Little did fans know that Derek Lunsford endured a health scare before reclaiming the Mr. Olympia title in 2025. On Oct. 27, coach Chris Aceto cleared the air, revealing that Lunsford suffered from a panic attack during the finals.

Spectators knew something was going on during Saturday night’s finals. The reigning Mr. Olympia (at the time) was Samson Dauda , and historically, the sitting champion is the last to go onstage for their posing routines . However, Dauda came out before Lunsford, leaving the first two division Mr. Olympia to perform his routine last.

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In the show’s aftermath, rumors about Lunsford spread, with some suggesting that he had almost died backstage. With time to process the results

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