Shawn Ray and Bob Cicherillo continue to watch over the sport in retirement. On December 10, 2025, they criticized bodybuilders’ openness about drug use. Additionally, Ray called for an end to confirmation rounds.
Performance-enhancing drug use and bodybuilding go hand-in-hand. However, the climate around them has changed from the 1970s to the 2000s. Old-school bodybuilders were less open about their use, whereas today, competitive Pros don’t shy away from sharing their exact cycles.
Confirmation rounds have also been a staple in the sport. In the finals at contests, judges push athletes through comparisons again to confirm their scores. Though some fans appreciate the added suspense, Ray argues it waters down the entertainment aspect of the show.
Shawn Ray Talks ‘Worthless’ Confirmation Rounds, Says Athletes Are Too Open About Drug Use
In the VOB Media live, Ray called for an end to confirmation rounds and said it was a waste of time.
“If I want something to change I’m going to say it. I want to get rid of the confirmation round. I don’t like it. I think it’s a waste of time. It’s time-consuming.
Prejudging, you make the cut, that’s where all the comparisons and all the work takes place. When I come back to the finals, I want to see the posing routine, the announcement of the top 15, the posedown, and then awards.”
He emphasized that the finals are for entertainment, and those who didn’t watch the prejudging shouldn’t get an opportunity to see it again.
“I don’t need to see confirmation again. If you missed the prejudging, you shouldn’t gratuitously get an opportunity to watch prejudging at the finals. That’s not what finals are for. Prejudging is for confirmation.
Prejudging is for judging. The finals are for entertainment, awards, and presentation. Get rid of the confirmation round at the finals. It’s worthless. It’s time-consuming, and it’s redundant. We’ve seen that movie before.”
Looking at drug use today, Cicherillo and Ray argue it’s gotten out of hand.
“What do you feel about guys being so open about their drug use online?” asks Cicherillo. “I think it’s ridiculous. Now, we’re old-school, I’ll speak for Shawn, you’re never going to see us out there out there outlining what to take, how to take it, what we took, didn’t take. I’m never going to give that information and I’m not going to give a blueprint ever to whatever we were doing,” said Cicherillo.
Ray warned that fans copy the cycles shared by bodybuilders.
“I think it’s irresponsible. Some of the things they took they don’t even make anymore. There are people out there that will copy what you did. They are listening to what you are saying. There’s a lot of irresponsibility going on and I’ll never be a part of that,” responded Ray.
Some believe abusing drugs is unavoidable in bodybuilding if you want to compete at the highest level. Former four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler recently touched on the topic. He said stacking compounds in abundance qualifies as abuse.
Ray and Cicherillo are ready for big changes in bodybuilding. They believe openness about steroid use could backfire, especially for impressionable fans.
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