The Zach Nichols Podcast - The Jonna Mannion Interview! | ZNP EP. 60

Episode Date: August 16, 2024

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Hey guys, it's John A and I'm on the Zach Nichols podcast. What could we be talking about? I don't know. Become a patron. All right. Welcome back to the Zach Nichols podcast. As usual, I'm here with Big P. But more importantly, a very special guest today.

John A. Mannion. Challenge champion. Champ champ. Double champ, yeah. Back to back. Can we get one more round of applause for the champion? Double championship in the fucking house. Double championship ice cream.

double chip and chip so wait hey 500k okay wait 500 000 you know that's what neymia calls me 500k jane oh shit because that's that's a that's a bad bank account huh i mean how much of you have you spent um i spent some on paying off my house

i also bought kevin a truck that's pretty much what i spent the rest i've like invested and still have okay the investor do you invest in the makeup coming No. No? Hair company? No. Oh. I should. You should. Yeah, I should invest in myself. That's doing hair and makeup. So what did you invest in? I love stocks and stocks and stuff. So we got some guy that Wes recommended to us. It's all gone. It's gone. It's all gone. No, but it's, I'm sorry, it's invested in like it's a general thing. It's like a bunch of different things. Oh, yeah. You know what I'm talking? Yeah, I got a couple of those. You do? I got a lot of,

different. I'm very financially, very smart. The fun. Yeah. I actually use my winning from Battle of the Seasons to purchase my first home. That's how long I hung on I hung on to that for. Yeah. I guess like, congratulations also, more importantly, you're a mother. I am. That's awesome. Mother and wife. Round of

applause for John A. Stevens in the building. Yeah, I said your name wrong. It's okay. I corrected. So online, yeah, it says Johnny Emanion. Big shout out to Kevin for letting you come through. Fuck yeah. I mean, come on, he's a G. He's holding it down. Lavender and my dog just broke her paw.

And I mean, he holds it down with the kids. Like, I just pick up and leave and, you know. Big shout out. And since we're shouting out the spouses, big shout out to my sister Jenna in the building. Round of applause for Jenna. She's the champ. She's the people's champ. Absolutely. She's going through a lot right now. There's some flowers that need to be given out. I just want to look at this resume, just like from a glance real quick.

Okay, we got 11 challenge seasons. seven flagship, world championship, USA2, and All-Stars, three finals, two championships, $500,000 won, and all the way back from rivals to barely, barely, barely, barely, barely, part of era three. Barely. Just barely. The only reason you're part of era three is because you left your passport on an airplane. Yeah, surprise, surprise.

Talk about that. Is that surprising to you? No, no, no. Actually, Wes probably took your passport and threw out the window because... Liffin. Part of me thinks, like, as we were sitting on the plane, you know, like, West loves rookies, right? He's just talking to me about the game. I haven't been to a challenge before. Like, I have no

idea what I'm in store for, right? And so, yeah, I just, I blame it on him because I blame him for just, like, talking to me about the game and, you know, it must have fallen out of my pocket. So it's 100% Wes's fault. It's always Wes's fault. Yep. And when you, all your money is gone overnight, it's also going to be Wes's fault. But my money's not going to be gone overnight.

You never know with Wes. Oh. He told you to give it to some guy that's going to be gone someday. Oh, yeah. That's what the blocks is. Yeah. Anyways. Stop. Let's talk about, let's just get into season 40. Uh-huh. So you had come back, right?

You got to, you did the all-star seasons. Listen, I am just as shocked that I am on season 40 as everybody. I don't think anyone I'm shocked. We're definitely not shocked. I mean, not after like, obviously the comeback that I've had, but like if you take flagship Johnny before, like, would I be on season 40? I don't know. If you didn't have two wins and we're on world championships?

Yeah. I don't think so. And the only reason why you went home. home on world championships was because home boy couldn't I know that was the third win that I was what a moron didn't your partner just try to dive Oh my God listen it's it was like a blob like if you've ever been a summer camp Yeah he couldn't blob

This is the world championship blopper Are you? No one blobs harder than him Okay listen for the first man my boy They have like the safety guy We had safety bob there The hell is he doing He was just like you know land on your bum

Like make sure you do whatever And he's like there's literally no way you can fuck this up is what they told us beforehand. And I remember afterwards, even Justin Booth was like, you know, we have these challenges where people are jumping out of helicopters and doing all this shit. And of course, the one that your partner goes home on is a camp game. There's literally children around the whole United States, probably the world that are excellent blobbers. There's a whole movie dedicated to people like me called Heavy Ways that I just studied the blob. So you know what, though, I'm not hating on Grant. Here's the thing.

