Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts

Monday, August 26, 2024

1st-ever DraftKings Wrestling Combine, hosted by Black Label Pro

In what is being called a first in the independent pro wrestling world, Black Label Pro will be hosting the first-ever Wrestlers Combine, which is presented by DraftKings. On their website, Black Label Pro is an independent wrestling promotion based in Chicago, IL, bringing its eclectic brand of professional wrestling to the Midwest Wrestling scene since 2017. The wrestlers combine will be part of their next event Crowning Glory. This event will take place on September 4 at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago. Yes, there will be wrestling matches, but this combine will be something not seen in the world on professional wrestling outside of WWE, and even then that's limited to NXT and not even shown much to the public. Four men and four women will take place in this historic event. 

For the men, it's Jake Hager, Moose, Mike Rallis (who will have his wife and fellow wrestler Tenielle Dashwood in his corner), and Parker Boudreaux. But as we are a FEMALE fitness network, our focus will be on the ladies: Current TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace, former WWE Superstar Xia Zhao, former WWE Superstar and NXT Women's Champion and WBFF Bikini World Champion Mandy Sacs, and former WWE Superstar/current TNA Knockout and IFBB Fitness Pro Ash by Elegance. 



All four women are fitness freaks in their own rights (two of the competitors are fitness pro and one of them has a World Champion in the fitness world) and over the next few days we will be highlighting each woman on here individually on their wrestling careers as well as their fitness backgrounds showing why they deserve to be part of history next Wednesday. As of this writing, we do not know the format of the combine but we are going to assume it will be based off the NFL Scouting Combine that is pretty popular among sports fans. IF we are able to know how the combine will go down as far as events go before next Wednesday, we will have a preview post next Tuesday with us giving our predictions on the historic event. It will be cool to see how this unscripted competition will play out for the world to see. Who knows what this could start in the years to come! 

To view the event FREE on YouTube (for those that can't make it to Chicago), you can click here and set a notification. For more on Black Label Pro, go to https://blacklabelpro.com. For more on DraftKings, go to https://www.draftkings.com. BTW, new DraftKings users can use the code "COMBINE" while placing a $5 bet to get $200 instantly on bonus bets. 

Monday, February 19, 2024

2024 FitGems Awards Update

As you know, I do special awards every year to highlight the best of the female muscle world each year. I only cancelled it once due to losing a family member and it wasn’t fair to do those awards with a fractured state of mine. This year, life just happened and I failed to realized that I didn’t do them and that’s 100% on me. I didn’t prioritize my time and I apologize to you all for that. With the bodybuilding season about to kick off very soon, it’s too late to get stuff together tor the past year so I’ve decided to not do the awards this year. It’s also become painfully clear that I can’t do this alone anymore due to how things in my personal life are.

That’s where YOU all come in.

I’m looking for 10 people that would be interested in joining the FitGems Awards Committee. These 10 people will help decide on the nominees for each category of the awards. These 10 will be different each year so if you don’t get selected this year, you can submit to be part of the committee in the future. VOTING IN THE AWARDS WILL NOT CHANGE…it will still be decided by the fans as it’s always been.

Although it’s early, you can send in your submissions beginning now at fitgemsnation@gmail.com. Because of how serious I take this, submissions will be done via EMAIL ONLY. Submit your name, your relationship to the bodybuilding world (competitor, fan/spectator, judge, etc.), and a very brief but detailed reasoning on why you should be selected as part of the committee. Put FGAC 2024 on the subject line. Last day to send in your committee submission will be October 9, the day before the start of the 2024 Olympia. You will be notified by email if you made the committee by October 14, the day after the Olympia. The tentative voting week will be January 5-11, with the awards to be announced beginning January 13. That is subject to change, but I will give plenty of notice on that.

Thank you all for your support of FitGems Nation and the FitGems Awards. Again, my apologies for now being able to do the awards this year, but hopefully this new format will get it back on track and preserve these awards for years to come. To all of you, have a wonderful season and here to you all achieving your goals this year!

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Monica Brant, 1998 Fitness Olympia Champion: A Look Back 25 Years Later

One of the greatest to ever do it!


October 24, 1998.

Nice, France,

The first and (as of now) only time the Fitness Olympia contest went international.

17 fitness women from all over the world came to France to find out who was the number one fitness competitor in the world that year. Several top legends competed that year, including Lena Johannesen, Mary Yockey, Susie Curry, Timea Majorova, and Jenny Worth (who made her Olympia debut that night). But when it was all said and done, all eyes were on the Texas native Monica Brant. Once prejudging was over, it fell like a formality that Monica would become the Queen of Fitness. Finals was just icing on the cake for her with a routine just impressive enough to secure her the title of Fitness Olympia Champion.

Monica had already established herself as one of the biggest name in the industry in the 90s with her impressive resume as well as being one of the original fitness models, alongside women like Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson, and Victoria Pratt. She won her first pro show in 1995, winning the Jan Tana Fitness Pro competition, but it would take her three more years before being in the winners circle again. But again, her competitions and her fitness modeling only made her more popular with each passing year. 1998 would be the year that everything would come together and it culminated with Monica taking her rightful place on the throne as the best fitness competitor in the world.

It’s 2023 and folks are STILL influenced by Monica Brant. This shows you her greatness throughout her career and what she has done for the industry despite her days on stage well behind her. There has been many competitors and models that have made their name in the bodybuilding industry, but there is only one Monica Jean Brant, and she will forever be a Fitness Icon.

For more on the legendary Monica, follow her on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram. Also click here to view some of the 1998 Fitness Olympia and click here to view Monica’s road to the 1998 Fitness Olympia title via arguably her most popular video ever, Monica Brant: Secrets of Beauty! 

Thursday, December 15, 2022

2022 Olympia Predictions




Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, ya filthy animals! This is the best time of the year…and no, I’m not just talking about the holidays…I’m talking about the Olympia, which is BACK in Vegas for the first time since the pandemic moved the event to Florida in 2020. This weekend, we will determine the best of the best of all divisions. To make it to this stage is vindication of you as a competitor. It shows that you are among the best in the world at what you do. 196 women will step on the biggest stage in bodybuilding, more than any time in HISTORY. Only 6 can call themselves THE absolute best. Below are my predictions on what I THINK will happen, and nothing more. Please remember that as you read through them. I picked my top six in each category as well as a dark horse (or two). Enjoy!

