‘The Challenge’ Fans Are Begging Sarah Rice to Return After Johnny Devenanzio Stole Her Cash
MTV’s The Challenge has been on for over two decades, and it’s hard to believe some veteran players have been on the show for years. While we’re familiar with Cara Maria Sorbello and Wes Bergmann, fans also know Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio’s antics and style of gameplay. And we’ll never forget how he betrayed Sarah Rice’s trust at the end of Rivals III.
While Devenanzio has taken away hundreds of thousands of dollars from the show, he’s certainly gained plenty of enemies over the years. And fans are begging his old rival, Rice, to return to the show despite being seriously burned by her efforts in the past. Here’s what her fans are telling her on Instagram.
Sarah Rice left devastated due to Johnny Devenanzio’s decision on ‘Rivals III’
Rice and Devenanzio have had a sordid relationship over the years. While the two were friends outside of the show, Rice threw Devenanzio into an elimination during The Challenge: Exes II, People reminds us. And this seemed to end their friendship. Then, in 2016, Rice and Devenanzio were paired together as teammates for Rivals III. And they made it all the way to the finale and seemed to repair their broken relationship along the way.
Unfortunately, Devenanzio retained the chip on his shoulder from Exes II. He and Rice won the finale during Rivals III, but there was another twist. During the finale, one teammate was earning more points than the other — and Devananzio had more points than Rice. This meant that he chose whether to split the $275,000 grand prize with Rice or keep it for himself. Ultimately, he kept it all.
“And a lot of things factored in to my decision, but ultimately when all the cards fell where they did, my decision was actually very simple,” Devenanzio told People. “I don’t care about what people are going to think of it.”
Rice seems stronger than ever after her divorce in 2019
Rice was devastated by Devenanzio’s decision on Rivals III. And we haven’t seen her on The Challenge since the loss, though she hasn’t been out of the spotlight completely. Instead of pursuing reality TV fame further, Rice chose to get married. And she featured her husband, Landon Patterson, on her Instagram.
Unfortunately, the romance didn’t last. According to People, Rice shared on her Brain Candy podcast back in 2019 that she was preparing to separate from her husband.
“You guys are probably like, ‘Where’s Landon?’ and, ‘She hasn’t been talking about him,'” Rice shared. “And that’s because we’re gonna get a divorce, or we’re getting one. Going through the whole process.”
Rice then added that her marriage made her feel disconnected to who she truly is. “I was like, I just have to tell him that I love him, but I’m just not in love with him. It’s real hard to do.” And Rice’s miscarriage in 2018 also brought upon a new type of sorrow she never experienced before. But now, she’s moving forward stronger than ever before.
‘Challenge’ fans are begging her to return to the show
We’re not sure if Rice would ever consider going back on The Challenge. After Rivals III, it seemed like she was giving up reality TV completely and instead pursuing her other interests, life goals, and a family. But there’s no doubt fans miss her, as she was a force to be reckoned with during Challenge eliminations, and she was the self-proclaimed queen of puzzles when they cropped up during finales.
On Jan. 13, 2020, Rice shared a photo to her Instagram featuring ex-Road Rules and Challenge star, Susie Meister. And it caused her followers to freak out with excitement.
“I wish you would come back to the challenge!” one follower commented on Rice’s post.
“The challenge is calling your name show these noobs how to win,” another wrote.
Yet another questioned, “is there any chance we can ever get you and @susiemeister back on the challenge? Ya’ll were the best!”
We’re not sure if Rice would ever return to The Challenge. But if she did, she’d have an army of supporters behind her in getting revenge on Devenanzio.
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