What we know is that Phil dominated the prejudging at the Masters Olympia. Guys like Dorian Haywood, Dom Intermaggio, and Todd Whitting all had a claim to be in the Top 3. I don’t want to take anything away from them. Fred Smalls was also in the Top 10 and although his physique didn’t rise to Top 3 quality at this contest, his posing abilities most definitely warrant honorable mention. That being said, lets focus on the prejudging because that’s where shows are won and lost. Few things in bodybuilding can be called constants, but if one’s thing for sure, it’s that the prejudging is what’s scored the heaviest. The night show, or “the finals” are not an equal part of the show. This idea that competitors can make up ground in the finals from a bad showing in the prejudging is an absolute fiction. Although I’m not a judge, I challenge anyone – judge or other – to show me how a competitor who wins the finals gets a better placing than a competitor who wins the prejudging. The competitor who won the prejudging would have to do a complete 180 at the finals in order to lose the contest.
Phil Clahar dominated the prejudging. The prejudging is all merit. The finals are where the bullshit takes place. Have you ever noticed that? The prejudging is where competitors get judged on symmetry, condition, flow – all that stuff. You can’t deny who’s dialed in and who’s not. That’s not subjective. That’s very much OBJECTIVE. The subjective bullshit comes at the finals. That’s where POSING is judged.
So who did Phil piss off? Are there any clues?
We don’t really need to investigate very much at all. Bob Cicherillo sealed Phil Clahar’s fate just about a year ago – and on Muscle Discord, no less. He drew the battle lines and while denying the existence of politics in bodybuilding then, all but proved their existence by what happened just a week or so ago in Tokyo. Politics don’t just exist in bodybuilding – they’ve been a part of it since Day 1.
Take what happened to Big Ramy, for example. When he didn’t guest pose in Pittsburgh and took 10 days to give an explanation while being Mr O, I knew he was done. He was able to win the 2021 Olympia despite looking like shit and Brandon Curry having massively improved, coming in with 20lbs of added muscle and some of the sickest wheels and back of his career. Ramy was melting and holding tons of water, but he still won. That’s politics letting a champion win – even if he didn’t deserve it. A few months after the Pittsburgh snub, Ramy looked great, but lost the Olympia. And he didn’t just lose, he took FIFTH PLACE. When’s the last time a reigning Mr O lost the title and took FIFTH PLACE? Never. In over half a century that NEVER happened. Then Ramy went to the Arnold and took FIFTH again (this time against lesser quality guys). Did Ramy ever compete again? No.
Bob ROYALLY threw Phil under the bus and put him on the receiving end of a lot of scrutiny.
If you watch the embedded video, Bob was very insulted that Clahar didn’t go through him with grievances back in 2024. In the video above he went on and on about how that was the appropriate protocol since he was Athlete’s Rep. Bob mentioned Jim Manion a number of times, as well as Tyler Manion – two guys who I have a lot of respect for and have never had issues with. Jim was always very kind to me. That said, Bob made it a point to pin Phil on a collision course with some of the most powerful names in bodybuilding. Was that necessary? And should the Athlete’s Representative go out of his way to dogpile on a competitor, even mentioning the man’s wife? Why? At 25:16, Cicherillo highlights alleged accusations from Phil against the IFBB Pro League and Tyler Manion. What was the purpose of that? Months later, Cicherillo conceded that the athlete’s rep position was honorary, but the damage was done. Bob made Phil’s bed for him. He put the guy on the radar for all the wrong reasons. Even if Phil may or may not have made statements, Bob’s insistence that the world know about them may have directly contributed to Clahar being denied the most prestigious title in Masters Bodybuilding some 11 months later.