MS. OLYMPIA

21 women are in this year’s Ms. Olympia contest, including current champion Andrea Shaw. When the Ms. Olympia made its return in 2020, Andrea has represented what I feel most want women’s bodybuilding to be: incredible size, shape, and condition with plenty of feminine qualities, and Andrea has it all and then some. Margie Martin has shown that she is among one of the best in the world and has given Andrea a run for her money ever since the Ms. Olympia resurgence. Helle Trevino has wowed folks for quite some time and has what it takes to do it again. Angela Yeo has some of the biggest buzz I’ve seen for a pro female bodybuilder in some time and when you look at her, it’s not hard to see why. Theresa Ivancik has returned to bodybuilding after a stint in women’s physique and I feel she is in the right division for her, and she will show that this weekend. I also feel MayLa Ash is going to turn some heads as well with her incredible physique. For the Ms. O, I got Andrea remaining queen of bodybuilding and Margie as runner-up. For the rest of the top 6, I have Angela in 3rd, Helle in 4th, Theresa in 5th, and MayLa in 6th. My dark horse is Irene Anderson.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 MS. OLYMPIA:
  1. Andrea Shaw
  2. Margie Martin
  3. Angela Yeo
  4. Helle Trevino
  5. Theresa Ivancik
  6. MayLa Ash (Dark horse: Irene Anderson)

WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE OLYMPIA

24 women will compete for the honor of calling themselves the best women’s physique competitor in the world. Last year, Sarah Villegas proved that her win in 2020 over Shanique Grant was no fluke when she successfully retained her title. I know I shouldn’t beat against Sarah given her track record but this year’s crop of ladies is INSANE. Brooke Walker put folks on notice last year with a 3rd place finish. Anne Mohn is the current Arnold UK Champion and is looking incredible. Natalia Coelho has fought and fought and fought for the last few Olympias and would love to FINALLY taste Olympia gold rather than silver for the first time in her career. We finally get to see Ashley Jones make her much-anticipated Olympia debut and I feel that woman is gonna turn some heads this weekend. With that being said, I just don’t see Sarah giving up the title just yet, so I see a 3-peat in her future. I got Anne Mohn in the runner-up spot, followed by Ashley Jones in 3rd (yes, I have her that high for her first Olympia), then Natalia in 4th, Brooke in 5th, and Melissa Teich to round out the top six. My dark horse is Evon Pennington.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE OLYMPIA:
  1. Sarah Villegas
  2. Anne Mohn
  3. Ashley Jones
  4. Natalia Coelho
  5. Brooke Walker
  6. Melissa Teich (Dark horse: Evon Pennington)
FITNESS OLYMPIA

At least one division will have a new champion as Whitney Jones will not be defending her title due to health issues she’s working on. She will be having other roles at the Olympia this weekend. 20 fitness women (as of this writing) are set to compete this weekend. To me this is going to come down to three ladies: current Fitness International Champion Ariel Khadr, and former Fitness Olympia Champions Missy Truscott and Oksana Grishina. All three come in with crazy physiques and insane routines that have wowed the crowd for quite some time. My pick to win goes to Ariel slightly because she has tasted winning one of the big ones in the form of the Fitness International title and she would love nothing more but to leave Vegas as the UNDISPUTED Queen of Fitness. Missy wants to come back with a vengeance after losing her title in 2021, but I feel she will be runner-up again…but it will be by a very slight margin. As far as the rest of the top 6, I have Oksana in 3rd, Tamara in 4th, Jaclyn in 5th, and Minna in 6th, with my dark horse being Sarah Kovach.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 FITNESS OLYMPIA:
  1. Ariel Khadr
  2. Missy Truscott 
  3. Oksana Grishina
  4. Tamara Vahn
  5. Jaclyn Baker
  6. Minna Pajulahti (Dark Horse: Sarah Kovach)

FIGURE OLYMPIA

39 women are set to compete for figure’s top prize, which for the last few years has been dominated by one woman…Cydney Gillon. Since 2017, Cydney has been the standard for the figure division. Last year, she arguably became the greatest figure competitor of all time by winning her fifth-straight title. She will look to continue to put herself in the history books by winning an sixth-straight Olympia title. VERY few have done that, but if anyone can do it, It’s her. HOWEVER…it won’t be easy. Jessica Reyes Padilla has had one of the most impressive winning records this year of any figure competitor, and to me will be the one woman that keeps Cydney from winning title number six. But big time players always show up in big time moments, hence why I’m going to give the notch to Cydney but barely. I have Jessica as runner-up, followed by Nicole Zenobia Graham in 3rd, Lola Montez in 4th, Natalia Soltero in 5th and Bojana rounding out the top six. I’m going to pick TWO dark horses for figure: Wendy Fortino (who has went a WHOLE new level this year) and Angelita Lopez (who I feel is going to shock many folks this weekend)

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 FIGURE OLYMPIA:
  1. Cydney Gillon
  2. Jessica Reyes Padilla
  3. Nicole Zenobia Graham
  4. Lola Montez
  5. Natalia Soltero
  6. Bojana Vasiljevic (Dark horses: Wendy Fortino and Angelita Lopez)

BIKINI OLYMPIA

Bikini’s top honor will be contested by 54 women….54 WOMEN!!! BRUH! That’s a lot of women to judge in one division. EASILY the biggest category of the weekend, male or female. Last year, Jennifer Dorie won the Bikini Olympia for the first time in her career, and honestly…I don’t see her wanting to give it up that easily. But at the same time, I can see Ashley Kaltwasser (the most winningest champion in IFBB history) want to win the Olympia again (she hasn’t won it since 2015) to add to her impressive resume. And then there’s Erin Stern, who has made quite the amazing transition from figure star to bikini star who I feel has finally found her footing in bikini. Janet Layng would love to be Bikini Olympia champion once more. With that being said, I’m going go with Jennifer repeating, with Erin as the runner-up, then Ashley in 3rd, Janet in 4th, Elisa in 5th, and rounding out the top 6 with Daraja. My dark horse is India Paulino, a woman that is NO stranger to being a top bikini star.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 BIKINI OLYMPIA:
  1. Jennifer Dorie
  2. Erin Stern
  3. Ashley Kaltwasser
  4. Janet Layug
  5. Elisa Pecini 
  6. Daraja Hill (Dark horse: India Paulino)

