1) Is Las Vegas the best location for the Mr. O? It certainly has the most history there. How did the recent Orlando, FL events go compared to this year back in, Las Vegas, NV?
Ben Tatar: I think Orlando is an easier location for more people to attend, so I’d say you get more freaks and babes attending the one in Orlando. Orlando is just closer to more areas in FL, but most people who don’t live right in Vegas probably have to fly to get there.
However, for me, it’s not just the location but the venue that puts the event on. For instance, it was exceptional this year because the hotel was Resorts World. If it was at the Orleans (which it has historically been at and will likely be at next year) it’s a terrible location for me because then I have to take an Uber to get everywhere. I also like Vegas because I’m a nightlife ‘kind of guy’ and I stay out late.
I will also add that it’s not just the location, but the person attending the event. The biggest mistake I see others making at the Expos is they look for that A+ performance and say, “I will talk to this freak or that model later,” but the reality is that the Fast A performs much better than the Slow A+. So, many people say, “I will do things with this person tomorrow or later today,” but a lot of people are only at the Booths for two hours.
You know, everyone is always moving, ALL the time and is in some new engagement, so the key is to do everything really fast! That’s the secret to success. There’s usually no later; it’s about making that MOVE.
2) Derek Lunsford won his 2nd title in 3 years. Is he the new King of Muscle? Will he have the longevity of a Phil Heath, Jay Cutler, or Ronnie Coleman?
Ben Tatar: I think so!
There’s always that champion who is ahead of the rest of the field. It was once Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, and now it’s Derek Lunsford.
There’s always that champion who stays ahead the rest of the competition! It has been the case in every sport… Think of the NFL and quarterbacks! From 1937 to 1952, you had Sammy Baugh, the innovator of the forward pass. From 1946 to 1955, you had Otto Graham, and the Cleveland Browns reached 10 championship games— winning seven of them. There were eight teams when Otto started in the NFL and 13 at the end of his career.
Then from 1956 to 1971, you had Bart Starr, with 5 championships and 2 Super Bowl wins. From 1979-1992, there was Joe Montana, a 4-time Super Bowl champion known for clutch performances. And between 2000 and 2022, Tom Brady was winning the most championships, with 7 Super Bowl titles (the most ever), and a legacy as one of the greatest.
Every sport seems to have that person who becomes a dynasty. The world is small enough for dynasties to occur during more decades than not. Derek is becoming that man for bodybuilding.
3) Beyond the muscle (and talking about the World Fitness Expo), what else was a huge success or utter failure at the 2025 Mr. Olympia?
Ben Tatar: Some of it I would say is personal taste! For instance, this year they had a new event called “The Extreme Eating Championships.” It was basically an eating race to crown an eating champion. I think this could be a really big catch for a lot of people who love food. There were some huge and ripped bodybuilders competing along with some models. Some would love this stuff, but others would have a lot more interest in watching the bodybuilders compete or making friends or taking pics at the booths.
I would say in general the powerlifting competitions got very little attendance, but that’s not to say they failed. Maybe they don’t care about the numbers, and they are just glad that it’s part of the event. I think the bodybuilding was a huge success. I got in early with my press pass, but I saw people sprinting (literally knocking others over) and hoping to get a seat!
4) Okay, let’s have some fun… tell us about the physical events you competed in at the Mr. Olympia?
Ben Tatar: There were lots of physical challenge stations. At one station, I set a record for benching 225 for 10 reps in 4.9 seconds. I also crushed 315 on a bench press machine for 20 reps in 9 seconds. At another station, I picked up a 360lbs dumbbell with one arm. Then, at another station, I set a morning record for having the hardest punch at the expo!
Later on, my punch record would get broken, but it was fun having the record for a while. There are so many stations with weights or challenges, and it’s just another super fun part about the Mr. Olympia weekend. I kept doing weight stations and challenges to remain in ‘full-intensity’ mode all day.
After all, I am the ‘TATAR MONSTER’ as my friends at Critical Bench refer to me. I also did other things like bench pressed a model tons of times and picked lots of models up throughout the event. It’s kind of my thing 😉 And we have the pics to prove it!
