Episode 239 of The Menace Podcast saw host Dennis James joined by regular panelists Milos Sarcev and Chris Cormier, along with a special guest in the form of bodybuilding legend Flex Wheeler. During the show, sparks flew over the topic of symmetry rounds back in the day, and the gang also discussed the lack of posing routines at the 2025 Dubai Pro.
“Chris, what did you notice in the finals,” asked Sarcev. “There’s no routines,” answered the multi-time Olympia competitor. “What?” asked a shocked Flex Wheeler. “What do you mean, like no routines (at all),” questioned Dennis James. Sarcev reiterated that indeed, there were no posing routines as part of the 2025 Dubai Pro. “Zero,” confirmed Sarcev, explaining that this didn’t bother him, because he was fed up with what he called “fools” doing “boring” dancing routines.
And, he’s not alone: Some critics have even called for points to be deducted where the routines become just too kooky. Wheeler was less impressed with this development, however. “Listen, Milos, we all come from the era of posing,” he shot back. “It was an art to us,” he qualified. “It’s like, we all have our gifts, but at the end of the night, we’re supposed to be able to heighten and show off our gifts and counterpart our weakness in an art form, I think that’s a major step back, for them to take away posing. That just don’t make no sense.”
Why was the 2025 Dubai Pro Dance-less?
Investigating why the 2025 Dubai Pro didn’t include specific routines, Sarcev explained that this also happened in 2024, and the reason given was that there was an issue with the DJ. Because of this, generic music would be played instead. “What was the reason this time,” asked The Menace.
“This time there was nothing,” replied Sarcev. Chris Cormier confirmed that “no reason” had been given for the lack of routines in 2025. Sarcev felt that taking the judging away from the posing round created a “disaster,” however, he wondered if this could be where the sport of bodybuilding is headed, instead forcing the athletes to entertain audiences during the mandatory posing rounds and not relying on what he called “stupid” routines.
Wheeler stuck to his opposing view, however, noting that choreographed routines were one if his favorite aspects of competitions, because they helped him to illicit an emotional response from the crowds in attendance. In a hilarious moment, Cormier reminded Wheeler that he was a bit of a maverick back in the day, even going so far as to wear fishnet tights on stage. “I was a Prince fan,” he replied, sadly confirming that this particular routine was not caught on video.
To watch the complete episode, see below.
