A new contest record
707.9772
highest overall ever cooked here
707.9772 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.7600 White Squirrel BBQ set in 2019.
- old record 697.7600
- set 2019 by White Squirrel BBQ
Wild West Fest on Fire 2024
Aug 10–11, 2024 · Medvode, Slovenia · SLOVENIA · 📍 Zbilje
Reps: Haymo Gutweniger, Luca Famigli
Insomnia BBQ Team won Grand Champion at the Wild West Fest on Fire on August 10, 2024 in Medvode, 1215 at Zbilje, scoring 707.9772 in a field of 11 teams. COOKLOUNGE BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.8968. Category winners: Chicken — SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ (177.7028); Pork Ribs — Smoky Cotte (177.7144); Pork — Insomnia BBQ Team (176.5600); Brisket — Insomnia BBQ Team (178.8572). This is the 5th of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2023 edition was won by Knockstone BBQ Team Austria; the next was held in 2024.
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.
612.47
median 678.80
707.98 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.70
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 178.86
139.92
178.86
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2018 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
11
4 judged meats
Top score
707.9772
Winning margin
12.0804
GC over RC
Field average
667.59
612.47707.98
median 678.80 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
624.4000
612.47707.98
10th place overall
Field spread
95.5088
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 7%
beats 93% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
42%
5 of 12 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.81 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,556
avg power rating going in · stronger than 42% of contests
Storylines (8 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
28-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 72 times in 100
Insomnia BBQ Team came in rated below the field's top team, COOKLOUNGE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 28-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1638
- top seed 1802
A statement win
12.0804
points clear of the field
Wider than 92% of the 4,713 championships in the data
The champion won by 12.0804 points — a wider margin than 92% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 12 tracked editions
Knockstone BBq Team Austria has won this contest 2 times across its 12 tracked editions.
- 2022
- 2023
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 3 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ and COOKLOUNGE BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: COOKLOUNGE BBQ and SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: Ma-Kole BBQ edged Smoky Cotte by 0.0344.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0344
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Insomnia BBQ Team won Pork, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
Insomnia BBQ Team took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 4th.
- Chicken 4th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7144
best pork ribs ever cooked here
Smoky Cotte turned in 177.7144 in pork ribs — past the 174.2628 that had stood across 4 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2628
- across 4 past editions
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)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2018 | Zbilje, Medvode | Zbilje, Medvode, 1215 | 21 | 673.6344 | FRIULI VIOLENT GRILLERS | THE BARKTENDERS |
| Aug 10, 2019 | Zbilje, Medvode | Zbilje, Medvode, 1215 | 27 | 697.7600 | White Squirrel BBQ | BUNCH OF SWINES |
| Aug 6, 2022 | Medvode | Zbilje | 11 | 693.6688 | Knockstone BBq Team Austria | COOKLOUNGE BBQ |
| Aug 12, 2023 | Medvode | Zbilje | 12 | 695.3944 | Knockstone BBQ Team Austria | COOKLOUNGE BBQ |
| Aug 10, 2024 ← this one | Medvode | Zbilje | 11 | 707.9772 | Insomnia BBQ Team | COOKLOUNGE BBQ |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Medvode | Zbilje | 14 | 177.7144 | Smoky Cotte | — |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Medvode | Lake Zbilje | 20 | 699.9540 | Food'Venture Grill & BBQ | WESTSIDE BBQ |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Medvode | Lake Zbilje | 19 | 177.1544 | BBQ Hot Yard | — |
| Aug 9, 2025 | Medvode | Lake Zbilje | 19 | 180 | Virunum Smokers | — |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Medvode | Lake Zbilje | 12 | 180 | The smoked barbecue team | — |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Medvode | Lake Zbilje | 14 | 178.8572 | The smoked barbecue team | — |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Medvode | Lake Zbilje | 18 | 707.3944 | SOUTH BRIXIA | SMOKY COTTE |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7028 | 173.1200 | 158.8684 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.1084 | 148.5488 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 173.1200 | 159.9772 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 168.5256 | 152.5144 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
11 entries · top 707.9772 · median 678.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insomnia BBQ Team | |
| 2 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 3 | SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ | |
| 4 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 5 | Smoky Cotte | |
| 6 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 7 | SPENA BBQ | |
| 8 | Ma-Kole BBQ | |
| 9 | Hedgehog BBQ | |
| 10 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 11 | Koroški čili klub |
Chicken
11 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.4628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ | |
| 2 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 3 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 4 | Insomnia BBQ Team | |
| 5 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 6 | Ma-Kole BBQ | |
| 7 | Smoky Cotte | |
| 8 | SPENA BBQ | |
| 9 | Hedgehog BBQ | |
| 10 | Koroški čili klub | |
| 11 | BBQ Hot Yard |
Pork Ribs
11 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.9884
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smoky Cotte | |
| 2 | Insomnia BBQ Team | |
| 3 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 4 | SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ | |
| 5 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 6 | Hedgehog BBQ | |
| 7 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 8 | SPENA BBQ | |
| 9 | Ma-Kole BBQ | |
| 10 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 11 | Koroški čili klub |
Pork
11 entries · top 176.5600 · median 170.2628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insomnia BBQ Team | |
| 2 | Smoky Cotte | |
| 3 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 4 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 5 | SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ | |
| 6 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 7 | Koroški čili klub | |
| 8 | SPENA BBQ | |
| 9 | Hedgehog BBQ | |
| 10 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 11 | Ma-Kole BBQ |
Brisket
11 entries · top 178.8572 · median 165.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insomnia BBQ Team | |
| 2 | SPENA BBQ | |
| 3 | COOKLOUNGE BBQ | |
| 4 | Smoked Pioneers BBQ Team | |
| 5 | SCHLUCHTENGRILLER BBQ | |
| 6 | Smoky Cotte | |
| 7 | BBQ Hot Yard | |
| 8 | Ma-Kole BBQ | |
| 9 | Szendo Smoke BBQ Team | |
| 10 | Hedgehog BBQ | |
| 11 | Koroški čili klub |