IFBB sets new standard in poor judging!

[Vince B]

After watching the broadcast of the Arnold classic I had an idea what was coming. Even I was surprised. Winklaar hasn't paid his dues so was out of the top 6. My first WTF. He impressed me almost as much as Phil Heath did during his routine. I knew he wouldn't be in the top six which was a real shame. I wondered how most guys would feel if they were that good and virtually overlooked. It must be soul destroying.

Freeman has that torn pec so I don't consider his physique to be complete. He was last in my top six. The order of the rest is two fold. One where I would have placed them and the other where I thought the judges would place them. Surprises all round on what the judges did.

My final 6 had Phil, Kai, Dexter, Ronny, Branch and Toney. I thought the judges would go: Phil, Dexter, Kai, Branch, Toney, Ronny. The judges didn't agree and had Kai, Phil, Branch, Dexter, Toney and Ronny.

Congratulations to the IFBB judges who didn't agree with the fans, audience or armchair guys like me. Not one place where the guys should have placed. That surely sets a new standard for this controversial organization. By the way, who were the judges and how did they score? That information should be made public after each show.

No way Kai deserved the best entertaining routine award. That long hair spoiled the view of his back, he was all over the place upside down on stage. Surely they are not rewarding that performance! Melvin Anthony displayed his physique much better than Kai did that night.

[JaggyShortBuff]

Maybe the judges had a fruit fetish......

[Vince B]

It was obvious that Phil Heath was clearly the winner and everyone else was second. His size was incredible. Long muscle bellies. Big calves. Cuts for the poor and a good presentation. Kai wasn't in the same class. Shorter muscle bellies and calves not so big. I have to say this contest was an anticlimax. Shame to everyone who spoiled what should have been a big night for Phil.

[Lion666]

After watching the broadcast of the Arnold classic I had an idea what was coming. Even I was surprised. Winklaar hasn't paid his dues so was out of the top 6. My first WTF. He impressed me almost as much as Phil Heath did during his routine. I knew he wouldn't be in the top six which was a real shame. I wondered how most guys would feel if they were that good and virtually overlooked. It must be soul destroying.

Freeman has that torn pec so I don't consider his physique to be complete. He was last in my top six. The order of the rest is two fold. One where I would have placed them and the other where I thought the judges would place them. Surprises all round on what the judges did.

My final 6 had Phil, Kai, Dexter, Ronny, Branch and Toney. I thought the judges would go: Phil, Dexter, Kai, Branch, Toney, Ronny. The judges didn't agree and had Kai, Phil, Branch, Dexter, Toney and Ronny.

Congratulations to the IFBB judges who didn't agree with the fans, audience or armchair guys like me. Not one place where the guys should have placed. That surely sets a new standard for this controversial organization. By the way, who were the judges and how did they score? That information should be made public after each show.

No way Kai deserved the best entertaining routine award. That long hair spoiled the view of his back, he was all over the place upside down on stage. Surely they are not rewarding that performance! Melvin Anthony displayed his physique much better than Kai did that night.

     not sure about winklaar... he got exactly where he deserved... which was pretty good for his debut show... he has no back vince...
as far as freeman,,, the torn pec can't be held against him too much,,, ifbb overlooked that kinda stuff before... his tear isn't that bad either btw.  just because he is actually taller, weighs more isnt a prereq for winning, otherwise ferig, gunter, ruhl woulda won a lot more.

     as far as heath, well,,, hes gotta bring up his back and chest.  dex was robbed worse than he was.  there was a lot of place changes from pre judge to night show... heath was 1 kai was 2 and dex was 3 so... there was a shuffle. which is kinda nice vince,,, becasue for a while the whole show was based on the pre judge and the night show was basically a formality...
you know this vince.
 it forces you to be more well rounded.. which you have to admit is nice. from experience, i know that having the best body up there isn't a automatic win,,, it actually puts more pressure and you have more eyes on you ,,, your almost obligated to perform well... in a close comp, where the biulds are close, that  has to be the difference maker... the comps have evolved into more showmanship, great bodies are a given.
    of course the judges know what the audience thinks, which makes it even better when they (aud) dont get what they want because if they did, the judges would be suspect of just placating the audience for ticket sales, a case of the customer is right type of thinking.  wwhen they go against, it actually shows that they are being unbiased and not swayed by $$/ticket sales etc.
what you were sayin about kais routine, well like it or not, he seemed put more thought and prep into his than phil, again, kai won it by the night show. so it may not be the finished product but the time to put it together.  this ought to be loud and clear,,, everyone that gets onstage better have a unique routine. once again, i learned that the hard way and when i decide to get back onstage i will be concerning myself with my posing routine as much as my training.