WELLNESS OLYMPIA

Last year, history was made with the first-ever Wellness Olympia. This year, we have 38 women looking to add their name to the list…or technically 37 women to add their name to the list and only one to make sure she IS the list…the current champion Francielle Mattos. Once all the ladies made their Wellness walks last year, it was clear that Francielle would be the one to make history. She looks to keep it going this weekend as she has VASLEY improved on her physique, which some folks will say her winning again is a foregone conclusion. The first-ever Wellness International Champion Isabelle Nunes will have something to say about this, as she looks to become the first-ever Undisputed Wellness Queen (winning both the Arnold AND Olympia Wellness titles). Yarishna Ayala did not come in at her best at last year’s Olympia. I have a feel she will right that wrong and MAYBE witness her dream of becoming an Olympia champion. The Andrews sisters are going to bring it like very few can, especially Dr. Sunny, who has continued WOW fans all over. Jacqueline Rios and Rayane Fogal are two ladies that many folks say will turn the Wellness Olympia on its head should they come in. Kassandra Gillis has made an incredible transition from figure to wellness and has proven she belongs on the big stage. Amanda Burnett and Maria Paulette have made folks speechless with their social media content. I have a feeling that will translate well into the Olympia. I can’t front, this is a crapshoot for me to make predictions but here we go anyways: I have Isabelle winning the show, following by Francielle as runner-up, then Rayane in 3rd, Kassandra in 4th, Yarishna in 5th, and Dr. Sunny in 6th, with Maria Paulette as my dark horse. This is the category that I have the LEAST amount of confidence in picking, so please don’t place bets on this one. LOL.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 WELLNESS OLYMPIA:
  1. Isabella Nunes
  2. Francielle Mattos
  3. Rayane Fogal de Souza Santana
  4. Kassandra Gillis
  5. Yarishna Ayala
  6. Dr. Sunny Andrews (Dark horse: Maria Paulette Aranguren)

There you have it. My predictions for quite LITERALLY the biggest Olympia in history. We are in for a special weekend before Christmas, and Santa Claus is gonna give a few competitors a Christmas present they will never forget in the form of calling themselves Olympia Champions. To everyone in Vegas competing, good luck to you all! To everyone in Vegas that is competing or just there for the festivities, please be safe and have fun! For everything Olympia, including the full list of all competitors and how to order the PPV, go to https://www.mrolympia.com. Also make sure to follow our Instagram as we hope to have some exclusive content from various folks that will be in Vegas. 

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

More Details on Christine Pomponio’s Petite USA Campaign Including People’s Choice

Earlier this year on our blog, we talked about IFBB Legend Christine Pomponio competing at the Petite USA Pageant this year. The Petite USA organization has launched a People’s Choice contest. The winner of the contest will make the Top 16 automatically and will be announced on August 13, the day of the Petite USA Finals. It’s a dollar ($1) a vote, and you can vote as much as you want. So realistically, you can vote 100 times ($100) or 1,000 times ($1,000) or even more than that! Proceeds from each vote will go to the Stop Soldier Suicide organization. Click here to view more on Stop Solider Suicide. We’ll provide the link below for Christine.

As stated in our previous blog post, Christine will represent Colorado under the Elite Ms. Petite division. The National pageant will take place from August 10-13 at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  August 10 will be the State Costume Contest. The Preliminary Competition (Mrs./Elite Ms.) will take place August 12th at 6PM with the Finals taking place the following day (August 13) at 2pm.  The Elite Ms. Petite division will compost of the following parts/scoring: Personal Interview (35%). Activewear (25%), Evening Gown (25%), and On-Stage Question (15%). BTW, the Teen, Miss, and Ms. divisions will have swimwear instead of activewear. While we know Christine would absolutely SMOKE the swimwear category, we have a feeling she’s gonna wow folks just as much in the Activewear portion. Click here for all ticket information.

The fact that Christine is stepping on any kind of stage for the first time since the 2006 Figure Olympia (where she placed in the top 5, making her one to the top five figure competitors in the world at that time) is pretty exciting, and anyone who has followed FitGems Nation knows the amount of respect and admiration we have for one of the First Ladies of Figure. As cool as this will be for her next month, a part of us hopes very sincerely this will lead to her doing at least ONE MORE IFBB show. Figure, Bikini, Wellness…it doesn’t matter. Just one more show in the IFBB. Anyone who has checked out her social media over the last year or so would probably agree with us on this. We’ve seen quite a bit of competitors come back to do a show of two over the last decade, and with the masters divisions having their own World Championship now, expect even more to do so in the years to come. Why not Christine one day?! 


To say we are excited for Christine is putting it mildly. Regardless of how far she goes in the pageant, we at FitGems Nation can’t express our excitement enough for one of the figure division’s greatest competitors. It’s pretty appropriate that one of the ladies that broke the glass ceiling for smaller competitors gets to compete in a pageant that is literally tailor made for her. Elite Ms. Petite USA Christine Pomponio…that sounds nice to us, and could become a reality next month! Good luck Christine!



Click here to vote on Christine in the Petite USA People’s Choice contest. For more on Petitie USA as well as their social media platforms, go to http://www.petitieusa.com.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Trish Stratus…Fitness COMPETITOR?! WHY NOT?!

When it comes to popularity, Trish Stratus might be the most popular mainstream female wrestler of all time. Her popularity began due to her superhero-like body and Hollywood looks, but she maintained her popularity for not just her physique but her dedication to professional wrestling. She could have easily had a carrer in wrestling at the time based off her looks alone, but the tomboy and competitive nature in her was too great to let that happen, and women’s wrestling and wrestling as a whole is better because of it. Her success as an beautiful woman who can also kick ass in the ring and show it off paved the way for so many women with her credentials to follow suit in the wrestling world, and is still inspiring female wrestlers today. I mean, 6x WWE Women’s Champion, 1x WWE Hardcore Champion, WWE Hall of Fame, 2022 George Tragkos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame as the first-ever female recipient of the Lou Thesz Award…we say Trish has definitely made her mark in wrestling. 


From wrestling world to fitness world: THANK YOU!
Credit: TrishStratus.com


But as much as Trish has made her mark in wrestling, she has also made her mark in the fitness world. Considered one of the First Ladies of Fitness Modeling, she (along with a group of others including Victoria Pratt, Monica Brant, and fellow WWE Hall-of-Famer Torrie Wilson) helped established a new breed of woman, showcasing that women can be strong AND sexy at the same time. Trish was (and still is) proof positive that having muscles and being feminine were NOT mutually exclusive to one another. Her arrival to the wrestling world in 2000 gave new meaning to the phrase “eye candy”. I mean, I don’t need to go into details…but some one like Trish is what you would expect from a video game or a comic book…NOT in real life, not even in wrestling. But that’s what happened. Trish brought a look that WOWed folks then and still influences folks now. I mean, folks that love ranking the hottest women in wrestling just HAPPEN to have fit and built but curvy and feminine at the top of their list. Coincidence?! We don’t think so. 

