Tony Horton
Creator of P90X
Around March of this year (2024) I had time off before starting a new job. When you are a man in your 40s, what better way to spend that time than to try to get in shape? None of the new programs out there today do anything for me like P90X did for me years ago. Apple Fitness+, Peloton, YouTube videos etc. They are all for people with a different mindset than mine. To each their own. But none of them hold a candle to the gold standard that swept our nation 20 years ago.
Perhaps, you, like me, used to bring it 20 years ago with Tony Horton, the original fitness influencer of GenX. He told us to just show up and keep pressing play. I had tried it several times but never made it past 2 consecutive weeks. I guess I lacked commitment back then?
So I began again, and P90X felt like coming back home. I realized over the years I had incorporated many tonyisms into my vocabulary without realizing it. When my kids would say: “Dad I can’t do math”, I’d say: “No, you presently struggle with math”. When I would tell my kids to do something great, I’d tell them to do it like they were on the cover of whatever-they-were-doing magazine. Sometimes I’d even flap my arms like a pterodactyl backing out of trouble.
I did it for 90 days. I didn’t stick with the eating plan, but man, I felt and still feel amazing. Yes it takes a lot of time, at least 1 hour and 15 min every day, but man, there is nothing better than knowing you did a P90X work out in the morning. There’s no guessing of what you have to do, you just show up and press play.
Where is Tony Now?
It just so happened that a P90X reddit group let me know about a 20 year anniversary podcast Tony Horton did talking about the greatness of P90Xhttps://youtu.be/nF_aoZc8-fI?si=y6scqDrenGF0oFCn. That’s when I first realized, after starting again for a bit, that it’s been 20 years!
I started following Tony on Instagram and watching him on YouTube. He’s still the same great guy who brings it! He makes it fun, corny and he’s my kind of trainer. And wow, even in his mid 60s he looks better than most 40 year olds. I spend so much time with this guy I feel like I’m his buddy even though we’ve never met! Maybe that’s why P90X was so good, Tony just has that talent to connect with average people like me and not come off condescending. He says: “Do your best and…”, then I shout: “Forget the rest!”. “Don’t worry if you can’t do as many reps as these guys, get out of your head. Just show up and press play”. “You need breaks, Take ‘em!”. “Modify, Modify, Modify”. I also love this video of how people modify the moves.
Where is the Cast?
After spending so much time with Tony’s crew you start to wonder a little bit about who they are. A few years back I found this hilarious post of Ranking the P90X supporting Cast from Worst to Best by Ben Mandelker. As I thought about it, I wondered, what are these wonderful people I work out with every day doing now? Are they still fit? I figured an update on the cast members was in order given it’s been 20 years and these people are still working out with me and I’m sure countless others every day in our homes.
So the rest of this is based on my somewhat poor internet research of “where are they now?” of the Tony Cast.
Ab Ripper X
Since I see these people the most I thought I’d start here. I hate it, but I love it. The workout I did three times a week and still can’t do all 339 moves is still a killer. The Fiffer scissors are insane and the 50 Mason Twists at the end kill me. I once got to 40, but that’s where I’m at now.
There’s no part 2, it’s part 2.
Audra Sherman Zimpel
https://www.audrazimpel.com/
Instagram: @audrazimpleelevatedlife
https://www.facebook.com/audra.zimpel
One of my favorites is Audra. She makes it all look so effortless. I can not even come close to the ab strength of this woman. While Mandelker says she’s the most forgettable, I find her one of the coolest. She’s just there to work and if I could ever do what she did I’d be a happy person.
Audra is an “Intuitive+Cognitive Life Coach” helping women ELEVATE and live their Best lives. She’s still fit but I wonder if she could still do that ab ripper routine as well as the yoga belly 7. I also have never used a life coach but I wish her and her clients the best.
Here she is doing a Crain at 50 years old!
Jason – The Ripped King
He’s the king, the ripped king. I couldn’t find anything on him. Maybe you know? I sort of gave up looking. But when Jason was doing those heels to the heaven he didn’t give up. Maybe I should be more like Jason.
Adam Lawrence Dyer
https://spirituwellness.com/about/
https://www.revadamlawrencedyer.com/
@adamlawrencedyer
He’s a dancer, he’s a wild man. He’s focused and looks intense. He makes Tony look fat. Those abs are unreal. But yet, he’s fun in yoga saying hello with his toes and goofing around in core synergistics. I’m a fan.
Today he’s the Rev. Adam Dyer and he frequently writes and speaks on race and LGBTQ+ topics. He’s no longer a professional trainer and is currently a PhD student at the University of Virginia.
Chest And Back
One of my favorite ways to start the week. I did this one and still do it as part of my normal exercises now that I’ve completed 90 days of P90x.
Maren Beautte
She’ll always be known for her German Potato Soup. She looks like she’s having fun and brings it. I love working out with Maren!
Looking to see what she’s doing now brought up a few adult entertainment links that I didn’t want to click on. The IMDb link showed her last movie in 2007. Wherever she is now, I hope she’s still bringing it! ..er yeah.
Scott Fifer
https://x.com/gofifer?s=21
https://www.instagram.com/gofifer/
https://gocampaign.org/who-we-are/leadership.html
https://www.facebook.com/scottfifer/
The man who used to look like Bobby Stevenson before he did P90X and is responsible for torturing us with the Fifer Scissors, he still hangs and works out with Tony. It seems like most of his work is running a charitable organization called the Go Campaign. It helps the children, I’m a fan.
Bobby Stephenson
@rlstephenson
https://www.facebook.com/robert.stephenson.188
He appeared in nearly all of Tony’s videos: P90, P90X, P90X2, P90X3 and is a Tony super friend. Checkout his Instagram where him and Scotty are still working out at Tony’s house. I love seeing these guys are still bringing it!
