Whoever Wrote This At Flex is Either...

[Spicy Shushi]

A-Blind
B-a Moron
C-Pimping Weider Athletes
D-Knows Nothiing About Bodybuilding
E-Afraid to Put His Name to the Article
F-Had Grapefruit Juice in His Eye
G-All of the Above

Answer: (G)

Kai Greene earns a stunning victory over Darrem Charles at the 2007 Colorado Pro

THERE WAS NOTHING STUNNING ABOUT IT. HE SMOKED HIM. DARREM SHOULD HAVE BEEN 4TH OR 5TH



After prejudging, three athletes had a legitimate claim to the 2007 Colorado Pro title June 2 in Denver. You had Darrem Charles, winner of seven pro shows since 2002 and supremely shredded; Ronny Rockel, the uber-symmetrical German; and Silvio Samuel, he of the impossibly tiny joints and impossibly full and round muscle bellies. Any one of them could have walked away with the trophy and $25,000 first-place check without much controversy.

So it was a shock, to say the least, when emcee Bob Cicherillo uttered the name of Kai Greene as the winner. Greene, a masterful poser who hadn't done much on the on the pro circuit after earning pro status as the 2004 NPC Team Universe overall champ - his best showing before 2007 was 14th at the 2005 New York Pro and 2006 Colorado Pro - enjoyed a big breakthrough three weeks ago at the New York Pro. With a much improved physique and hype on his side after his impressive sixth-place finish there, he followed that up by taking third and qualifying for the Olympia at last week's Keystone Pro in Pennsylvania. None of that, however, could have foreshadowed this victory, as Greene lacks the proportion, muscle maturity and polish of the three men he finished directly ahead of. Even David Henry in fifth perhaps brought a better overall package to this contest.?

Perplexing as the result was, it should take nothing away from Greene, who has made a triumphant statement in '07 as a pro to be reckoned with. And he does have fan support on his side, as he also won the Bodybuilding.com Fan's Choice Award and the Best Presentation Award for his electric and showstopping posing routine - in the posing round, where athletes like Charles, King Kamali, Vince Taylor and Melvin Anthony have been upping the ante in competing for the unofficial title of best poser in the IFBB, Greene may arguably be the best of them all. He has a fluidity of motion and a command over every pop, lock and pose, talents that made him a one-man highlight reel of the night shows in New York, Pennsylvania and now Colorado over the past month.

Perhaps it was those mesmerizing moves that put him over the top. Or maybe the judges see more to his physique than this reporter. But mark down June 2 in the annals of IFBB history, as it will either mark the coming of a bright new star on the circuit, or one of the most anomalous decisions ever rendered in a pro bodybuilding show.

GEE, YA THINK??? THIS GUY SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO WRITE ABOUT ANOTHER BODYBUILDING CONTEST.

[HeartofSteel]

A-Blind
B-a Moron
C-Pimping Weider Athletes
D-Knows Nothiing About Bodybuilding
E-Afraid to Put His Name to the Article
F-Had Grapefruit Juice in His Eye
G-All of the Above

Answer: (G)

Kai Greene earns a stunning victory over Darrem Charles at the 2007 Colorado Pro

THERE WAS NOTHING STUNNING ABOUT IT. HE SMOKED HIM. DARREM SHOULD HAVE BEEN 4TH OR 5TH



After prejudging, three athletes had a legitimate claim to the 2007 Colorado Pro title June 2 in Denver. You had Darrem Charles, winner of seven pro shows since 2002 and supremely shredded; Ronny Rockel, the uber-symmetrical German; and Silvio Samuel, he of the impossibly tiny joints and impossibly full and round muscle bellies. Any one of them could have walked away with the trophy and $25,000 first-place check without much controversy.

