DVD Review by Gerry Triano
 
45th Anniversary - Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - September 24-25, 2010.
 
This event is available as 2 DVDs, one covering the men's events (Mr. Olympia, 202 Showdown) and the other covering the women's events (Ms. Olympia, Fitness, Figure and Bikini Olympia).
 
This is a very well produced pair of DVDs showing all of the competition as though the viewer were actually at the venue. Prejudging and finals are shown in their entirety for the men's and women's events. The filming is spot on and has a "you are there" feel to it.
 
Each DVD provides 4 hours of in depth coverage. The men's DVD shows all the action of the 202 Showdown in detail right down to the prejudge callouts and the final awards presentations. No doubt that Kevin English was large and in charge and was a deserving champion.
 
The Mr. Olympia is an always interesting and exciting event. There have been only 12 winners of the Mr. Olympia title (including current competitors Dexter Jackson and Jay Cutler). All the past Olympia champions were present for a stage introduction except Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was present via a video message. From the callouts, it could be seen that Jay Cutler would have a battle on his hands. Phil Heath, Branch Warren and 2008 Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson were in typically good shape, as were several others. The final posedown and awards presentations were well done and expressed the suspense of the placings, the disappointment of some of the competitors and the elation of Jay Cutler winning his 4th Sandow trophy as Mr. Olympia.
 
The women's events were equally well filmed and interesting. Ms. Olympia was a showcase for Iris Kyle, who won her sixth title with a magnificent display. Iris stood out, despite the depth of competition in this event. The women's posing routines were generally well executed and fun to watch.
 
The Fitness Olympia was highly entertaining and also very competitive. There were many outstanding fitness routines which showed originality, risk and daring on the part of the athletes. Adela Garcia won her fourth Fitness Olympia title and has dominated this discipline with style and grace.
 
The Figure Olympia brought together 23 stunning ladies in a very competitive lineup of top athletes. A new champion was crowned as Erin Stern defeated the 2009 defending champion, Nicole Wilkins-Lee in a very close contest.
 
And this year also marked the inaugural presentation of the Bikini Olympia event. 24 new lovely pros competed for the title. Sonia Gonzales has the distinction of being the first Bikini Olympia title holder. This promises to be a popular event for future Olympia weekends.
 
There is also some outstanding expo footage included. The expo is large and the footage captures the scope and diversity of the expo extremely well.

(Both DVDs are available from GMV).

A-1359DVD 2010 Olympia Women's DVD

A-1358DVD 2010 Mr. Olympia DVD