The All Things 2023 Mr. Olympia Discussion Thread - News, Pics, Predictions etc.

[SouthernMuscle]

Dude why are you mad, it's just opinions, I'm not mad at your opinion, I just laughed cause you are firm in your beliefs which is A GREAT THING!

The context of your first response was condescending and dismissive

your explanation provides more detail, indicating that supposedly was not the intent

 

[Mute]

I like Jay's podcast, yes milos is impartial to his guys but I expect that.

I 100% agree with everything you’ve said over this topic. My question for you is, do you think people would’ve been more up in arms if Hadi brought this package but had “issues” with his delts like he’s had in the past? Or do you think the judges would’ve overlooked it and rewarded him for the freak that he is.

 

[Heath82]

Derek walked away with 400k and bum got 50k? What’s the incentive to even compete in classic? Better of being a social media bodybuilder than doing a whole prep for that little money

 

[Fleezy]

Derek walked away with 400k and bum got 50k? What’s the incentive to even compete in classic? Better of being a social media bodybuilder than doing a whole prep for that little money

i imagine the degree of investment - be it time in the gym, gear, food, etc. is far less for someone competing in classic than it is for someone competing in the open

but i otherwise agree. with the increasing popularity of classic bodybuilding - especially over the open, you would think there would be more money available.

the younger folks who i talk to about the O' couldn't really care less about the open lol

 

[b-boy]

Derek walked away with 400k and bum got 50k? What’s the incentive to even compete in classic? Better of being a social media bodybuilder than doing a whole prep for that little money

Both guys are sponsored by my buddies and I guarantee that cbum makes more than Derek in that sponsorship.
Cbum is a self made man, his brand is HUGE!

 

[b-boy]

I 100% agree with everything you’ve said over this topic. My question for you is, do you think people would’ve been more up in arms if Hadi brought this package but had “issues” with his delts like he’s had in the past? Or do you think the judges would’ve overlooked it and rewarded him for the freak that he is.

Hadi would have definitely been marked down as Steve already warned Hadi about "funky shoulders"

 

[bbxtreme]

Derek will make a great face and representative of the sport, just like CBUM does in classic. He brought “enough” improvements for them to be able to give him the win for that reason.

I honestly could care less if he uses SEO or oil in his lats or his ass for that matter. Thinking guys don’t is like thinking all these guys are natural.

Is some “possible” lumps the biggest critique we have on this guy…

Jay had multiple muscle tears, a huge waste, one leg bigger than the other. Ronnie had a huge gut, split abs, tricep tears, etc. Ramy… was just a list of things. Dorian had multiple tears and issues.

Derek’s a young likable guy with nothing to nitpick so we go for the arm pits. it’s done, over and he’s Mr. Olympia. He will be good for the brand and sport just as Jay was. Which is what the IFBB needs.

 

[airman]

Both guys are sponsored by my buddies and I guarantee that cbum makes more than Derek in that sponsorship.
Cbum is a self made man, his brand is HUGE!

It wouldn't surprise me at all, if Cbum makes high 6 figures per month. Not only from a sponsorship but all of his businesses, app, clothing etc...

A few months back, he was on Flex Lewis's podcast, and Flex pushed him to tell him what is the biggest contract he turned down. It was $3 Million a year, for 3 IG stories per month. So yeah, if you are turning down that kind of deal, you are not competing for the prize money.
See at: 31:55

 

[airman]

Derek will make a great face and representative of the sport, just like CBUM does in classic. He brought “enough” improvements for them to be able to give him the win for that reason.

I honestly could care less if he uses SEO or oil in his lats or his ass for that matter. Thinking guys don’t is like thinking all these guys are natural.

Is some “possible” lumps the biggest critique we have on this guy…

Jay had multiple muscle tears, a huge waste, one leg bigger than the other. Ronnie had a huge gut, split abs, tricep tears, etc. Ramy… was just a list of things. Dorian had multiple tears and issues.

Derek’s a young likable guy with nothing to nitpick so we go for the arm pits. it’s done, over and he’s Mr. Olympia. He will be good for the brand and sport just as Jay was. Which is what the IFBB needs.

I think I might be the only guy, but I can't help but see Derek as a phony. I know everyone loves him, but everytime I hear him speak, it just feels like he is saying what he feels is the right thing to say, rather than what he really feels. I might be completely wrong (very likely since I've never met the man) but just gives me the Captain America vibe from The Boyz.

