I remember that military pic shoot in MuscleMag a few years back (I believe it was MM)...there were a lot of pros doing it...and that the money was donated to charity, well...anybody who wants to burn on Chick will have to do it some other way, cause they're just owning themselves!
As far as the joke PDI, in 'concept' the 'entertaining' night show was a stretch...something you'd see at musclemania. But I just don't see how the guys posing in silly costumes make the posing round ANY better, or more entertaining for that fact. It DOES work for fitness chicks, tho...
Bodybuilding is what it is. If you don't like the concept of a prejudging and night posing routine, then I guess you don't like bodybuilding. There's not much you can do to 'spice' it up, other than turning it into a WWE thing...which has ALSO been tried, without much luck.
The only REALLY exciting thing in bodybuilding are when the 'naturals' get on stage...that is, the NATURAL winners...guys like Heath! When you see new guys battling their way up, when they're IN SHAPE and kicking ass, that's where it's at. Second to that are the comeback guys, dudes like Gustavo.
To key to get the sport to grow lies not in the funky costumes and other schemes like the challenge round....it lies in actively changing the judging standards to ensure that MORE younger guys with the right genetics get into the sport for the long haul. Those new guys DON'T because of the mass drugs needed to compete at the highest level, and they (rightly and intelligently) DON'T bother competing.
Just look at how many teen national champs actually continue in the sport, hardly any...and I'd guess that by that point they're already experiencing the side effects of the drug regimes they're doing and saying FUCK THIS to any long term route in the 'sport'.
You want BB'ing to grow, Chick?....I honestly think THAT'S the only way.