How could any woman NOT want to get in the weight room after seeing THIS?! 
Credit: WWE.com


These days, Trish is looking better than ever, putting her quarantine time last year to work and reshaping her body to what might be her strongest yet. While Trish was more about shape and SOMEWHAT size back in 2000, she seems stronger and more cut than she ever was during her WWE heydays. Her social media posts have shown that. Which begs the question…could she make it as a fitness competitor TODAY?! I think so, to be honest with you. I mean, hell, she spent over six years getting her ass kicked in the ring and kicking ass, taking various bumps along the way. I think Trish doing a physique competition would be cool for her to do, especially with how she looks as a mom of two! Now what division she would be good in? I could see two: Bikini and Wellness. If Trish is more committed to developing her lower body (and yes, the woman has amazing legs) the wellness division would be the way to go for her. If she keeps the size she has now or even adds a tiny bit more (but not much more) and hones in more on her conditioning, then bikini would be the way to go for her. If she dedicated herself to more size all over, Trish in figure wouldn’t be out of the realm for her as well. But in all reality, we see her doing bikini or maybe wellness. 

If she were to dab in a competition, we could see her doing one in late 2022 or early 2023 in her home country of Canada (even though this selfish person writing this would love to see her do it in the States, but I digress). Imagine the press she could get doing a physique competition…and the amount of people that she could inspire to get into shape, especially mothers and working women. Fitness has given Trish so much. To us, this would be a cool way for her to give back to the industry that got her discovered. 


If Trish were to do a fitness competition, we would BACK her up 100%
Credit: Trish’s social media accounts



For more on Trish, make sure to check out her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and her website at https://www.trishstratus.com.

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Christine Pomponio To Compete in a New Kind of Stage in 2022

We have stated in the past that we would love to see figure original Christine Pomponio return to the stage one day. Well...in 2022, we will FINALLY get that wish...but NOT in the way you might think. Yes, Christine will be stepping on stage in 2022, but not on an IFBB stage...not yet anyways. Instead she will be stepping on the Petite USA stage represeting as Elite Ms. Colorado Petite 2022. 


So...you're probably asking yourself...what is Petite USA? Here's the history of it via their website:

The Petite USA Pageant was founded in 2009 by Hazely Lopez-Alvarez with a vision to empower and celebrate petite beauty, 5'6 or less. The USA Petite Pageant focus on celebrating the accomplishments of petite women and provides them opportunity to be a voice and spokesmodel for petite women around the United States.

Petite USA is the official United States preliminary to the Miss Universal Petite pageant. The winners in both our Miss and Teen divisions will represent the USA at Universal Petite. These two ladies will compete against petite women from all over the world for the coveted titles of, Miss Universal Petite and Teen Universal Petite. 

With a vision of serving, Petite USA is more than just a pageant. The Petite USA Family is a sisterhood that embraces healthy competition and a heart to serve others through our leadership and outreach. Each contestant is asked to champion a "Personal Platform" that is near and dear to her heart to encourage leadership, community service, and kindness. 

Our areas of competition include swimsuit, evening gown, judge interview, and on-stage question. We are looking for poised, graceful, and passionate ladies that understand that their height is no limitation to fulfilling their dreams.

 


As you can see, Christine fits this platform perfectly, as she is five foot one. At that height, she is also one of the shortest women to ever compete in the IFBB, but also among the most sucessful as well, winning two figure titles and competing in 2 Figure Internationals and 3 Figure Olympias, placing no worse than sixth throughout her pro career, paving the way for shorter competitors to be successful in the bodybuilding world. Christine's platform will be Postpartum, as well as Alzheimer's during the month of November. That is a deep topic to her due to her father having it and having a couple of scary episodes. Thankfully he is currently okay. 

The 2022 pageant will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 10-13. Because Christine will be competing in the Elite Ms. category. she will have an activewear round rather than a swimwear round. (We have a gut feeling Christine will WOW folks in that round...especially the way she WOW'd folks on the IFBB stage). If they do the pageant like they did earlier this year for the 2021 pageant, it will stream on Facebook. On behalf of FitGems Nation, we can't stress enough how proud we are of Christine for this amazing accomplishment and wish her best of luck as she represents Colorado as Ms. Elite Ms. Colorado Petite 2022 throughout the rest of 2021 and all of next year, and best of luck to her as she looks to become Elite Ms. Petite USA later on in 2022!

I have no clue how fundraisers are done in Petite USA, but we'll pass along the information as we get it, so we can all help support one of our own.




Follow Christine on the following social media platforms:

https://www.facebook.com/christinepompoino
https://instagram.com/christinepomponio

Follow Petite USA on the following platforms:

https://www.petiteusa.com
https://www.facebook.com/petiteusa
https://instagram.com/petiteusa


Photos are from Christine's social media accounts

Friday, May 15, 2020

2020 Olympia: The Show WILL Go On!

Well...you all know what's going on in the world right now, so I don't need to speak on it no more than I need to. So all I'll speak on is how the Olympia will be done this year with everything that is going on right now.

This Monday, it was announced that the Olympia WILL be a go, and it will happen December 16-20. Yes, you heard that correct, folks. The Olympia is taking place during the holidays! But that's not the only big change happening for the Olympia. Beginning this year, it will be move from the Las Vegas Convention Center to Planet Hollywood right in the center of the Las Vegas Strip. That is MASSIVE because Las Vegas is the city that never sleeps (outside of right now, obviously) and to move it to the center of the Strip puts more eyes on it than ever before, and it gives more of a fan-friendly feel to it, which is something that Jake Wood, the new owner of the Olympia, wanted to go: give the Olympia back to the fans as best as he can, and these changes (and more to come in the months ahead) seem to indicate just that. Tickets for all the Olympia festivities will go on sale May 25th (Memorial Day). If you have purchased Olympia tickets prior to the changes, you should receive a full refund. If you haven't, make sure to check with Ticketmaster. No, your previous purchase will NOT be transferred over to the new dates/locations. You must purchase new tickets when they go on sale May 25th.

