The 2009 IFBB EUROPA SUPERSHOW took an unordinary path to a predictable result. Held at the Dallas Convention Center in Downtown Dallas, Texas, Ed and Betty Pariso put on yet another seamless production. This year's production included the pro show, NPC competition, MMA, supplement EXPO, and even a bunch of rare and classic cars.
OPEN MEN:
The open men's class was a mix of confusion and surprise as we watched the pre-judging and with the exception of the winner, no one could have predicted the results. Following up his first pro victory at last week's IFBB Tampa Pro, Dennis James again claimed victory in Dallas (SEE FULL GALLERY HERE). DJ was the only former top Olympia competitor in the line-up and it was his show to lose. And that's what DJ did....he successfully didn't lose the show; even though he was very beatable, no one showed up in Dallas ready to do that. DJ was big and his condition was right, but his physique doesn't flow that well and especially at the night show his stomach was distended. Criticisms aside, he deserved to win and should be congratulated for bringing first place condition two consecutive weeks.
The closest challenger to DJ was Bill Wilmore, last week's fourth place finisher. The changes Bill made in 6 short days were amazing. Bill was both harder and fuller in Dallas then he appeared in Tampa and many thought he would sneak into first. The "Nicest Guy in Bodybuilding" according to Dave Palumbo is headed back to the Mr. Olympia and deservedly so.
Third place was the shock of the night, as Joel Stubbs grabbed the final Olympia qualification. Joel has the best and biggest back in the IFBB today and the rest of his upper body is not far behind, but below the waist Joel is lacking the legs to match his torso. His injury riddled quads look almost emaciated and become a huge distraction from all of his great parts. It's hard for me justify an Olympia qualification to someone missing what I've always felt is the most important part of the physique, but tonight the judges saw fit to reward Joel's overwhelming size and top-notch conditioning. Fourth place went to a disappointed Fouad Abiad, who again needs more leg size to get to the top. The advantage Fouad has is that he's young and still has all the potential in the world; he isn't fighting the injuries that hurt Stubbs. Fouad has a great structure, good conditioning, and could someday be a top-10 Olympia guy if he can add the mass and detail that are missing from his legs. Another surprise tonight was Robert Piotrkowicz who grabbed fifth place with awesome, grainy conditioning and a crazy most-muscular that turned heads during the top-5 pose down (SEE HERE). This was a great showing for Robert after finishing 15th in Tampa.
Finishing in sixth was Ben "The Showstopper" White who displayed the same great conditioning he had in Tampa. This week Ben seemed to get lost among the larger guys, but worked his way up as they went through the callouts. Ben again beat his rival, Johnnie Jackson, who he will meet again at the Olympia to determine the World's Strongest Bodybuilder. Following Ben in seventh was Ed Nunn, last year's NPC National Champion who made his pro-debut here in Dallas. Ed has a beautiful shape and with a little more size he will be in contention to win a show like this. The rest of the class was mediocre at best and the Europa proved to not be one of the deeper shows of the year. To get a real feel for the show, check out the VIDEO WRAPUP with Dave and Sean that includes live stage footage of all the top competitors.
UNDER 202 CLASS
The Under-202 class was a pleasure to watch as this new class is rapidly gaining popularity with each show. Three shows in three weeks and a different result each time. This week it was finally Tricky Jackson's turn to step into the winner circle and finishing third and fifth in Jacksonville and Tampa respectively. Tricky showed up to Dallas full and hard with his trademark tiny waist, flaring quads, and one of the best rear bicep poses in the business (SEE HERE). Finishing in a close second was Charles Dixon, the most thickly muscled guy in the class. Dixon finally put all the size to good use and came in conditioning with the striated glutes to prove it. They entered the final pose down with one point separating first and second and the audience had no idea who would take it. Both men are on the way to the 202 Olympia Showdown and will be Top-5 contenders. In third was Kris Dim, back from a two-year layoff due to open heart surgery. From a 10% chance to live to the Olympia stage is a comeback for the ages and a real testament to Kris. His condition was near perfect and he still has the same freaky arms he's known for. Rounding out the top 5 were England's finest, Lee Powell and John Hodgson. Lee Powell took fourth this week and beat his fellow countryman whom he lost to in Tampa. Hodgson looked a little flat and his whole package was just off from the physique that placed second in Tampa.
The surprise of the 202 class might have been Stan McQuay who dropped to eighth after winning in Jacksonville. Stan looked flat and lacked the tight condition he needed to win. Curtis Bryant also surprised me when he dropped to seventh; he hung in the first callouts in prejudging be seemed to fade as the show went on. In contrast to the open class, the 202 was competitive all the way through the top 10, proving this class will never be lacking the talent to thrive.
PRO FITNESS:
On the female side of the show, the women were represented by a Pro Fitness and Pro Figure. Women's bodybuilding was dropped from the lineup this year and seems to be the only thing this show lacked. The Fitness competition was dominated by none other than three-time Ms. Fitness Olympia, Adela Garcia. Coming back from knee surgery, Adela looked every bit her old self as she dominated the physique round and held her own in the two-minute routine. She's back and looks like the top contender for the Olympia crown. In second was the adorable crowd favorite, Myriam Capes. This little Canadian brought the best routine of the night- tumbling, strength, flexibility, and most important to the Rx Muscle crew, entertaining. And while she fell short in matching Adela's physique, Myriam is much improved from her last showing at the NY Pro. Rounding out the top-5 was Nicole Duncan in third, Bethany Wagner in fourth, and Laticia Jackson in fifth. Stay tuned to the video section of Rx Muscle to see video clips of the top fitness routines.
PRO FIGURE:
The Figure class was comprised of 17 women and, as usual, we initially had trouble sorting them all out. In 
the end, the judges seemed to have nailed the placings. Winning the class was former Figure Olympia champ Jenny Lynn. While she still isn't the old Jenny that dominated the stage, she tightened up considerably from her disappointing showing in Jacksonville. Jenny still has some work to do if she is going to challenge for the Olympia title, but tonight she had enough to go with her experience and amazing stage presence and got the win. Second went to Rx Muscle's own Muscle Girl (Muscle Girl, Inc Radio Show), Krissy Chin. Krissy has been chipping away this year and finally nailed the details she needed to get qualified for the Olympia. Everything about Krissy was just a touch better then we've seen before: the hair, make-up, posing, walk...all the details came together tonight. In third, and garnering the final Olympia qualification, was Meriza DeGuzman, who gives hope to all the short girls out there. Meriza has the perfect combination of size and shape and just the right condition. She might not be able to ride the tea-cups, but she's going to the Olympia. Fourth place went to the beautiful Alicia Harris, who could have easily been as high as second. With a little more muscle on her upper body, Alicia will be a star in the figure ranks. She was the talk of Rx Muscle today during the play-by-play (Play-by-Play) and will keep turning heads with each show. And taking fifth was Siobhan Tewari, matching her placing from Jacksonville. Siobhan has very little to criticize and she could have moved up without complaint. She seems to be catching the judge's eye, but not yet getting the top placing. Too hard? I wouldn't say so, but I'm not a judge.
That's it from Dallas. Rx Muscle got a lot of love in Texas and I can't wait to come back. And despite what Dave thinks, WHATABURGER is barely edible. See you in Cleveland for the IFBB North American Championships.
