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Watch: Savannah Bananas TV stunt fails, leaving CNN host aghast

An attempted backflip on live television did not go well Thursday for one Savannah Bananas player, to the shock of a studio anchor.

By J.P. Hoornstra

The Savannah Bananas played the Texas Tailgaters for a second time at Great American Ballpark on Saturday June 14. The game included music, dancing, baby races, father and son catch and plenty of back flips. The Bananas played to a crowd of around 42,000 people both nights.
The Savannah Bananas played the Texas Tailgaters for a second time at Great American Ballpark on Saturday June 14. The game included music, dancing, baby races, father and son catch and plenty of back flips. The Bananas played to a crowd of around 42,000 people both nights. / Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Savannah Bananas are America's most famous team of barnstorming baseball players. Their unique brand of exhibition games have migrated from their humble origins in Georgia to attract a nationwide following. Their TikTok account boasts 10.5 million followers — more than four times the most popular team in MLB on the platform, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

So it was that the Bananas' Robert Anthony Cruz found himself on live television Thursday, attempting a backflip for a very different audience than his 1.1 million TikTok followers. The backflip was supposed to kick off a segment on CNN News Central. Instead, it was a flop.

After Cruz face-planted on live television (and his visibly alarmed co-host took the Lord's name in vain), CNN News Central host John Berman launched right in to his introduction: "That right there is a brand new twist on America's favorite pastime."

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It wasn't the Bananas' proudest moment. It might not have been intentional. But if nothing else, the 'flip flop demonstrated their penchant for going viral, the north star of any semi-pro sports team without a television contract.

The Bananas, remarkably, have a contract with Disney/ESPN to air select games this summer on ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+. Clearly, they've found their audience on the popular Gen Z platforms.

Perhaps CNN will consider giving Cruz a second chance to make a first impression.

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