The 2025 Masters Olympia was very important to Phil. He gave his best, brought his best, and the judges had to score him accordingly at the prejudging. If you watch the MD video above, you’ll notice Bob constantly attacking Phil. He attacks his contest record and he name drops everyone under the sun, including Jim Manion, Tyler Manion, and Steve Weinberger. Although Bob didn’t speak for the Federation, how could these powerful people not take notice when they were mentioned over and over and over again? I’m not saying they were behind Phil getting screwed, but how many active competitors do you know who attack these guys? And I’m not saying Phil attacked them, but Bob asserted he did. Bob put Phil and the powers that be on a collision course. Whether that actually took place is debatable. But the idea that payback took eleven months isn’t that hard to believe. Sometimes payback doesn’t come for years, decades in fact. Powerful people have all the time in the world and very sharp memories to boot.
That said, Bob isn’t a bad guy per se, but his ego is a matter of record. He had a good pro career, he’s made a lot of money as an emcee, and he’s been able to hitch his wagon with key people. In the 2000’s he was Dan Solomon’s co-host and worked closely with Bodybuilding.com. In the 2010’s, he was able to reinvent himself as an emcee and then hitched his wagon to Jake Wood. I’m sure Dan helped in this, as Dan never forgets his friends. The whole while, Bob milked the Athlete’s Rep gig, signed with a number of companies (working with some as Vice President), and then launched his wildly successful Voice Of Bodybuilding podcast out of his broom closet. Occasionally Bob tussles with Dave Palumbo, offends Nick Walker, or in this case throws Phil Clahar under the proverbial bus. These spats help keep him in the conversation. Otherwise, who cares about Bob? He never won the O, never won the Arnold, and he took 2nd at the NOC. Oh yeah, and 2nd at the Southwest Pro. His only pro win was a contest that Bodybuilding.com made up for him where he almost got beat by Pavol Jablonicky and Rusty Jeffers. No disrespect to him, but without the drama and the name-dropping, Bob would be working at GNC.
So I guess the cat’s out of the bag. Who did Phil piss off? Bob. Now, the next question is, did Bob’s rants fall on deaf ears? Did all his name-dropping result in certain folks taking notice? Even if you’re a nobody – which I’m not saying Bob is – when you incur the wrath of the powers that be, do you suppose they’ll just ignore it? You know how people are. I’m not going to speculate about what people may or may not have done, but one thing’s for sure, Phil Clahar got screwed at the 2025 Masters Olympia. That’s not in question. No one can deny he should have won. And to date, I haven’t seen or heard of anyone making a compelling argument for why Dorian Haywood surged somehow and bested Clahar.
At the end of the day, Phil was very public about working towards this title and he did the work that was needed. But is the sport of bodybuilding ready to have a commentator who’s not afraid to speak his mind meanwhile actively compete? And is the sport ready for an active content-creator with Mr. Olympia in front of his name? Whether that’s Open Olympia, Masters Olympia, 212 Olympia, whatever. The Olympia is the Super Bowl. And Masters events are spreading like wildfire. No one should think that Jake Wood resurrected the Masters O out of the kindness of his heart. There’s a HUGE market for Masters-level competitions. And who has the most disposable income and the deepest pockets to spend on supplements, meals, contest tickets and Pay Per View packages? Twenty-somethings living on financial aid in dorms and frat houses or guys 35+ who have careers, make great money, and are competing for fun?
At the end of the day, the reigning Mr O serves as the sport’s ambassador to the world. Phil would have been the quintessential ambassador. He would have gone to any number of Masters contests and promoted himself like no other. He’s already a usual on a number of podcasts and has shown himself as a media workhorse. He may have done this show for the prize money, in part, because after all he does have a family and he does have bills, but I believe he wanted this title because he wanted to carry the torch for masters competitors. In a very real way, Phil Clahar is the Uncrowned Masters Mr O. And if you don’t think competitors from all levels – from the pro circuit all the way to the true novice level – aren’t going to look at this controversy and wonder how fair bodybuilding is, then I have a bridge to sell you in New Jersey.
This is not a good look for the sport of bodybuilding. It’s not a good look at all.