[powermaxx9]

Winklaar hasn't paid his dues so was out of the top 6. My first WTF. He impressed me almost as much as Phil Heath did during his routine.  displayed his physique much better than Kai did that night.

Rolley was narrow as a bitch in the back shots, man.  it's not all about crazy arms.  no thickness and maturity in the back. 

[Vince B]

The judges and everyone else place way too much emphasis on the back. Sure the back is important but not that important. Contests seem to be won or lost today on the back.

My advice to Phil Heath. Come to Melbourne and be judged by a different panel and get some justice. Heck, I am a fan of Kai's but Phil was clearly ahead of him.

About Winklaar. I would rather have his physique than Branch Warren's any day! How Branch places so high is a mystery to me. Vascularity almost as distracting as Paul Dillett. Shape weird but great legs.

I acknowledge that the judges have a different perspective sitting up close like they do. That isn't the best place to judge bodybuilding because you are looking up at contestants. Narrow guys like Heath will suffer because of that perspective. We didn't sit there and watch the prejudging, either, so that is a factor. Still, Phil Heath was way ahead of anyone else in the show. I really don't know what to say but the judges should collectively shake their heads.

[tendonitis]

how anyone can take these contests seriously after the 2007 Olympia is beyond me
it's all a show, about as real as wrestling.  just watch it for what it is and don't take it too seriously

[Lion666]

The judges and everyone else place way too much emphasis on the back. Sure the back is important but not that important. Contests seem to be won or lost today on the back.
surprised at you vince,,, being truly big is having a big back,,, and big backs have been the key to winning close contests for a while

My advice to Phil Heath. Come to Melbourne and be judged by a different panel and get some justice. Heck, I am a fan of Kai's but Phil was clearly ahead of him.
justice for heath could be the judges cards also, he won pre-judge
About Winklaar. I would rather have his physique than Branch Warren's any day! How Branch places so high is a mystery to me. Vascularity almost as distracting as Paul Dillett. Shape weird but great legs.
certainly agree with you there

I acknowledge that the judges have a different perspective sitting up close like they do. That isn't the best place to judge bodybuilding because you are looking up at contestants. Narrow guys like Heath will suffer because of that perspective. We didn't sit there and watch the prejudging, either, so that is a factor. Still, Phil Heath was way ahead of anyone else in the show. I really don't know what to say but the judges should collectively shake their heads.
don't think heaths clav width really hurts him with the judging... if that won it then freeman woulda won,,, he looked really wide in a lot of pics. otherwise,,, agree, heath was good.

[benchmstr]

bench

[Spoony Luv]

After watching the broadcast of the Arnold classic I had an idea what was coming. Even I was surprised. Winklaar hasn't paid his dues so was out of the top 6. My first WTF. He impressed me almost as much as Phil Heath did during his routine. I knew he wouldn't be in the top six which was a real shame. I wondered how most guys would feel if they were that good and virtually overlooked. It must be soul destroying.

Freeman has that torn pec so I don't consider his physique to be complete. He was last in my top six. The order of the rest is two fold. One where I would have placed them and the other where I thought the judges would place them. Surprises all round on what the judges did.

My final 6 had Phil, Kai, Dexter, Ronny, Branch and Toney. I thought the judges would go: Phil, Dexter, Kai, Branch, Toney, Ronny. The judges didn't agree and had Kai, Phil, Branch, Dexter, Toney and Ronny.