With the new dates and location established...now lies the following: When is the last day to qualify for the Olympia and what shows are even taking place this year?! Today, NPC News Online announced that Sunday October 18th will be the last day to qualify for the Olympia. Here's a list of all the competitions that are set to go on to qualify for the 2020 Olympia:

Women's Bodybuilding (BTW, so glad Ms. Olympia is BACK!!!)


2020 IFBB MR. BIG EVOLUTION PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 07/12/20 in Lisbon, Portugal
2020 IFBB OMAHA PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 7/18/2020 in Omaha, Nebraska
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING in 07-31/08-01/2020 on Tampa, Florida
2020 IFBB SAVANNAH PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 8/29/2020 in Savannah, Georgia
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB NEW YORK PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 9/5/2020 in Teaneck, New Jersey
2020 IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING Over 35 on 09/02-05/2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH RISING PHOENIX WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB EVLS PRAGUE PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 9/26/2020 in Czech Republic
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 10/16-17/20 in Chicago, Illinois

Women's Fitness

2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA FITNESS on 07-31/08-01/2020 in Tampa, Florida
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO FITNESS on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH ARIZONA PRO FITNESS on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE BEN WEIDER NATURAL PRO FITNESS on 9/19/2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020 IFBB PRO FITNESS on 10/10/2020 in Atlanta, Georgia
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO FITNESS on 10/16-17/20 in Chicago, Illinois

Women's Figure

2020 IFBB ZHANNA ROTAR CLASSIC PRO FIGURE on 7/18/2020 in Los Angeles, California
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA FIGURE on 07/31-08/01/2020 in Tampa, Florida
2020 IFBB MONSTERZYM KOREA PRO FIGURE on 08-22-23/2020 in South Korea
2020 IFBB SAVANNAH PRO FIGURE on 8/29/2020 in Savannah, Georgia
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO FIGURE on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS FIGURE on 09/02-05/2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH ARIZONA PRO FIGURE on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB NEW YORK PRO FIGURE on 9/5/2020 in Teaneck, New Jersey
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE BEN WEIDER NATURAL PRO FIGURE on 9/19/2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE KY MUSCLE FIGURE OPEN on 09/19/20 in Louisville, Kentucky
2020 IFBB TITANS PRO FIGURE on 10/3/2020 in San Diego, California
2020 IFBB BATTLE IN THE DESERT PRO FIGURE on 10/03/20 in Las Vegas, Nevada
2020 IFBB PRO FIGURE on 10/10/2020 in Atlanta, Georgia
2020 IFBB MONSTERZYM PRO FIGURE on 10/10/20 in Seoul, South Korea
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO FIGURE on 10/16-17/20 in Chicago, Illinois

Women's Bikini

2020 IFBB BATTLE AT THE FALLS PRO BIKINI on 5/9/2020 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2020 IFBB PATRIOTS CHALLENGE BIKINI on 7/11/2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada
2020 IFBB NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PRO BIKINI on 07/11/20 in Sacramento, California
2020 IFBB VANCOUVER PRO BIKINI on 07/11-12/20 in Vancouver, Canada
2020 IFBB WASATCH WARRIOR PRO BIKINI on 7/11/2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 IFBB MR. BIG EVOLUTION PRO BIKINI on 07/12/20 in Lisbon, Portugal Sandra Ferreira
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA BIKINI on 07/31-08/01/2020 in Tampa, Florida T
2020 IFBB MUSCLECONTEST BRAZIL BIKINI on 8/1/2020 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
2020 IFBB BRITISH PRO BIKINI on 8/2/2020 in Watford, United Kingdom
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRTIION SAN ANTONIO PRO BIKINI on 8/8/2020 in San Antonio, Texas
2020 IFBB PACIFIC USA XXII BIKINI on 8/8/2020 in San Diego, California
2020 TAHOE PRO BIKINI on 8/8/2020
2020 IFBB GOLDEN STATE PRO BIKINI on 08/22/20 in Sacramento, California
2020 IFBB WORLD KLASH PRO BIKINI on 8/22/2020 in Port Charlotte, FL
2020 IFBB MONSTERZYM KOREA PRO BIKINI on 08/22-23/2020 in South Korea
2020 IFBB OPTIMUM CLASSIC PRO BIKINI OPEN on 08/29/20 in Shreveport, Louisiana
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO BIKINI on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS BIKINI on 09/02-05/2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH ARIZONA PRO BIKINI on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB NEW YORK PRO BIKINI on 9/5/2020 in Teaneck, New Jersey
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE HOT SPOT TANNING HURRICANE PRO BIKINI on 9/19/2020 in St. Petersburg, Florida
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE BEN WEIDER NATURAL PRO BIKINI on 9/19/2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020 ASIAN GRAND PRIX PRO BIKINI on 9/20/2020 in Seoul, Korea
2020 IFBB EVLS PRAGUE PRO BIKINI on 9/26/2020 in Czech Republic
2020 IFBB MUSCLECONTEST VIETNAM BIKINI on 9/26/2020 in Vietnam
2020 IFBB POWERHOUSE CLASSIC PRO BIKINI on 9/26/20 in Ypsilanti, Michigan
2020 IFBB MUSCLECONTEST PHILIPPINES BIKINI on 10/3/2020 in Subic Bay, Philippines
2020 IFBB MINNEAPOLIS OPEN BIKINI on 10/3/2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
2020 IFBB PRO BIKINI on 10/10/2020 in Atlanta, Georgia
2020 IFBB MONSTERZYM PRO BIKINI on 10/10/20 in Seoul, South Korea
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO BIKINI on 10/16-17/20 in Chicago, Illinois
2020 AUCKLAND PRO BIKINI on 10/17/2020 in Auckland, New Zealand
2020 IFBB SACRAMENTO PRO BIKINI on 10/17/20 in Sacramento, California
2020 IFBB FITPARADE PRO BIKINI on 10/18/2020 in Budapest, Hungary

(WOW...on the final weekend of Olympia qualifying there will be four shows for the bikini division! SHEESH!)

