Bloomin' BBQ Music & Food Festival
2025-05-16 – 2025-05-17 · Sevierville, TN · 📍 209 Court Ave · State championship
Reps: CONNIE AMIDEI, JONATHAN AMIDEI · Prize money: $15,060.00
Grand Champion: HalaQyah BBQ (694.7656) · 33 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ
Entries
33
4 judged meats · 3 ancillary
Top score
694.7656
Winning margin
2.2740
GC over RC
Field average
664.79
median 679.86
Tightest race
Brisket
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.9088
10th place overall
Field spread
244.5712
winner to last place
Prize money
$15,060.00
on the line
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 73%
beats 27% of 1951 Master Series wins in the data
Traveled in
55%
of the 33 teams with a home region came from outside TN
Came back for more
55%
17 of 31 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.68 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1584
avg power rating going in · stronger than 83% of contests
Storylines
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
HalaQyah BBQ took the Grand Championship home to NC.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 1–2: ALPINE SMOKE WORKS and MUTTLEY CREW BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: FRED VEGAS SMOKERS and PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: BLUE CHIP BBQ and HalaQyah BBQ tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Piglitically Incorrect BBQ (won 2023).
🃏 An upset on the books
HalaQyah BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 11-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-19 | Sevierville, TN | 110 Gary Wade Blvd | 32 | 698.8228 | Piglitically Incorrect BBQ | UNDER THE RADAR |
| 2024-05-17 | Sevierville, TN | 125 Court Ave. | 31 | 707.3828 | Rooters-N-Tooters | BLUE CHIP BBQ |
| 2025-05-16 ← this one | Sevierville, TN | 209 Court Ave | 33 | 694.7656 | HalaQyah BBQ | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ |
| 2026-05-15 | Sevierville, TN | 209 Court Ave | 33 | 698.2056 | Glamping Grillers | Blue Smoke Q |
| 2027-05-14 | Sevierville, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5716 | 173.7144 | 171.9656 |
| Pork | 180.0000 | 174.2744 | 171.9772 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 174.2628 | 173.1084 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
33 entries · top 694.7656 · median 679.8628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 2 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 3 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 4 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 6 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ | |
| 7 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 8 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 9 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 10 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 11 | BrewsCue | |
| 12 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 13 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 14 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 15 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 16 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 18 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 19 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 20 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | |
| 21 | HOLLOW Q | |
| 22 | ALPINE SMOKE WORKS | |
| 23 | K & E's Little Smokers | |
| 24 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 25 | Roux BBQ | |
| 26 | Red Rock Cafe | |
| 27 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 28 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 29 | Big Alz BBQ | |
| 30 | Rib King | |
| 31 | Ridge Boys BBQ | |
| 32 | Hill Billy BBQ | |
| 33 | Off The Bone |
Chicken
33 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALPINE SMOKE WORKS | |
| 2 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 3 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 4 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 5 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 6 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 7 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 8 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 9 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 10 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ | |
| 11 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 12 | Red Rock Cafe | |
| 13 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 14 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 15 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | |
| 16 | HOLLOW Q | |
| 17 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 18 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 19 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 20 | BrewsCue | |
| 21 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 22 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 23 | K & E's Little Smokers | |
| 24 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 25 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 26 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 27 | Big Alz BBQ | |
| 28 | Rib King | |
| 29 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 30 | Roux BBQ | |
| 31 | Ridge Boys BBQ | |
| 32 | Hill Billy BBQ | |
| 33 | Off The Bone |
Pork Ribs
33 entries · top 176.5716 · median 168.5488
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ | |
| 2 | Roux BBQ | |
| 3 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 4 | K & E's Little Smokers | |
| 5 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 6 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 7 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 8 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 9 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 10 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 11 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 12 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 13 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 14 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 15 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 16 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 17 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 18 | HOLLOW Q | |
| 19 | ALPINE SMOKE WORKS | |