Congratulations to the IFBB judges who didn't agree with the fans, audience or armchair guys like me. Not one place where the guys should have placed. That surely sets a new standard for this controversial organization. By the way, who were the judges and how did they score? That information should be made public after each show.

No way Kai deserved the best entertaining routine award. That long hair spoiled the view of his back, he was all over the place upside down on stage. Surely they are not rewarding that performance! Melvin Anthony displayed his physique much better than Kai did that night.

I don't agree with most of this and I certainly don't agree with your choice of transportation...Just saying

[pellius]

Too bad about Freeman's pec and calves. That guy has a good frame and really stands out next to the other midgets. With apologies to gh15 I thought Phil stood out the most. Those delts make up for lack of width and he has a pleasing shape. He had great conditioning and the fullness of his muscles make him explode.

[Julio Ceasar]

Phil Heath should have been the winner. It was like Damn!!! when he entered the stage in the final! Dexter looked great to, almost better. Kai looked out of shape...Brasch could have his most muscular price an no more. Rockel looked much better than Branch in every pose. Rolley should be top 6. Much better than Freeman, freeman is flat, 300 pound but lack of muscle. Japan guy is great.

Actually Kai should have got 4th place...hmm. I don't even want branch and Freeman in top 6.

[Vince B]

During the last comparisons Phil wasn't compared to Dexter, Kai and Branch. Bob Chick thought that odd but reckoned it was because they were looking for 2nd place. I felt the same way. Shows you what Bob and I know, huh?

Bob should have been doing his job as pro athletes rep and not commentating on the show then interviewing the winner afterwards. Bob felt Phil was the clear winner but had to bite his tongue and congratulate Kai. The athletes rep should have been going around making sure the contest was fair dinkum.

[Vince B]

Julio saw the same show I did. I say the heck with reputations and past placings, judge the show by who looks best on the day. Put Winklaar in the top 6 for goodness sake. Give Rockel a fair go. Warren out of the top 6 for sure because that guy has poor aesthetics. How on earth Branch placed ahead of Dexter is preposterous. The criterion sucks if that is good judging.

Phil was first and no one close. After that you can pretty much argue all you want about Kai, Ronny and Dexter for second and third. Winklaar up there, too.

[pellius]

Julio saw the same show I did. I say the heck with reputations and past placings, judge the show by who looks best on the day. Put Winklaar in the top 6 for goodness sake. Give Rockel a fair go. Warren out of the top 6 for sure because that guy has poor aesthetics. How on earth Branch placed ahead of Dexter is preposterous. The criterion sucks if that is good judging.

Phil was first and no one close. After that you can pretty much argue all you want about Kai, Ronny and Dexter for second and third. Winklaar up there, too.

I forgot to mention about that lame pony tail. It obscured a lot of the back shots and I thought they take points out for that. That and posing upside down I thought would have put the nail in his coffin.

[Vince B]

I saw Kai in Melbourne last March. He looked great and posed in a way that brought attention to what he was displaying. I thought that was smart because his transitions during the judging made you look more at him than the other guys. That said, Kai doesn't have the aesthetics that Phil and Dexter have. I am not sure exactly what it is but an unusual physique for sure. Had he looked more like he did in Melbourne and not had that silly hair hanging down his back he might have been more deserving.

[pellius]

I saw Kai in Melbourne last March. He looked great and posed in a way that brought attention to what he was displaying. I thought that was smart because his transitions during the judging made you look more at him than the other guys. That said, Kai doesn't have the aesthetics that Phil and Dexter have. I am not sure exactly what it is but an unusual physique for sure. Had he looked more like he did in Melbourne and not had that silly hair hanging down his back he might have been more deserving.

Now that's a damn good shot. Your work, Vince?

[CT_Muscle]

I saw Kai in Melbourne last March. He looked great and posed in a way that brought attention to what he was displaying. I thought that was smart because his transitions during the judging made you look more at him than the other guys. That said, Kai doesn't have the aesthetics that Phil and Dexter have. I am not sure exactly what it is but an unusual physique for sure. Had he looked more like he did in Melbourne and not had that silly hair hanging down his back he might have been more deserving.