I remember watching him on Fouad's podcast a couple years ago, and it was the most awkward interview ever. Pure cringe, as my kids would say. Now he's a changed man, talking about how God gave him purpose, blah blah. Maybe he truly feels like that, and I'm just not used to hearing someone constantly speak like that, but it feels like he is putting on an act to create the personality that he believes will be good for his image. And to be fair, maybe he's cringe personality earlier on was simply him being young still and not confident enough to say what he wants to say.

At the end of the day, my opinion doesn't matter.

I'm probably just bitter, because I wanted Samson to win. I'm tired of short Mr. Olympias. Want to see a big man up there. Mount Olympus was the throne of Zeus who was the king of gods, and the epitome of masculinity. Not something a guy that is below average height represents for me. In my opinion a Mr. Olympia should be larger than life.

Lastly it was driving me nuts with him crossing the line like crazy. I've heard excuses that, they were just fired up, it's a natural thing to do. No it's not. It's what coaches drill into the heads of (especially smaller) competitors to gain an advantage... "with very pose move up slightly closer to the judges". Derek took that to the next level.

If you say that it's part of the game, to do whatever it takes to have an advantage and win, it's not. Because than you shouldn't complain about SEO, or even implants. Whatever it takes to win right?

If you are competing to be the best, stand on the line and let judges decide who is the best. It shouldn't be about who could cheat slightly to get an advantage. Stand there like a man on the line, and if you look too small, than guess what? You are too small. And if you win, nobody will be able to take that away from you. I know many Olympia winners have done it in the past. But they should have a simple rule. You step over that line, you get one warning. Second time you're disqualified. I guarantee that all of the sudden everyone would be able to control their excitement and not cross the line.


/EndOfRant

 

[bbxtreme]

I think I might be the only guy, but I can't help but see Derek as a phony. I know everyone loves him, but everytime I hear him speak, it just feels like he is saying what he feels is the right thing to say, rather than what he really feels. I might be completely wrong (very likely since I've never met the man) but just gives me the Captain America vibe from The Boyz.

I remember watching him on Fouad's podcast a couple years ago, and it was the most awkward interview ever. Pure cringe, as my kids would say. Now he's a changed man, talking about how God gave him purpose, blah blah. Maybe he truly feels like that, and I'm just not used to hearing someone constantly speak like that, but it feels like he is putting on an act to create the personality that he believes will be good for his image. And to be fair, maybe he's cringe personality earlier on was simply him being young still and not confident enough to say what he wants to say.

At the end of the day, my opinion doesn't matter.

I'm probably just bitter, because I wanted Samson to win. I'm tired of short Mr. Olympias. Want to see a big man up there. Mount Olympus was the throne of Zeus who was the king of gods, and the epitome of masculinity. Not something a guy that is below average height represents for me. In my opinion a Mr. Olympia should be larger than life.

Lastly it was driving me nuts with him crossing the line like crazy. I've heard excuses that, they were just fired up, it's a natural thing to do. No it's not. It's what coaches drill into the heads of (especially smaller) competitors to gain an advantage... "with very pose move up slightly closer to the judges". Derek took that to the next level.

If you say that it's part of the game, to do whatever it takes to have an advantage and win, it's not. Because than you shouldn't complain about SEO, or even implants. Whatever it takes to win right?

If you are competing to be the best, stand on the line and let judges decide who is the best. It shouldn't be about who could cheat slightly to get an advantage. Stand there like a man on the line, and if you look too small, than guess what? You are too small. And if you win, nobody will be able to take that away from you. I know many Olympia winners have done it in the past. But they should have a simple rule. You step over that line, you get one warning. Second time you're disqualified. I guarantee that all of the sudden everyone would be able to control their excitement and not cross the line.


/EndOfRant

Great perspective and different angle. I do agree on the “captain America” vibe. I believe he’s talked about this in his older content, but he’s lost without his faith and how he acts. Not saying that’s good or bad- it works for him.

BUT I will say this- it’s 10X more in person and totally threw me off when I first met him. I was competing and back stage and he was there as a guest. He comes rolling in late, his camera guy is filming everything and he is just like “boom let’s go baby… let’s get pumped up.” And was intense as it was all about the camera and getting what content he thought would look good.

