Guys we're here back stage at the Orleans Arena. The men are set to go on about 8:30 p.m. We will be bringing you live play-by-play with IFBB Pro Chris Cormier – thanks to Quality Nutrition Technology (QNT) and FLEX Editor-in-Chief Allan Donnelly. Stay tuned.
BRANCH WARREN
AD – Branch is in shape, gonna be in the mix for top 6, looks really good
CC – Branch was a better package than Arnold Package, overshadowed by some of thel ights, but he came to battle, expect some good competition from Branch
TROY ALVES:
AD – Troy looks good, been improving consistently this year, back is improved from last year, brought up his legs, gonna be in contention for 9, 10, 11 spot
CC – Lost fat all over his body evenly, used to leave his glutes fatty but for what he's doing, he did a good job, not top 10 but he's done a respectable job
HIDE YAMAGISHI
AD – Hide looks like Hide, he's in condition, he's a thick little guy with good wheels, could be tighter in the hamstrings
CC – I think he looks tired, he put in a lot of travel and competition.. I've seen him look better, overtired bodybuilder look to me
VICTOR MARTINEZ
AD – A lot of people thought he'd be off but he looks in shape, left leg is still looking like it's behind and that will hurt him with these guys
CC – You can see the effects of a damaged knee, the sides are down but he's smaller overall, chest is flat and muscles that should be full aren't rounded at all…
AD – Upper body looks better than Arnold, back looks really good
CC – Back is looking good but chest is flat up top
AD – Left leg is still not recovered and that's too bad, hopefully he can get it back to where it was eventually
CC – I bet he'll look better tomorrow…
AD – You got Branch Warren ahead of him?
CC – Oh yeah…
MELVIN ANTHONY
CC – He's improved from last competition, but I've seen his legs fuller before and chest fuller too, but conditioning is a lot better from the Atlantic City show
AD – Melvin's condition is better, but he looks like he came down in size a little too much for another top six finish
CC – Front side is tighter than the back side, side triceps looking good and his waistline came down more
AD – Melvin is in shape, his saratius is poppin' in that shot and he's in shape… We're gonna have to see him standing next to the other guys to see where he's at
DARREM CHARLES
AD – He looks big for Darrem but he's sacrificed conditioning
CC – He looks filmy and watery, I like to see him chiseled. His shoulders look way too big for his body, way too big, but he's got a filmy look on his body and normally he's diced to the hill
AD – Darrem is very smooth from the back and he tried to come in bigger, but it ain't working for him right now
CC – Historically he never had a chiseled, dense back
AD – His triceps are usually zippered and they're not
RONNY ROCKEL
AD – His legs look amazing from the front
CC- Ronny, I'm telling you right now, he tried to come in too big, a tad, but it didn't register in his chest, his shoulders are big but I think, for him, I liked his chest fuller looking
AD – Overall condition he's on par to be the best he's ever been, this is the best he's ever been, his hamstrings are in
CC – His Achilles's heel is his posing, cuz he'll hit his back and forget about his legs
AD – A really good showing for him, I'm really impressed, not enough to say he's the top ten yet but he brought it tonight
MARKUS RUHL
AD – Markus is big…
CC – He loves this shit. It's not pretty…
AD – No, he's not pretty
CC – You can see the damage he's done over the years, you can see how his chest is not all the way there like it used to be
AD – Big, big, big guy but obviously a blocky physique and there's a lot of aesthetic guys in this lineup, but he'll overpower some people
CC – Him by himself is impressive, but him next to other people, some people can out detail him.