I think he has a short torso which accentuates his low lats

[Vince B]

Kai has shorter muscle bellies than Phil. Look at the gap in the arms between the triceps and elbows and the relatively high calves. Something not quite right about his body but goodness me he has put on a lot of quality muscle there.

Phil can't be in Melbourne because he already committed to doing a show in Mexico and has to honour that contract.

Yes, I took that shot last year. Here is the same shot in black and white.

[Vince B]

I don't agree with most of this and I certainly don't agree with your choice of transportation...Just saying

Sorry to disappoint you but this is what I drive and my old ute was the green one.

[kiwiol]

It was a toss up between Phil and Kai - Phil was better conditioned (although not that much in the finals) and more complete, but Kai was a lot bigger and wider, with enough conditioning to win it. I too would have liked to see Phil win it, cause he flows better and looks less funky than Kai in some poses.

If Phil had won, there would be people saying Kai should've won it due to his greater size. Dex just wasn't good enough to beat either of them.

Roelly has a couple of freaky bodyparts, but his back is very unimpressive and that becomes obvious when he gets compared to other guys. He got the placing he deserved. Branch doesn't remind everyone of Frank Zane, but he has tons of muscle, good separation, decent flow / taper and great conditioning, so his placing wasn't unfair either.

[Vince B]

I give credit to guys like Warren who did a hell of a lot of hard training to look like he does. His physique just looks unbalanced, weird, I don't know what to say. That isn't bodybuilding to me. A Frank Zane is still better than a Branch Warren.

Phil was in incredible condition. The closeups during the broadcast were particularly revealing. Striations in his triceps and better condioning from the back. Kai looked soft compared to Phil. I have no idea what the judges were looking for because it doesn't make sense to me. Phil looks much more complete whereas Kai has gaps in his physique.

I will look at more shots of Winklaar but he was top six no worries at all.

[MJK]

     not sure about winklaar... he got exactly where he deserved... which was pretty good for his debut show... he has no back vince...
as far as freeman,,, the torn pec can't be held against him too much,,, ifbb overlooked that kinda stuff before... his tear isn't that bad either btw.  just because he is actually taller, weighs more isnt a prereq for winning, otherwise ferig, gunter, ruhl woulda won a lot more.

     as far as heath, well,,, hes gotta bring up his back and chest.  dex was robbed worse than he was.  there was a lot of place changes from pre judge to night show... heath was 1 kai was 2 and dex was 3 so... there was a shuffle. which is kinda nice vince,,, becasue for a while the whole show was based on the pre judge and the night show was basically a formality...
you know this vince.
 it forces you to be more well rounded.. which you have to admit is nice. from experience, i know that having the best body up there isn't a automatic win,,, it actually puts more pressure and you have more eyes on you ,,, your almost obligated to perform well... in a close comp, where the biulds are close, that  has to be the difference maker... the comps have evolved into more showmanship, great bodies are a given.
    of course the judges know what the audience thinks, which makes it even better when they (aud) dont get what they want because if they did, the judges would be suspect of just placating the audience for ticket sales, a case of the customer is right type of thinking.  wwhen they go against, it actually shows that they are being unbiased and not swayed by $$/ticket sales etc.
what you were sayin about kais routine, well like it or not, he seemed put more thought and prep into his than phil, again, kai won it by the night show. so it may not be the finished product but the time to put it together.  this ought to be loud and clear,,, everyone that gets onstage better have a unique routine. once again, i learned that the hard way and when i decide to get back onstage i will be concerning myself with my posing routine as much as my training.

Do you do anything besides writing editorials on getbig.

[Vince B]

I don't like the idea of judging a contest twice. What the heck is that suppose to prove? It merely gives the judges more time to canvass what others think and it is also time for others to talk to judges. Both of these things should be avoided. There should be one judging. If they insist on judging it twice then get a different panel for the finals.

The prejudging is where all the comparisons should be made. The only thing left to award is the best poser. Period. All the rest is bullshit and this result is up there with the other controversial decisions.

[Lion666]

Do you do anything besides writing editorials on getbig.

show me a post where im way off

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