A small selection from social media before, during and after...
Kristina womans the booth
Even THE Ms Olympia never won anything like this
WLTM: Shawna and friend, dressed for the show; next day, and 5th place Figure phenom Kristine Finsaas gets to stand next to the dethroned but still Most Muscular at the RP
Pauline was a bit hungry after
Jill's food porn
Welcome to our party...
After the feed: Virginia
Wake up in the morning slaving for schmotographers
It's 5.45am my time. I am somewhat tired and more than a bit boss-eyed. Alina's just been crowned Ms Rising Phoenix 2018, but it was the joyous 20-woman posedown before the prizes were handed out that led to my own - explosive - personal climax.
Finally, it's over.
Emcee Sarah Hurrle
Just over 12 hours earlier the live feed from the prejudging had started with the Fitness ladies' two-piece round. Not my favourite bit of a Fitness show - is it anybody's? - so initially at least I was only half-watching. I dipped into the chat. "Benjamin Harrison" (his first language probably not English) was ruling the roost there, his moronic comments ("What is this? Why we have to see Barbie show? We want FBBs!!!") didn't just put me off joining in the conversation, but ultimately everybody else too.
Cydney Gillon & Karen Reyes
Figure was next, I heard former Olympian and emcee Sarah Hurrle announce. OK, now you've got my undivided attention - if not Benjamin's. Unsurprisingly, Cydney Gillon looked - and proved to be - the class of the line-up, and she, together with the sultry Karen Reyes and the ripped Tracy Williams, had me reaching below the keyboard and fantasising I was in the front row for the first time on the day.
Bikini seemed to last an eternity, so I flicked around social media. Plenty already up from the previous day's check-in and meet-and-greet, plenty of make-up and hair done head shots. However, I clicked back to the feed quick snap when emcee Sarah addressed the crowd: OK you guys, are you ready to see some MUSCLE?!
You couldn't hear the crowd much on the feed - the music and Sarah's microphone very much dominated the soundscape - but this was one of those occasions when you could hear the cheers and whoops and whistles. Then the music started up again, and Michaela came out. After well over an hour, the first beautiful biceps, pecs, back, glutes, abs and thighs were flexed at the Arizona Pro. I sat back and let myself go. In all, 24 Physique Dreams of all ages shapes and sizes brought their muscle to the stage. I imagine the "guys" were impressed, but like I say, you couldn't hear them much.
The first callout had Michaela, Natalia and Jennifer Taylor at its centre. It looked close between them - not just to me, but more importantly to the judges, who had the ladies changing places during both the first callout and when the top 4 (those three plus defending champ Heather Grace) lined up again for a last callout. Meanwhile, Benjamin had piped down a bit after someone had pointed out to him there was actually a schedule so he shouldn't be too surprised about the running order.
The Physique Over 40s were going through their comparisons, and backstage a "still waiting!" Sheila passed the time taking selfies with Isabelle, Helle and Alina. I can't speak for Benny, but my own anticipation level was way past 11 by now. Tributes were paid to Tim Gardener, Jake Woods, and Lenda Murray, without whom etc. and Sarah worked the crowd a bit. Once again, she referred to the crowd as "guys", making me wonder if the Rising Phoenix audience really is just a bunch of obsessive drooling heads like me (but with better travel opportunites). Be sure to join us for the after party upstairs at the Chrome Night Club, Sarah said. Really?!Anyone can just go hang out?! For a moment, I imagined something pretty damn close to heaven...
And then it was time for the main event. A bit of bombastic build-up video (heavily featuring, I noted, Yaxeni, Irene Andersen, and Lisa Cross - none of whom were competing this year) and Benny Boy got his wish - the FBBs came thundering on.
It's such a rare treat to watch female muscle live, even rarer [once a year in fact! - ed.] to see the biggest and best of all. The gulf of size between them and even the biggest of the Physique women was obvious, and - to me, and I dare say to Benny Boy too - quite overwhelming. Gasping and moaning, I didn't know where to look as these beautiful beasts came out five at a time in alphabetical order for a round of initial comparisons.
