulk of this season. Wes showed his dominance by avoiding the final elimination and sending Bananas and Tyler in and he carried Kenny to the final. And while Wes did have an embarrassing showing during the first day of the final, he still outperformed Bananas significantly that day. I’m going to give this one to Wes. (+1 Wes)
Battle of the Exes– For some reason, Bananas never wants to send Wes into early eliminations out of fear of creating a target on his back. This season was the exception. Bananas sent Wes in early and Wes got sent home early. Meanwhile, Bananas won this season. Obviously this is a shining moment for Bananas. (+1 Bananas)
Rivals 2– With the exception of one fight were Wes bragged about his monster trucks, there wasn’t much interaction between the two. Teams like Paula & Emily and Diem & Aneesa seems to have both teams’ backs, and both made it to the end without seeing an elimination. In many ways, I’m disappointed in Wes for doing so little, but he played the game better than Bananas, like during the Rampage challenge, and won. So this one goes to Wes. (+1 Wes)
Battle of the Exes 2– Anyone who reads this blogs knows I have a massive amount of respect for Wes this season. Specifically, for having the power to manipulate alliances and for eliminating some threats from the game. Earlier into the season he got Bananas & Nany eliminated, and while they did return due to the Ex-iled twist, there’s no doubt that this early elimination was a blemish on the face of Bananas’s career. Bananas later sent Wes into an elimination where he lost, but this only allowed Bananas to stick around and have Sarah stab him in the back. I’m giving this one to Wes. (+1 Wes)
Rivals 3– On this season, Wes received the same kiss of death that Bananas received on Exes 2… Nany. Despite this, Wes tried to take stabs at Bananas & Sarah to no avail. Bananas dominated this season, won, and took Sarah’s money. This is a shining moment for Bananas and even Wes defended him at the reunion. This one’s gotta go to Bananas. (+1 Bananas)
Champs vs. Pros– Wes did something I thought we’d never see again. He got Bananas eliminated as the first male. And to add insult to injury, Wes went into elimination and did the deed himself. While Bananas left early, Wes made it to the end and was the only Champ to eliminate a Pro. Obviously, this goes to Wes. (+1 Wes)
Champs vs. Stars– Wes initially had the upper hand, getting Bananas sent into elimination. In the end, Bananas was able to eliminate Wes by gaining power in the final challenge before the final. Wes lost a swimming challenge, Bananas won, and Bananas won the whole season. (+1 Bananas)
War of the Worlds– Bananas was sent home early this season, and went home thanks to Zach. Bananas called Zach into elimination because Zach was allegedly working with Wes. Whether it was a convenient mistake or Wes’s establishing his dominance, Wes did amazing this season and Bananas has one of his worst performances. (+1 Wes)
War of the World 2– Neither guy was a real winner here, but Bananas did get a laugh at Wes’s expense. Wes went home first because Laurel and Josh voted him into elimination. There were Bananas’s allies, so Bananas did a little better. (+1 Bananas)
Total Madness- Wes and Bananas actually worked together this time. They were coasting through the season, but that’s not the best strategy when you need to get sent into elimination to get a Red Skull and win. At time dwindled, Bananas and Wes both needed to go in. So Wes volunteered himself into elimination. This could have been an epic storyline for Wes, but Bananas won. So Bananas had the upper hand this season. (+1 Bananas)
Based on this metic, they’re actually tied right now. If I had to pick a winner, I’d probably still put Wes slightly ahead. A case could be made for either guy, but Wes has a history of outsmarting Bananas. Most of Bananas’s moves seem obvious while Wes is more calculated. Though Bananas does seem to be on a slight streak. Maybe he’ll tip the scales in his favor on the next season?
Stop Being Polite 
Everything is on point.
In fairness on Rivals 3, Wes did explain himself on Susie and Sarah’s podcast.