best bodybuilding contest in history

[jaejonna]

1993 Mr. O is the best collection of photos in any contest..

[MCWAY]

heaven forbid someone try something new, most of the guys in that show were actually in shape and some of the stuff may have been corny but it's better than guys doing "the phantom of the opera" and dual gay posing routines...

Well, one routine of that contest that I'd file in the "corny" category would have been that of Aaron "The Dark Angel" Baker: The big red collars were a tad over the top.

And then there was Baker's hair. Every time I saw footage/pics from that show, the "Soul Glo" song from Eddie Murphy's Coming to America kept playing in my head. Baker kept the mane in 1992 but tied it back to make it less distracting.

Johnnie Morant's "Executioner" gimmick, on the other hand, was a bit creepy!!

[Darren Avey]

The 1980 Olympia

[Special Ed]

I haven't seen too many shows, but if there's a show I wish I had gone to it's the 1998 Olympia.

Special "Back in Time" Ed

[m8]

I have to second the 1999 English Grand Prix.   

http://www.bodybuildingpro.com/1999grandprixenglandresults.html

the lighting used at this show was such that it was hiding all the flaws of the competitors
if the same lighting was used in the '06 shows, it would be the same
good show

[GMCtrk]

the lighting used at this show was such that it was hiding all the flaws of the competitors
if the same lighting was used in the '06 shows, it would be the same
good show

bullshit, no coleman, no levrone, no flex, no 99 GP

[Man of Steel]

1996 Arnold Classic the top 6 were:

1. Kevin Levrone
2. Flex Wheeler
3. Paul Dillett
4. Vince Taylor
5. Shawn Ray
6. Andreas Munzer

Agreed.....that was a hell of a lineup.


MOS

[pumpster]

No one here's seen or is aware of most of the top shows dating back to the 60s, making the opinions moot. 

For crowd intensity & number of highly competitive BBs, it's hard to beat the 60s-80s NY NOCs.

[buffbodz]

Though I haven't seen it in its entirety, the best show I've ever seen is the 1991 World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) Championship.

I have footage of the posing routines of Tony Pearson and eventual WBF Champion Gary Strydom on tape (from episodes of BodyStars that I recorded).

I've also seen the routines of Eddie Robinson, Mike Christian, and Berry DeMey from that show. Unfortunately, I was at school (college) at the time and couldn't record them, because I was watching TV in a building with no VCR.

Some of you may recall DeMey's routine, with the stage being morphed into a "sauna" and four ladies, wrapped in towels, eagerly awaiting the presence of the "Flexing Dutchman".

Robinson's routine consisted of his pre-film, showing him having fun on the beach in Florida, followed by Robinson "parasailing" down to the stage.

Christian has some chain-mail outfit in his routine, and after hitting some dramatic poses, he is undress by, of course, one of the WBF stage ladies.

And, of course, Strydom hits the stage, large and in charge, with two ladies in evening gowns escorting him to the ring. One takes his cane;the other takes his top hat. They look Strydom up and down, do an about-face, and exit stages left and right, allowing Strydom to style and profile his way to the WBF title..."You've seen the rest; Now, see the best!!!"

Compared to the IFBB shows at that time, the WBF Championship was FAR BETTER PRODUCED, actually resembling a world-class event.

Wasn't Chyna in the top 5?

[fathead]

2006 san fran 

[Hulkster]

I also think that the 1993 Arnold Classic deserves mention in this thread.

Amazing lighting, Flex in his career best shape, Labrada, Dillet, Taylor all spot on.

Pretty good for a pre-ronnie show

[candidate2025]

02 olympia,

without a doubt

[MikeThaMachine]

Wouldn't it have been great to been in the front row at the 93 O. 

I would have to say any show from 88-94 would have been awesome to see.