KAI GREENE
AD – I don't think so, not tonight for some reason
CC – I expected to see more of Kai, but I felt he looked better at the Arnold
AD – 50 percent of me expected to say "WTF" when he walked out on stage but I didn't say that
CC – That front stance is not his strong point, it's a weak point to me
AD – We've seen him in better condition and he's not at his best here and he can't afford that here
CC – At the Arnold his body was together more, his muscles are not pushing are not pushing as hard against the skin here as it was
AD – He'll get better in the course of this prejudgining b/c he'll lose that film
CC – If he fills out he can go up in standards, if he fills his body up with more carbs he'll look a lot better, he's just looking flat
MARTIN KJELLSTROM
AD – He's a big dude
CC – He's out-classed
AD – Martin is always conditioned in his lower half but tonight I'm not saying that
CC – His body has looked better
AD – He looks blurred in the upper body
BILL WILMORE
CC- He can stand to put more work in his lower body and his physique would look a lot better. I've seen him fuller
AD – Bill looks smooth from teh back, this is a case, esp. in the lower half, this is a case if he wanted to give himself a spot in the top 15 he needed to come spot-on and he didn't
CC – he qualified at a weaker strength show
JAY CUTLER
AD – The crowds loves him. You can tell by Jay's face that he's feeling it. He's much better than he was last year, legs speerated and detailed, look full but we gotta see him when he turns around
CC – He's got a more matured look, a better package than i've seen
AD – Looks really good fromteh side right now, hamstrings are in, skin is tight in the lower half, if there is no skin folds he can win the show, he still ahs wrinlke in lower back
CC – Best he's been in a long time by far
AD – Yes
CC – IT's an older look, not that little kid look, a deeper definition, still little sharpie in his lower back, waist not helping him in lower back, quads are seperated good
AD – I will say this: Right now it's his show but we still gotta see Phil and Dex, but he beats Kai as far as I'm concerend. Jay is feeling it and he brought it on the first night. Hats off to him
CC – He did good
DENNIS WOLF
AD – Dennis is not as conditioned as he needs to be
CC – A lot better than last time competing
AD – Yes, but in the side shot, you can see he needs to be a few pounds lighter
CC – His back is not dense, hard granite, it's a layer of film all over his body
AD – It looks like Dennis has improved his back, brought up some weak areas but we can't tell b/c he's not in shape like he needs to be
CC – He's holding more water now
AD – Two years ago the crowd went nuts for him but I hate to say it but you can hear yourself breathign and the crowd tells you how you're doing
CC – He brought the house down last time and this time he barely got claps, I said it before, this would make or break it for him
DENNIS JAMES
CC – He's been competing all year long and he looks a lot smaller, like his muscles can't keep answering the bell, he's asking too much.
AD – Side shots are always good for Dennis, his legs look great from the side, he'll hold his own in the side shots with a lot of guys in this lineup. Two biggest problems: quad sweep from the front and the double biceps shot from the front and back
CC – The way he's built with the higher lats look, he doesn't have much development in the lower part… has to have a better abs shot if he plans to do well
AD – Regardless of how it shakes out tonight, Dennis has had a great year and he's gotta be happy with the way things worked out this year
JOEL STUBBS
CC – He's been trying a lot to bring his legs up and I think, somehow, he's damaging his legs… he's in condition and a lot of people thought he'd do well but I don't know… I'm not sold
AD – Humongous upper body, legs don't match up
CC – He needs to bring the house down with the back shot and he didn't do it. I don't know what he is doing for prep, he's trying hard, but it's not coming out right for what I consider someone vying for a big title
TONEY FREEMAN
AD – Toney looks full. Him coming in flat has always been a problem and that's not a problem tonight.
CC – His veins are nice and full
AD – His quads are usually more separated. He does look thicker in the upper body in the side shot but we need to see how he looks next to other guys in the side shot
CC – He looks decent. He's not wowing the crowd with ultra rippedness but he can look better tomorrow
AD – Toney and Kai will be an interesting matchup. At first glance, I think Branch has them both beat. Just like we said about Kai, Toney should get sharper as he poses more.
MOE EL MOUSSAWI
AD – Moe is better than he was at the Arnold
CC – Waist is tighter
AD – I'm not sure if he is as sharp and conditioned as the Iron Man two years ago
CC – I don't know about that but he's gotten rid of that puffiness, he had this swollen look before and that isn't there anymore.
