To sum up the whole topic, I can only say that bodybuilding has always been and will be a niche sport for a small group of weirdos and that will not change - we will always be a small group, but we will ALWAYS be there, and "boom" to the gym and the fit lifestyle will soon pass away like everything else, then we will stay again themselves
As for Chris's popularity, or rather the lack of popularity of open bodybuilders, I'm not surprised at all. I have been coaching people for 10 years and I am shocked (it doesn't shock me anymore) how low people's knowledge is, even of competitors - no one is interested in the history of bodybuilding, few people know names such as Levrone, Flex, Ray, Dorian, Haney, etc., even training techniques and programs like - GVT, 5/3/1, DC, rest pause, MYO reps etc. are something completely foreign even to competitors, I'm not talking about gym bros...
I don't know, maybe I'm just such a freak that I've probably read everything there is to read about training and diet, I've studied all the training videos of past and present bodybuilders, I've watched all the videos and I've read articles by John Madows and Justin Harris - but this is my passion, so I want to know as much as I can