This past weekend I was privileged to attend the PBW Tampa Bay Pro Championships. Tim Gardner did a excellent job putting on a fantastic show. He also provided me with the perfect hunting ground for top shelf gossip! A brocheh (a blessing) to you Tim!
I want to giv
e a shout out to Shawn Ray, who told me he was a fan of the Yuckmouth Yenta column. He did, however, follow up the compliment with, "Just don't write anything about me in there." Well Shawn, I gotta at least clear up the speculation about your Martin Luther King-inspired"I had a dream. . ." post on MD. For those who aren't familiar with Shawn's recent fantasy sequence, it detailed a desire to return to the competitive stage, and what might happen if did so. During the intermission of the PBW Tampa Pro, I asked Shawn what the deal was... Is he really contemplating a comeback?
"No. I've been there and done that. It was all just a dream!" Shawn told me. He said someone who would have to make it worth his while, financially-speaking, for him to even contemplate a comeback (Translation: I want LOTS of shekels!). Since Shawn coined the term, "The business of bodybuilding", I'd expected nothing less from him!
Bob Chick Welches on Bet with White?
In case you haven't been following Pro Bodybuilding Weekly radio or the internet boards, there was a bet made on Dan Solomon and Bob Cicherillo's show several weeks ago. It went something like this: Bob predicted that Ben wouldn't make the top 3 in
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| Bob Cicherillo with The Yuckmouth Yenta! |
Tampa. If Ben could somehow crack that top 3, Bob agreed to do Patron tequila shots with Ben. The thing that makes this bet really interesting is that Cicherillo has never had a drink before in his life. Why hasn't Bob ever sipped from Satan's brew? I can only speculate that there's something in his well-guarded past that has kept him away from the booze. If you‘ve really been away from the bodybuilding world, you might not have heard that not only did Ben White make the top 3 (and qualify for the Mr Olympia), but he actually won the whole goddam show.
So, Bob lost the bet, and had to drink, right? WRONG. Bob did NOT drink. Here is what went down. After the night show Ben-- along with his girlfriend Theresa, friend Shawn, Mike Liberatore, and I-- went to Waffle House (more on that to come) for a post-contest chow down. After we finished our mega-meal, we went to the hotel to shower, change, and head over to Whiskey Joe's where the after-party was taking place. I rushed Mike to the party-- taking the first available cab-- leaving Ben and his crew to come over when they were ready. The reason the rushing ended up playing an important role was that, when we arrived at the party, Bob Chic was already on his way out! The first thing I asked him was, "Did you drink?" He told me, "I did one shot, it tasted like gasoline." Since Ben and I didn't go together, I'm assuming that his girl and he had beaten Mike and I there, and I missed the shots. Bob left and shortly after, Ben arrived! I asked Ben what happened, and he seemed very perturbed that Bob jetted out before he arrived. It leaves me wondering, who did Bob do his alcoholic shot with? Did anyone witness this shot being imbibed? Like the tree falling in the forest, does it even count if no one was there to witness it?! Was Bob lying to me?!?! Bob, be a mench and drink your tequilla shot in Connecticut with all the boys... and make sure I get it all on video!
What's going to happen to the World's Strongest Bodybuilder?
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| "The White Rhino" Stan Efferding |
After the success of last year's event, Robin
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| Robin Chang |
Chang has put up more money, and made this an even bigger deal for September's Olympia Weekend. The showdown between Ben White and Stan "The White Rhino" Efferding has been hyped since last year. Stan has been preparing for months now. Moments after Ben collected his first place in Tampa, Dan Solomon asked him what his plans were for the O... "Will you do the World's Strongest Bodybuilder or actually compete in the Mr. Olympia?" Without hesitation Ben said, "I'm doing the O!" Later that night I
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| PBW's Dan Solomon |
was in the elevator with Robin Chang (the promoter of the Olympia weekend), and I asked him what happens now. He told me, "We always knew this could happen... Something will be worked out." I wonder what that‘ll be. Who could possibly take Ben's place? JOJ has already stated
he's definitely focusing on bodybuilding now, especially since qualifying for the Olympia this past weekend. Will Stan have a new challenger? Maybe Andy Haman would like a shot at Stan? Will there even be a World's Strongest Bodybuilder this year?
(NOTE: Bob Chic has informed me that no athlete will be allowed to do both the WSBB and the Mr O... it's one or the other.)
Waffle House POSEDOWN!
As I said earlier, the only place open to eat a good hearty meal after the Tampa Evening show was one of Dave Palumbo's favorites-- Waffle House. After Ben fully carbed up on waffles, sausage, and hash browns, he decided it was time for Liberatore and he to pose down to see who would take home the "Freak of Waffle House" title. Incidentally, this display of over-inflated muscle was executed directly adjacent to our booth (at 12 midnight) with a restaurant full of people! Luckily, I was quick enough to get some photos and even a short video! The best part was the reaction of the midnight Waffle House patrons and staff, who actually remembered Ben from last year debacle! Ben proudly exclaimed to the excited staff, "This year, I WON!"
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