MOE EL MOUSSAWI
AD – Moe is better than he was at the Arnold
CC – Waist is tighter
AD – I'm not sure if he is as sharp and conditioned as the Iron Man two years ago
CC – I don't know about that but he's gotten rid of that puffiness, he had this swollen look before and that isn't there anymore.
CC – I think Silvio is in decent condition, but I think he needs to keep working on his posing, but in this lineup he still might look smallish
AD – I don't know why he's doing those wide stands
CC – He can have deeper cuts in his back, he won't like the pics of his side chest b/c his stomach was a little bloated in that shot
AD – I don't think Silvio has the striation in his chest that we see when he's really on
PHIL HEATH
CC – He's flat. He's trying to be really tight but he's flat. I've seen his muscles jumping the crowd more than that before.
AD – Phil right now is in teh running for second place, but right now it's Jay's show. This side triceps shot is the best side tri in teh sprot right now
CC – Great condition, I'll tell you that
AD – Back double is now a great shot for Phil, but the two shots for me that need to be better are front relaxed and front double bi
CC – If he had more oil he'd look more dramatic
AD – Phil, from the front, his legs look like they're down in size
CC – It's because he's flat. If he ate a bunch of food right now he'd look nuts. He'll look better tomorrow.
AD – Phil's gonna be in the mix for the top three for sure, but on this night I cannot see him beating Jay.
CC – When you hit a muscle shot you want all your muscles rippling and moving, but when you're flat like that it's hard for all of your muscle fibers to fire off and look dramatic
GUSTAVO BADELL
AD – Gustavo looks like he did two weeks ago in Atlantic City when he won. He's definitely rebounded from his bad streak of not coming in shape.
CC – His conditioning is good but he's not the same, it's a different look. Even though he's in shape he just looks like… he looks not right. His body is crooked when he's holding his poses. Legs have damage to them.
AD – For Gustavo, he looks good but he doesn't have the shape to compete with the top guys in the lineup. Maybe there is a spot for him in the bottom, bottom half of the top 10.
MICHAEL KEFALIANOS
AD – I don't know much about this guy, but he's in shape.
CC – His body is decent, he just lacks in genetics, the way he's put together. He's not a big buy, not wide in the clavicles.
AD – This guy, not knowing much about him, he's definitely not out of place on the Olympia stage and that is saying something.
CC – I think he needs to put more work into his back and it would help his situation. He probably works on his front a lot…
AD – He needs to work on controlling that stomach.
CC – He won't like the pictures of his stomach.
AD – Crowd needs to be better. Jay is the only guy that they came alive for. Tomorrow night will be entirely different for the finals.I can tell you this without even seeing him, Dexter is so confident that he'll be better than last year.
CC – I know Dexter's face, the way it's creased up means he's really in shape.Sometimes he competes and those dimples aren't as deep, but his face is really dug out so expect to see something.
AHMAD HAIDAR
AD – Ahmad has a very asthetic physique. We've seen him sharper. I'm not sayign he's not in condition but we've seen him sharper.
CC – He's getting up there in age so your muscles don't the glycogen as much as they used to, which means he might look a little flat
DEXTER JACKSON
AD – He's doing his slow walk again…
CC – Flex Wheeler patented that walk and Dex stole it.
AD – Right now, it's between Jay and Dexter.
CC – For sure.
AD – He looks bigger in the front double this year
CC – When Dexter turns around it will show how tight he is from the back and will tell you what's gonna happen in this Mr. Olympia
AD – This is a battle between Jay and Dexter.
CC – I'm going with Dexter.
AD – I won't say until I see them next to each other. Jay will be a lot bigger. When you see Jay from the back, in particular his legs.
CC – Dexter has that big ass ditch between his glute and quad
AD – From the side for sure
CC – I think Dexter is close to what he's been getting
AD – As far as I"m concerned, everyone else is fighting for third. It's between Jay and Dexter. He won't go down without a fight, that's for sure.
