The Zach Nichols Podcast - The Gus Smyrnios Interview! | ZNP EP. 177

Episode Date: July 24, 2026

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What's up, guys? This is Gus from Florida Bamas Shore and The Challenge. Today we are hanging out with Zach Nichols on his podcast. Make sure you guys check it out. We're going to be rehashing everything from the challenge to the Florida Bama Shore days and to real-life drama. So make sure you check it out. All right. Welcome back with the Zach Nichols podcast. We are here.

Big guest. Big guest. Yes, sir. Gus Smirney Oaks star of Florida Bamashore, one-time Challenger. And the reason I got sent him to elimination round. Damn. What's that the reason you got sent him to elimination? No. I had to think back.

I have to think back. So it was that, that tire challenge where we had to run across the desert and the tires were in different sizes. And we had to stack them up and we had to stack them. You had to like read which colors you had. And back then the top three teams went into whatever the hell they called it. And I obviously wasn't going to come close to sniffing that challenge.

But we were in like fifth place. But I'm like, dude, Gus and Jenna are like, we should have won that one. Yeah. We're winning. We're winning the whole time. I was like, I'm good.

but like as they started getting up to the top of the tower like they they just couldn't get the tires all the way up there and two teams that ended up wanting me out of the house I ended up passing him but I was like screaming at I'm like you guys you're gonna save me dude and I can tell you exactly what it was the reason we didn't want it because we were the first and second team and the endurance part of that the whole time oh you guys were killing we smoked everybody my endurance was killer Jenna had great endurance but I think that season that we were on right then was fresh after I think Jenna broke her ankle or something it was a couple of It was one season. So she did final, or final reckoning. It was the one after that. So she was, but I mean, no,

like you guys were winning the whole time. The whole time, bro. I'm good. And once we stack the tires to the point where she was going to have to stand on my shoulders and stack the tires up there, she was a little bit hesitant about doing that with her injury or something like that.

So I was like, I saw Kara standing on Theo to stack their tires. I'm like, the only way we're going to get, because we were trying to throw the tires up there. And it just wasn't working. So I was like, Jenna,

you have to get on my shoulders and we've got to do this. but she was just a little bit reserved because of the injury, which I understand. I got plenty of injuries myself. She felt from so high. Like, you have no idea, though,

how much I've harassed her about that. Even though, like, I literally had to go home, like, in that one or the next one. Either way. You knew that,

right? Like, that, yeah, I knew there was people in the house saying that you wanted to go home on purpose because you know, something. My sister was getting married three weeks after we started

filming. Okay. It was something like that. And I didn't find out about it until after I signed the contract because my sister's, late father, father-in-law now had like uh was like gonna die yeah and they were like we need them we wanted to be at our wedding and i was like oh cool when's it gonna be and it was literally three weeks of the day after

we left or filming so i've told the story before but just so you know but you don't know that no no i heard people in the house talking about me zek just wants to go home anyways he don't care like a lot of people were saying that but i didn't know wasn't that like i didn't care it was the fact that if i missed my sister's wedding like i would never live that down no no no no so like i Just my sisters. It would be that in the world. I had to go. Like, it wasn't like I wanted to go because I didn't want to go because I actually,

if I wouldn't have acted like an asshole, I was in a pretty good spot. You were in a good spot. I could have been in the UK alliance and just wrote it out because no one, everyone wanted to run the final against us. Like I was the last guy picked that challenge. The last. Which was acid on, bro. You could tell they never watched the show before.

But I didn't, I didn't socialize at all. Yeah. Like, I just chilled in my room because like, again, like, I'm like, why am I going to play a game? Like, I actually got to get out of here. So, like, when they go to, when they go to pick the teams, like, I'm just standing there like, you know, I'm off. This is fresh off of vendettas and Final Reckoning. And maybe they thought I was toxic because I threw my partner in on Final Reckney.

