Watch the full uncut GI Exclusive interview with Bob Cicherillo.
Bob Cicherillo is a former pro bodybuilder who is best known as “The Voice Of Bodybuilding.” He’s been an announcer for many big pro bodybuilding shows, including the Mr. Olympia. He’s also one of the hosts for the Olympia press conference. In general, he has been passionately involved both behind and on stage for the past few decades.
That’s why last year we connected with Bob Cicherillo over a video call to talk about his career, stories from hosting the Mr. Olympia press conference, and his thoughts on the current state of bodybuilding.
Over the past year we’ve released multiple GI Exclusive segments from our interview with Bob Cicherillo. This uncut full length interview includes topics such as the freakiest bodybuilder he has ever seen, the future of Mr. Olympia under new ownership, and his critique on the current state of physiques in bodybuilding.
Listen To Our Bob Cicherillo Interview On The Generation Iron Podcast
Our full length interviews are now also in podcast form! Subscribe to the Generation Iron Podcast for candid, full length interviews with the biggest names in bodybuilding, fitness, combat, and strength sports.
Listen to the full Bob Cicherillo interview here:
Bob Cicherillo Answers: Who Was The Freakiest Bodybuilder He Had Ever Seen In Person?
Bob Cicherillo has been in bodybuilding for multiple decades. First as a competitor and then as an announcer after his retirement from competing in the sport. He’s been involved first hand throughout many of the biggest moments in bodybuilding history. That’s why we asked him who his pick was for the freakiest bodybuilder he had ever seen in person.
For many younger fans of the sport, they will only be able to see video footage or pictures of past legends in the sport. The difference between a video/photo and seeing a competitor on stage in person can be vast. It’s like seeing a famous painting in an art book and then finally getting to see it in person at a museum. It changes everything about your perspective of that greatness.
So when Bob Cicherillo picks Ronnie Coleman, it may at first seem like the obvious answer. We’ve heard it all before. Ronnie is considered widely to be the freakiest and best bodybuilder to ever compete. But when you hear Bob Cicherillo explain what it was like to be there in person – it reminds us of just how big of a deal it really was at the time.
One of the most interesting details Cicherillo reveals is about his experience seeing Ronnie Coleman in 2003. This is considered by many to be one of Ronnie’s best years competing. Cicherillo describes the moment he first saw Ronnie step on stage. He simply laughed. It wasn’t a laugh of mockery. Far from it. It was laughter because he was dumbfounded. He was shocked into a hysterical stupor due to the pure unreal nature of Ronnie Coleman’s physique.
Bob Cicherillo Answers: The Most Intense Press Conference Fight In The History Of Olympia
Bob Cicherillo has been the voice of bodybuilding for quite sometime. Part of that prestigious title comes in the form of hosting the Olympia press conference each year. This is the one time where all of the top competitors get to sit in one room and try to psych each other out before stepping on stage. It’s always an entertaining event that has led to some truly shocking moments. This is especially true if two feuding rivals happen to be involved in the proceedings. Make no mistake, these moments are no staged. Anything can happen.
The press conference is an open even that is often filmed and released to the public. So many people have seen some of the most intense fights and moments that have occurred. But it’s a totally different thing to be there in person – especially if you’re the one on stage between the fighting bodybuilders.
That’s why we asked Bob Cicherillo to share his inside first hand account of some of the most insane Olympia press conference moments. Which one was the most intense that he had ever witnessed? It may not be surprising to some that he picked Kai Greene and Phil Heath. One of the most memorable and best rivalries in the history of the sport, Kai and Phil certainly knew how to push each other’s buttons.
Wrap Up
Bob Cicherillo holds a wealth of knowledge and history in his head from the many decades as both a pro bodybuilder and a commentator in the sport. That’s why you should check out the full GI Exclusive interview above! We discuss far many more topics than we can recap in this article including the King Kamali vs Craig Titus rivalry, the future of Mr. Olympia, and more!