MENS OPEN:

The 2008 IFBB Houston Pro Show is now in the history Books and a lone Spaniard by the name of Silvio Samuel was the last man standing tonight.  Silvio brought his usual mind-blowing level of conditioning to the stage and it enabled him to squeak past a bigger, more imposing, Craig Richardson.  Richardson showed up with more size and better cuts than his last appearance in New York and the judges duly rewarded the New Jersey native with a clear-cut 2^nd place position.  Look for Craig to continue improving right into the Atlantic City Pro Show 2 weeks prior to the Olympia.

Snagging 3^rd place was a gnarly-hard Leo Ingram who's freaky veins, ridiculous amount of muscle, and much improved aesthetics earned him his first trip to the big "O" come late September.

The 6'2", 290lb German, Armin Scholz, stormed into the show with, by far, the most muscle mass of any competitor onstage; and for the first time in his career was rewarded with a top 5 placement.  If Scholz adds another 10-15lbs of lean muscle to his massive skeletal structure, he'll be a true force to be reckowned with in the future.

Perenial favorite Bill Wilmore showed up sliced and diced and, despite lacking a little in the leg department, received the 5^th spot in what turned out to be an extremely competitive top-5 lineup.  Even though Bill missed qualifying for the Mr. Olympia this time around, if he's persistent and hits 1 or 2 more shows this year, he's bound to be rewarded with another trip to the "show of shows".

Canadian Fouad Abiad was probably the most overlooked competitor of the night.  Despite adding about 5-7lbs of new muscle since last year and displaying one of the most shredded physiques of the night, he was never compared with the top 6 competitors.  I'm sure that Fouad, as well as the many in attendance who witnessed this misjustice, left the show wondering why?

UNDER 202 CLASS:

Ray Arde dominated this class and took home 1^st place honors and a trip to the 202 Olympia Showdown.  Arde was followed by Ricky "Tricky" Jackson in 2^nd and Jeff "Box" Long in 3^rd.  All 3 earned a trip to the Olympia in late September.

FULL PHOTO GALLERY