A new contest record
702.8576
highest overall ever cooked here
702.8576 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 701.7144 PIG WHISPERERS set in 2014.
- old record 701.7144
- set 2014 by PIG WHISPERERS
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) 2015
Apr 24–25, 2015 · Las Vegas, NV
RHYTHM 'N QUE won Grand Champion at the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) on April 24, 2015 in Las Vegas, NV, scoring 702.8576 in a field of 30 teams. BIG POPPA SMOKERS took Reserve Grand Champion with 700.5716. Category winners: Chicken — RHYTHM 'N QUE (178.8572); Pork Ribs — JO-BAWB'S BBQ (177.7372); Pork — BIG POPPA SMOKERS (179.4400); Brisket — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (178.8572). This is the 11th of 25 editions of this contest on record; the 2014 edition was won by CLARK CREW 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.
652.40
median 674.49
702.86 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 177.74
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 178.86
147.28
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Entries
30
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
702.8576
Winning margin
2.2860
GC over RC
Field average
676.17
652.40702.86
median 674.49 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
1.7372 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
683.9656
652.40702.86
10th place overall
Field spread
50.4580
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 21%
beats 79% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
3%
1 of 29 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.6 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,626
avg power rating going in · stronger than 90% of contests
Storylines (7 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
22-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 78 times in 100
Rhythm n QUE came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 22-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1709
- top seed 1926
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 25 tracked editions
RHYTHM 'N QUE has won this contest 2 times across its 25 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
A stacked field
1626
average power rating going in
Stronger than 90% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1626 power rating going in — stronger than 90% of every contest tracked.
- top seed IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (1926)
- 30 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 11 calls decided inside half a point
Brisket places 2–3: BAD BOYZ BBQ and GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA tied on 178.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 4–5: RHYTHM 'N QUE and GQUE tied on 176.5716 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: BIG B'S DOWN-N-DIRTY BBQ edged KNIFE PORK AND SPOON by 0.0004.
- Brisket 2–3 · tie
- Brisket 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0004
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · 0.0112
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
RHYTHM 'N QUE took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 13th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 13th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 4th
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: RHYTHM 'N QUE (won 2014).
- RHYTHM 'N QUE · 2014
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2013 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 667.4280 | TOMBSTONE BBQ | GQUE |
| Aug 2, 2013 | Rockford, IL | Rockford, IL | 30 | 683.9544 | TheBBQSuperStore.com | GRILLS GONE WILD IOWA |
| Sep 6, 2013 | Chesapeake, VA | Chesapeake, VA | 30 | 673.6796 | Rhode Hog BBQ | SMOKE THIS |
| Sep 13, 2013 | Hendersonville, TN | Hendersonville, TN | 30 | 697.0972 | MOONSWINERS | Swamp Boys |
| Oct 11, 2013 | Midwest City, OK | Midwest City, OK | 30 | 697.6684 | CAVEMAN CUISINE | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Apr 25, 2014 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 685.7140 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | SLAP YO' DADDY BBQ |
| Aug 1, 2014 | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 30 | 689.1316 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | iBQ'n |
| Aug 29, 2014 | Richmond, VA | Richmond, VA | 30 | 673.0740 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | THE BBQ GURU |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Southaven, MS | Southaven, MS | 30 | 701.7144 | PIG WHISPERERS | LANG BBQ SMOKERS |
| Sep 19, 2014 | Midwest City, OK | Midwest City, OK | 29 | 694.2288 | CLARK CREW BBQ | CAVEMAN CUISINE |
| Apr 24, 2015 ← this one | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 702.8576 | RHYTHM 'N QUE | BIG POPPA SMOKERS |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 30 | 694.8344 | THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ | BIG T'Z Q CRU |
| Sep 4, 2015 | Richmond, VA | Richmond, VA | 30 | 688.5488 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | INSANE SWINE BBQ |
| Sep 18, 2015 | Southaven, MS | Southaven, MS | 30 | 701.1200 | CAJUN BLAZE | EAT MOR BUTT BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2015 | Midwest City, OK | Midwest City, OK | 30 | 694.2632 | CLARK CREW BBQ | SMOKEAHOLICS |
| Apr 22, 2016 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 695.4172 | BIG POPPA SMOKERS | SMOKIN MO'S BBQ |
| Jul 1, 2016 | Marietta, GA | Marietta, GA | 30 | 697.6572 | CONTAGIOUS Q | Organizer Portal |
| Aug 26, 2016 | N. Charleston, SC | N. Charleston, SC | 30 | 695.3484 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| Sep 16, 2016 | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 30 | 705.7144 | LUCKY'S Q | TOTALLY SAUCED |
| Sep 23, 2016 | Midwest City, OK | Midwest City, OK | 30 | 698.8572 | JAESTAR BBQ | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ |
| Apr 21, 2017 | Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 30 | 706.8572 | BURNIN AND LOOTIN | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ |
| Jun 30, 2017 | Bartlett, TN | Bartlett, TN | 30 | 704.5488 | SMOKIN BUTT CREW | RAZORRACKS |
| Aug 25, 2017 | Richmond, VA | Richmond, VA | 29 | 698.8228 | SMOKING BUTT HEADS | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Madison, WI | Madison, WI | 30 | 685.1432 | LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | iBQ'n |
| Sep 22, 2017 | Edmond, OK | Edmond, OK | 30 | 709.7260 | SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | JAESTAR BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 176 | 173.1428 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7372 | 173.1660 | 171.4056 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 177.7028 | 173.7028 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 176.5716 | 172.5600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 702.8576 · median 674.4916
Chicken
30 entries · top 178.8572 · median 170.8342
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 177.7372 · median 168.8458
Pork
30 entries · top 179.4400 · median 170.2514
Brisket
30 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.1142
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 — Tyson
6 entries · top 170.8684 · median 163.1314
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smokey and the Pirate | |
| 2 | CHICKEN BUTT BBQ UTAH | |
| 3 | TEAM AMERICA | |
| 4 | SMOKEY'S BARBQUE WA | |
| 5 | BOWLING OVER PIGS | |
| 6 | WILD HOGS BBQ |