A statement win
13.1428
points clear of the field
Wider than 93% of the 4,742 championships in the data
The champion won by 13.1428 points — a wider margin than 93% of championships in the data.
Christmas on the River State Championship BBQ
2014-12-05 – 2014-12-06 · Demopolis, AL · 📍 Demopolis, AL 36732 · State championship
Grand Champion: FIRE DANCER BBQ (699.9428) · 29 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 BUTTRUB.COM
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.
618.71
median 669.58
699.94 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180.00 🔥
- Pork Ribs 180.00 🔥
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 180.00 🔥
132.38
180.00
Entries
29
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
699.9428
Winning margin
13.1428
GC over RC
Field average
662.63
618.71699.94
median 669.58 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Tightest race
Brisket
4.5944 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
674.7428
618.71699.94
10th place overall
Field spread
81.2340
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 33%
beats 67% of 4707 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1549
avg power rating going in · stronger than 37% of contests
Storylines (4 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.
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- RED EYED SMOKERS · Brisket
- NAHEOLA PRIDE COOKING TEAM · Chicken
- FIRE DANCER BBQ · Pork Ribs
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 9–10: SMOKIN BUTT CREW and RED EYED SMOKERS tied on 168.5372 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 9–10: BUTTRUB.COM and NAHEOLA PRIDE COOKING TEAM tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: BUTTRUB.COM edged RED EYED SMOKERS by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Pork 9–10 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · 0.0116
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0116
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
FIRE DANCER BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 15th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 15th
- Brisket 3rd
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-12-05 ← this one | Demopolis, AL | Demopolis, AL 36732 | 29 | 699.9428 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | BUTTRUB.COM |
| 2015-12-04 | Demopolis, AL | Demopolis, AL 36732 | 36 | 684.4572 | THE UNIVERSITY OF QUE | SMOKIN BUTT CREW |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 173.1200 | 172.0000 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 172.5944 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 170.8456 | 169.1200 |
| Brisket | 180.0000 | 175.4056 | 170.8456 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 699.9428 · median 669.5772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 2 | BUTTRUB.COM | |
| 3 | CAJUN BLAZE | |
| 4 | GIVE IT TO GOD | |
| 5 | SOUTHERN QUE | |
| 6 | The Specialists | |
| 7 | HAULIN' BUTT BBQ | |
| 8 | RED EYED SMOKERS | |
| 9 | BOOTYQUE | |
| 10 | HOUSE OF Q | |
| 11 | SMOKE OF THE SHOALS | |
| 12 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | |
| 13 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 14 | JIGGY PIGGY | |
| 15 | NAHEOLA PRIDE COOKING TEAM | |
| 16 | Full of Bologna | |
| 17 | SHORT BUS COOKERS | |
| 18 | Why You Grillin Me Dawg | |
| 19 | PE LITTLE THRIGS | |
| 20 | Saucy Bones | |
| 21 | Loose Cannon | |
| 22 | BUTT MASTERS | |
| 23 | HOG WILD AND PIG CRAZY | |
| 24 | Big Sonny's BBQ | |
| 25 | Plaza Golf Cart | |
| 26 | Batter Up 2 | |
| 27 | Green County Steam Plant 2 | |
| 28 | Green County Steam Plant 1 | |
| 29 | Hounds Tooth BBQ |
Chicken
29 entries · top 180.0000 · median 169.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NAHEOLA PRIDE COOKING TEAM | |