So it was a shock, to say the least, when emcee Bob Cicherillo uttered the name of Kai Greene as the winner. Greene, a masterful poser who hadn't done much on the on the pro circuit after earning pro status as the 2004 NPC Team Universe overall champ - his best showing before 2007 was 14th at the 2005 New York Pro and 2006 Colorado Pro - enjoyed a big breakthrough three weeks ago at the New York Pro. With a much improved physique and hype on his side after his impressive sixth-place finish there, he followed that up by taking third and qualifying for the Olympia at last week's Keystone Pro in Pennsylvania. None of that, however, could have foreshadowed this victory, as Greene lacks the proportion, muscle maturity and polish of the three men he finished directly ahead of. Even David Henry in fifth perhaps brought a better overall package to this contest.?

Perplexing as the result was, it should take nothing away from Greene, who has made a triumphant statement in '07 as a pro to be reckoned with. And he does have fan support on his side, as he also won the Bodybuilding.com Fan's Choice Award and the Best Presentation Award for his electric and showstopping posing routine - in the posing round, where athletes like Charles, King Kamali, Vince Taylor and Melvin Anthony have been upping the ante in competing for the unofficial title of best poser in the IFBB, Greene may arguably be the best of them all. He has a fluidity of motion and a command over every pop, lock and pose, talents that made him a one-man highlight reel of the night shows in New York, Pennsylvania and now Colorado over the past month.

Perhaps it was those mesmerizing moves that put him over the top. Or maybe the judges see more to his physique than this reporter. But mark down June 2 in the annals of IFBB history, as it will either mark the coming of a bright new star on the circuit, or one of the most anomalous decisions ever rendered in a pro bodybuilding show.

GEE, YA THINK??? THIS GUY SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO WRITE ABOUT ANOTHER BODYBUILDING CONTEST.

Dude, rock on man, I said the very same thing and it's so freakin annoying to see that FLEX, the supposed good guys of the IFBB would write such a thing. The freakin guy won hands down (deservingly) his very first pro show and they KNOCK him for it, WTF!!!

-HOS

[Tre]

Guys - you need to read between the lines. 

The author is not in any way suggesting that Kai wasn't the best bodybuilder on the stage this weekend. 

What he's saying is that, given their respective bodies of work, it's generally surprising that Kai was able to beat Darrem. 

Neither competitor is being disrespected by the author of that byline. 

[240 is Back]

Does Darrem have a contract with either Weider or MD?

[Spicy Shushi]

Guys - you need to read between the lines. 

The author is not in any way suggesting that Kai wasn't the best bodybuilder on the stage this weekend. 

What he's saying is that, given their respective bodies of work, it's generally surprising that Kai was able to beat Darrem. 

Neither competitor is being disrespected by the author of that byline. 

Dude, are you on crack? "Not in any way suggesting that Kai wasn't the best."

Tre, instead of desperately trying so hard to read between the lines to save face for Flex, how about you read EXACTLY what the guy said, and I quote:

"None of that, however, could have foreshadowed this victory, as Greene lacks the proportion, muscle maturity and polish of the three men he finished directly ahead of. Even David Henry in fifth perhaps brought a better overall package to this contest."

"Or maybe the judges see more to his physique than this reporter. But mark down June 2 in the annals of IFBB history, as it will either mark the coming of a bright new star on the circuit, or one of the most anomalous decisions ever rendered in a pro bodybuilding show."

Put the pipe down. Please.

[Spicy Shushi]

Does Darrem have a contract with either Weider or MD?

Weider. So, this jackass says that Darrem (Weider), Silvio (Weider), Rockel (no affiliation) and David Henry (Weider) are all better than Kai (MD). The pix say otherwise. I hate MD as much as the next guy. The mag is worthless and their online shithole is a disaster, but what goes on stage should be reported without straight up bias from the mag that is supposed to be the reputable one.

[240 is Back]

Three points:

1) Yes, we see mag politics and playing up their own guys - every mag does it of course, to increase the value of their own guys.  In my opinion, that does move the article from 'journalism' to 'marketing', but hey, that's the nature of the business.  I can live with that, as long as we're all honest with each other.

2) "or one of the most anomalous decisions ever rendered in a pro bodybuilding show."
Casting doubt upon the accuracy of the judges' decision - In my opinion that devalues the sport and insults the judges.  Like all sports, they work to sell the judges as making well-informed, correct decisions.  Even writing this, musing on it... casts doubt where there is none.  Is it fair to suspend Milos for pointing out judging inconsistencies because he hurts the sport's image, then do it here with far less evidence?  Hmmm.

