I have had a look at hundreds of comparison photos from the prejudging and have some impressions. Some guys look great posing but not so great standing around. Some look magnificent from the back while others look better from the front. No one does a side chest like Arnold. Or a front lat spread like Sergio.
Anyway, I have to say Dexter has the most pleasing physique in the show. If his calves were 2 inches bigger we could make an argument why he should be Mr Olympia. Perhaps he needs a bit more thickness across the back and under the lats. Jay had paid his dues in this regard and I think it is fair to say that Jay looks superior from head to toe in the rear double biceps. Very thick and big everywhere. I was very impressed with many of the rear double biceps of the competitors. Absolutely amazing physiques of most there. Dexter has a beautiful physique and looks good from all angles, standing relaxed and posing.
Victor looked really good on the side by side comparison compulsory poses. He doesn't look quite as good when standing next to the others in the top 5. Still, he has good calves from the back and really shines when he flexes. His lines are not quite as good as Dexter's while standing relaxed.
Ronnie looks amazing and weird at the same time. You would expect a champion to present with no lumpy gynocomastia. He has lumps everywhere and that detracts from his physique. He isn't fat but he has to pose to bring out the separation. He was clearly weaker from the back this year and Jay stole the show right there and then. Both the rear double biceps and lat poses revealed a poorer condition than in previous Olympias. He didn't have enough oil on him, either. Somehow even his glutes and hams were not as ripped as we have come to expect. He still has smooth calves and that is not good enough to be the champion. I suppose if he didn't have his reputation and appeared on stage for the first time looking like that he might not have place in the top 3. The judges would have all wondered where they were going to place Ronnie Coleman.
Jay Culter looks blocky and lumpy from the front. His ab pose is really weird and Dexter gives him a hiding in that pose. There seems to be something lacking and it just seems Ronnie is not at his best rather than Jay being that much better. Of course Jay wins clearly from the back. I guess his coming second all these years it was only natural that he would be first if Ronnie wasn't at his best.
Dennis James was great a couple of weeks out but a different guy presented on the stage. I have no idea what happened. He is huge but also looks so thick he can't do some of the poses properly. His abs have wide gaps and that detracts from his appearance. At least he has calves and width and perhaps the best chest pose in the contest. Perhaps he should train for the Olympia and move the day 2 weeks later and then see what happens.
Branch Warren had striations on his quads and yet didn't appear that cut. How could that be? The guys with the relatively wide waists have a difficult time looking tapered in the poses and that loses them plenty of points.
Melvin Anthony looked really huge and impressive in some poses such as double biceps but not so great in other poses. His calves let him down, too.
Darren Charles looked ordinary and one wonders how he manages to win contests. He appears smooth in some poses and then flexes and heaps of cuts appear.
Ronnie Rockel being short tends to get overlooked. I think he had the best front lat pose and one of the nicest physiques there. Certainly a top 10 guy and perhaps even top 6. The judges have to give these shorter guys a fair go. He comes up well in the side by side poses. He is right up there with Dexter for having a pleasant to look at physique.
Vince Taylor looked out of place there. I wonder if he made a mistake and should have done the other show? He wasn't dwarfed or anything but he wasn't as big as he was years ago and that is to be expected. I salute Vince for presenting in a condition that would perhaps beat Bob C for the masters. He is one of the few black guys with great calves.
Gustavo didn't impress me yet he looked good in the group comparisons. So I can see how the judges noticed him. Somehow his physique isn't as impressive as some of the others who didn't make the top 6.
Gunter comes in right on the money and has a good physique. His back double biceps is one of the best in the contest but other body parts are not quite up to the standard shown by those who placed ahead of him. His demeanour and handsomeness shine compared to many who have sunken and lined faces.
Toney Freeman is another huge guy who is right up there with Melvin and Victor. Gosh, so many giants there on stage. Victor was the only one near the top who had calves that compared to Jay so he will be a contender in the future.
Markus is huge and a curious mixture of size and separation and yet he doesn't appear as cut as his poses demonstrate. His neck disappears when he poses. Markus, Dennis and Ronnie were three of the size monsters there. All had aesthetic deficiencies as well.
Troy Alves seemed sensational in the front and rear double biceps but not so impressive in many of the other poses. He shouldn't expose his glutes unless they are ripped like some of the others. He looked weird from the back when standing relaxed. That will destroy any chance of placing high when that happens.
Johnnie Jackson won a contest recently but didn't compare that favourably at the Olympia. That said he looked great from the back but his calves let him down.
I won't comment on the others who didn't place except to say it is no disgrace not making the top 10 in this contest. This is probably the best lineup we have seen at the Olympia. It is a pity that Lee Priest wasn't allowed to compete but that is the politics of the IFBB. He might have been in the top 6 but more likely would have been given 8th place for his recalcitrant behaviour.
Jay will have to improve by next year. I wonder if Ronnie will win again? We saw that Dorian was given 1st even when he had visible injuries. I hope the judges have turned a corner and no longer award according to reputation. This is too important a contest for that to happen. Jay was deserving on the night and perhaps Dexter could have placed ahead of Ronnie Coleman. However, I suppose justice has been done and perhaps the placings were more or less what was deserved.
