For some stars of The Challenge, feeling like one million bucks means greater than pocketing it. 

“Pride is a hell of a thing,” Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio mused in an unique interview with E! News’ Francesca Amiker. “Being able to raise that trophy and being able to say you won, to me, goes a lot further than the money at the end.”

Not that he hasn’t appreciated the roughly $1.1 million he is earned from his franchise-best seven wins. 

“That’s obviously nice,” The Real World: Key West alum acknowledged. “But people don’t understand how absolutely mind-numbingly difficult this show is, not just from a physical standpoint, but from a mental standpoint, an emotional standpoint. There has to be an element of luck every single season, because there’s no way you’re making it to a final without some luck falling in your favor.”

Noting the obstacles opponents must face even earlier than operating host T.J. Lavin‘s notoriously brutal finals, Johnny continued, “Being able to hoist that trophy up at the end, it’s one of the most difficult things you can do on Earth. So not to say that money isn’t great, but the satisfaction of winning is much more gratifying.”