| 2 | CAJUN BLAZE | |
| 3 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 4 | Why You Grillin Me Dawg | |
| 5 | BUTTRUB.COM | |
| 6 | RED EYED SMOKERS | |
| 7 | Green County Steam Plant 2 | |
| 8 | The Specialists | |
| 9 | SOUTHERN QUE | |
| 10 | HAULIN' BUTT BBQ | |
| 11 | HOUSE OF Q | |
| 12 | BOOTYQUE | |
| 13 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | |
| 14 | Saucy Bones | |
| 15 | PE LITTLE THRIGS | |
| 16 | JIGGY PIGGY | |
| 17 | GIVE IT TO GOD | |
| 18 | HOG WILD AND PIG CRAZY | |
| 19 | SHORT BUS COOKERS | |
| 20 | Batter Up 2 | |
| 21 | Full of Bologna | |
| 22 | SMOKE OF THE SHOALS | |
| 23 | Big Sonny's BBQ | |
| 24 | Loose Cannon | |
| 25 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 26 | Hounds Tooth BBQ | |
| 27 | BUTT MASTERS | |
| 28 | Plaza Golf Cart | |
| 29 | Green County Steam Plant 1 |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 180.0000 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 2 | Why You Grillin Me Dawg | |
| 3 | Full of Bologna | |
| 4 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 5 | BUTTRUB.COM | |
| 6 | SMOKE OF THE SHOALS | |
| 7 | SOUTHERN QUE | |
| 8 | The Specialists | |
| 9 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | |
| 10 | RED EYED SMOKERS | |
| 11 | PE LITTLE THRIGS | |
| 12 | Loose Cannon | |
| 13 | GIVE IT TO GOD | |
| 14 | CAJUN BLAZE | |
| 15 | HAULIN' BUTT BBQ | |
| 16 | HOG WILD AND PIG CRAZY | |
| 17 | BOOTYQUE | |
| 18 | NAHEOLA PRIDE COOKING TEAM | |
| 19 | BUTT MASTERS | |
| 20 | SHORT BUS COOKERS | |
| 21 | HOUSE OF Q | |
| 22 | Green County Steam Plant 1 | |
| 23 | JIGGY PIGGY | |
| 24 | Green County Steam Plant 2 | |
| 25 | Saucy Bones | |
| 26 | Plaza Golf Cart | |
| 27 | Big Sonny's BBQ | |
| 28 | Hounds Tooth BBQ | |
| 29 | Batter Up 2 |
Pork
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 164.5372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 2 | GIVE IT TO GOD | |
| 3 | CAJUN BLAZE | |
| 4 | HOUSE OF Q | |
| 5 | Saucy Bones | |
| 6 | SOUTHERN QUE | |
| 7 | SMOKE OF THE SHOALS | |
| 8 | Hounds Tooth BBQ | |
| 9 | BUTTRUB.COM | |
| 10 | NAHEOLA PRIDE COOKING TEAM | |
| 11 | The Specialists | |
| 12 | HAULIN' BUTT BBQ | |
| 13 | Big Sonny's BBQ | |
| 14 | JIGGY PIGGY | |
| 15 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 16 | Why You Grillin Me Dawg | |
| 17 | BOOTYQUE | |
| 18 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | |
| 19 | Loose Cannon | |
| 20 | Plaza Golf Cart | |
| 21 | SHORT BUS COOKERS | |
| 22 | Green County Steam Plant 2 | |
| 23 | RED EYED SMOKERS | |
| 24 | PE LITTLE THRIGS | |
| 25 | Full of Bologna | |
| 26 | BUTT MASTERS | |
| 27 | HOG WILD AND PIG CRAZY | |
| 28 | Batter Up 2 | |
| 29 | Green County Steam Plant 1 |
Brisket
29 entries · top 180.0000 · median 165.6800 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RED EYED SMOKERS | |
| 2 | HAULIN' BUTT BBQ | |
| 3 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 4 | BOOTYQUE | |
| 5 | The Specialists | |
| 6 | JIGGY PIGGY | |
| 7 | BUTTRUB.COM | |
| 8 | SHORT BUS COOKERS | |
| 9 | GIVE IT TO GOD | |
| 10 | SOUTHERN QUE | |
| 11 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | |
| 12 | Full of Bologna | |
| 13 | HOUSE OF Q | |
| 14 | SMOKE OF THE SHOALS | |
| 15 | CAJUN BLAZE | |
| 16 | PE LITTLE THRIGS | |
| 17 | Green County Steam Plant 1 | |
| 18 | BUTT MASTERS | |
| 19 | Batter Up 2 | |
| 20 | Plaza Golf Cart | |
| 21 | Loose Cannon | |
| 22 | Big Bear BBQ | |
| 23 | Big Sonny's BBQ | |
| 24 | NAHEOLA PRIDE COOKING TEAM | |
| 25 | Saucy Bones | |
| 26 | Why You Grillin Me Dawg | |
| 27 | HOG WILD AND PIG CRAZY | |
| 28 | Hounds Tooth BBQ | |
| 29 | Green County Steam Plant 2 |
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.
