Photos are continuing to go up at:
http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gallery/contest/1883/event/1/site/1/I'd have it:
1. Victor
2. Dexter
3. Jay
4. Dennis Wolfe
5. Ronnie
6. Gustavo
I am helping cover the show for bodybuilding.com and NPC NEWS Magazine. Sitting in the press pit this is how I saw it.
Melvin will get a gift with his placings, he was good but not top 5 which is where he will place. I'd have him in the 7-9 range. He could be as high as 4th. Victor looked great as did Dexter. Jay was smooth but did improve as prejudging went on. It could come down to who looks the best tomorrow night. I like Jay so this is nothing personal against him but his chest and delts were smooth and his upper midsection is a mess. Victor has a pleasing look, good conditioning and the muscle mass to be Mr. Olympia. Ronnie did not have the "wow" factor he used to have. Dennis Wolfe is clearly the fan favorite and looks great. He still has some room for improvement on his back but watch out for this cat in 2008.
The biggest suprises of the night... Toney Freeman showed up smooth and no where near the condition he needed. X-man you let me down man. I thought you'd continue to do well but man you're most likely on the outside looking in at the top 10. David Henry will be in the top 10 - very surprising callout but deserved. He packs a ton of muscle and had great conditioning. Gustavo looks the be penalized for the looks of his legs. His conditioning was great but will not make top 6.
Most overlooked bodybuilder in the entire show - Will Harris. Look at the photos of him between Ronnie and Jay. He held his own. Will Harris won't make the top 10 but deserved to be in there.
Bob will be wrong on his prediction of Sergey Shelestov placing dead last. The guy looks pretty good. Paco Batista packs a ton of muscle but is a mess. I think last place will go to Eddie Abbou but hey the guy was having fun.
