immediately getting rid of the thongs.
i have thought about this very question many times.
i feel some sort of reality tv show like featuring young up and coming bodybuilders would propel bodybuilding back into the mainstream.
the ifbb/weider would have to fund the show, as no tv exec would touch this with a barge pole. although the millions they make each year should cover a low budget show.
think ice road trukers style, a low budget, character driven show with the personalities driving the interest rather than training, diet. as joe public isn't really interested in this stuff as intimately as we are.
this would get them more interested in the training and diet, and subtle aspects of bodybuilding as they watch fat guys/girls go from fat to buff over 12-16 weeks.
although different training styles, diet styles, lifestyles should be part of the character choices, to show the different challenges each bodybuilder faces.
you have to remember, the golden years of bodybuilding was never about joe public admiring the great bodies ( that was only a small part) it was thanks to arnold's personality and charisma and pumping iron movie.
you may not get another arnold, but you will get a host of different characters/personalities like they have in big brother, where each person will appeal to certain demographics.
throw in the odd delusional like goodrum/AXA and you have a winning show, and a new interest in bodybuilding is born
