A new contest record
697.6916
highest overall ever cooked here
697.6916 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 687.9998 IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ set in 2013.
- old record 687.9998
- set 2013 by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ
Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge 2014
Jun 21–22, 2014 · Davenport, IA
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE won Grand Champion at the Mr. BBQ Barbeque Challenge on June 21, 2014 in Davenport, IA, scoring 697.6916 in a field of 25 teams. TRUEBUD BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.2288. Category winners: Chicken — TRUEBUD BBQ (176.5716); Pork Ribs — LUCKY'S Q (176.5600); Pork — TRUEBUD BBQ (178.8572); Brisket — THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE (179.4400). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2013 edition was won by IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ; 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.
576.05
median 655.34
697.69 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176.57
- Pork Ribs 176.56
- Pork 178.86
- Brisket 179.44
127.42
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2015 — this edition picked out.
Entries
25
4 judged meats
Top score
697.6916
Winning margin
3.4628
GC over RC
Field average
647.12
576.05697.69
median 655.34 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
661.0512
576.05697.69
10th place overall
Field spread
121.6460
winner to last place
Double threats
7
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 42%
beats 58% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
39%
12 of 31 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.74 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,568
avg power rating going in · stronger than 52% 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
19-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 81 times in 100
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 19-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1576
- top seed 1830
A first Grand Championship
17
tracked contests to get there
This was THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 17th tracked contest.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 3 tracked editions
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE has won this contest 2 times across its 3 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: FIDDLIN' FATBACK and CANCERSUCKSCHICAGO.COM tied on 172.5600 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: OLY SMOKES and THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: DIG-IN COOKERS edged SMOKIN BUTT BBQ by 0.0112.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0112
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
TRUEBUD BBQ won Chicken, Pork — a double.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 9th.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 9th
- Pork 5th
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in brisket
179.4400
best brisket ever cooked here
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE turned in 179.4400 in brisket — past the 172.0000 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 172.0000
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (won 2013).
- IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ · 2013
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 2013 | Davenport, IA | Davenport, IA | 32 | 687.9998 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | WOODWARD BARBEQUE |
| Jun 21, 2014 ← this one | Davenport, IA | Davenport, IA 52804 | 25 | 697.6916 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | TRUEBUD BBQ |
| Jun 27, 2015 | Davenport, IA | Davenport, IA 52802 | 32 | 694.8572 | THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE SMOKE | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176.5716 | 172.5600 | 168.5256 |
| Pork Ribs | 176.5600 | 170.2628 | 166.8344 |
| Pork | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 165.0856 |
| Brisket | 179.4400 | 169.1200 | 164.0116 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
25 entries · top 697.6916 · median 655.3372
Chicken
25 entries · top 176.5716 · median 166.8572
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 176.5600 · median 162.8916
Pork
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 163.9312
Brisket
25 entries · top 179.4400 · median 161.7144