^ Funny you guys mention this stuff. I used to lift with some guys that were amateur level BB that did the small shows and whatnot. They were all like me, six figure dudes with day jobs, that lifted like maniacs at night. We all had high food and supplement costs (except for the natural circuit ones), but we could afford it. Those Natural circuit guys had to pay more for doping tests if I recall correctly.
Coming from the MMA world, I know the costs of amateur and pro level training, so at the time, it never surprised me. Anytime I would ask some of them, why they would not go pro, they would laugh at me and say it wasn't worth it. Back then I just assumed that unlike MMA, where at least back then, you could do a handful of small shows a year, teach MMA or BJJ on the side, give private lessons, spar dummy for a local champ/pro, do local sponsorships (if you are a hustler), just long enough till you could get a tryout for UFC, Pride, Bellator, or small local leagues (like King of the Cage, etc).
If you keep winning, it tends to snowball and collect. In some ways it gets way worse money wise (like upgrading to a higher end camp or boxing instructor) just to stay in a certain range until you get to the next level.
What do Bodybuilders have though? They don't seem to have a UFC or small circuit where they could fight 6-10 times a year and always get a check. I'd imagine if you did not win at a show in the first 3 places, you get no money at all. At least an MMA fighter can show up, get his ass kicked, and still get a check. Might not get another fight there, but at least he got something. If you had a Forrest Griffin vs. Stefan Bonnar epic fist fight and the crowd went nuts and it got run on the internet, you could get a contract even if you lost!
Tough deal for bodybuilders to end up doing porn/escorting. That's not only disgusting, but hard to hear. Maybe just to me, because I had no idea it was anywhere near that bad.