But like Zahita picked me, but it was because I was the only dude left. That's, I didn't even think about that, but it's true. You were the last pick. And you were going to get to all that. Jenna was the last girl pick too. How the hell did both y'all last to the end for big to be last pick? Because it doesn't even cause a lot of drama. You caused drama, but you're great competitors.

And I feel like if any of those rookies came in in that were doing the picks, knew anything about the show, they knew y'all two were great picks to make it for in the game. It worked out perfect for me. Like the word, the girl that finished and got into the house last picked me. So I was like, this is great. And they worked out like, she also, like, let's be honest, the heat it was never going to figure out. No, bro.

You know what I was like? This action. So even though like I was sitting there, like everyone's like, you don't care that your last picked. I'm like, Johnny and Wes were the only two guys. Johnny West and Paulie knew. And then Kara and Jenna. I knew and then obviously Nani. But like we didn't want to like make it a thing because I don't want to lose my check or

whatever. But like yeah, like that elimination round against Johnny like he thought I was throwing it. I was about to say and I remember you just like not looking super upset like when you went out. You know what I mean? Like everybody else is like about to cry and then Zach's like, all right. See y'all. I'm good.

Catch y'all next time. But that was the hardest. That was actually the hardest thing to do was to like be a part of a game that I knew. You weren't checked in all the way. I mean I wanted to be but I was like why do I care. That's why like when Carr was like telling me like, Kyle did this, call to this, how did that? I'm like, I don't care. At the same time, and I know this because, like, with my Florida Bama days, I've

know the stress that comes along with it. They were trying to put you and Jenna through the fucking ringer with the relationship. So trying to film a show when your relationship is constantly putting, getting put in the fire and under pressure, you don't want to be involved in any of it. I just like, like, make home, bro. Like I'm not in. And not many people know that more than you. Let's go through these accolades just to make sure the people know exactly who you are.

So we have Gus here, one season of the challenge, but you were essentially the flagship had player had castmate of Florida Bama Shore for how many season was that five seasons? The only Florida Bama sure person to ever do the challenge. Only Florida Bama. Oh yeah, Maddie. Oh, yeah, Maddie wasn't a main cast. She's party down south. Yeah, she started on party down south and then she did one season of Florida Bama on season three. She came in like halfway through after.

After she did the challenge? Was it after? I think it was after. Oh, okay. So it was directly. So you're the OG. Yeah, yeah. I'll go G.

The only one. Only one from family that came in. And yeah, obviously you had the public relationship, something that you've seen him deal with on the town. Something you dealt with. Yeah. And we'll get into all that. So,

brother, first of all, I got to say this, thank you so much for coming here and being here all the way from Tampa, correct? No, I'm actually in North Florida now.

I'm in a small town where I grew up. It's called Perry. Perry, Florida. It's like 45 minutes south of Telehagen. Oh, man. But I was in Tampa for a couple years. I moved back to North Florida probably two years ago. Oh, okay.

But you flew out of Tampa. Yeah, I flew out of Tampa. So this guy made a big, big effort to be here. Big effort. And super flexible, super easy to work with. Super cool. I could see how I would react with them in the house.

But when you first came into the challenge house, we talked about it before we started airing, but you knew Hunter. But did you know anyone else on this cast? I had met, these guys weren't on that season, but I had met Derek before. I had met Darrell before. And I had met bananas. And he was on that season. But it was very short-lived.

So I didn't have relationships with any of the cast members, so to speak, other than Hunter. I think Wes reached out to me right before I went to film because you know how Wes is. He's trying to make his little teams before the show even starts. But other than that, no, I had no communication with anybody. How do you handle that? You walk into a house, all these people from Europe, they all know each other. Dude, it was nerve-wracking, for real. Like, I already had my bearings filming and stuff, so I thought I'd be all right.

But going into a show where I'd watch some of these people for years, it changed the dynamic a little bit. Like, I grew up watching the challenge. I wasn't a fan that watched every season, every episode. But I would get home from school and turn on MTV, and the challenge was always on. So I grew up watching West, bananas, CT, all these guys. And they show up and they're on that season. Not only are they on the season, I got to stay in the room with most of the vets.

