A razor-thin finish
0.5600
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 92% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.5600 points — closer than 92% of every championship in the data.
- LOCAL YOKELS BBQ
- WEQ4U
Derby Park Que Off
May 10–11, 2024 · Louisville, KY · 📍 2900 7th Street Rd
Reps: Kent Schuetz, Rachel Schuetz · Prize money: $5,000
LOCAL YOKELS BBQ won Grand Champion at the Derby Park Que Off on May 10, 2024 in Louisville, KY at 2900 7th Street Rd, scoring 701.6456 in a field of 21 teams. WEQ4U took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.0856. Category winners: Chicken — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (180.0000); Pork Ribs — WEQ4U (178.8572); Pork — HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO (180.0000); Brisket — ALE YEAH BBQ (177.7028).
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
592.39
median 677.07
701.65 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 177.70
139.92
180
Entries
21
4 judged meats
Top score
701.6456
Winning margin
0.5600
GC over RC
Field average
674.31
592.39701.65
median 677.07 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
679.2912
592.39701.65
10th place overall
Field spread
109.2572
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,000
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 27%
beats 73% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,642
avg power rating going in · stronger than 94% of contests
Storylines (6 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
An upset on the books
33-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 67 times in 100
LOCAL YOKELS BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 33-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1780
- top seed 1901
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
LOCAL YOKELS BBQ won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 4th
A stacked field
1642
average power rating going in
Stronger than 94% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1642 power rating going in — stronger than 94% of every contest tracked.
- top seed ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (1901)
- 21 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: Cotton BBQ and BrewsCue tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO and THE BBQ BUS tied on 169.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN and WEQ4U tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
- Pork 8–9 · tie
A perfect score on the table
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN · Chicken
- HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO · Pork
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 174.2628 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 171.9656 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 180 | 173.7028 | 173.1200 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 169.6800 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
21 entries · top 701.6456 · median 677.0744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOCAL YOKELS BBQ | |
| 2 | WEQ4U | |
| 3 | Poppa Pig | |
| 4 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 5 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 6 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 7 | ALE YEAH BBQ | |
| 8 | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS | |
| 9 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 10 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 11 | Hickory Pit Stop | |
| 12 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS, KY | |
| 13 | JMB BBQ | |
| 14 | BrewsCue | |
| 15 | MADAB'S BBQ | |
| 16 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 17 | Secondhand Smoke | |
| 18 | Pappy Q | |
| 19 | WTF | |
| 20 | ACME BBQ | |
| 21 | Gone Tits Up |
Chicken
21 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 2 | Hickory Pit Stop | |
| 3 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 4 | BrewsCue | |
| 5 | Poppa Pig | |
| 6 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 7 | LOCAL YOKELS BBQ | |
| 8 | ALE YEAH BBQ | |
| 9 | ACME BBQ | |
| 10 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 11 | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS | |
| 12 | WEQ4U | |
| 13 | Pappy Q | |
| 14 | WTF | |
| 15 | MADAB'S BBQ | |
| 16 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 17 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS, KY | |
| 18 | JMB BBQ | |
| 19 | Secondhand Smoke | |
| 20 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 21 | Gone Tits Up |
Pork Ribs
21 entries · top 178.8572 · median 168.5256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WEQ4U | |
| 2 | Poppa Pig | |
| 3 | LOCAL YOKELS BBQ | |
| 4 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 5 | JMB BBQ | |
| 6 | Secondhand Smoke | |
| 7 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 8 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 9 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 10 | BrewsCue | |
| 11 | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS | |
| 12 | Pappy Q | |
| 13 | ALE YEAH BBQ | |
| 14 | Hickory Pit Stop | |
| 15 | MADAB'S BBQ | |
| 16 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS, KY | |
| 17 | ACME BBQ | |
| 18 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 19 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 20 | WTF | |
| 21 | Gone Tits Up |
Pork
21 entries · top 180 · median 173.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 2 | LOCAL YOKELS BBQ | |
| 3 | MADAB'S BBQ | |
| 4 | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS | |
| 5 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 6 | WEQ4U | |
| 7 | Poppa Pig | |
| 8 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS, KY | |
| 9 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 10 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 11 | JMB BBQ | |
| 12 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 13 | ALE YEAH BBQ | |
| 14 | Hickory Pit Stop | |
| 15 | Pappy Q | |
| 16 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 17 | Secondhand Smoke | |
| 18 | WTF | |
| 19 | BrewsCue | |
| 20 | Gone Tits Up | |
| 21 | ACME BBQ |
Brisket
21 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALE YEAH BBQ | |
| 2 | WEQ4U | |
| 3 | BLUE CHIP BBQ | |
| 4 | LOCAL YOKELS BBQ | |
| 5 | THE BBQ BUS | |
| 6 | HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS, KY | |
| 7 | SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS | |
| 8 | Shiggin aint easy | |
| 9 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | |
| 10 | Poppa Pig | |
| 11 | MADAB'S BBQ | |
| 12 | Cotton BBQ | |
| 13 | Secondhand Smoke | |
| 14 | Hickory Pit Stop | |
| 15 | BrewsCue | |
| 16 | JMB BBQ | |
| 17 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 18 | Pappy Q | |
| 19 | ACME BBQ | |
| 20 | WTF | |
| 21 | Gone Tits Up |