VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
2025-10-24 – 2025-10-25 · Vidalia, LA · 📍 602 John Dale · State championship
Reps: MARIA LOHMAN, WAYNE LOHMAN · Prize money: $13,400.00
Grand Champion: Sweet Bayou BBQ (700.5256) · 33 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 Rankin County BBQ Company
Entries
Top score
Winning margin
Field average
Tightest race
Top-10 cutoff
Field spread
Prize money
Double threats
How hot was the win?
Traveled in
Came back for more
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1772 points — closer than 76% of every championship in the data.
📸 Photo finishes
Chicken places 2–3: Poppa Pig and MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 4–5: Rankin County BBQ Company and Walk The Swine tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: LA PASADITA and Cauatro D BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🛡️ Back to defend
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Glamping Grillers (won 2023), Poppa Pig? (won 2024).
🃏 An upset on the books
Sweet Bayou BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, Poppa Pig, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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)
Where the field came from (home regions on file)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-11-03 | Vidalia, LA | 202 Vernon Stevens Blvd | 27 | 709.1200 | Glamping Grillers | Kermit's Ex |
| 2024-10-25 | Vidalia, LA | 602 John Dale | 31 | 704.5140 | Poppa Pig? | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ |
| 2025-10-24 ← this one | Vidalia, LA | 602 John Dale | 33 | 700.5256 | Sweet Bayou BBQ | Rankin County BBQ Company |
| 2026-10-23 | Vidalia, LA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 177.7028 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 180.0000 | 177.7028 | 174.8572 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 175.4172 | 173.1200 |
| Brisket | 180.0000 | 175.4056 | 169.6684 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
33 entries · top 700.5256 · median 682.7428
Chicken
32 entries · top 179.4400 · median 168.5256
Pork Ribs
32 entries · top 180.0000 · median 171.4172 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
33 entries · top 177.7144 · median 168.5372
Brisket
33 entries · top 180.0000 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 perfect 180