Mr. Olympia, the pre-eminent competition in bodybuilding, just took place in December 2022 in Las Vegas. A much-awaited event, arguably the event of the year for many, it was definitely exciting. It was a dream come true for many bodybuilding fans, especially the ones who got the privilege to actually be there in person. But was it actually all good? And did the experience live up to the hype?

While the organizers always try to bring something new to the event, it can be a hit or a miss at any given time. The goal is to usually up the stakes from the last time or to even make it relevant and more modernized according to the changing times. But it doesn’t always work out. And according to the bodybuilding fraternity, the same thing happened to Mr. Olympia 2022.

Mr. Olympia or a light and LED show?

Episode 27 of the Muscle Maturity Podcast featured Samir Bannout, John Hansen, and Nick Trigili having an honest conversation about Mr. Olympia 2022. They talked about everything under the sun, from the exercises that athletes should use to stay in shape, to muscle conditioning, and the points system of Olympia 2022. They also talked about the staging of the actual show, which, according to them, was overboard and unnecessary.

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The consensus was that they tried to take the limelight away from the athletes. John Hansen said, “They’re trying to make a great show but the athletes are the show. Just highlight the athletes. That’s the show.” He also added, “We came to see the bodybuilders. We didn’t come to see a big stage production. This isn’t a play… or a Broadway show… you know.”

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Samir Bannout and Nick Trigili were in complete agreement with this sentiment. In fact, Nick Trigili went on to add, “Everyone that’s paying that kind of money to go to a bodybuilding show, they’re going to watch bodybuilding because they’re fans… people aren’t dropping 500-1000 $ plus to go watch a light show or LEDs.” This makes total sense because the star of the show is supposed to be the athletes who have been training and working hard day and night to build a body that will win them the title.

Bodybuilding does not need modernization

Mr. Olympia as a stage is a platform for bodybuilders to showcase their talent and their hard work. According to Trigili, the lighting was a futile attempt to make Mr. Olympia more modern, which it didn’t need. His opinion was that trying to embellish bodybuilding in this manner only made it worse. It did not showcase the actual stars, not only on the actual stage but even to people watching on the television or through any other channels.

The lighting and stage aesthetics were not the only thing that was not up to the mark. According to Bannout, the timing and scheduling were also off this year during the Olympia. According to him, it dragged on and on and didn’t start on time, which was very frustrating for him. They also thought that the timing was not great for bodybuilders who needed rest between each competition day.

Watch this story: Big Ramy vs Brandon Curry: Mr. Olympia 2022 Rivals Comparison

While there were many faults with the actual organization of the event, the athletes thankfully stole the show. Do you think Mr. Olympia 2022 felt like a light and LED show? Let us know.