A new contest record
701.0972
highest overall ever cooked here
701.0972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 695.9656 ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE set in 2013.
- old record 695.9656
- set 2013 by ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE
Hog Happnin' 2014
Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2014 · Shelby, NC
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE won Grand Champion at the Hog Happnin' on October 31, 2014 in Shelby, NC, scoring 701.0972 in a field of 61 teams. KILLER B'S BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 689.6456. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKING BUTT HEADS (177.1428); Pork Ribs — EB'S BAR-B-QUE (177.7144); Pork — WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS (177.7144); Brisket — MUTTLEY CREW BBQ (179.4400). This is the 2nd of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE; the next was held in 2015.
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.
538.26
median 662.14
701.10 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.14
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 179.44
20
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2016 — this edition picked out.
Entries
61
4 judged meats
Top score
701.0972
Winning margin
11.4516
GC over RC
Field average
656.16
538.26701.10
median 662.14 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.3256
538.26701.10
10th place overall
Field spread
162.8344
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 29%
beats 71% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
48%
36 of 75 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,565
avg power rating going in · stronger than 51% of contests
Storylines (9 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
31-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 69 times in 100
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE came in rated below the field's top team, WARREN COUNTY PORK CHOPPERS, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 31-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1703
- top seed 1843
Back-to-back
2 in a row
editions of this contest
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE won here last time out too — 2 straight editions of this contest.
- 2013
- 2014
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 9th
- Pork Ribs 4th
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 3rd
A statement win
11.4516
points clear of the field
Wider than 91% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The champion won by 11.4516 points — a wider margin than 91% of championships in the data.
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 4 tracked editions
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE has won this contest 3 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2014
- 2016
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: Bite Me BBQ and CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ and SAUCED! BBQ TEAM tied on 176.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 9–10: ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE and CHECKERED PIG tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE (won 2013).
- ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE · 2013
One of the big ones
61
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 92% of the 5,482 contests in the data
61 teams — bigger than 92% of the 5,482 contests in the data.
This contest's own records (1 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2013 | Shelby, NC | Shelby, NC | 75 | 695.9656 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | KILLER B'S BBQ |
| Oct 31, 2014 ← this one | Shelby, NC | Shelby, NC 28150 | 61 | 701.0972 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | KILLER B'S BBQ |
| Nov 6, 2015 | Shelby, NC | Shelby, NC 28150 | 60 | 703.4056 | SMOKIN MO'S BBQ | 270 SMOKERS |
| Nov 4, 2016 | Shelby, NC | 1751 Marion St | 56 | 699.3944 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 176 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 174.8572 | 173.7144 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 170.8456 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 175.4172 | 173.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
61 entries · top 701.0972 · median 662.1368
Chicken
61 entries · top 177.1428 · median 167.3828
Pork Ribs
61 entries · top 177.7144 · median 164.5372
Pork
61 entries · top 177.7144 · median 165.0856
Brisket
61 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.7144