When he finally quit filming for like 2 minutes to talk he was like a deflated Captain America, then right back at it and filming.

I personally couldn’t live my life that way- what you see is what you get. But for him it’s all about the PR and persona he’s created. It is def A LOT.

 

[Brock456]

Derek walked away with 400k and bum got 50k? What’s the incentive to even compete in classic? Better of being a social media bodybuilder than doing a whole prep for that little money

That’s a crazy big difference. However as others have stated 50K is pennies to Cbum. He’s got Raw, Cbum fitness, bum energy, and numerous other sponsorships.

 

[b-boy]

That’s a crazy big difference. However as others have stated 50K is pennies to Cbum. He’s got Raw, Cbum fitness, bum energy, and numerous other sponsorships.

Lol he has a "very sweet" megafit deal, hell he even has his own cbum meals for megafit.

 

[Eguz22]

Really the only results I was ok with were WBB, Women's Physique (but relegating Brooke to 4th was COMPLETE bs), Bikini (Dorie is cool), and....that's it lol.
Thought Clarida should have won, I guess I was ok with Oksana winning given the injury situation with Whitney and Missy, and Hadi should have won...and I've NEVER understood why the hell Gillan wins (or keeps winning) in figure.

And I don't really have an opinion on classic or Mens bikini. I'd have to be 179 pounds to compete in classic ROFL. Not my division.

Cydney wins because they don't want the figure to look more like WPD, and that would happen if Jessica wins. I still think Jessica deserves to win sometime.

In WBB she would have Michaella in third place and in WPD Anne in third place. Andrea and Sarah were authoritative winners.

It was a shame about Missy's injury, she was going to win the show for sure, but what an epic moment for Oksana to get a title after 4 years of retirement.

I also don't care about classic and mens bikini, lol

 

[Brock456]

Lol he has a "very sweet" megafit deal, hell he even has his own cbum meals for megafit.

Forgot about that one! He also still has the sponsorship with Young LA too I think.
Regardless, he’s doing fine lol

 

[Strongarm]

Question - assuming that Hadi and Derek have similar prep protocols because they have the same coach and are probably close in weight... why does Hadi look like he's shredded and Derek looks soft next to him by comparison?

Is it Hadi's genetics? Is Hadi taking harsher diuretics so Derek looks softer from more water retention? Did Hadi just diet harder? In curious if it's an illusion or a reality of actually being that much leaner.

Hadi won in my book, just impressive. If shape and proportion is all that matters for the open, Cedric would have beaten Ronnie's record.

 

[aHarness]

why does Hadi look like he's shredded and Derek looks soft next to him by comparison?

From the front shots maybe… back shots imo Derek was debatably tighter

 

[Sacario]

I've seen a lot of threads saying shows shouldn't but judge on solely conditioning because of all the deaths. Now y'all pissed that the show wasn't won because of his conditioning. Lol

 

[Elvia1023]

I think I might be the only guy, but I can't help but see Derek as a phony. I know everyone loves him, but everytime I hear him speak, it just feels like he is saying what he feels is the right thing to say, rather than what he really feels. I might be completely wrong (very likely since I've never met the man) but just gives me the Captain America vibe from The Boyz.

I remember watching him on Fouad's podcast a couple years ago, and it was the most awkward interview ever. Pure cringe, as my kids would say. Now he's a changed man, talking about how God gave him purpose, blah blah. Maybe he truly feels like that, and I'm just not used to hearing someone constantly speak like that, but it feels like he is putting on an act to create the personality that he believes will be good for his image. And to be fair, maybe he's cringe personality earlier on was simply him being young still and not confident enough to say what he wants to say.

At the end of the day, my opinion doesn't matter.

I'm probably just bitter, because I wanted Samson to win. I'm tired of short Mr. Olympias. Want to see a big man up there. Mount Olympus was the throne of Zeus who was the king of gods, and the epitome of masculinity. Not something a guy that is below average height represents for me. In my opinion a Mr. Olympia should be larger than life.

Lastly it was driving me nuts with him crossing the line like crazy. I've heard excuses that, they were just fired up, it's a natural thing to do. No it's not. It's what coaches drill into the heads of (especially smaller) competitors to gain an advantage... "with very pose move up slightly closer to the judges". Derek took that to the next level.