And so it was just a cool experience. Just throw yourself into it. I was the only rookie in that vet room. Well, besides Josh, he was like the- Wait, was Josh in that room with us? No, no, I'm saying besides Josh, you were the only like American rookie male. Yeah, yeah, I was. Everybody else was UK.

Everyone else was UK, yeah. Right. So him and Josh were the only ones. And Josh actually got eliminated in the purge. Yeah, and then they let him back. But he was out the first challenge. Yeah, he got evicted and then they brought him back. Well, that one kid broke his arm.

Alan, Elaine or whatever, remember? And that's why Josh got let back in the house. He broke his arm falling down the dune. He fell down the sand dune on the first challenge of snap. Yeah, I watched a little bit of this to get ready for this. And so this season is really freaking stacked. Dude, my opinion is that is one of the best seasons they ever did. And it's such a shame that it's fucking blacklisted that we can't watch it.

Well, it's blacklisted because there's a on there. And then Johnny and Kyle tied a girl up and put. tapered hair. I didn't know partially it was for the Johnny Tying up stuff. I knew about the bear stuff. But my argument with the bear stuff was the stuff that happened with him and Georgia was it didn't happen while filming that season. You know what I'm saying? So like, why

hurt everybody else that was a part of that cast? Because no, that's true. But something that guy did off filming. I guess they don't want to put a convicted. No, that makes sense. For sure. But if it's already filmed and aired on national television, what's it changed by just putting it on? No, that season was crazy. A producer guy.

punched. I don't remember that. Who who punched the producer? Was it Ashley Kane? Maddie. Oh, Maddie did it. That's not super surprised. So there was a fight one evening. And like when there was like that and you're like that was one of the most like the toxicity of that season was so was so heavy like that the house was like unbearable to be. There were so many big characters too and so many yeah that were just like I'm one of those guys like on Florida Bamma. I didn't really fight for screen time or like try to put on. extra to get it. And then you get to the challenge and everybody's just so loud and like doing what they can to get the spotlight. And so I just kind of sat back and let everybody else kind of do it because you had the fucking bears in there. You had Theo. Like you had all these guys that are just really, really trying to get the camera time. And I was there to compete. Like I had enough drama on Florida Bama. I was like, I was dating a girl when I came in to film that season of the challenge. So I was like, the less headaches I can have with house drama, I can focus on the competing.

And I might actually want someone. Well, I mean, you definitely answered a question that everybody's knowing. You're on Florida. Bama Shore, you have multiple women. You have all. these things. That whole stretch. Basically never, never went without. Let's just say that way. I did pretty well. Come on the challenge, which, you know, you have, there's a lot of young single women. There's, you know, Nani was, you know, out there. There was other, there was Nani's Cam was. Cam was single. There was a lot of talent there. And a lot of people are wondering, yo, this pimp, this known pimp, he ain't pimping. Like, everybody was asking why

I wasn't doing it. But I had started dating a girl right, like maybe a month. Maybe it was probably too much. Me and I literally would be like, Gus, when are you going to start drinking and hooking out with chicks? I know, bro, nightly. They come in, bro, I guess you've got to be on your shit. And I'm like, dude, I like this girl back home. I'm trying to take your serious, which in retrospect, I wish I wouldn't have done that.

You know what I mean? It didn't last much longer when I got back home. But I was trying to be a straight up, dude. You know, sometimes that doesn't get you where you want to do. Man, lessons learned. You know. Gus, when are you going to do it? When are you going to leave you?

I lay in bed thinking, contemplating. I'm like, pro, I'm fucking. I'm squandering this opportunity, but I really like this chick. And I'm like, she's probably doing good. I'm going to do what this looks. So you're, are you single right now? That concludes the free preview of the Zach Nichols podcast. So go to Patreon and subscribe to see the rest of the shit that we talk.

Go do it now.