5) You gave out lots of Critical Bench T-shirts! Tell us about the shirts you gave to celebrities and fans, plus their reactions!
Ben Tatar: I gave lots of different Critical Bench shirts out, and it was a great way to make a friend or create an interaction that might not have happened otherwise. Here are some reactions I got with the FREE t-shirt giveaways…
1) One person threw a huge tantrum because I didn’t have a Critical Bench shirt for them or their daughter last year. They asked me for a shirt, and I said, “Sorry, I don’t have anymore.” They responded with screams and F-bombs… telling me how much it sucks. Haha. But when I gave that person some shirts this year, they responded with tears of joy. All good now!
2) There’s the person who takes 20 shirts—there are some people who will try to take as many shirts as they can, and it’s because their moms, sisters, or aunts just don’t have enough clothes. It’s not good for marketing, but these types just don’t want to buy their own clothes, and the Critical Bench clothes are cooler than their own clothes. 
3) The girl shirts were really popular, and I think it’s because every man has a daughter, wife, or has a girl in his life with whom he either has a good connection or whom he is scaring a bit (lol), but they always know a girl who they can give a Critical Bench shirt to as a gift.
4) It was complex giving them to the booth girls because they have their own companies that they sponsor, but some would break the rule and put a Critical Bench shirt on!
There were also other girls (maybe going with their boyfriends or husbands), and they were easy to give a shirt to. It seems like they are fans, but I’m learning that over 50% of the fans are actually pretty popular; they just haven’t competed at the pro level.
Maybe they will one day, or maybe they won’t, but they still can look great and develop a following, sometimes even a bigger one than what the pros have.
5) Lots of celebrities took a Critical Bench shirt. Nick Walker from Meet the Pros took one; some of the top bikini champs took one, and so did the biggest names at the event.
It seemed like the Critical Bench shirts were a big hit—from everyone needing a shirt (for not having enough clothes) to the mega stars!
6) How would you compare this year’s Mr. Olympia to last year’s 60th anniversary event in Orlando?
Ben Tatar: There was more star power this year than last year. The Tren Twins were there, and I worked out with them at a booth. Chris Bumstead had a booth, and so did Sam Sulek. It just seemed like everyone in the industry was there. I saw everyone from Ronnie Coleman at 4 PM to Phil Heath at 4 AM. There were more models this year than last year, and I was much more intense this year than last year. This year’s Mr. Olympia event was superior to the last one in all different ways.
I probably interacted with more people—whether they were dads from a different part of the world, girls at the clubs, or just the pros in general.
I liked this year’s Mr. Olympia weekend way better than last year’s.
7) Break down the ‘Best Moments’ at the Mr. O – a funny moment, crazy moment, scary moment, hardcore moment, adversity story, and inspirational story from the weekend!
Ben Tatar: Here it is:
Scary story— I was at the Sphere, and there was a man who fell down a ramp! Everyone in the Sphere screamed!! He had to go to the hospital.
Crazy story—I was in the bathroom and Lee Priest (a well-known old-school bodybuilder) was in the bathroom, and a lot of the Mr. Olympia fans were like, “OMG, it’s Lee Priest!!” They were taking pics with him and just wouldn’t leave him alone when he was taking a crap. Lee was like, “Everyone will find me one way or another,” as he laughed it off.
Funny story—Everything is funny in the industry because there are so many extremes, and that leads to comical moments. There’s everything from prankster YouTube influencers to people who just look a bit off. lol. The reactions can be priceless. Overall the people watching is just pure entertainment the entire event.
Hardcore story— I was pretty hardcore this weekend! I was bench pressing models, picking them up over my head, picking up the world’s heaviest dumbbell with one arm, benching 225 for 10 reps in under 5 seconds, setting the expo record at the punching station, zip-lining, staying out past 4 AM some nights, and giving out lots of Critical Bench shirts. I was just in a TATAR GODZILLA beast mode the whole time! I hope I made CB proud.
Everything has gotten hardcore in Vegas. At the clubs, ladies are showing more cleavage than ever; the mountain is deadlifting more weight than anyone ever has, and I think just the attitude is up in general.