Plyo-X
The Mother of all P90X workouts, with “Jump Knee Tuck”, the Mother of all moves!
Erik Stolhanske
https://www.instagram.com/stolhanske
He’s on one leg today so I want to hear no excuses from you! I think Erik was the most famous of the cast members. Anyway, you can see he’s been acting all over the place.
Pam the Blam!
Pam is still bringing it! She’s a trainer and with her own YouTube channel does exercises and mindfulness takes! No wonder she was one of everyone’s favorite supporting cast member! I loved this 2009 interview with her and talking about behind the scenes of the making of P90X and how she got into it. (Start at Part 2). It was funny to hear that she had never been called Pam the Blam until the recording of that video. Tony just makes it up as he goes and I love it.
Dominic Comperatore
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0173972/
Another one of Tony’s actor friends. He jumps through the roof! Oh, and he’s also the founder of a tax prep company https://www.empiretaxprep.com/what-we-do. He helps actors with taxes. Here’s a nice pod cast interview he did back in 2018.
Shoulders and Arms
The glamour muscles! This routine along with Back and Arms I still do weekly. It’s one of my favorites.
Daniel Haas
https://www.facebook.com/daniel.haas.31586/
It was hard for me to find anything on the great Daniel Haas, one of Tony’s Sunday workout buddies. It seems Daniel works on cars. Mr. Haas was one of my favorites. Still the most relatable especially in yoga. He’s still better than me at all aspects of his fitness, but at least I feel like I’m close. In my links above I don’t even know if I got the right guy.
Joe Bovino
https://x.com/joebovino
https://sugarbellysecrets.com
https://www.instagram.com/sugarbellysecrets
Joe has given some great insights into the making of P90X and done many interviews. It’s super cool seeing he’s still very much into the fitness lifestyle with his company Sugar Belly Secrets. Here are some fun interviews he’s done:
http://web.archive.org/web/20120101074720/http://www.fitbomb.com/2011/02/joe-bovino-interview.html
https://homefitnessgeek.com/2013/06/24/joe-bovino-and-the-average-guys-p90x-diary-humor/
Dreya Webber
Dreya is Tony’s buddy. She posted a great throwback picture on Facebook in 2021.
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?id=100063487846613&story_fbid=3715638711835460
She’s still quite active in the fitness industry
https://www.instagram.com/dreya_weber?igsh=MWtkN2V3OHd4Z2tz
Still doing aerial dance. In 2024 she was even up here in Portland and introduced me to Twisted croissant in one of her posts.
Yoga X
I did this exercise yesterday with my wife. It’s long but you just feel so good after doing it. We’ve already talked about Adam and Audrey above. That leaves Shawna. I’m coming up short with any information on her. On one hand there is Tony’s wife’s name is Shawna. It is the same Shawna? I’m not sure. She doesn’t look the same, but either way, I always was impressed how Shawna made gumby look like the tinman and her amazing flexibility.
Legs & Back
We see Dreya again and she does a great job in this workout. This one I need to do more often but its just so easy to skip leg day. I’ll do better next year. I really like this one though combining pullups with leg exercises and most of it being just body weight.
Sufia Palluck
The big question: She was studying dentistry, did she ever become a dentist? YES! If you’re ever in Las Vegas and need dental work, now you know where to go. She looks super happy and that makes me happy.
Erik
He owns a boat and he’s from Belgium. That’s all I know. Oh, and he was ripped, pure gristle and inspired me to “bring it” just a little more.
Kenpo X
I like this workout though I think people criticize it that it doesn’t cause them to sweat enough. I don’t do this one as much anymore other than those 90 days when I was doing it. I mostly go on a run this day or go rucking.
Tony Latimore
https://www.instagram.com/tonylattimore
The stud of the world! When doing Kenpo X this is the guy to watch. What’s he doing now? He’s a photographer in Southern California and has 10 kids! What a great guy. He still looks so happy. Man I love this guy.
Wesley Idol
https://www.facebook.com/wesley.idol
People criticize Wesley for not giving his all in Kenpo X but I think he was just holding back giving the easy version for the folks at home. He seems like a really good guy, down to earth and making me look good the few times my wife joined me for this.
He’s still doing martial arts! Kenpo 7th degree black belt. His background story was pretty inspiring. He’s talked about all the fighting he did. He got into a lot of drugs and alternative business practices and was really just not in a good place. His dad got him into Karate and he was hooked. Albert Conejo his mentor became his light.
https://wesleyidol.com/about.html#
Teaches at https://bryanhawkinskenpo.com/
Check out https://www.youtube.com/live/xjfC0FmXZ44?si=zKbVvXGDzZGRiyT2 where around 34 min he talks about P90X.
Vanessa
I couldn’t find any information on Vanessa. She brings it! Let me know if you have info.
Conclusion
There were a few other videos that I didn’t talk about like Core Synergistics, Back & Bicepts, Chest Shoulders & Tricepts but I just didn’t do those enough to form an attachment with those good people. I never did Cardio X. If you did, I’d love to hear about them and know what they are up to! I think anyone who appeared in those videos deserves props for just showing up and bringing it.
I got in amazing shape when I did the 90 days through the spring and summer. I saw a few changes with my body but mostly just an increased capability. While working out is super important to keeping your body in shape it really won’t give you the results you want unless you are fueling it properly. I still do some of the P90X workouts but most of my focus these days is on nutrition and ensuring I’m getting the right amount of macros.
Thank you Tony and to your wonderful cast for creating something that still resonates 20 years later!
