We ended around 11pm with finals...
Full house, busiest Southern California contest this year, with seats all the way in the last row taken up.
IFBB Pro Krissy Chin was the emcee, and did a wonderful job as always. She is a good friend, as well as her husband Troy, who is the West Coast rep for Gaspari Nutrition, and their amazing daughter London was there too (she is 6).
Lee Labrada and his son Hunter Labrada, who won the overall men's bodybuilding at the 2018 NPC Junior USA a week ago, were in the audience, watching the show, and cheering for Patrick Moore. Jay Cutler, Sergio Oliva Jr, Milos Sarcev, Chris Cormier, Errol Moore, Pete Ciccone, Jeremy Buendia were also there in support. Both Jim Manion and his grandson Tyler Manion (who was judging the NPC/IFBB) also came out. Many other pros from the men's physique, bikini and other divisions were also around, including Sheena Jayne Martin, Kim Harris, and others I can't think of right now...
Nathan DeAsha won the contest at prejudging, but at night, Raphael Brandoa improved, and Sasan Heirati also looked great. The top three were from outside the USA, Nathan and Sasan from the United Kingdom, and Raphael from Brazil. This wasn't any easy show... I thought Gerald Williams looked great, and he came in 7th.
Musclecontest staff is great. For all competitors, they give water, bananas, bars, and cake... yes, red velvet cake, or other flavors, and they are so good... For the pros, they have their own room backstage, complete with various drinks, snacks, and much more. A most excellent presentation, and much appreciated.
Oh, and I apologize if I did not say hello. In the morning, I shot the photos of the stage and in the evening, candids and backstage, and tried to make sure I was at the front to get the pictures of the overall comparisons and winner pics.