CC – I think the guys are changing as the show goes on. Kai, for instance, is looking better than he did before. The eating and drinking backstage has already started to show.
CC – For me, let's forget about the politics, what should be or what people think… What I'm looking at is Dexter is the number 1 physique up there. I see good things from Phil and I think Kai is gonna fill out more and harden up more b/c remember at the Arnold he did the same thing. He didn't look that good at first and as the show went on he got fuller and harder and we might see the same metamorphosis today, let's hope so for his sake because I know he put a lot of work into his prep for the show.
I have 1. Dexter. 2. Phil. 3. Kai. 4. Jay. 5. Branch.
AD – You got Jay in 4th? You're out of your mind. I bet you $500 Jay will place higher than 4th.
CC – That sharpie is coming back on Jay, his body is changing, the water is distributing throughout the body differently, it will be a different show than when they first came out. Let's get ready for a new show.
AD – Of course, when they're standing next to each other it's always a new show. But I still have $500 that Jay finishes higher than 4th. Chris hasn't shook on it so he doesn't want my action.
CC – Watch how they come out, I'm just saying what I'm seeing now how they're going to place.
AD – That's a cop out. He doesn't want my action.
FIRST CALLOUT
AD – Branch, Victor, Kai, Jay, Phil, Dex…that's what I say
FIRST CALLOUT
Branch Warren, Victor Martinez, Kai Greene, Jay Cutler, Heath, Dex
FIRST CALLOUT
AD – To me right now, Jay looks massive from the front. Phil looks fuller now than when he first came out for sure.
CC – I'll pick Victor 6th…
AD – Yeah, Victor 6th definitely
FIRST CALLOUT
CC – Nobody is overpowering anyone.
AD – There's a lot of different physiques up there.
CC – Not right here or right now they're not…
AD – Right now, since nobody is overpowering anyone, I'm saying Jay just because he's bigger than everyone else.
CC – Jay looks the weakest up there from the back double, he's in last place with that shot. You can't win the show like that. Look at the shape around the back.
AD – I have Phil beating Dex in the back shot. Kai is definitely getting better.
FIRST CALLOUT
CC – Nobody is perfect up there. It's gonna be a battle. Even Dexter's strong points are strong but some aren't.
AD – Jay is feeling it right now. I will say this, and Chris has never liked Jay's physique.
CC – I'm not a fan of it, no.
AD – But on this night in this lineup, I think Jay has it.
CC – You see his lower back? If he wins he double dribbles.
SECOND CALLOUT
AD – Yamigishi, Rockel, Freeman, Anthony, Moe, Silvio
AD – No Dennis Wolf in this callout. That is the biggest shock in this contest — that Dennis Wolf is gonna be out of the top 10.
SECOND CALLOUT
AD – In this one, Toney is standing out to me.
CC – The German, No. 7, he looks good. Toney and Rockel look good in this one. Roney beat Toney on the side chest. He's beating homeboy to me. Not in that last spread, but everything else.
AD – Guys who should be brought into this mix are Troy, Gustavo and maybe even Markus, but they have to do a lot more comparisons to see how it shakes out, not only in the top six but the top 10.
THIRD CALLOUT
AD – Gonna be Cutler, Jackson, Greene and Heath as far as I'm concerned…
AD – I forgot about Branch…
CC – That was my top five!
AD – To me, Victor is No. 6.
CC – He's in 6th homey. He's not beating anyone up there.
AD – I almost rather they left him out to concentrate on the other guys, but you know…
CC – Jay's muscularity in the back, I'm not cool with that as my Mr. Olympia. You need the anatomy chart up there, not just "trust me it's under there."
AD – I gotta say, all these guys look good.
CC – Whatever type of look you like…
AD – Front double I don't know who won that. Front lat spread I give to Jay. Side chest… they all didn't hit at the same time so I can't call that one.
