But as long ago as the dial-up was (and it really FEELS long ago), one thing has remained constant - Iris Kyle winning the damn thing. The runner-up may have changed over time, the champ most definitely has not. Since Yaxeni's sole Ms Olympia victory in 2005, Iris has won an almost unimaginable eight titles in a row.
Who would bet against another Iris win? Every year you read people predict this will be the year when The Eternal Bride is finally left at the altar (you will let me know if I stretch this metaphor too far, won't you?!) and every year Iris goes home with the biggest medal. If 2014 sees a repeat of Iris 1st and Alina 2nd, it will be the THIRD time Iris has had the same runner-up in two consecutive years. Dayana 2006-7 and Yaxeni 2010-11 will have Alina 2013-14 to share 'I lost to Iris twice in a row' stories with.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you The BRIDESMAIDS...
DAYANA CADEAU 2006 and 2007
BETTY VIANA 2008, HEATHER POLICKY 2009
YAXENI ORIQUEN 2010 and 2011
DEBI LASZEWSKI 2012, ALINA POPA 2013
Funnily enough though, Iris Kyle's very first overall victory (2004) was pre-dated by her finishing 2nd twice in a row (once in the heavyweight class, once overall) to Lenda Murray. Cory Everson's first win in 1984 was over a previous (though not the previous) Ms Olympia, Rachel McLish. Sooner or later the guard will change.
But just because you come 2nd to Iris, it doesn't necessarily mean you can't upstage her at some point during the Olympia weekend, and the moment Dayana Cadeau did so before the show in 2007 provides us with our next Ms Olympia 'moment'.
Now I can only speculate as to why Dayana started exposing herself. It may have been an attempt to psyche Iris out, or to impress the judges before the show - to get her body into their heads as a potential winner. Perhaps, and again I am only speculating here, Dayana just couldn't wait for the show, that she felt so incredibly turned on by herself that she just HAD to give Iris, the judges, the audience, indeed EVERYONE in attendance a right good gander at what was under those clothes. Every hard inch...
But of course I am just speculating. And if I were to say what I thought Iris might have been saying to her, or what the lady who appears in the final photo of the series was saying/doing ('Put it away'? 'Let me touch'? 'Take it all off you GODDESS!'???) then once again, it would be pure speculation and nothing more than that...
I think that's quite enough speculation for now. A return to certainty is possibly the only thing that can follow Dayana's impromptu strip, and if there was a nailed-on certainty at the Ms Olympia other than the fact that Iris Kyle was going to win, it was that if Betty Pariso was in the line-up (2001, 2003-9), whatever her hair colour or outfit (or thing coming out the top of her head) in any given year, at some stage - or rather at the climax - of her routine, THIS was guaranteed to happen...
And we move on to something that has struck me while browsing the old Olympia archive, namely how few appearances some of the female muscle brethren's favourites actually made. Take, for example, my old friend Sarah Dunlap (see Image Removed Copyright Violation), who has just the ONE. Dena Westerfield? How many times do you think the wonder of Dena graced the Olympia stage? I'll tell you: ONCE. And Colette Nelson also has just the single Olympia (2006) on her CV as well. Our featured 2009 bridesmaid Heather Policky? Well, Heather has (so far) just THREE.
Kind of puts the longevity of Iris, Yaxeni, Debi Laszewski, and, say, Cathy Le François (6 Ms Olympias over a 13-year period) into real perspective, doesn't it?
But although our next featured muscle goddess has one more appearance than Sarah, Dena and Colette put together, and one more than the much more successful (in terms of placings) Heather, I am shocked that Tazzie Colomb has only gone to the Olympia four times (1997, 1999, 2006 & 2007). Now I know that the Taz doesn't place a huge amount of importance on what judges think of her muscles, but I would have thought she'd have made at least as many Ms Olympia appearances as Cathy has.
Perhaps I got that impression because of how memorable Tazzie's performances always seem to be, or, even if you only go by the pictures, how memorable her look at each contest is. And it's Tazzie, 2007-style, who is our next Olympia 'moment': braided hair, raw animal muscle sex appeal, roaring her way through her performance...
But despite her myriad (at the Olympia and elsewhere) different looks, Tazzie never (as far as I know) sported a COSTUME. These seemed to be particularly en vogue (or encouraged or perhaps just tolerated) for the 2004 and 2006 Ms Olympias, making a number of routines from those shows even more especially memorable.
From Helen Bouchard's rather butch 'soldier' via Vilma's 2004 cape and Dayana's 'flasher cop' to Colette Nelson's thrilling (when she ripped it off!!!) tight blue dress, the costume, is, in my humble etc., long overdue for a Ms Olympia comeback...
But none was more memorable (or fitting) than that naughtiest of Olympians, Denise Masino's - what is it exactly, bondage? fetish? torture? - mask-type thing from 2004.
And we finish off our memories today, just as the compulsory poses end, with Abs & Thigh - aka The Hall of Fame pose - and absolutely Slave's favourite position for his Olympian women (or indeed ANY women) to show off their beautiful bodies with.
And we will be ripping a few more choice moments from the FMS Olympia Archive on Friday, the day (as if you needed reminding) of the Big Girls' Big Show itself.
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