Master Series — Backyard Championship
12 entries · top 352.0000 · median 334.7884
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SALT & PEPPER | |
| 2 | Smokin Hot TaTas | |
| 3 | Bull & Bones | |
| 4 | Late Night Butt Rubber | |
| 5 | Grillin n' Chillin | |
| 6 | Pickled To Death | |
| 7 | THE BARBECUE GRILLBILLIES | |
| 8 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 9 | Dozier Hogware | |
| 10 | Kickin Butt | |
| 11 | AirGas | |
| 12 | MASSKOSS |
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
12 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.4114
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SALT & PEPPER | |
| 2 | Late Night Butt Rubber | |
| 3 | Dozier Hogware | |
| 4 | Bull & Bones | |
| 5 | THE BARBECUE GRILLBILLIES | |
| 6 | Pickled To Death | |
| 7 | Smokin Hot TaTas | |
| 8 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 9 | Grillin n' Chillin | |
| 10 | AirGas | |
| 11 | Kickin Butt | |
| 12 | MASSKOSS |
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
12 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.1142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokin Hot TaTas | |
| 2 | Bull & Bones | |
| 3 | SALT & PEPPER | |
| 4 | Grillin n' Chillin | |
| 5 | Kickin Butt | |
| 6 | Pickled To Death | |
| 7 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 8 | AirGas | |
| 9 | MASSKOSS | |
| 10 | THE BARBECUE GRILLBILLIES | |
| 11 | Late Night Butt Rubber | |
| 12 | Dozier Hogware |
Master Series — Sauce
36 entries · top 177.7028 · median 167.3942
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAJUN BLAZE | |
| 2 | Hounds Tooth BBQ | |
| 3 | HOUSE OF Q | |
| 4 | RED EYED SMOKERS | |
| 5 | THE BARBECUE GRILLBILLIES | |
| 6 | FIRE DANCER BBQ | |
| 7 | PE LITTLE THRIGS | |
| 8 | BOOTYQUE | |
| 9 | Big Sonny's BBQ | |
| 10 | BLOW-N-SMOKE | |
| 11 | SMOKE OF THE SHOALS | |
| 12 | Kickin Butt | |
| 13 | Grillin n' Chillin | |
| 14 | Full of Bologna | |
| 15 | SOUTHERN QUE | |
| 16 | Saucy Bones | |
| 17 | GIVE IT TO GOD | |
| 18 | The Specialists | |
| 19 | Why You Grillin Me Dawg | |
| 20 | Batter Up 2 | |
| 21 | Green County Steam Plant 1 | |
| 22 | Bull & Bones | |
| 23 | JIGGY PIGGY | |
| 24 | Green County Steam Plant 2 | |
| 25 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | |
| 26 | SHORT BUS COOKERS | |
| 27 | BUTT MASTERS | |
| 28 | SALT & PEPPER | |
| 29 | AirGas | |
| 30 | Loose Cannon | |
| 31 | Plaza Golf Cart | |
| 32 | HOG WILD AND PIG CRAZY | |
| 33 | Dozier Hogware | |
| 34 | NAHEOLA PRIDE COOKING TEAM | |
| 35 | MASSKOSS | |
| 36 | Pickled To Death |