A new contest record
704.5488
highest overall ever cooked here
704.5488 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.6916 THE PIT CREW GA set in 2015.
- old record 697.6916
- set 2015 by THE PIT CREW GA
Fitzgerald Pig Pickin 2016
Jun 10–11, 2016 · Fitzgerald, GA
BULL RUSH BBQ won Grand Champion at the Fitzgerald Pig Pickin on June 10, 2016 in Fitzgerald, GA, scoring 704.5488 in a field of 26 teams. BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW took Reserve Grand Champion with 682.8000. Category winners: Chicken — BULL RUSH BBQ (174.8572); Pork Ribs — BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW (179.4400); Pork — BULL RUSH BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — BULL RUSH BBQ (176.5600). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by THE PIT CREW GA.
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.
561.84
median 663.55
704.55 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.86
- Pork Ribs 179.44
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.56
92.24
180
Entries
26
4 judged meats
Top score
704.5488
Winning margin
21.7488
GC over RC
Field average
655.70
561.84704.55
median 663.55 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
3.9888 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
666.7084
561.84704.55
10th place overall
Field spread
142.7088
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 16%
beats 84% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
35%
7 of 20 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.56 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,553
avg power rating going in · stronger than 40% of contests
Storylines (10 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
14-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 86 times in 100
BULL RUSH BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 14-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1540
- top seed 1851
A first Grand Championship
10
tracked contests to get there
This was BULL RUSH BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 10th tracked contest.
A statement win
21.7488
points clear of the field
Wider than 99% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 21.7488 points — a wider margin than 99% of championships in the data.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
BULL RUSH BBQ won Chicken, Pork, Brisket — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: BULL RUSH BBQ and DOUBLE DUECE SMOKIN BBQ tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 4–5: Uncle Kenny's Take-Away and BULL RUSH BBQ tied on 173.1316 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 6–7: YES, DEAR BBQ and POP'S SMOKE ON THE HILL tied on 171.9656 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
- Pork 3–4 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BULL RUSH BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 5th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 5th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
A contest record in pork ribs
179.4400
best pork ribs ever cooked here
BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW turned in 179.4400 in pork ribs — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: THE PIT CREW GA (won 2015).
- THE PIT CREW GA · 2015
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.
- BULL RUSH BBQ · 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 12, 2015 | Fitzgerald, GA | Fitzgerald, GA 31750 | 20 | 697.6916 | THE PIT CREW GA | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N |
| Jun 10, 2016 ← this one | Fitzgerald, GA | Fitzgerald, GA | 26 | 704.5488 | BULL RUSH BBQ | BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8572 | 170.8684 | 166.8344 |
| Pork Ribs | 179.4400 | 173.1316 | 170.2744 |
| Pork | 180 | 170.8456 | 168.5600 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 170.8112 | 166.3200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 704.5488 · median 663.5484
Chicken
26 entries · top 174.8572 · median 166.5198
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 179.4400 · median 164.5314
Pork
26 entries · top 180 · median 165.0914 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
26 entries · top 176.5600 · median 164.2456