| 20 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 21 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 22 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 23 | Big Alz BBQ | |
| 24 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 25 | BrewsCue | |
| 26 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 27 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 28 | Red Rock Cafe | |
| 29 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | |
| 30 | Rib King | |
| 31 | Hill Billy BBQ | |
| 32 | Off The Bone | |
| 33 | Ridge Boys BBQ |
Pork
33 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 2 | BrewsCue | |
| 3 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 4 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 5 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 6 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 7 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 8 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 9 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 10 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 11 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 12 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 13 | K & E's Little Smokers | |
| 14 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | |
| 15 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 16 | Roux BBQ | |
| 17 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 18 | Rib King | |
| 19 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 20 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 21 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 22 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 23 | HOLLOW Q | |
| 24 | ALPINE SMOKE WORKS | |
| 25 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 26 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 27 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 28 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ | |
| 29 | Red Rock Cafe | |
| 30 | Big Alz BBQ | |
| 31 | Hill Billy BBQ | |
| 32 | Ridge Boys BBQ | |
| 33 | Off The Bone |
Brisket
33 entries · top 176.5600 · median 169.6684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | |
| 2 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 3 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 4 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ | |
| 5 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 6 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 7 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 8 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 9 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 10 | BrewsCue | |
| 11 | SMOKIN SKULLIES | |
| 12 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 13 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 14 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 15 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 16 | Red Rock Cafe | |
| 17 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 18 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 19 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 20 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 21 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 22 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 23 | Roux BBQ | |
| 24 | HOLLOW Q | |
| 25 | Ridge Boys BBQ | |
| 26 | Big Alz BBQ | |
| 27 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 28 | ALPINE SMOKE WORKS | |
| 29 | K & E's Little Smokers | |
| 30 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 31 | Hill Billy BBQ | |
| 32 | Rib King | |
| 33 | Off The Bone |
Ancillary categories
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
Ancillary — Anything Bushs Beans
31 entries · top 177.7372 · median 162.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Alz BBQ | |
| 2 | K & E's Little Smokers | |
| 3 | BrewsCue | |
| 4 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 5 | Red Rock Cafe | |
| 6 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 7 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 8 | Ridge Boys BBQ | |
| 9 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 10 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 11 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 12 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 13 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 14 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 15 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 16 | Roux BBQ | |
| 17 | Rib King | |
| 18 | ALPINE SMOKE WORKS | |
| 19 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 20 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 21 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 22 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 23 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 24 | HOLLOW Q | |
| 25 | Hill Billy BBQ | |
| 26 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 27 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 28 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | |
| 29 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 30 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ | |
| 31 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN |
Ancillary — Anything Swaggertys Sausage
30 entries · top 177.7028 · median 162.8514
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MUDVILLE BBQ | |
| 2 | ALPINE SMOKE WORKS | |
| 3 | K & E's Little Smokers | |
| 4 | ELITE BBQ SMOKERS | |
| 5 | Glamping Grillers | |
| 6 | Kith n' Kin | |
| 7 | BAD ROOSTER BBQ | |
| 8 | BROTHER IN LAW BBQ TEAM - NC | |
| 9 | DANG GOOD BBQ | |
| 10 | TENNESSEE SMOKE SHOWIN | |
| 11 | FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN | |
| 12 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 13 | SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | |
| 14 | Ridge Boys BBQ | |
| 15 | HOLLOW Q | |
| 16 | BrewsCue | |
| 17 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 18 | Casual Smokers SC | |
| 19 | FRED VEGAS SMOKERS | |
| 20 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS | |
| 21 | PIG ON FIRE | |
| 22 | CREEKSIDE SMOKERS NC | |
| 23 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 24 | HalaQyah BBQ | |
| 25 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 26 | Big Alz BBQ | |
| 27 | Red Rock Cafe | |
| 28 | Roux BBQ | |
| 29 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 30 | Hill Billy BBQ |
Ancillary — Dessert
12 entries · top 180.0000 · median 176.3086 · 🔥 perfect 180