Men’s Physique Olympia Ryan Terry is set to defend his title in just two weeks but is now facing backlash after editing his photos. John Dorsey first accused him of photoshopping social media images on September 25, 2024, prompting Terry to come clean about the ‘innocent error.’
“I wanted to come on here because of the things that are transpiring this evening with regards to a picture I posted yesterday on my grid. And yes, it’s been exposed for Photoshop and I wanted to come on here and explain what’s gone off there. It was very innocently done.”
After nine attempts and over 21 years of training, Ryan Terry reached the pinnacle of the sport in 2023, defeating a stable of highly talented Men’s Physique threats en route to his first Olympia title. His dry conditioning stole the show, which helped him topple former champions Erin Banks, Brandon Hendrickson, and Jeremy Buendia.
Training seven days a week at his $5 million gym, Terry intends to replicate the success he enjoyed last season. However, his preparations have now been clouded by a mistake that could cost him thousands of fans. He dives into why he posted an edited image of his physique just two weeks before taking the stage at the 2024 Mr. Olympia contest, scheduled for October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Ryan Terry ‘Exposed’ for Photoshopping Images on Social Media 2 Weeks from Title Defense at 2024 Mr. Olympia
Find John Dorsey’s video below, where he calls out the Men’s Physique Olympia for doctoring photos. He proved his case by zooming in on the image, showing a contorted machine in the background.
According to Terry, he didn’t have his videographer in New York so his friend ‘innocently’ edited the photo and sent it back for him to post on social media; he didn’t notice that the photo was edited at that time, not until it was made apparent by John Dorsey.
“I’m out here in New York and I haven’t got my videographer out here, he couldn’t come out to New York, he is set to come to Vegas and I’ve always had someone to do all my content for me. Unfortunately, out here I haven’t got that.
So, innocently a friend of mine, Johnny, who is with me every step of the way, through deep tissue work and a good friend of mine, took those pictures, he’s actually in the pictures as well. And he sent them, and he did edit that image not because he thought I looked bad or whatever but he thought he was doing a good thing by slightly editing it.”
Terry admitted fault and said he should have been more vigilant. As you can see in the photo comparison below, his shoulders looked more capped and wider to the left.
“I’m going to put the original one up next to it to show you the difference in it. My own fault. I should have checked it. I should have been more vigilant on what I put out on my images and posts and stuff but I didn’t. I just literally posted that I’m in diet prep mode, I liked the images from looking at them and I just posted them.”
He admitted it was an error and was devastated considering that he might lose loyal fans and followers. Body image issues have remained a consistent problem in the fitness sector, especially for young men and women who are easily influenced by social media.
“Error on my part, error on Johnny’s part, but it was an innocent error. I take a lot of pride in my work, my content, my career, and what I’ve done in the industry so far and I really don’t want this to tarnish everything that I’ve worked really really hard on.
I’m absolutely gutted I’m not going to lie, devastated actually because reading the messages sent out people who have looked up to me over the years are now disappointed in me and won’t be following me anymore, it actually guts me. From me to you guys, I absolutely apologize on that front,” explained Ryan Terry.
Terry wasn’t the first notable bodybuilder to have been accused of editing photos. In the past, Slovakia’s Michal ‘Krizo’ Krizanek faced a similar dilemma and later admitted that his photo was edited by fans online.
It will be interesting to see how this controversy affects his performance and chances on the 2024 Mr. Olympia stage. In the meantime, Terry plans to put his head down and work tirelessly to mount a successful title defense next month.
RELATED: Vitaliy Ugolnikov Fires Back At Haters Who Accuse Him Of Photoshopping His Physique
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