A first Grand Championship
34
tracked contests to get there
This was ROOFTOP BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 34th tracked contest.
2014 Down Town Throw Down
2014-12-12 – 2014-12-14 · Las Vegas, NV · 📍 Las Vegas, NV 89074
Grand Champion: ROOFTOP BBQ (691.9772) · 26 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ
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.
618.17
median 657.32
691.98 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.30
- Pork Ribs 173.70
- Pork 175.41
- Brisket 177.70
141.10
178.30
Entries
26
4 judged meats
Top score
691.9772
Winning margin
10.3200
GC over RC
Field average
654.82
618.17691.98
median 657.32 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
3.9540 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
661.7032
618.17691.98
10th place overall
Field spread
73.8060
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 64%
beats 36% of 4707 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.62 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1553
avg power rating going in · stronger than 40% of contests
Storylines (5 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 statement win
10.3200
points clear of the field
Wider than 88% of the 4,742 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.3200 points — a wider margin than 88% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
0.0116
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: LEFT COAST Q edged FUNTIME BBQ by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 8–9: RANCH 13 BBQ edged RHYTHM 'N QUE by 0.0116. Brisket places 2–3: FINGER LICKIN Q edged ZZYZX BAR.B.Q by 0.0116.
- Chicken 3–4 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · 0.0116
- Brisket 2–3 · 0.0116
- Brisket 9–10 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
ROOFTOP BBQ won Chicken, Pork — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
ROOFTOP BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 7th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 7th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 5th
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 | 178.2972 | 171.4172 | 169.7144 |
| Pork Ribs | 173.7028 | 169.7488 | 165.7144 |
| Pork | 175.4056 | 169.2228 | 166.8228 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 169.6800 | 166.8456 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 691.9772 · median 657.3198
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 2 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 3 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 4 | BROTHER OF SWEET SMOKE Q | |
| 5 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | |
| 6 | ZZYZX BAR.B.Q | |
| 7 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 8 | FUNTIME BBQ | |
| 9 | SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE SMOKER | |
| 10 | H&D BBQ | |
| 11 | DESPERADO | |
| 12 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 13 | WILD WILLY'S SMOKIN HOT BBQ | |
| 14 | SATISFIED HOGS | |
| 15 | The BBQ Asylum | |
| 16 | FINGER LICKIN Q | |
| 17 | Jessie Rae's Barbecue | |
| 18 | GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY | |
| 19 | Thee Pitts Again | |
| 20 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 21 | BADCAT'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 22 | Smoke It | |
| 23 | STOKED TO SMOKE | |
| 24 | P.I.G.S. | |
| 25 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 26 | SMOKIN' WITH SWAG |
Chicken
26 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.9714
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 2 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 3 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 4 | FUNTIME BBQ | |
| 5 | SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE SMOKER | |
| 6 | SATISFIED HOGS | |
| 7 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | |
| 8 | WILD WILLY'S SMOKIN HOT BBQ | |
| 9 | BROTHER OF SWEET SMOKE Q | |
| 10 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 11 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 12 | Smoke It | |
| 13 | H&D BBQ | |
| 14 | GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY | |
| 15 | Thee Pitts Again | |
| 16 | Jessie Rae's Barbecue | |
| 17 | DESPERADO | |
| 18 | BADCAT'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 19 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 20 | The BBQ Asylum | |
| 21 | SMOKIN' WITH SWAG | |
| 22 | P.I.G.S. | |
| 23 | ZZYZX BAR.B.Q | |
| 24 | FINGER LICKIN Q | |
| 25 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 26 | STOKED TO SMOKE |
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 173.7028 · median 163.1372
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FUNTIME BBQ | |
| 2 | BROTHER OF SWEET SMOKE Q | |
| 3 | ZZYZX BAR.B.Q | |
| 4 | SMOKIN' WITH SWAG | |
| 5 | SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE SMOKER | |
| 6 | SATISFIED HOGS | |
| 7 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 8 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 9 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | |
| 10 | H&D BBQ | |
| 11 | DESPERADO | |
| 12 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 13 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 14 | WILD WILLY'S SMOKIN HOT BBQ | |
| 15 | The BBQ Asylum | |
| 16 | Smoke It | |
| 17 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 18 | FINGER LICKIN Q | |
| 19 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 20 | GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY | |
| 21 | STOKED TO SMOKE | |
| 22 | Thee Pitts Again | |
| 23 | BADCAT'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 24 | Jessie Rae's Barbecue | |
| 25 | P.I.G.S. | |
| 26 | KARNIVOROUS |
Pork
26 entries · top 175.4056 · median 164.3028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 2 | ZZYZX BAR.B.Q | |
| 3 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 4 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | |
| 5 | Jessie Rae's Barbecue | |
| 6 | SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE SMOKER | |
| 7 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 8 | BROTHER OF SWEET SMOKE Q | |
| 9 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 10 | FUNTIME BBQ | |
| 11 | STOKED TO SMOKE | |
| 12 | The BBQ Asylum | |
| 13 | H&D BBQ | |
| 14 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 15 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 16 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 17 | P.I.G.S. | |
| 18 | DESPERADO | |
| 19 | WILD WILLY'S SMOKIN HOT BBQ | |
| 20 | FINGER LICKIN Q | |
| 21 | SATISFIED HOGS | |
| 22 | Thee Pitts Again | |
| 23 | BADCAT'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 24 | GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY | |
| 25 | Smoke It | |
| 26 | SMOKIN' WITH SWAG |
Brisket
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.1256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 2 | FINGER LICKIN Q | |
| 3 | ZZYZX BAR.B.Q | |
| 4 | THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ | |
| 5 | ROOFTOP BBQ | |
| 6 | DESPERADO | |
| 7 | LEFT COAST Q | |
| 8 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | |
| 9 | BADCAT'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 10 | RANCH 13 BBQ | |
| 11 | BROTHER OF SWEET SMOKE Q | |
| 12 | Jessie Rae's Barbecue | |
| 13 | Thee Pitts Again | |
| 14 | WILD WILLY'S SMOKIN HOT BBQ | |
| 15 | GRINDERS BBQ KANSAS CITY | |
| 16 | H&D BBQ | |
| 17 | STOKED TO SMOKE | |
| 18 | SATISFIED HOGS | |
| 19 | The BBQ Asylum | |
| 20 | P.I.G.S. | |
| 21 | SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE SMOKER | |
| 22 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 23 | FUNTIME BBQ | |
| 24 | Smoke It | |
| 25 | KARNIVOROUS | |
| 26 | SMOKIN' WITH SWAG |