Kai Greene opens up about the infamous grapefruit video in this exclusive clip from the Kai movie.
While Kai Greene‘s past is still mysterious today – there is much more we know about the artistic champion bodybuilder than we knew back in his early days of competing. Today, it’s well known by fans that Kai grew up as a ward of the state, went to prison, and turned towards exotic dancing upon release. This was less chronicled during Kai’s rise to fame in bodybuilding.
So it certainly came as a shock to fans, judges, and fellow competitors alike when a certain video surfaced and went viral on the internet. That video in question is the “grapefruit video” as it’s causally known. The video was recorded during Kai Greene’s exotic dancing days. But instead of it simply being a video of Kai dancing alone – it was a “soft core” video of Kai having relations with a grapefruit.
The video’s release coincided with Kai Greene’s rapid rise in competitive bodybuilding. By the time the video went viral – Kai was already seen as threat at the Mr. Olympia. His rivalry with Phil Heath was just getting started. He was on top of the world.
The grapefruit video slightly altered the perception of Kai Greene and nearly derailed his success in the sport. While there was no direct action taken or proven penalty for the video (why would there be?), it pained Kai in a different light by the public. There is often talk about how a Mr. Olympia champion is seen as an ambassador to the sport. Would the IFBB Pro league want a man who simulated having sex with a grapefruit as their ambassador?
Ultimately Kai Greene moved past the drama of the video’s release. He continued to succeed in the sport and battle with Phil Heath year after year. While he did not ever win the Mr. Olympia, there’s little to no evidence that the grapefruit video had an affect on his placing on stage.
But questions always lingered. Why exactly does this video exist? What was the origin of why Kai Greene decided to record it? In the feature film documentary, Kai, we finally get a direct answer. Kai looks directly at the camera and lays out a play-by-play of how he ended up filming the grapefruit video. You can watch a preview of the exclusive clip above.
