The Downtown Grand Master BBQ Showdown
2026-04-17 – 2026-04-18 · Las Vegas, NV · 📍 The Downtown Grand Hotel · State championship
Reps: MICHAEL SANTIAGO, RHONDA SANTIAGO · Prize money: $8,150.00
Grand Champion: Meat Candy Q (704.0112) · 29 teams
Reserve Champion: 🥈 SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ
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
Form held
Field strength
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1768 points — closer than 77% of every championship in the data.
🧳 Out-of-towners took the title
Meat Candy Q took the Grand Championship home to CA.
📸 Photo finishes
Pork Ribs places 7–8: LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ and PORTERHOUSE BBQ tied on 174.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: Meat Candy Q and Fergolicious BBQ tied on 177.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 6–7: West Coast BBQ Shop and SLINGIN MEATS tied on 174.8456 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
🏟️ A stacked field
The field averaged a 1604 power rating going in — stronger than 93% of every contest tracked.
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180.0000 | 177.1428 | 171.4172 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 175.4288 | 173.1200 |
| Pork | 177.1428 | 174.8572 | 172.5484 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 174.8456 | 171.9884 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
29 entries · top 704.0112 · median 682.7428
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 3 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 4 | LV Bucketlist BBQ | |
| 5 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 6 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 7 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 8 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 9 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 10 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 11 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 12 | Big Juicy BBQ | |
| 13 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 14 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 15 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 16 | Wild West BBQ | |
| 17 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 18 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 19 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 20 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 21 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 22 | LADY OF Q | |
| 23 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 24 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 25 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 26 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 27 | Bowling Bros BBQ | |
| 28 | Pappa Joe's Backyard BBQ | |
| 29 | INFINITE SMOKE BBQ |
Chicken
29 entries · top 180.0000 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wild West BBQ | |
| 2 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 3 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 4 | LV Bucketlist BBQ | |
| 5 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 6 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 7 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 8 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 9 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 10 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 11 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 12 | Big Juicy BBQ | |
| 13 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 14 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 15 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 16 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 17 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 18 | LADY OF Q | |
| 19 | Pappa Joe's Backyard BBQ | |
| 20 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 21 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 22 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 23 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 24 | Bowling Bros BBQ | |
| 25 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 26 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 27 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 28 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 29 | INFINITE SMOKE BBQ |
Pork Ribs
29 entries · top 177.7028 · median 170.2744
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 2 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 3 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 4 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 6 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 7 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 8 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 9 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 10 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 11 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 12 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 13 | Bowling Bros BBQ | |
| 14 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 15 | Big Juicy BBQ | |
| 16 | LADY OF Q | |
| 17 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 18 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 19 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 20 | LV Bucketlist BBQ | |
| 21 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 22 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 23 | Wild West BBQ | |
| 24 | Pappa Joe's Backyard BBQ | |
| 25 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 26 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 27 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 28 | INFINITE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 29 | Vegas Grillbillies |
Pork
29 entries · top 177.1428 · median 170.8228
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 2 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 3 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 4 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 5 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 6 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 7 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 8 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 9 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 10 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 11 | Big Juicy BBQ | |
| 12 | LV Bucketlist BBQ | |
| 13 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 14 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 15 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 16 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 17 | Wild West BBQ | |
| 18 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 19 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 20 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 21 | LADY OF Q | |
| 22 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 23 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 24 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 25 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 26 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 27 | Bowling Bros BBQ | |
| 28 | INFINITE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 29 | Pappa Joe's Backyard BBQ |
Brisket
29 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.6800
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LV Bucketlist BBQ | |
| 2 | SMOKIN' VOLTS BBQ | |
| 3 | B' MACKIN BBQ | |
| 4 | Bad Boyz BBQ | |
| 5 | Meat Candy Q | |
| 6 | SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | |
| 7 | Bad Bears BBQ | |
| 8 | MAR-B-QUE'S BBQ | |
| 9 | LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ | |
| 10 | Big Juicy BBQ | |
| 11 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 12 | West Coast BBQ Shop | |
| 13 | BONE RUBBIN BBQ | |
| 14 | Fergolicious BBQ | |
| 15 | Big Johns BBQ Company | |
| 16 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 17 | Tuffy's BBQ | |
| 18 | 1 Bite BBQ | |
| 19 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 20 | Wild West BBQ | |
| 21 | CYNICAL BBQ | |
| 22 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 23 | STEVO'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 24 | LADY OF Q | |
| 25 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 26 | Vegas Grillbillies | |
| 27 | Bowling Bros BBQ | |
| 28 | INFINITE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 29 | Pappa Joe's Backyard BBQ |
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.
Ancillary — Dessert
10 entries · top 180.0000 · median 174.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 2 | STEVE'S PIG PIKINS BBQ | |
| 3 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 4 | Big Juicy BBQ | |
| 5 | LV Bucketlist BBQ | |
| 6 | INFINITE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | PORTERHOUSE BBQ | |
| 8 | Wild West BBQ | |
| 9 | Pappa Joe's Backyard BBQ | |
| 10 | 1 Bite BBQ |
Ancillary — Mac & Cheese
8 entries · top 179.4400 · median 173.7086
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Juicy BBQ | |
| 2 | SinBin BBQ | |
| 3 | RACK CITY BBQ | |
| 4 | SLINGIN MEATS | |
| 5 | INFINITE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 6 | Wild West BBQ | |
| 7 | LV Bucketlist BBQ | |
| 8 | Pappa Joe's Backyard BBQ |