Women's Physique

2020 IFBB OMAHA PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 7/18/2020 in Omaha, Nebraska
2020 IFBB PRESTIGE CRYSTAL CUP PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 7/25/2020 in Boca Raton, Florida
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 07-31/08-01/2020 in Tampa, Florida
2020 IFBB EUROPA PHOENIX PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 08/08-09/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB OPTIMUM CLASSIC PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE Open on 08/29/20 in Shreveport, Louisiana
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 09/02-05/2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH ARIZONA PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE BEN WEIDER NATURAL PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 9/19/2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020 IFBB PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 10/10/2020 in Atlanta, Georgia
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 10/16-17/2020 in Chicago, Illinois

To view all shows past the Olympia qualification dates, including the first official pro wellness shows (they will not be represented at the Olympia this year), check out the PDF here: http://www.ifbbpro.com/wp-content/uploads/image/2020/calendar/calendar.pdf. For the 2020 Olympia Qualification Systems rules, check them out at http://www.ifbbpro.com/all-categories/news/2020-olympia-qualification-system-2/. If you want to see who has already qualified for the Olympia and is on their way to qualifying, check out the current rankings at http://www.ifbbpro.com/all-categories/oqs/2020-olympia-qualified-athletes-and-point-standings/.

I do want to mention that things can change at anytime so be weary of that. However, I do find it good that the IFBB has worked their butts off to try and get a competition season going for the athletes during one of the most unprecedented times in our world's history. To all of you competing, good luck to you all. To those waiting it out on competing until 2021, FitGems Nation fully respect your decision as well. It has been quite the year for everyone. To all of you out there...STAY SAFE AND USE SOME COMMON SENSE NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. Take care, everyone!

For more on the Olympia including tickets and the latest up-to-date information, check out their website at https://mrolympia.com/.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

11th Annual FitGems Awards Winners

ONCE AGAIN...records were shattered in FitGems Awards voting! Here's the full list of the winners and runner-ups for each category of the 11th Annual FitGems Awards, as well as the top ten finishers of the 2019 FitGems Nation Woman of the Year. Check out our social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram) to view photos of the winners and the top 10 Woman of the Year votegetters. Once again, congrats to all the winners, runner-ups, and nominees!



PRO CATEGORIES

Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Helle Trevino
Theresa Ivancik (runner-up)

Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Valentina Mishina
Shanique Grant (runner-up)

Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Whitney Jones
Tiffany Chandler (runner-up)

Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Sandra Grajales
Cydney Gillon (runner-up)

Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Elisa Pecini
Angelica Texieria (runner-up)

Most Improved Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Aleesha Young
Maria Flores (runner-up)

Most Improved Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Brittany Watts
Patricia Gosseln (runner-up)

Most Improved Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year 
Sara Kovach
Toni Wheeler (runner-up)

Most Improved Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Ashley Soto
Lola Montez (runner-up)

Most Improved Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Beatriz Biscaia
Monica Ellis (runner-up)

Rookie Pro Women's Bodybuilder of the Year
Tina Williams
Barbara Carita (runner-up)

Rookie Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Dana Shemesh
Sheila Bleck (runner-up)
 
Rookie Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Anna Adams
Terra Plum (runner-up)

Rookie Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Ashley Jones
Gabrielle Williams (runner-up)

Rookie Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Etila Santiago Santos
Hannah Ranfranz (runner-up)

Most Underrated Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Susanna Jacobs
Kristina Mendoza (runner-up)

Most Underrated Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Ivie Rhein
Heather Grace (runner-up)

Most Underrated Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Michelle Gales
Minna Pajulabti (runner-up)

Most Underrated Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Stacy Fujarski
Michelle Lindsay (runner-up)

Most Underrated Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year Breena Martinez
Eli Fernandez (runner-up)


AMATEUR CATEGORIES 

Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Brittany Nicole Larson
Erica Hartman (runner-up)

Amateur Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Justine Albert
Yarelis Ramos Perez (runner-up)

Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Abby Bolton
Molly Prather (runner-up)

Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Rita Villarreal
Bernice Higgins (runner-up)

Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
Daraja Hill
Ashley Parker (runner-up)

Breakout Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Donna Jones
Takeela Reddrick (runner-up)

Breakout Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
Jessica Martin
Christina Specos (runner-up)

Breakout Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Andrea Larkins
Emilee Clark (runner-up)

Breakout Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Cherish Richardson
Charlotte Quillen (runner-up)

Breakout Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
Hope Harper
Gina Scafoglio (runner-up)

Most Underrated Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Robin Hartman
Jenn Schmidt (runner-up)

Most Underrated Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
Hannah Hussein
Hayley Townsend (runner-up)

Most Underrated Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Meghan Cassidy
Amanda Reed (runner-up)

Most Underrated Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Mandy Harbin
Tricia Mowatt (runner-up)

Most Underrated Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
Nicole Desmond
Veronica Garza (runner-up)



MISC. CATEGORIES

Fitness Model of the Year
Wendy Fortino
Yarshina Ayala (runner-up)

Fitness Ambassador of the Year
Whitney Jones
Nicole Wilkins (runner-up)

Social Media Star of the Year
Yarishna Ayala
Ivana Ivusic (runner-up)

Moment of the Year
The announcement of the return of Ms. Olympia in 2020
Simone Biles becoming the most decorated gymnast of all time, male or female (runner-up)

Photographer of the Year
J.M. Manion
Will Wittmann (runner-up)

Fit Celebrity of the Year
Charly Caruso/Arnolt (WWE Raw/ESPN)
Paige Davis (Trading Spaces) (runner-up)

Female Sports Athlete of the Year
Simone Biles
Serena Williams (runner-up)

Female Crossfit Athlete of the Year
Katrin Davidsdottir
Tia-Clair Toomey (runner-up)

Fittest Female WWE Superstar of the Year (Raw/Smackdown)
Dana Brooke
Charlotte Flair (runner-up)

Fittest Female NXT Superstar of the Year
Rhea Ripley
Xia Li (runner-up)

Fittest Female Mainstream Wrestler of the Year
Tessa Blanchard (Impact)
Jordynne Grace (Impact) (runner-up)

Fittest Female Independent Wrestler of the Year
Amber Nova
Big Swole (runner-up)

Famale Physique Paysite of the Year
HDPhysiques/Preminum Physiques
HerBicepsPlus (runner-up)

Physique Paysite Model of the Year
Brooke Walker
Cris Goy (runner-up)

Promoter(s) of the Year
Tim Garnder
Chris Minnes (runner-up)

Fitness Clothing Line of the Year
Flag Nor Fail
Booty Queen Apparel (runner-up)

Team of the Year
Underrated Muscle
Cyberbodyshop (runner-up)

Male Trainer of the Year
Matt Allen
Dave Palumbo (runner-up)

Female Trainer of the Year
Wendy Fortino
Whitney Jones (runner-up)



2019 FitGems Nation Woman of the Year

  1. Simone Biles
  2. Sandra Grajales
  3. Helle Trevino
  4. Natalia Coelho
  5. Whitney Jones
  6. Bojana Vasiljevic
  7. Shanique Grant
  8. Nadia Wyatt
  9. Missy Truscott
  10. Megan Rapinoe

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

11th Annual FitGems Nation Ballot is LIVE

Our poll is LIVE! As always, you don't have to vote for each category, but it would nice to vote for as many as possible. You can vote once per day from now until January 1st at 11:59pm Eastern time. At that time, all polls will be closed. Have a wonderful rest of 2019, congrats once again to all the FitGems Award nominees, and best of luck to each and every one of you!


