Dennis James reflects on the top 3 most shocking and memorable moments from the Olympia press conference.
A few weeks ago we asked Bob Cicherillo to pick what he thought was the most intense moment of all time from the Olympia press conference. But Cicherillo only makes one half of the duo that host the often rambunctious event. Dennis James is not only that other half but is also known to be an instigator both behind and on the press conference stage. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Dennis James shares his picks for the top 3 most memorable moments from the Olympia press conference.
Dennis James wants to make something clear to the audiences watching the Olympia press conference year after year. The athletes are one day away from competing on the Olympia stage. They are dehydrated and in a completely focused mental state. Majority of these bodybuilders have no interest in trash talking… or even really talking at all during the press conference.
That’s why Dennis James sees it as his job to stir the pot a little bit. Both before and during the Olympia press conference, James makes sure to plant seeds that he hopes will lead to some memorable moments. A large part of the reason he can pull this off is that he has a personal relationship with many of these athletes. He knows what buttons to push and how to ask questions in just the right way. Suddenly something triggers in a bodybuilder – and they are off to the races.
So when we asked Dennis James what his favorite Olympia press conference moments were, he not only picks three, he also goes into detail on how he helped manipulate the events to turn out entertaining. James shares some behind the scenes info on an intense verbal battle between Phil Heath and Dexter Jackson, Shawn Rhoden’s 2018 shocking heated moments, and of course the screaming match between Kai and Phil.
Many of these moments we all saw unfold in real time during the Olympia weekend. But it’s fascinating to see Dennis James detail what was going on behind the scenes. The way he twisted and turned situations to build perfectly to a shocking moment in front of the cameras.
You can watch Dennis James explain it all in detail by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