If you say that it's part of the game, to do whatever it takes to have an advantage and win, it's not. Because than you shouldn't complain about SEO, or even implants. Whatever it takes to win right?

If you are competing to be the best, stand on the line and let judges decide who is the best. It shouldn't be about who could cheat slightly to get an advantage. Stand there like a man on the line, and if you look too small, than guess what? You are too small. And if you win, nobody will be able to take that away from you. I know many Olympia winners have done it in the past. But they should have a simple rule. You step over that line, you get one warning. Second time you're disqualified. I guarantee that all of the sudden everyone would be able to control their excitement and not cross the line.


/EndOfRant

Great post.

I have been meaning to post about the O but never bothered but I will mention a few thoughts after reading your post. I had Hadi winning but there wasn't much in it. Derek was better from the back and Hadi from the front. It was far from a robbery like many have posted online (many of his supporters are legit crazy) and I can't argue with the decision in the slightest. Not counting his physique I also understand why they picked Derek and that definitely come into play and he will be a good "ambassador".

As we know bodybuilding is very subjective and we all like different things but most of us who follow bodybuilding and understand how they judge contests knew who the top 2 would be once they stood on stage. Now sure if you asked most people on the street who is the winner one of the bigger guys would 100% be picked. I am also a fan of big/tall and imposing competitors but Hadi is a fav of mine and he stands out on stage. Samson was close and he is huge and looked fantastic but he needs to improve certain things before he wins it (very possible next year). It is mad when I see the likes of Derek on stage or in pics alone looking how he does (enormous) then you see him stood next to big people and realize it's all an illusion.

I 100% understand what you mean about Derek. I don't want to bad mouth the guy because he only acts nice but it's a lot like the "Brady Bunch" to me. When someone is too nice all the time it's all a bit weird. It's also obvious he is fake to the camera and putting on a show and there is nothing wrong with that and many do that without even realizing but definitely not my cup of tea (UK saying ). I am sure he is nice but to me he is so cheesy, phony, cringeworthy etc. We are all built differently but he reminds me of a guy who trains in my gym. He trains hard but put it this way it's less Branch Warren and more Ned Flanders.

Regarding the rest of the show I was made up for Ryan Terry as he has put in the work and chipped away and he looked fantastic and finally won. His placings at the O have gradually gone down over the years and it seemed he wasn't big enough to win but he turned that around. No one deserved a win more than him and he really earned it and to me he has the perfect look for physique. They need to remember it's the equivalent of bikini for women and it shouldn't be a mini bodybuilding show and the division was starting to get too big. I don't think physique should be bigger than Ryan Terry and they shouldn't be having huge arms and massive chests etc.

No arguments with any of the other divisions either. I am surprised with what Flex Wheeler has said about the O and he always comes across as very bitter these days. He made it out like every open guy looked like shit and they should be beating Hadi and Derek so they were all a massive disappointment. He is bitter when it comes to Andrew Jacked because he stopped being trained by Flex and that was one of the guys he probably had in mind when he made his rant. The lighting and live stream was a complete joke but I thought most of the guys looked great this year. Tonio Burton really stood out to me but a lot of them looked great and I thought it was a great show considering how long they had them waiting backstage (ridiculous).

 

[Fleezy]

Lastly it was driving me nuts with him crossing the line like crazy. I've heard excuses that, they were just fired up, it's a natural thing to do. No it's not. It's what coaches drill into the heads of (especially smaller) competitors to gain an advantage... "with very pose move up slightly closer to the judges". Derek took that to the next level.

Definitely agree with this

The ‘line’ shouldnt be a painted line IMO - but rather a slightly elevated strip on the stage so there’s no excuse saying you ‘unknowingly’ crossed it

Step over the line, instant penalty

Heath also exploited this like crazy, standing like a whole foot closer to the judges than Kai lol

 

[Ruhlfreak55]

Cydney wins because they don't want the figure to look more like WPD, and that would happen if Jessica wins. I still think Jessica deserves to win sometime.

In WBB she would have Michaella in third place and in WPD Anne in third place. Andrea and Sarah were authoritative winners.

It was a shame about Missy's injury, she was going to win the show for sure, but what an epic moment for Oksana to get a title after 4 years of retirement.

I also don't care about classic and mens bikini, lol

I LOVE Michaela. She's definitely my favorite active FBB. Not that I have anything against Andrea, I love her look too, but just a huge fan of Michaela's.