Like something does come with challenge experience, you know, like being in those situations where you're like the nerves of like, oh, I've been strapped to a building before. Oh, I've done this before. I've jumped off this truck. Like, it's fine. But like, that's when you got to show up is like the very simple jump on the blob moments where you don't tear your ECL and MCL. And not only do you suck with a blob. From the global championship that your partner has been training for forever. Injured himself on a blob.

Yeah. Well, back to 40. It is, I mean, there's something to be sad. about being the most decorated challenger on your era? I mean, you have two rings. Jordan. I mean,

he's on there. For the women. Oh, for the women. For the women. For the women. For the women. Because, you know,

people talk about Tori in those, you know, big, big, conversations. You're going to say that? I'm going to say that. She, Tori's amazing.

Hold up. Hold up. She's great. Like, in modern daytime, like, of, like, current challengers. Yeah. Who am I terrified of,

like, going against? Tori, all day. I mean, so, that USA, I'll believe it. That wasn't good for you. No, absolutely not.

I'm just to be honest with you. Ragdoll. Yeah, she took it to the park. This is why I fuck with Tori. I'm sorry for swearing. I don't know. But this is why I fuck with Tori is because right before that elimination, like her and I are friends.

Like we became friends on the global and like I really like her. Okay. And right before that elimination, she was just like, she was first of all, didn't know I was going in because of the hopper, right? And then she was just like so distraught. And she's like, Johnny, what are we going to do? Like, you're my, like, what are we going to do? And I looked at her and I'm like, if you don't go hard right now, if you don't treat this as like,

this is an elimination, I'm your opponent. Like, we are not friends right now, like, because that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to try, you know? And so, yeah, that was that moment. And that's like, like, like, why I like her because she was so like, she is genuine. And I feel like she gets a lot of like bad, you know, reputation from like, you know, just online and all the stuff. People don't really know her.

Right. Right. And so they meet her. Like, listen, my, my best friend. from the show Derek Chavez had a whole opinion of Tori before he left and I was like listen I'm not going to change your opinion at all like what was I do what was his opinion you're not going to listen I mean it's the same as everybody's you know and so but I was just like listen me people where they're at like you have to you can't judge based off of what you see on

like if you judge me based on what you saw on a television screen like you know I would I mean we got we got somebody that can speak to that right here oh I got judged hard I'm probably one of the most judged cast members of 10,000% I just 100% see 10,000 10,000% that's a lot of misunderstood I really do not anymore not anymore I was when I was on the show but the thing was is I took a break and when I came back I think it was like my last four seasons there was a different person it wasn't like

I was there for that so yeah so like from invasion until my final one that I was on War of the Worlds, too. Like, it wasn't the same. You did War of the Worlds? I've heard so many crazy stories about the world. Those were nasty. Those were crazy. I've heard more stories about War of the Worlds and the Island than any other season.

And now 40, but. It was hard. It was difficult. So, let's start at the very beginning of the career. Okay. We're going to go through that first. Or what do you want to? Oh, let's actually back 40.

Let's just get through this. Yeah. Because this episode was, I felt. Were you nervous about coming back to 40, though, a flagship? Yeah, I was. Were you nervous about coming back to any of the All-Stars? Was that more like, oh, this is going to be fun?

Well, All-Stars 1, I had no idea that I was going to even be casted on it. I replaced Jasmine on All-Stars 1. Oh, you were an alternate? Yeah. I wasn't even an alternate. Like, I, listen, I saw the whole All-Stars movement thing online. Like, Mark posted something, and I was like, oh, that's cool because, yeah, I hope that they get that. I didn't even consider myself an OG, like, because that's just how I thought about it.

That's how I thought too. Exactly. Like, I was like, why would I be like, oh, yeah, I want to do it, you know? At the time, you're like literally like 28, 29. So it's like, why am I the OG? Yeah, but Jazzy got casted. And I, I mean, I didn't know that. I was, I was full deep in, I mean, come on, I had a four year old and I had a seven

month old, like, at the time. So, like, I was so, I still currently, I'm in the thick of the challenge right now, but I still live under a rock. Like, I'm terrible at social media, all of that. But just imagine that, like, amplified back then. Like I was so far removed from everything. And like on New Year's Eve, I get a call from Aleta. And she's like, hello, Janay.

