After she won Survivor 45, Dee competed in The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (season 41). The Vets and New Threats were teamed up in pairs, with players competing with a different partner for each challenge. During the first challenge, “Mud Ball Madness,” Dee, a New Threat, was paired up with Vet Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, now 44, and they won. While Bananas was eliminated early, Dee later went on to be safe during nine more challenges, and then won her 11th, “Band Together,” with her partner, Derrick Kosinski.

However, during Dee’s next challenge, “Running Man,” also with Derrick, they lost, and went into the Arena. Dee faced off against Adrienne Naylor and Derrick competed against Theo Campbell. When the teams had five consecutive draws, host T.J. Lavin flipped a coin and determined that the men would have a sudden death rematch, which Derrick lost. Although Dee had won her part of the challenge, they were both eliminated.

Dee Was In A Showmance With Johnny Bananas On The Challenge

Before filming even started on The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, Dee and Johnny Bananas had agreed to work together after meeting at The Challenge season 40 finale party through their mutual friend, Big Brother 19 winner Josh Martinez. They trained together before their season, and formed a close working relationship when they entered the game. Dee and Bananas eventually began a showmance, but it was filled with drama because she’d also been romantically involved with fellow contestant Will Gagnon during their sequester period. However, Bananas eventually cleared the air with Will.

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Bananas was eliminated before Dee, and the romance eventually faded and never progressed into something more serious, although they did hang out after the show, and he even met her mom. It seemed that they’d both thought of the relationship as more game-related than a true romance, and fans got the same vibe about their interactions. Although Bananas seemed frustrated by Dee’s side-alliances in his post-elimination talks about the game, their showmance seemed to be more of a strategy for the both of them. Still, it’s pretty shocking to think that Dee and Bananas were ever an item in any way.

In an August 2026 interview, Bananas revealed some bitter feelings about his relationship with Dee. When asked about her strategic Big Brother 28 gameplay, he replied, “I am not surprised she’s doing well. If there’s one thing she knows how to do, it’s play games on TV and outside of TV. So no, I am not surprised at all with how well she’s doing.” Johnny added, “I wish her all the best. But I also wish all the guys in that house all the best as well.”

When Bananas’ fellow The Challenge alum, Michelle Fitzgerald, who was also part of the interview, sarcastically asked him, “So what you’re saying is it ended well,” he responded, “What I’m saying is it ended like I felt like I was on a reality television show. I’m like, ‘I don’t see cameras around here anymore. We’re not trying to out-manipulate and out-scumbag each other, but apparently I’m the only one that got that memo.'”

For Big Brother 28 fans who don’t know all of the details about Dee’s reality TV show past, it’s fascinating to learn about her previous experiences and showmances. Dee and Bananas seem like an unlikely couple, and their relationship seems to be strained now, but it’ll be interesting to hear if Dee responds to his comments when she leaves the Big Brother 28 house. For now, Dee seems to be on a clear path to becoming the first person ever to win both Survivor and Big Brother.

Big Brother 28 airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET, with Big Brother: Unlocked airing every other Friday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.