CC – I'm gonna call this right now: Jay is looking pretty decent…
AD – Oh really? Someone sitting two seats away from you has been saying that for the past 20 minutes.
CC – Jay is the bigger guy up there on stage.
AD – His condition is good enough and he's the biggest one up there. Right now i have it as a battle with jay and dex for 1 and 2, phil and kai for 3 and 4 and branch in fifth
CC – So Phil could be 4th?
AD – Yes.
CC – They bringing out Wolf not… other people improved and he slid back down as far as conditioning goes.
AD – I think Wolf looked the same from before and he's off. He's been off since he stepped on stage I think.
CC – If I oiled up right now I'd look like that.
AD – Special invite, jump on up.
CC – Here is the funny thing, it's all over the place. Kai could be anywhere from third or fourth, Dexter can win it or lose it, Jay can win it or lose it…
AD – Chris just said a whole lot without saying anything… He's talking himself in circles!
AD – Rockel could finish 7th, dude. I'd like to see Toney, Ronny, and Victor compared for the 6th spot.
CC – I'm impressed with Rockel, things went better for him as he went on. His body is in really good condition but as the pump got fuller and his muscles filled up with blood he's looked better. I think the judges will reward him in this competition. Dennis Wolf did not help his case to be Mr. Olympia in the future.
FIFTH CALLOUT
Gustavo, Silvio, Ronny, Moe, Hide, DJ
AD – I think Ronny Rockel has got it in this group.
CC – I'm going with Silvio, Gustavo and Rockel in this group.Those cats are grabbing most of the attention.
AD – Let's go with, between Ronny and between Gustavo and Silvio… I think it's going to be Ronny… the top 8 right now in no order is Jay, Dex, Phil, Kai, Branch, Victor, Toney and Ronny… actually that is in order but I'd like to see Toney and Ronny and Victor compared because I think they could move around a little. But I think the top 4 is set, Branch is kind of locked into that 5 spot.Kai is getting better. Phil is getting better.
SIX CALLOUT
AD – Troy just beat Melvin in Atlantic City…
CC – It looks like the right side of the stage is lit better, all the guys on the right looks better than the left. Ruhl looks like he has shoulder pads on.
AD – I take it you don't think that's a good thing? See, it's a shame Dennis didn't come in shape because I do think he has made improvements to his back and maybe his legs from the rear but you can't tell because he's off and that's two years in a row now so he has some work to do.
CC – Wolf? I told you this is a make or break show for him.
AD – Yeah, but the real make or break show is that he needs to do the Arnold now to regain what he had two years ago. He needs to come in shape.
CC – He didn't keep that aura that he had going. He used to have people hollering at him…
AD – Accoring the fans he was the NEXT
SEVENTH CALLOUT
DJ, Toney, Ronny, Victor
SEVENTH CALLOUT
CC – I wish Rockel would work on his posing.. but his front double bicep looks the best, he looks harder
AD – Honestly, Ronny Rockel sixth
CC – For a little dude he's holding his own right now.
AD – Yeah, dude.
CC – I have him winning this group. I don't like Ronny's last spread, he looks like a little boy.
AD – Oh, oh!
CC – Yeah, I said it but he has some wheels on him and his abs are killing eveyrone.
AD – Yeah, but you can't call someone a little boy and then say "yeah, but!"
EIGHTH CALLOUT
Silvio, Wolf, Gustavo, Hide, Moe, Markus
CC – Oh boy, this has been… I don't know, man.
AD – Right now we're looking at 9 or 10… this is for 9 or 10… OK, Chris… who are our last two spots? I'm gonna go with Gustavo.
CC – Gustavo?
AD – Yeah, in 9th.
CC – It is the end of the year show, and these guys competing and comoign back again, a lot of guys are affected more than others, some look tired, a lot of them
NINTH CALLOUT
KEFALIANOS, Stubbs, Willmore, Kjellstrom, Darrem, Ahmad
CC – This is an assembly line right now.