She's, and I'm just like, it says Alada Lopez. I was like, why is she calling me, you know, out of nowhere? And she's just like, hey, so I don't know if you've heard, but we're like filming this show. And I was just like, oh, I've heard about All-Stars. And I was like, why are you calling me, you know? This is the first season. So you don't have anything to base it off of it.

No, I don't. And then at the time, like, I had just bought my first house. My husband just got furloughed from his job. He works in music in Nashville. So, like, their, like, concerts are literally never coming back. Right. During COVID. So good luck.

So they called. And then because of, like, the guarantee and just because of all of it, I was just like, hey, like, I need this money. I can pay my mortgage, you know? And so, yeah, it was crazy. I don't even know what the question was. So were you nervous coming back to those? I was. So for All-Stars one, I wasn't even prepared.

Like, I had no idea I was going there. They gave me 20 days. I was seven months postpartum still breastfeeding, like didn't even, was not prepared, right? Yeah. I was 100. I don't want to say like my weight, but I was still like delivery weight, like very not in shape, ready for a show. On that season, I ended up making it to a final, which is something I never accomplished.

You were the first girl to finish. Yes. And it's something I never accomplished in my challenge career before. So like it was one of those things that it like unlocked it. Like I never even thought it was possible for me to make it to the end because I had tried so many times and never did, right? And so once I, I guess, tasted that per se or once I figured out it was possible, then like I left, went home for like a couple days and then I was just like, listen, I'm going to work out for real. Like I've never truly worked out before. What does she mean by

that? For real. I just mean like I just I laugh because like so before Battle of the X's, I remember I talked to you before that. And I remember being like, should I try CrossFit? And you're like, yeah, you should try Crosfit. Like a week before. It's like literally. And I'm like knowing what I know now, like working out and stuff, I'm like, nothing's going to fucking happen in a week. Like you're like, yeah.

I guess try it out. But. So anyways, I seriously started working out, okay? And then I was just like, worst case scenario, I lose the baby weight, right? Best case scenario, like if I'm thrown the opportunity again, like, I'll be ready when a later calls. And yeah, then I was like. Then you sure were.

You sure. We're back to back. Back to check. That's my biggest regret is winning when the, it was like nothing. 67. Yeah, I got 67.5. That was great. It was a lot of money back then.

But if I would have just won one in the later seasons, I'd be completely retired. So that stuff. But listen, though, I don't know. I feel weird about the winning the prize. Like I feel like if I would have won money back then, like correct me if I'm wrong. But I don't know. I don't know. I feel like everything happens for a reason and everything's

circle because I feel like being able to handle that amount of money and that at the time in the state that I was in before, like I just don't think it would have been a good situation. Oh, I could handle it. And I've gotten second and third since then. So I got very close multiple times and just it just sucked. So just to just elaborate on that for you like you just felt like this all, especially the all stars run and being successful there just came at the perfect time in your life. Mm-hmm. What's so crazy and, you know, in meeting fans and stuff and different things, people have

said to me, like, you have a full circle. Like, Nani, I just saw Nani recently and she said to me, she's like, it is so amazing to see you where you are now and where you were before, you know? And that's what I mean by the whole, like having a full circle thing. If I was, you know, the whole quote, like, with power comes great responsibility. whatever, had I been given that then, like, I wouldn't have been able to handle where I was in the state I was in. So something that we're seeing right now with Leroy is when you have kids, right, and you're

playing for something much greater, I think you say, like, whenever you realize, hey, I'm going to get married, I'm going to have a family, you changed the way that you started to play the game, even before you had kids. But mentally, you had switched from, hey, I'm here to have fun to. Yeah, I was just trying to. I was literally trying to win. So I was doing anything you could do to win. That definitely plays a role.

But also, I never played when I had kids. I just played when I had a very close, almost a fiancé. But I can say that it would be hard for me to go back now and try to like lie cheater steal. Yeah. Because I would have a hard time justifying to my kids like, oh, but I did it for the money. And then what are you really teaching your kids at that point is you can act like everything I teach you not to do.

It's okay to act like that if there's a large. some of money at the other end of it. So that would be my, that's why I always say on here, playing with kids, I don't know if I would even have a shot to win because if someone was like, are you going to vote me in, I would have a hard time being like, I used to be able to just look someone dead in the eye and be like, oh, no, you're good. And I think they

believe me because I was a good liar. Yeah. And now if I were to do that, I would have such a bad conscience. I would just be like, yeah, I know, I'm going to go there. You would have a bad conscience. I did notice that on 40. I, you know, if you think about it, like, the error four people that are there, I think about them and it's like, That concludes the free preview of the Zach Nichols podcast.

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