Many moons ago back when I was a teenager there was a thing called MTV. It was a channel that actually played music videos, go figure, right? And on that channel there was a very successful series called The Real World. Basically, what that show was all about was a group of strangers living together in a house that had cameras running 24/7 and their interactions became the whole gist of the show. Millions of people would tune in each week to see what was going on with the residents of the home. There were heels, there were heroes, and there were several people in between. Each person had a different story and journey and trials and tribulations. It was that interaction, that real life interaction, that made it so addictive. Everybody wanted to watch. And as a result of that, the series was renewed with different casts of totally new roommates. No one is suggesting that something like that happen in the world of bodybuilding, but it’s very interesting that the reigning Mr. Olympia Nick Walker has announced that he wants to live with his coach. But it doesn’t stop there. He’s also said that he wants to live with other roommates. And that’s where my 47-year-old brain started thinking.
Why not have a bodybuilding version of MTV’s The Real World? If you’re going to have to residence with Mr. O, his coach, and I would presume other bodybuilding roommates, why not throw some cameras in there and make some social media content out of it? The big difference between 2026 and 1992 is the fact that we have social media and tell me who wouldn’t want to watch something like that today? I mean it’s obvious everybody would want to. But there’s other factors to this story that I think are worth mentioning and why such a living situation could be a recipe for disaster. On the one hand, it could be absolute utopia and on the other it could be absolute chaos. So, let’s dive into this article and flush it out a little bit more. Of course, the most important part of this is your feedback. and of course, we have to tip our hat to the boss man Robert DiMaggio for bringing back the comments section in such a way that makes it more interactive than ever. So don’t just read the article, be ready with your comments for feedback.
Over the course of the years, I have often written about athletes that need to have their hand held. These are athletes that cannot be either trusted or simply do not want to be alone for what is known as hell week. Other people call it Peak Week. I’m not a big fan of calling it peak week because I don’t believe that somebody that does a responsible prep needs to have a week where it seems like everything but the kitchen sink gets thrown into the mix and the competitor’s metabolic rate gets thrown into disarray. There’s no reason to dry out to the point that it feels like a kidney is going to fall out. There’s also no point in doing cardio with trash bags on or taking enemas to make weight. That to me is the product of a bad prep. In other words, why not just coast into it like the guys did and the golden era? Or the way the guys did it in the 80s? Why has the sport become so dependent on drugs that these MacGyver moves are made at the last 48 hours? That’s a great way to throw a 16-week prep down the drain. Not to mention the fact that so many competitors have literally died during this very chaotic period of time. It just doesn’t serve a purpose. In any event, maybe living with your coach would probably be the best guarantee that this type of crash course never takes place. Because a responsible coach is going to be watching that competitor day and night. I mean how could they avoid it? if they live together, eat together, presumably do social activities together, then there’s no time for the athlete to fall off the proverbial wagon.
I would say that for competitors who require that level of attention, that living together would make a lot of sense. This also speaks to the fact that there are competitors that will pay the extra money to fly their coaches out to whatever shows they’re doing. Some competitors will even split a room with their coach so that their coach can watch over them the final 48 hours or sometimes – even the final week. But in this case if the coach lives with Nick, then one would argue that Nick would be monitored 24/7. It’s very similar to the stories we’ve heard about Big Ramy having to be roused from bed and sometimes even dragged from bed because he didn’t want to go train. Well then if Nick Walker was anything like Big Ramy, then he would greatly benefit from living with his coach. But what about the chaos factor?
Well the same way that it could be a great fit, it could also be a nightmare. For example, maybe Nick doesn’t want to have his coach with him 24/7. Maybe his coach micromanages him to the point that he wants to pull the eject button within a week or two. Maybe it isn’t just a chaotic situation but maybe Nick ends up not liking his coach or vice versa. And that would be a disaster because then the coaching-client relationship would be over. And that would be catastrophic for Nick because this coach is the coach that got him his first Olympia win. So, if he somehow destroyed that relationship or that relationship couldn’t survive the living arrangement, then what would he do for his first Olympia defense in 2027?
And then of course we have to talk about the roommates. These other individuals would be living under the same roof as Nick and his coach. Who would these individuals be? I mean up until now we have assumed that they would be bodybuilders but imagine if they’re not. Imagine if they’re not even remotely involved with the sport but are friends of Nick’s or friends of his coach. Then that could also be a little chaotic because they may not understand the restrictions of an athlete being on prep. Could you imagine if they threw a house party two weeks before the Olympia? What if Nick couldn’t sleep or if Nick was now presented with any number of temptations that could derail his sacrifices towards bringing the best physique possible in 2027? Just because one of the residents of the home is a defending Mr. Olympia doesn’t mean that the other residents of the home would have to necessarily show that person any kind of deference. Now if they were involved in the bodybuilding industry, to what end? How involved? Would they also be competitors? Who these roommates are would be equally important to the overall vibe in the house. And if these guys were fans, for example, are they going to leave Nick alone? Are they going to be yes men? If that’s the case, then it would be very bad if Nick went based off of their reactions to how he was progressing along his prep. He might look like a pile of shit but his buddies might tell him he looks like Ronnie Coleman at the 2003 Olympia.
But then what if the roommates aren’t men? What if they’re women? That could also present a number of interesting situations. Again, I don’t know the gender of the roommates, I don’t know if the roommates are going to be involved in bodybuilding or not, I don’t know if the roommates are going to be competitors themselves who will be preparing for their own shows hat may or may not run in line with the Olympia. There are a lot of variables, a lot of factors. When you bring the roommates into the equation, it also changes the dynamic. Even if the roommates, the coach, and Nick all got along, all it would take is for one misunderstanding to throw a monkey wrench into the whole living arrangement.
From a creator standpoint, if they were to create content out of it that might be interesting, but up until now, I haven’t heard about that. Maybe after this article makes the rounds somebody will have the light-bulb moment where they say wow maybe we should put a camera in there and do something like The Real World. Maybe they could even get a sponsor for that concept. But at the end of the day, I also see the Nick’s decision to compete at the Arnold Classic as a bonehead move. So, if he’s going to be living in a house with his coach and a bunch of random people and he’s going to do the second largest bodybuilding show and hopefully win that show? That’s going to be a big question mark. And then he’s going to hopefully stop competing for the year and prepare for the Olympia? I just don’t get it. I don’t understand his thinking. I don’t understand why the random roommates, I don’t understand why he’s going to be doing the Arnold Classic – especially after Samson lost it right after winning the Olympia a couple of years ago. The whole housing thing sounds like a ticking time bomb. And doing the Arnold? That just seems stupid. I get he’s dying to compete against Hadi, BUT WAIT UNTIL THE OLYMPIA!!
Personally, I don’t think anything good will come of this and maybe it’s all just talk. But as you know, for me to write an article about it, it’s already made the rounds, and several other outlets have already reported on it. So, I’m by no means reporting on a bodybuilder going off on a tangent or something that I heard five times recycled. It seems like Nick does want to do this and may do it, but I don’t see any benefit to him or to his ability to win more shows or defend his Olympia title.
As always, thank you for reading my article – here at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. I guarantee you it will generate Lively conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