PRO CATEGORIES
AMATEUR CATEGORIES
MISC. CATEGORIES

And our big one...the 2019 FitGems Nation Woman of the Year!!!


Follow the conversation about this year's FitGems Awards by using the hashtag #FitGemsAwards on Twitter and Instagram. Post your predictions on who you think will win...as well as any questions you may have about any of the categories and nominees, or anyone you think got snubbed. Good luck to all!

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

11th Annual FitGems Awards Nominees

Our 11th Annual FitGems Awards are FINALLY here! Things are going to be a tad different. First off, I want to explain how the categories will work. For all the pro categories, nominees will be selected from Olympia to Olympia going forward, as the end of the Olympia usually signals a "new year" for the IFBB, so everyone that competed in a pro contest after the 2018 Olympia ARE eligible for FitGems Award contention while those that competed after the 2019 Olympia will NOT count until next year. For the amateur categories and miscellaneous categories, it will be judged from January 1st to the conclusion of NPC Nationals, which will be the cutoff for award contention. And this goes without saying...wellness will not be part of our awards until next year.

Some categories have been removed this year (Strength Athlete, Super League) due to not being as visible this year, but those awards could make a comeback in 2020. One HUGE change we made is turning the Fit Female Wrestler of the Year into four different categories: Fittest Female WWE Superstar of the Year (the fittest woman on Raw or Smackdown), Fittest Female NXT Superstar of the year (the fittest woman on the NXT and the NXT UK roster), Fittest Female Mainstream Wrestler of the Year (the fittest mainsteam female wrestler that is NOT under WWE contract), and Fittest Independent Wrestler of the Year (the fittest female wrestler on the independent circuit). With as many female wrestlers as there are now in various locations and federations, just doing one category to narrow them down is an insult to them and to the awards. The awards are still prestigious but now it's more of an even playing field as there are those that only follow certain forms of wrestling.

Voting will begin sometime on Wednesday (December 18th) and will end on January 1st at around 11:59PM. While the poll won't be available to vote for several more hours, here's a look at the categories and nominees for this year's awards:


PRO CATEGORIES

Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Helle Trevino
Margie Martin
Irene Andersen
Nicki Chartrand
Monique Jones
Theresa Ivancik

Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year

Shanique Grant
Sarah Villegas
Natalia Coelho
Valentina Mishina
Danielly Castilho
Laura Pintado Chinchilla

Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Whitney Jones
Missy Truscott
Ryal Graber
Jaclyn Baker
Tiffany Chandler
Jennie Taddeo

Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Cydney Gillon
Nadia Wyatt
Sandra Grajales
Bojana Vasiljevic
Ivana Ivusic
Jessica Reyes Padilla

Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Elisa Pecini
Janet Layug
Angelica Texieria
Lauralie Chapados
Jennifer Dorie
Ashley Kaltwasser

Most Improved Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Janeen Lankowski
Aleesha Young
Susanna Jacobs
LaDawn Mcday
Angela Rayburn
Maria Flores

Most Improved Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Brittany Watts
Jeannie Feldman
Patricia Gosseln
Anne Lorraine Mohn
Laura Hays
Reshanna Boswell

Most Improved Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Tamara Vahn
Liudmila Somkina
Marta Aguiar
Sara Kovach
Toni Wheeler
Alison Burns

Most Improved Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Tiffani Lapoint
Martina Yabekova
Tanya Chartrand
Lola Montez
Laurelle Martineau
Ashley Soto

Most Improved Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Jennifer Ronzitti
Maureen Blanquisco
Camile Periat
Monica Ellis
Monica Goncalves
Beatriz Biscaia

Rookie Pro Women's Bodybuilder of the Year
Tina Williams
Andrea Shaw
Jessica Martin
Barbara Carita
Mona Poursaleh
Marla-Maria Merrithew

Rookie Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Kimberly Rieck
Sheila Bleck
Sheikha Nguyen
Dana Shemesh
Kayla Murphy
Jacqueline Estrada

Rookie Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Terra Plum
Stephanie Jones
Anna Adams
Ashley Packard
Kristy Fenster-Avery
Lauren Carre

Rookie Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Ashley Jones
Silvia Henry
Autumn Cleveland
Heidi Larson
Gabrielle Williams
Amanda Welch

Rookie Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Etila Santiago Santos
Alexandria Ross
Hannah Ranfranz
Allison Yaeth
Calysta Upperman
Celeste Shaffer

Most Underrated Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Kim Buck
Pauline Nelson
Kristina Mendoza
Donna Salib
Cris Goy
Susanna Jacobs

Most Underrated Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Heather Grace
Lauren Rutan
Ivie Rhein
Stephanie Waggoner
Diana Schnaidt
Trisha Vezirian

Most Underrated Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Minna Pajulahti
Shannon Siemer
Cong Mou
Viko Newman
Valentina Maria Rodriquez
Michelle Gales

Most Underrated Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
An Da Jeong
Michelle Lindsay
Brittany Campbell
Tiffany Boyer
Dawn Reichley
Stacy Fujarski

Most Underrated Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Jasmine Williams
Breena Martinez
Eli Fernandez
Francesca Stoico
Jourdanne Lee
Mariella Pellegrino

AMATEUR CATEGORIES

Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Erica Hartman
Dee Joseph
Brittany Nicole Larson
Danielle Willis
Rachelle Cannon
Jeri Bradley

Amateur Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Lorraine Gonzalez
Justine Albert
Kathrine McLaurin
Yarelis Ramos Perez
Macey Toney
Kimberly Smith

Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Anna Adams
Molly Prather
Missy Khasawneh
Stephanie Jones
Abby Bolton
Kristen Morby

Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Rachel Shoemake
Bernice Higgins
Ajanel Williams
Sabah Syed
Julia Champlin
Rita Villarreal

Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
Ariana Brothers
Ashley Parker
Cristal Medina
Mercedes Fernandez
Daraja Hill
Angela White