3) Fans picked kai first too, as evidenced by the BBing.com fan poll.  If judges AND fans agreed here - where is the controversy?



I really hope magazines (ALL OF THEM) avoid the pitfall of trashing the champ of a show - or questioning the judges' judgment - in order to raise the value of their own sponsored athletes.  It hurts the sport as a whole.

[Benito Mutumbo]

It's hard to avoid trashing the 'champ' when as he's bowing down and kissing some little boy's hand as he is crowned, pics are circulating of him raping a grapefruit.

[Tre]

"None of that, however, could have foreshadowed this victory, as Greene lacks the proportion, muscle maturity and polish of the three men he finished directly ahead of. Even David Henry in fifth perhaps brought a better overall package to this contest."

Based on where they all were just one year ago, that's a fair statement. 

I understand what you're saying about fairness in reporting, but bodybuilding isn't that different from many other things in that it takes a long time for the old guard to accept the new kid and to give him his due.  At the end of the day, though, all that matters is the check. 

[240 is Back]

"or one of the most anomalous decisions ever rendered in a pro bodybuilding show."

If I was a judge, I would be scratching my head and a little upset my judgment was doubted like this, in a show where fans and judges agreed Kai should win.


One of the most anomalous decisions EVER?  I mean, there have been a lot of questionable shows where many fans agreed the top guy got screwed.  EVER?  A tad dramatic.

[HeartofSteel]

This is from MD online and they're supposed to be the baddass publication, my hats off to them!

Kai Greene Coasts to Victory in Colorado Pro!       
Written by Flex Wheeler     
Sunday, 03 June 2007 
Kai Greene lived up to the prophesy that states, “One day this man will be king of the bodybuilding stage!”  With incredible shape and symmetry, and “cuts” deeper than Michelangelo’s chisel could ever carve out, Kai raised his game to its highest level yet en route to his first pro victory, $25,000 in prize money, $10,000 for the Best Poser Award, and the distinction of being named the “People’s Champion”.   The victory wasn’t easy; however, Kai was challenged by the likes of a much improved Darrem Charles (2nd), the always consistent Silvio Samuel (3rd), Australian Ronny Rockel (4th), and Giant Killer David Henry (5th).    If Kai can add 5-8lbs of muscle by the time the Mr. Olympia roles around in September, he’ll be a very dangerous force to be reckoned with.

 

George Farah, one the best conditioned men in the show, barely missed making the top five and had to settle for a disapppointing 6th place; while pre-contest favorites Branch Warren (7th) and Dennis James (8th) were both slightly off their peak and proved to be non-factors in the overall outcome.   

 

 
-HOS

[MCWAY]

It's called an UPSET!!!

If anybody had told you that Greene would defeat guys the caliber of Charles, James, Warren, etc., most of you would have had to clean the protein shake off your monitor, after peeling yourselves off the floor and out of the fetal position.

As the article says, Greene hasn't done a heck of a lot since turning pro in 2004. And, but for his interesting routine with St. Cloud, he likely wouldn't have been noticed last year, based on his placings.

So, his victory (against the aforementioned competitors) is quite a feat.

[HeartofSteel]

At least MD didn't bash the other athletes considering they're from Weider, way to go MD!

-HOS

[Nuge]

Almost everyone there thought Kai was the clear winner... he was also the people's choice winner, according to the voters who watched the show online.

Hell, even Shawn thought he deserved the win. Unreservedly.

I had Rockel in second. Too bad he was shafted. But the win? Nah.

[thisiskeith12]

Yes he won fairly but it doesn't matter because Kai is just a flavor of the week for MD. Blechman seems to be pressuring him into doing the Olympia.

[oldman]

Well, Kai didnt have the biggest body or the best physique.  What he did was go out there and present the best package and fight for the title.  How do you say, He was posin' to be chosen'.  He was the new thing and the judges bit off on it.

Unforunately, he will be humbled at the Olympia...but he will still be a favorite.

Now if someone could do a side chest like the old days.