Transformations, fitness & diva bikini models rock the WBFF US Central Show

By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com

If you rode the Kansas City Crowne Plaza Hotel elevator to the top floor on May 29, 2015, chances were that you stumbled upon a meeting of some of the fittest people in the Midwest!

Every year, athletes across the country travel to Kansas City to compete for the chance to join an elite fitness society: the World Beauty Fitness and Fashion, Inc. (WBFF). The competitors came from various occupations that range from parent and student to personal trainer and entrepreneurs and ages ranged from 18-years-old to 60-years-old.

After the athletes were checked in and received their badge, hosts and WBFF World Champions Micah LaCerte and his wife, Diana Chaloux LaCerte, welcomed everyone to the Athletes’ Meetings. Since the WBFF began hosting their Kansas City show in 2010, each Athlete Meeting not only gives the athletes a run through of the two Saturday shows, but also encouraged them to deliver their best performance.

The meeting concluded by a brief Skype appearance from WBFF President and CEO Paul Dillett and his wife and WBFF Executive Vice President, Allison Dillett, who were preparing to stage the Spring London Amateur show. Both of them reassured the athletes that they were in great hands with the LaCertes and believed that Kansas City will deliver another spectacular show.

The Preliminaries

The Kansas City WBFF Show was divided into two parts: the Preliminaries and the Evening Show.

During the Preliminaries, athletes were divided into their respectful categories: Diva Fitness, Male Fitness, Muscle Model, Diva Bikini Model and new this year: the Transformation Category.

In order to earn their pro card, each competitor had to impress the judges: Micah, AJ Ellison (2013-WBFF World Muscle Model Champion), Justin Gonzales (2013-WBFF World Male Fitness Model Champion), Coryn Martin (WBFF Pro Diva Bikini Model) and Sonja Tanner (WBFF Pro Diva Fitness Model).

The Diva Fitness Models kicked off the morning! Due to the number of contestants in this category, the Diva Fitness Model contenders were divided into three groups (35+, Short and Tall). There were several standouts in this group that ranged from the youngest female competitor (18-years-old) to the beautiful enchantresses that were 50 and 60-years-young.

As the Divas left the stage, it was time for the Male Fitness Models to shine! Among the group were personal trainers, a police officer and armed forces veterans. Not only was this my favorite category of the day, but also Andre “Bricks” St. Clair (the event’s emcee) declared this group the most competitive and “difficult” class for the WBFF judges reviewed.

After countless ab shots and poses from the Male Fitness Model competitors, the smallest Muscle Model category in recent years took to the stage. Despite having only five contestants, there was one athlete that had several members of the audience talking—-317, who looked like the second coming of WBFF founder Paul Dillett!

The most crowded category of the Kansas City show belonged to the Diva Bikini Models. Just like the Diva Fitness Models earlier that morning, the competitors were divided into three categories: 35+, Diva Bikini Short and Diva Bikini Tall.   These dynamite women strutted on stage to remixed tunes from David Guetta, Fergie, Maroon 5 and Meghan Trainor and delivered brilliant presentations.

Finally, the Transformation category rounded out the Preliminaries. This brand new category emphasized journeys over physiques and showcased the triumph of the human spirit. The six women and two men received loud cheers from the audience as “Bricks” briefly described their stories and the pounds that everyone lost.

The Evening Show

After an extended afternoon break, the WBFF US Central Show kicked off the evening’s festivities with the Parade of Athletes. Each year, the Parade of Athletes highlights all of the competitors who conquered multiple challenges such as persevering through self-doubt and overcoming obstacles to get to the WBFF Stage.

The Evening Show also challenged the athletes to showcase their creativity through their swimwear, formal wear and theme wear. Probably the largest category of the session was the Diva Bikini Models. “Bricks” also mentioned that the category was the most difficult category for the judging panel to judge. If Mary Poppins herself were in the audience, she herself would declare that the women looked “practically perfect in every way.”

For the Male Fitness Model’s eveningwear round, competitors wore their GQ best as they conveniently walked out to Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie.” Several frontrunners such as Logan Montgomery, PJ Cowan, Chris Julo, Seb Van Whitton and US Central Show veteran Tommy Nguyen continued to show bright with their dapper looks.

As Sid Lindsey continued to plow through the Muscle Model category, Transformation model Brian Cook proved that he had a bright future in the WBFF ahead of him.

Meanwhile, the segment of the night belonged to the Transformation Category. As each of the athletes walked out with their respective “Before” images splashed in the background, screams of appreciation and joy bellowed through the Midland. It reminded me of both Extreme Weight Loss and The Biggest Loser climaxes (minus the confetti shower and the presences of Alison Sweeny, Bob Harper and Chris and Heidi Powell). Before the eight contenders left the stage, “Bricks” shared that the group combined lost a total of 425 lbs. of fat! That statistic sent the audience over the moon.

Before the results were revealed, the Diva Fitness Models returned to the stage in their theme wear. The ladies didn’t disappoint as all three sub-divisions (35+, Short and Tall) spellbound the audience with their creativity. Several strong themed wear outfits paid homage to the Victoria’s Secret angels, while others showcased their Cosplaying skills as Zorro, Princess Elsa, Emma Frost, Captain America, Regina Mills and Madame Butterfly.

The results (and an unexpected twist)

Jake’s Take will like to extend congratulations to the following athletes for receiving their Pro Cards:

PJ Cowan (Male Fitness Model)

Sid Lindsey (Male Muscle Model)

Charisse Taylor (Diva Fitness Model)

Andrea Gerringer (Diva Fitness Model)

Lisa Lahm (Diva Fitness Model)

Allison Olmsted (Diva Bikini Model)

Taylor Parkerson (Diva Bikini Model)

We also extend our congratulations to Brian Cook, Jennifer Gallagher and Vickie Simms for earning the right to compete with other Transformation category winners in Las Vegas this summer.

Now, I want to introduce the twist!

Throughout the show, I noticed several outstanding athletes that I strongly believe should be recognized for all their hard work. Along with the newly minted pros, I will be also interviewing these outstanding athletes:

Logan Montgomery (Male Fitness Model)

Tommy Nguyen (Male Fitness Model)

Nathalie Chopin-Mitchell (Diva Fitness Model)

Veronika McDonald (Diva Bikini/Diva Fitness)

Sara Sutherland (Transformation/Diva Bikini)

Brian Cook (Transformation/Muscle Model)

I wanted to thank both Micah LaCerte and Diana Chaloux LaCerte for letting me cover this impeccable event.

To view my photos from the 2015 WBFF US Central Show, visit my Facebook page!