AD – That's cold, man.
NINTH CALLOUS
AD – I don't have a whole lot tos ay about this one, I don't think these guys will be in the top 15. YOu have guys like Melvin and Troy, you're 11-15 right now, someone like Melvin, Troy, Wolf…mabye even Silvio or Moe are gonna be barely making the top 15 and that's crazy and shows how good this show is.
NINTH CALLOUS
AD – I don't have a whole lot tos ay about this one, I don't think these guys will be in the top 15. YOu have guys like Melvin and Troy, you're 11-15 right now, someone like Melvin, Troy, Wolf…mabye even Silvio or Moe are gonna be barely making the top 15 and that's crazy and shows how good this show is.
TENTH CALLOUT
Kai, Phil, Branch
CC – This is for third, fourth and fifth
AD – Yes, sir.
CC – The Gift needs more time in the gym.
AD – Phil probably should have been 5-8 pounds heavier coming into this show. I think someone happened with Phil over the last few days but Phil was much bigger and fuller and he's not where he should have been. Still gonna finish in the top 4 but we could have seen him be Mr. Olympia if he was on. In this lineup, on this night, I got Kai in 3rd and Phil in 4th.
CC – Phi is flat. I told you he was flat. He couldn't pump up at the end and Kai is about to take him out.
AD – Yeah.
CC – And if he aint' watching it, homeboy from Texas is gonna take him out.
AD – Regardless, you have your top 2 and it's Jay and DEx and they are about to bring them back out right now for one last callout and the crowd will be into this shit so let's see who Mr. Olympia will be.
TENTH CALLOUT
Dex , Branch and Kai
AD – Judges are doing good right now by keeping them on the right half of the stage b/c it's lit better.
CC – Dex's legs look a littel smaller. That comes from not training as hard as when he was a little younger.
AD – I think, honestly, Jay looks like he's harder now. I'm looking at him in the background.
LAST CALLOUT
Jay, Dex
AD – This is what we should have seen last year, and we're seeing it this year, the crowd is into it, this is your top two. Jay is big and his legs are dominant.
CC – But they've got not depth. Now Jay is looking more powerful from the back. Jay is trying to win this thing right now.
AD – It's gonna come down, I hate to say it, but it's apples and oranges, you know? I think for what Jay did and I'm not saying anything Dex hasn't said over the last two years, if Jay comes in condition, it's his show. Well, Jay came in condition. So in my eyes, it's Jay's show.
CC – The judges are favoring Jay. Jay was patting Dex's leg, it's an old school move when you think you're legs are more superior.
LAST CALLOUT
Jay, Dex
AD – This is what we should have seen last year, and we're seeing it this year, the crowd is into it, this is your top two. Jay is big and his legs are dominant.
CC – But they've got not depth. Now Jay is looking more powerful from the back. Jay is trying to win this thing right now.
AD – It's gonna come down, I hate to say it, but it's apples and oranges, you know? I think for what Jay did and I'm not saying anything Dex hasn't say over the last two years, if Jay comes in conditioned, it's his show. Well, Jay came in conditioned. So in my eyes, it's Jay's show.
CC – The judges are favoring Jay. Jay was patting Dex's leg, it's an old school move when you think you're legs are more superior.
FINAL COMMENTS
CC – We'll se tomorrow. I think Dexter is gonna hope he has enough, his legs are down in size from when he won Mr. Olympia and that's not helping his case here but he does have his trademark muscularity, waistline and superior ab development and his lower back is tighter than Jays. Jay has overall size and brute muscle… I think the judges have Jay No. 1 and I think Dexter is better.
AD – It's about which do you prefer, obviously, but I think the good big guy beats the good guy who is smaller … i don't want to say dex is a little guy, cause he's not. i just go back to we're always saying if jay was as good as he was in 06 he would have won last year, well he's better than he was in 2006. Period. Jay first, Dex second.
