Thanks to my KagedMuscle pal Kris Gethin, I was privileged to be given a press pass and a front row seat, next to the judges, and this is how I saw it.
1. DENNIS WOLF - First of all, the guy just looks like the winner. You take one look at him and say, "That's how a Pro Bodybuilding Champion should look. His weaknesses are minor, but his strengths are overwhelming: Gigantic and wide shoulders, fantastic taper, small and tight waist, incredible quad flare and shape, phenomenal symmetry and superb conditioning. The way Wolf looked is about as close to perfect as anyone who has ever stepped on stage has looked. Verdict: Total Ripoff.
2. DENNIS JAMES - Quite simply, Dennis James' upper body dwarfs the opposition in every way. He is a guy who looks more impressive in person than in photos. His shoulders are the widest on stage by about a foot, and his arms were shredded and massive. In fact, I could not believe how vast the difference was between Dennis's arms and Branch's arms. I didn't notice any gut protrusions, but during the course of 5 hours onstage, one is bound to take a few deep breaths and someone will be there to take a photo. From the front, Dennis James was the winner of this show; however, when he turned around, you could see that his conditioning was a bit off. He tends to hold water on his back, glutes, and hams, and he was not that impressive from the back. But on size and shape alone, Dennis deserved second.
3. SILVIO SAMUEL - Other than perhaps Kai Greene, Silvio was the best conditioned guy on the stage. He is weak in the front double biceps shot, but strong in every other pose. His back is covered in veins and sculpted with detail. His muscle bellies are full and thick. And his quad separation, which has been critiqued, was better than ever, as seen in the front row photos at
KagedMuscle.com. Silvio is not quite as thick or massive as Branch, but in my opinion, his better shape, separation, detail, and conditioning deserves to beat Branch.
4. BRANCH WARREN - I love Branch Warren's intensity and brute redneck appeal as much as the next schmoe but as I have said before, Branch Warren does not have the frame, shape, or symmetry that can be easily forgiven if his conditioning is off. And I'll just say it: Branch was off. He had little to zero separation in his arms, shoulders and back. His shoulders are narrow by comparison with the other finalists, and he doesn't have a tiny waist, so he has a blocky appearance. His thickness and muscularity are impressive, and his legs are massive, but I think a lack of detail, separation, and taper should have some effect on his placing, no? I guess not.
5. KAI GREENE - Grapefruits aside, this guy stole the show with his muscularity, shape, conditioning and posing. If you aren't familiar with the effect of natural genetics upon a pro bodybuilder, I would recommend that you YouTube Kai and check out some of his Musclemania and Natural contest wins. The guy is genetically blessed with awesome shape and fantastic biceps. Like Ronnie Coleman and Darrem Charles before him, Kai demonstrated that delaying Darkside Tactics pays quick dividends. Other than his posing, which garnered him a standing ovation, his best asset was his back, over which he demonstrated freaky control over each and every muscle therein. Overlooked during most of the prejudging, Kai looked every bit a Olympia-qualifier by the time the posedown came along. He was nominated for best arms and won the award over Desmond Miller and Dennis James, based purely on shape and conditioning. Based on his showing here, it is more than conceivable that Kai wins his first pro show in 2007.
6. Everyone Else - CRAIG RICHARDSON is not as big or wide as others, but he has superior shape and great symmetry. His conditioning could have been a little sharper...DESMOND MILLER deserved to win Best Legs over Branch based on the insane muscularity, vascularity and conditioning demonstrated in his quads and hamstrings. His arms have a nice pop, but his back is way behind the rest of him and his wide waist ruins his taper on all front poses...BRIAN CHAMBERLAIN is a guy who presents a symmetrical and aesthetic physique with great conditioning. He is a little undersized in a line-up like this, looking more like a middleweight Nationals class winner than a top five Pro...KING KAMALI looked much better than he has in the past, with a tight waist, no bloat, and good conditioning. His back muscularity and width are top five material, but his arms are an obvious weak point, particularly from the front...JOHN SHERMAN is a great guy who still looks fantastic but is not able to compete at this level. BIG SEAN ALLAN did not compete, but he was in the audience and the dude is as big as a house. No one makes more people look small than BIG SEAN, and that's coming from a guy who is not even a member of his website...yet.
