2009 Olympia Blog

Watch the the replay of the 2008 Olympia Finals!

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2008olympia/webcast/sm/men_final_1.html

Congratulations go out to the new Mr. Olympia, Dexter Jackson - a well-deserved win!

All the 2008 Olympia Winners are now being brought out onto the stage:  Dexter Jackson, David Henry, Jen Gates, Jenny Hendershott, and Iris Kyle!

3rd place
Phil Heath

2nd place
Jay Cutler
1st and 2008 mr Olympia
Dexter Jackson

Everybody is rising for him…

Phil Heath, 3rd Place

It’s time now for the Mr. Olympis Top 6 posedown - and the top 6 bodybuilders are all looking very impressive.

If you’re wondering where the live webcast is, click here:

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2008olympia/webcast/big/big.html

Impressive! 

1)  Dexter Jackson - $155,000
2)  Jay Cutler - $90,000
3)  Phil Heath - $60,000
4)  Dennis Wolf - $48,000
5)  Toney Freeman - $38,000
6)  Melvin Anthony - $30,000
7)  Silvio Samuel - $18,000
8)  Dennis James - $17,000
9)  Moe Elmoussawi - $16,000
10)  Gustavo Badell - $14,000

Congrats, Dexter!! 

Melvin Anthony
He looks harder when he is posing but otherwise a bit soft.
Smooth poser as always. Very graceful and take his time to impress the audience. Slowly tunes that goes into faster beat from Maonna and Justin Timberlake.Now we see the real Melvin The great poser. He rocks the house and finish with a split.

Dexter Jackson
Bigger this year but not as hard as on Arnold’s. Pose as useul very serious and graceful. Looks a bit smooth compare to yesterday but still sharp and in the top.

David Henry
Happy today from his win of the 202 Showdown. He reminds us of a smaller Phil Heath. He has improved his back this year and his condition. This weight suits him like hand in the glove.
Very hard in his most muscular pose. Starts off with slowly music and continue with funky cook hip hop.

Dennis Wolf
Many have been waiting for this day to see Dennis Wolf’s improvements from last year. He looks harder tonight with more details and tiny waist. Has packed on size since last year.

Striated gluteus and lower back. His hamstring has imroved a lot from last year. Lower back is thicker and deeper. Very powerful music. Needs more calves to be  complete. He has improved his back this year but maybe not enough.

Time for the routines

1 Toney Freeman.. He get the crowd going with groovie music He is sharp but not super sharp. His x frame is impressive and the crowd love his moves. He definately in the top 6 tonight.

2Moe Elmoussawi  Starts slowly to get into harder tunes. He has good condition but not really tight and his waist is a it bloated and extended..

3 Gustavo Bardell   Little bit harder from last night but to late. Polished performance during his routine.

4 Darrem Charles   Routine is most like his other routines but still has same efect on the crowd. Posing robotic and grovie funkie hip hop. His condition has been good of late and tonight is no exeption

IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Toney Freeman takes the stage first in the men’s posing routines, and he’s looking great!

His conditioning is great, and he’s much improved from a couple of weeks ago - he nailed it here tonight!

Go X-Man!! 

Hey, if you’re not yet watching the live webcast of the 2008 Mr. Olympia contest, the pre-show is on right now, and Elaine Goodlad and Kim Lyons are providing some excellent insight and predictions into the Figure Olympia finals starting in a few minutes.

To view, click here:

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2008olympia/webcast/sm/sm.html

Enjoy the show! 

2008 Mr. Olympia Judging Review

The doors of the Orleans Arena opened at 6:00 p.m. The Presidential debate was about to start also. I had to make a decision. Bodybuilding or the debate? With apologies to Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama and without hesitation I chose the biggest bodybuilding event in the world.

I spent Friday afternoon at the Olympia Expo talking to people who had been at the press conference on Thursday to see if they had any clues to how the athletes would look during the judging. Most tidbits were based on speculation and opinion. Other than Wolf having a sunken face like Skeletor, I had no other clues to reveal the conditioning of the athletes.

The crowd began to trickle in slowly at 6:00 p.m. and the seats started to fill up quickly when it got closer to 7:00 p.m. The Mr. Olympia theme song began resonating throughout the Orleans Arena promptly at 7:00 p.m. and a hush went through the crowd as everyone waited in anticipation for the competitors to take the stage. When the announcer’s voice came over the speaker and stated that the women’s events would be held first, the crowd let out a small sigh. Oh well, it just made the anticipation grow a little more. (More on those shows later; this article’s about the big boys.)

Sad beginning

Steve Stone, the head Olympia expeditor and NPC Chairman was given a moment of silence in honor of his sudden death, which occurred at the Olympia Expo on Friday afternoon. (Shortly before the judging I saw George Farah walking through the lobby at the Orleans Hotel. He said he had just found out that Steve had passed away. He was very upset.) After that solemn moment the show was under way. "The show must go on. That’s the way Steve would have wanted it." Bob C. said and the Olympia was on its way.

One at a time

Each competitor filed out on stage by themselves to do eight mandatory poses. They changed it back from the one minute of free posing they had last year. Competitor number one was Toney Freeman. Toney dialed it in this year. He was in fantastic shape and sporting some of the tightest hamstrings in the show. No repeat of 2007 for Toney this year. The X-Man was going to be taken seriously.

