“Complete bulls**t” - Jay Cutler says Mens’ Open should’ve been prioritized at Mr. Olympia 

Just days after the 2022 Mr. Olympia concluded, bodybuilding icon Jay Cutler came out to slam the event's production. The four-time Olympia winner said the event was dragged out. Accusing the organizers of making the bodybuilders wait backstage, Cutler said that the Men's Open division should be prioritized.

Speaking about the 2022 Mr. Olympia competition that concluded on December 17, 2022, Cutler said it was "ridiculous" to make the Mens' Open competitors wait till the end of the show. Calling it "complete bullsh**," the bodybuilding legend said that people wouldn't stay until the end for bodybuilding shows.

Taking in a podcast with Milos Sarcev, Jay Cutler said:

“Listen guys, let’s be honest: it’s complete bullsh** that they are sitting backstage for hours on end. Remember, what time is this? At [11 p.m. Pacific time]. This is absolutely ridiculous. If his [Hadi Choopan] was a little better, now granted, I guarantee sitting backstage like that was total bullsh**. This is still a f**king bodybuilding show.”

Jay Cutler blasts 2022 Mr. Olympia's production

Jay Cutler went on to blame the production design of the event. The bodybuilder said that the divisions at the event were wrongly presented and called for prioritizing the Men's Open, which was kept as a closer at the event.

“So, I know they want to turn this into a production, and they have all these divisions, but people are coming to see the Men’s Bodybuilding. They are coming there for the Men’s Open. It should be the priority. It used to be the starting point for prejudging on Friday. If you remember, that’s how it used to be rolled out. That’s how it should have been.

“No one is going to stay [at Olympia shows anymore]. This is what I’m saying, it’s still a f***ing bodybuilding show. Why are you going to torture people to sit through certain [divisions]?”

Cutler also provided an alternative solution for the issue. He said the problem could be solved by grouping other divisions together and presenting them on a different day.

“I would end up training late just to be able to say, ‘Okay, I’m going to peak at this time,’ to see what my body does. At the same time, there’s certain divisions that need to be grouped together and not mixed in for the men to carry it, if that makes sense. If seven o’clock is the prejudging, that’s where it should start.”

It is pertinent to note that this year's Mr. Olympia featured more athletes than ever before. With 400 competitors spanning 11 different bodybuilding categories, this edition was the largest of the events yet. The Men's Open division, considered the main event by bodybuilding fans, featured the last for prejudging.

The Men's Open competitors weren't on stage until after 11 pm Pacific Standard Time, forcing the audience to stay up late. This became a talking point on social media after several personalities, including coaches, were fixated on their phones instead of watching the rest of the "dragged out" show.