A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 11 tracked editions
UNDER THE RADAR has won this contest 2 times across its 11 tracked editions.
- 2021
- 2022
Almost Heaven BBQ Bash 2016
Jun 17–18, 2016 · Buckhannon, WV
CHECKERED PIG won Grand Champion at the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash on June 17, 2016 in Buckhannon, WV, scoring 699.9544 in a field of 42 teams. SMOKIN FOOLZ took Reserve Grand Champion with 694.8000. Category winners: Chicken — HOT WACHULA'S (177.7144); Pork Ribs — CHECKERED PIG (178.2972); Pork — 412Q (179.4400); Brisket — WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (177.7028). This is the 2nd of 11 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by 3 EYZ BBQ; the next was held in 2017.
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.
551.17
median 662.42
699.95 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.71
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 179.44
- Brisket 177.70
113.10
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
42
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
699.9544
Winning margin
5.1544
GC over RC
Field average
655.67
551.17699.95
median 662.42 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.6344
551.17699.95
10th place overall
Field spread
148.7884
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 34%
beats 66% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
51%
21 of 41 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.72 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,612
avg power rating going in · stronger than 84% 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.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 16 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ and CHECKERED PIG tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: CHECKERED PIG and APORKALYPSE NOW tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 2–3: SMOKIN FOOLZ and LO' -N- SLO' BBQ tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 2–3 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
CHECKERED PIG took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 8th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 8th
- Brisket 7th
A contest record in pork
179.4400
best pork ever cooked here
412Q turned in 179.4400 in pork — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 3 EYZ BBQ (won 2015).
- 3 EYZ BBQ · 2015
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 19, 2015 | Buckhannon, WV | Buckhannon, WV 26201 | 41 | 703.4172 | 3 EYZ BBQ | CHECKERED PIG |
| Jun 17, 2016 ← this one | Buckhannon, WV | Buckhannon, WV 26201 | 42 | 699.9544 | CHECKERED PIG | SMOKIN FOOLZ |
| Jun 16, 2017 | Weston, WV | Downtown Buckhannon | 57 | 706.2972 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Weston, WV | Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum | 59 | 690.8000 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 7, 2019 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort State Park | 31 | 691.3944 | ROCKY TOP BBQ | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Jun 18, 2021 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort | 28 | 705.1428 | UNDER THE RADAR | WHO CARES BBQ |
| Jun 17, 2022 | Roanoke, WV | Stonewall Resort | 20 | 704.5600 | UNDER THE RADAR | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Jun 16, 2023 | Buckhannon, WV | 17 Friendly Way | 28 | 702.2284 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | CHUNKY BBQ |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Buckhannon, WV | Jawbone Park | 30 | 698.8228 | CHUNKY BBQ | 3 EYZ BBQ |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Buckhannon, WV | Jawbone Park | 30 | 698.2516 | Chunky BBQ | BEER TIME BBQ |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Buckhannon, WV | Jawbone Park | 29 | 699.3484 | Poor Boys BBQ | Smoked & Furious |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 175.4172 | 172.5944 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 172 | 170.2972 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 172.5716 | 171.4516 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 174.2628 | 172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
42 entries · top 699.9544 · median 662.4170
Chicken
42 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.6800
Pork Ribs
42 entries · top 178.2972 · median 165.6800
Pork
42 entries · top 179.4400 · median 165.3886
Brisket
42 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.3770
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 — Backyard Chicken
8 entries · top 167.9656 · median 151.6972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHARLIE-QUE BBQ | |
| 2 | Lem's Meat Varnish | |
| 3 | JIMMY JOE'S SMOKIN' QUE | |
| 4 | BROTHER-UNCLE BARBEQUE | |
| 5 | J&K BBQ | |
| 6 | SMOKIN HILLBILLY | |
| 7 | TWO FAT COUSINS BBQ | |
| 8 | OFF THE GRILL |
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
8 entries · top 172.0228 · median 161.9830
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHARLIE-QUE BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN HILLBILLY | |
| 3 | BROTHER-UNCLE BARBEQUE | |
| 4 | JIMMY JOE'S SMOKIN' QUE | |
| 5 | TWO FAT COUSINS BBQ | |
| 6 | J&K BBQ | |
| 7 | Lem's Meat Varnish | |
| 8 | OFF THE GRILL |
Master Series — Desserts
18 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.4400
Master Series — Great Grub Challenge
13 entries · top 176.5600 · median 171.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DRILLING & GRILLING | |
| 2 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 3 | SULTANS OF SWINE | |
| 4 | 3 EYZ BBQ | |
| 5 | OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | |
| 6 | CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ | |
| 7 | MAIN STREET SMOKE | |
| 8 | DIZZY PIG | |
| 9 | UNCLE DINO'S BACKYARD BBQ | |
| 10 | CHARLIE-QUE BBQ | |
| 11 | PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 12 | BEVERLY BISTRO | |
| 13 | 270 SMOKERS |