Adversity Story—There was a hurricane in the Southwest Region called “Hurricane Priscilla.” It created bad flooding in areas near Vegas like Arizona, where I visit a lot. It rained in Vegas for the first time in 7 months. This storm slowed down the attendance of some of the outdoor training facilities due to the rain.
Inspirational story—I think most people at the event are inspiring. You get people who have been shot in the leg and then set a deadlift record or something. That’s the fitness industry. It’s about overcoming insane adversity and then making it to the top. Too many terrific people and stories to highlight.
8) Critical Bench: What did you think of Resorts World hosting the event?
Ben Tatar: Resorts World was the perfect host. I just loved it, and I wish the event would stay there forever, but unfortunately, it’s probably moving to the Orleans Hotel next year.
Here’s why Resort World is the best:
1) The hotel has everything! It has the AYU Day Club, pool parties, infinity pools, the Alle Lounge on the 66th floor, the Zouk Night Club (that I love going to), and it’s a tourist destination!
It’s not a hotel people try to escape to experience Vegas; it’s a destination. Celebrities and thousands of gorgeous model’s flock to this hotel every single day. It has thousands of restaurants and everything anyone would want. It even had the Dragon’s Lair gym outside, and everything is luxurious.
I wish it was held at Resorts World every single year, but unfortunately it’s most likely moving to The Orleans hotel next year, which is an older hotel and isn’t near much.
Rationally speaking, the event will move to the Orleans Hotel because it’s cheaper for them to use a place like the Orleans hotel. They’d prefer to have a bigger theater to hold more people so they can sell more tickets and The Orleans is cheaper to run it at. It’s all about money. I also think the masses of bodybuilders and fans would prefer the Orleans because it would save them some money. If it was up to me, I’d much rather the event stay at the luxurious hotels as I have instant access to everything all at once. Hahaha.
9) We are going to list a topic or name and tell us what comes to mind:
Ben Tatar: ok
Hulk Hogan— He was the biggest action hero star at one time! He used to go to some of the Mr. Olympia events, and he was missed. He recently passed away, but his legacy and our connection definitely motivated me to make epic moments happen at the Mr. Olympia this year.
Hogan and I were featured on the Critical Bench website for years. He inspired lots of people to collaborate on media projects with me and Critical Bench.
Brian Cannone—It’s amazing, but I had no clue if Brian would make it to the event this year. I remember it was a week before the event, and Brian said he wasn’t going! Then, bam, just at the last second… he went!
Brian Shaw—Great to see him. I got his book called, “ShawStrength: The Path to Greatness.” I saw him a number of times throughout the week.
Tren Twins—Some say they are the biggest names in the bodybuilding world today, and they have the biggest line. They aren’t tall, and don’t look like enormous 300-lb bodybuilders or anything, but they connect to people with their energy, charisma, swag, and rawness.
Party with the Pros—A phenomenally awesome event!
The most popular Critical Bench Shirt—The old school one with the Viking Dragon Cross for sure! But every shirt was being worn by attendees from the ‘God Bless America’ shirts, the classic ‘Critical Bench Bencher’ to the ‘I Can Do All Things Through Christ’ t-shirts.
Surprise celebrity encounter—Running into Georgia Poullas from the “Take Me Down Challenge.” I see his YouTube videos all the time and nobody ever takes him down for the $1,000. I’m sure people who watch his videos become better wrestlers. He was cool!
The Models—They were all a lot of fun and nice.
The Strongest Men– I talked to all of them. A million things could be discussed, but it’s always fun to see what few things could be said. Most of the lines for some of the lifters took a while because people were chatting more than in past years. And a lot of people think the fans say a lot of “useless” stuff, or stuff the celebrities will forget, which makes others feel impatient, but I think it’s all part of the experience.
10) What did you think of the event overall, and is there anything else you would like to say?
Ben Tatar: As you can see, a lot of wild stuff is happening in the industry, and it was so awesome to see old faces and meet new faces. I would suggest checking out or attending the Mr. Olympia weekend, but make sure you go hard and make memories. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Chris Wilson and Critical Bench for all the opportunities and the interview! What an EPIC event the 2025 Mr. Olympia week and weekend was! The 2025 Mr. Olympia week was more than an event—it was a legacy in the making!