Breakout Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Takeela Reddrick
Kelly Lefevre
Brenda Beitia
Helen Davis
Donna Jones
Nancy Porter

Breakout Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
Jacqueline Estrada
Jessica Martin
Danhne Villanueva
Christina Specos
Jada Beverly
Evon Pennington

Breakout Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Shayla Jacobs
Emilee Clark
Haley Lisenba
Corina Harkelroad
Kimberley Baliutavicius
Andrea Larkins
Breakout Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Yahda Daniels
Melody Zita
Lisa Krause
Charlotte Quillen
Cherish Richardson
Natalia Marrero

Breakout Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
Charisse Briguera
Krystal Monteiro
Bryanna Barcelo
Hope Harper
Gina Scafoglio
Chantel Hall

Most Underrated Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Leann George
Robin Hartman
Kathlee Rutkowski
Janelle Gallo-Riegger
Stephanie Castelluccio
Jenn Schmidt

Most Underrated Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
Patti Hanson
Hayley Townsend
Hannah Hussein
Shannon Applegate-Smith
Rachel Newman
Rebecca Libby

Most Underrated Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Amanda Reed
Pamela Bartock
Crystal Parrett
Landra Tieman
Meghan Cassidy
Lena Squarciafico

Most Underrated Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Tricia Mowatt
Mandy Harbin
Nikki Nozano
Cassandra Bailey
Jen Mezzetti
Ana Melissa Cardenas

Most Underrated Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
Veronica Garza
Laura Lee Musson
Shannon McClead
Corissa Lorimer
Nicole Desmond
Samantha McIntyre

MISC. CATEGORIES

Fitness Model of the Year
Yarshina Ayala
Wendy Fortino
Tina (Nguyen) Middleton
Mandy Rose
Erin Stern
Ivana Ivusic

Fitness Ambassador of the Year
Mandy Rose
Lauren Rutan
Whitney Jones
Trish Warren
Wendy Fortino
Nicole Wilkins

Social Media Star of the Year (Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat, etc.)
Yarshina Ayala
Brittney Terry
Melissa Pearo
Denise Masino
Ivana Ivusic
Trish Warren

Moment of the Year
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey becoming the first women to main-event Wrestlemania
Erin Stern returning to the IFBB
Latorya Watts's return to the Olympia after over a year's absence
The announcement of the return of Ms. Olympia in 2020
The announcement of the addition of the NPC/IFBB Wellness division in 2020
Simone Biles becoming the most decorated gymnast of all time, male or female

Photographer of the Year
Joe Bayer
George Kontaxis
Will Wittmann
J.M. Manion
Dustin Raymond
Lou Krivda

Fit Celebrity of the Year
Caroline Pearce (Premier Fighting League/ESPN)
Jenna Wolfe (First Things First)
Charly Caruso/Arnolt (WWE Raw/ESPN)
Paige Davis (Trading Spaces)
Denise Matenopoulo (Home and Family)
Tiffany Coyle (Let's Make a Deal)

Female Sports Athlete of the Year
Simone Biles
Alex Morgan
Megan Rapinoe
Julie Ertz
Amanda Nunes
Serena Williams

Crossfit Athlete of the Year
Tia-Clair Toomey
Kristin Holte
Jamie Greene
Katrin Davidsdottir
Karisa Pearce
Hailey Adams

Fittest Female WWE Superstar of the Year (Raw/Smackdown)
Becky Lynch
Mandy Rose
Charlotte Flair
Dana Brooke
Alexa Bliss
Sasha Banks

Fittest Female NXT Superstar of the Year (this also includes NXT UK)
Bianca Belair
Toni Storm
Rhea Ripley
Candice LaRae
Xia Li
Taynara Conti

Fittest Female Mainstream Wrestler of the Year
Tessa Blanchard (Impact)
Taya Valkerie (Impact)
Britt Baker (AEW)
Tenielle Dashwood (Impact)
Sadie Gibbs (AEW)
Jordynne Grace (Impact)

Fittest Independent Wrestler of the Year
Katie Forbes
Kamille
Amber Nova
Indi Hartwell
Heidi Katrina
Big Swole

Physique Paysite of the Year
HDPhysiques/Preminum Physiques
HerBicepsPlus
FemaleCityFlex
FitVids UK
Muscletease
Kriv Studios

Physique Paysite Model of the Year
Stephanie Marie
Carli Teperka
Brooke Walker
Cris Goy
Katie Lee
Taylor Smuck

Promoter(s) of the Year
Branch and Trish Warren
Tim Garnder
Chris Minnes
Robin Chang
Gary Udit
Jack and Ann Titone

Fitness Clothing Line of the Year
Tapout Fitness
NPC Active Wear
Booty Queen Apparel
Flag Nor Fail
Vanquish Fitness
Nicole Wilkins Collection

Team of the Year
Cyberbodyshop
Underrated Muscle
Team Williams Fitness
Worth It Fitness
Sexy-Strong
Fitness Mafia

Male Trainer of the Year
Matt Allen
Pete Ciccone
Noel Fuller
Justin Miller
Dave Palumbo
Sean Hayes

Female Trainer of the Year
Jennifer Worth
Meriza Deguzman-Ciccone
Whitney Jones
Wendy Fortino
Lauren Rutan
Torrie Wilson

FitGems Nation Woman of the Year
(the fitness personality that had the most impact for the industry in 2019)

NOTE: Once you win this award, you will AUTOMATICALLY sit out the following year as a way of keeping this particular award’s winners as fresh as possible, even if the following year is their best one in their career up to that point. This means last year’s winner, Cydney Gillon, must sit out this year

  1. Whitney Jones
  2. Missy Truscott
  3. Ryall Graber
  4. Shanique Grant
  5. Nadia Wyatt
  6. Becky Lynch
  7. Charlotte Flair
  8. Tessa Blanchard
  9. Mandy Rose
  10. Dana Brooke
  11. Charly Arnolt/Caruso
  12. Simone Biles
  13. Alex Morgan
  14. Megan Rapinoe
  15. Julie Ertz
  16. Sandra Grajales
  17. Bojana Vasiljevic
  18. Lauren Rutan
  19. Helle Trevino
  20. Natalia Coelho
Once again, congrats to all the nominees for this year's awards! Best of luck to you all!

Oh...heads up...we will be doing our own Decade Awards in the coming days. Yes, you will get to vote on the best in female muscle from 2010 to now. More details on THAT this weekend!