A statement win
10.8340
points clear of the field
Wider than 89% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.8340 points — a wider margin than 89% of championships in the data.
Hog Happenin' BBQ & Bike Fest 2015
Jun 5–6, 2015 · Lincolnton, NC
CHECKERED PIG won Grand Champion at the Hog Happenin' BBQ & Bike Fest on June 5, 2015 in Lincolnton, NC, scoring 702.7884 in a field of 34 teams. SAUCED! BBQ TEAM took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.9544. Category winners: Chicken — BUBBA'S BACKYARD BBQ (177.1428); Pork Ribs — CAROLINA SMOKIN JOHN'S BBQ (177.7144); Pork — CHECKERED PIG (180.0000); Brisket — SAUCED! BBQ TEAM (177.1428). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2016.
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.
619.27
median 653.62
702.79 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.14
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 177.14
145.07
180
Entries
34
4 judged meats · 2 ancillary
Top score
702.7884
Winning margin
10.8340
GC over RC
Field average
656.94
619.27702.79
median 653.62 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.4400 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
671.2912
619.27702.79
10th place overall
Field spread
83.5200
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 23%
beats 77% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,535
avg power rating going in · stronger than 26% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 9–10: DIVA Q and SERIAL GRILLER tied on 171.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 4–5: BANJOMAN'S BBQ edged Holy Smoke NC by 0.0116. Pork Ribs places 2–3: CHECKERED PIG edged SERIAL GRILLER by 0.0116.
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
- Pork 4–5 · 0.0116
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · 0.0116
- Pork 6–7 · 0.0228
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
CHECKERED PIG took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 12th.
- Chicken 12th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- CHECKERED PIG · Pork
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 5, 2015 ← this one | Lincolnton, NC | Lincolnton, NC 28092 | 34 | 702.7884 | CHECKERED PIG | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Lincolnton, NC | Downtown Lincolnton | 26 | 706.2400 | REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | CHECKERED PIG |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Lincolnton, NC | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 173.7028 | 171.4056 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 173.1544 | 167.3712 |
| Pork | 180 | 173.1200 | 168.5600 |
| Brisket | 177.1428 | 173.1200 | 168.5600 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
34 entries · top 702.7884 · median 653.6230
Chicken
34 entries · top 177.1428 · median 168.0114
Pork Ribs
34 entries · top 177.7144 · median 162.8230
Pork
34 entries · top 180 · median 163.9542 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
34 entries · top 177.1428 · median 165.0972
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 — Anything Butt
8 entries · top 176.6172 · median 165.4458
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlie's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 2 | L-Town Smokers | |
| 3 | Q & Stew | |
| 4 | FLAMEMASTER G'S BBQ | |
| 5 | Jr. & Phil's Smoking Butt | |
| 6 | LAZY TUCKER BBQ | |
| 7 | Holy Smoke NC | |
| 8 | North Brook Gang |
Master Series — Dessert
10 entries · top 180 · median 173.7200 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Brook Gang | |
| 2 | The Casual Smokers | |
| 3 | L-Town Smokers | |
| 4 | DOCTOR CUE NC | |
| 5 | LAZY TUCKER BBQ | |
| 6 | Holy Smoke NC | |
| 7 | DIVA Q | |
| 8 | Charlie's Smokehouse BBQ | |
| 9 | Q & Stew | |
| 10 | SULTANS OF SWINE, NC |