Jill Blondn's epic, thrilling calves; Barbara Carità 's posing top stretched to its absolute limit; Jay's huge quads - the way they have to walk because of their massive legs is in itself fascinating - and that semi-visible coming-together of strange crotch muscles only FBBs have; Tananarive Hue's apparentlyimmense back muscles...
Maryse is just immense; Wendy's beautiful beefy British bum; Pauline Nelson's slow, sexy posing style takes me right to the edge; Virginia's massive arms keep me there...
By the time the first callout is announced, I'm in quite a state. The actual excitement of the competition brings me back above the keyboard though. As I watch, I type this:
Margie, Alina, Helle and Sheila in first callout
Plus Jill Blondin and Nicki Chartrand
Shocker is Helle is at the edge
Margie, Alina and Sheila in the middle
Helle and Jill kept there for 2nd callout plus Virginia
Helle no better than 5th?! Nicki Chartrand 4th maybe - well-deserved she looks great but Helle visibly shocked and Margie seemed to be shocked about it too
It seemed as though both Sheila and Alina had a genuine shout, and that one of the "Big Four" - Helle - wasn't actually going to be in the top 4. The women thundered off to very audible applause, cheers, whoops and whistles. That's all folks - for now.
I opened the chat box. Benny Boy had been typing too:
Just on the off chance you were in the mood for a bit more Physique freakery...
Erotic and genuinely disturbing in equal measure (which makes her even more erotic, the will to go to such extremes and revel in doing so!) is what I say. You say, among other things, that she is "amazing", and "awesome", and that "she's on another level now". That you look at this picture and all you can think is "I love muscle women! WOW!!!", and that "even a train would stop to look at that". "Look how happy you are!" exclaims one of Michaela's Instagram devotees. Exactly my point. What woman in their right mind would get so much pleasure from being so disgustingly muscular?!
She appears to have arrived on the forums more or less fully formed.
I mean, it doesn't look like she started on those muscles recently, does it? That is a body of work right there - check out those forearms in particular, pretty much as big as (if not bigger than) her upper arms!!! And her back (below) - so much to explore!!!
I did my research, and frankly, didn't find much. A couple of pics from 2015 - major progress, I confirmed, has been made - and then at the back end of last year suddenly new images start appearing more regularly. In 2018, however, there's a been even more of her, and I don't just mean she's grown. More and more of her pics are currently going up on the forums. There's not exactly a torrent of them, but this year we have been treated to more new images of her than in the previous three combined.
I tried to find her social media, eventually resorting to posting a "Help Wanted" plea on Girls with Muscle. I didn't have to wait long for the reply - her Instagram page. Champagne corks popped in my head as I anticipated how I would be spending the next two, three, possibly four hours... But then - This Account Is Private
Oh.
Request sent.
It's not unusual. It's fully understandable. I mean, I'm totally cool, the perfect Instagram follower, I like to think, but there are quite a lot out there who bring female muscle lovin' into disrepute, so yeah, This Account Is Private, I respect that. So I waited. And waited. And I'm still waiting. And while I'm waiting, a message comes, a late response to my "Help Wanted" plea on GwM: She is insanely hot! it begins. Only hope to get into her IG it seems is to msg the author of the Saradas post on her.
WHAT?!
I'm still waiting for three replies now. The original from Angela's IG; a reply to my reply to "maximumpecs" (who told me to "msg the author"); and now a reply to my message to the author of the post on the forum whose first rule is... about that assertion.
"Maximumpecs" is definitely right about one thing though, Angela is insanely hot. She seems all grown up too, so why she would need a social media gatekeeper is beyond me. If true, however, whoever that gatekeeper to her IG is, they really should let a few more good guys in, eg. me (obvs.) and (equally obvs.) my informed, respectful, and admiring readership. Nearly 2,000 posts and she only has just over 800 followers?!