The four guys everyone was waiting to see were Dexter Jackson, Phil Heath, Dennis Wolf and, of course, the big man himself, Jay Cutler. Phil Heath was number 11 and was the first of the four to make their way to the stage. Heath looked good and was very full and dry, but I thought he was a tad sharper at his Iron Man win, but it could have been the difference in lighting between the two shows.

Dexter Jackson was number 15 and he strolled out in his usual slow manner. Dexter looked great, but I didn’t think he was as sharp as I’ve seen him in the past. Dexter has great shape and separation. Without seeing him standing next to Heath, I still had Dexter ahead of Heath.

When Dennis Wolf’s name was announced the crowd went wild. He has gained a tremendous amount of fans in the last year. Wolf’s Skeletor face was an indication that he was shredded and dry. He had a very grainy look and was the most conditioned guy in the show, but I think he overdid it and he looked stringy and tired. His lower back showed more detail and thickness. His hamstrings were much improved and tight and, well, everything else was tight too. He was just thinner looking. If he would have had more carbs in him, Wolf would have been looking at a possible Olympia title.

Taking the stage last was the current champion, Jay Cutler. He came out wearing the turquoise trunks that brought back memories of 2001. Jay wasn’t in his 2001 form, but he did look good. He was HUGE! Jay’s chest looked a little flat but he was really wide and thick. His conditioning was okay. Not as bad as last year, but not as good as 2006 either. He definitely wasn’t grainy like the big bad Wolf. I also like Jay’s color better than the last two years. He no longer looked muddy, but he had a good even tan and his cuts and lines were easier to see.

The Call Outs

Now the big surprise of the night: Wolf did not make the first call out. That’s right. What a shock! Toney Freeman made the first one along with Heath, Dexter and Cutler. Toney was in such good shape that it didn’t surprise me either. Hamstrings are the one muscle group that is always an indicator of one’s conditioning. Toney’s hamstrings were amazing. I thought Toney was fourth in this call out right behind Heath, Dexter and Jay. Even though Jay’s conditioning wasn’t the best in the lineup, I though his combination of mass and cuts made him the winner.

Dexter and Jay stepped back and they brought up Dennis Wolf and Melvin Anthony. Silvio Samuel was then added to the mix. These comparisons allowed Dennis Wolf to finally stand to next to Phil Heath. This was the moment we all had been waiting for. And what a surprise. I was expecting Dennis to totally dwarf Phil, but he didn’t. Like I said earlier, Wolf looked drawn out and tired and Phil looked really full. I actually liked Wolf’s graininess and his sleek look, but thought Phil did outclass him. Phil had a very polished look. Dennis was depleted. If Dennis is filled up, I’m not so sure I’d give Heath the nod.

It was close between Silvio and Melvin. Both have great physiques. Both have strengths  and weaknesses. It was hard to compare the two and then having to put Freeman thrown into that too, made it difficult for the judges. Talk about comparing apples, oranges, and bananas.

Phil Heath stepped back and Jay Cutler was but back into the line-up. Toney Freeman went back to the wings and Dexter made his way back. Dennis was standing right next to Jay. As they went pose for pose, Wolf started looking very tired. Dexter started looking a little tire too and Jay was getting a little winded as well.

After those initial call outs there were several more involving Dennis James, Johnny Jackson, Moe El Moussawi, Silvio, Gustavo, Darrem and Melvin. These looked like the comparsions for the possible top ten.

Gustavo was not as sharp as he has been in the past. Johnny Jackson was a little smooth. Moe was pretty sharp, but I think his Iron Man showing was better. Dennis James was in good condition, but he looked like he was having difficulty controlling his midsection.

Last men standing

The final comparison might have been a foreshadowing of the final five. In the last call out of the evening there was Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Dexter Jackson, Dennis Wolf, and Toney Freeman. Jay was clearly the biggest and Dennis was the grainiest. Phil and Dexter were very comparable and Toney was holding his own for at least fifth. He might even be higher based on everyone’s showing at the final’s tomorrow night.

Final notes

I was so confident in my picks for this show that I was tempted to write this article before the show began and then go sit at the black jack tables until the judging was over and then submit the story after I confirmed I was right. Well, the first call out threw me for a loop when Freeman was in it and Wolf was not. As the night progressed I still thought my original picks of Cutler in first, Dexter in second, Heath in third and then Wolf in fourth were correct. Freeman looks like he might be in fifth instead Melvin. Sixth through tenth will be Samuel, Dennis James, Charles, Moe and maybe Johnnie Jackson. Things could very well change by tomorrow night as these guys make adjustments to try to move up a placing or two. The show is not over. Definitely not. Many things could change. Wolf, for instance, might load up on carbs and look like a different bodybuilder. Jay might come in a bit sharper again too just to solidify things. Tune in to the webcast to find out.

Check out the live webcast of the 2008 Mr. Olympia Men’s call-outs - the first callout of the top 7, including Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Silvio Samuel, Dennis Wolf, etc. just happened, and the second call-outs are now starting.

Check out the live webcast if you’re not already doing so!

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2008olympia/webcast/sm/sm.html

If you’re not aware, the 2008 Mr. Olympia men’s prejudging is going on right now.

Onstage now is newbie IFBB Pro PHIL HEATH:

Click here to watch the live, free webcast:

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2008olympia/webcast/sm/sm.html

Enjoy!