Oct 27–28, 2017 · Lynchburg, TN · 📍 Wiseman Park
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE won Grand Champion at the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) on October 27, 2017 in Lynchburg, TN at Wiseman Park, scoring 708.0684 in a field of 95 teams. TheAmericanDreamBBQTeam took Reserve Grand Champion with 707.9772. Category winners: Chicken — All in Que (180.0000); Pork Ribs — Smokin' Hoggz BBQ (180.0000); Pork — TheAmericanDreamBBQTeam (179.4400); Brisket — THE SMOKIN' C'S BBQ (180.0000). This is the 4th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by COOL SMOKE; the next was held in 2018.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2018 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Closer than 95% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0912 points — closer than 95% of every championship in the data.
708.0684 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 701.1084 COOL SMOKE set in 2016.
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 73 times in 100
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 27-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 3 calls from 4 boards, best of them 4th. Consistency beat fireworks.
11 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
2 of 5 tracked editions
COOL SMOKE has won this contest 2 times across its 5 tracked editions.
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.6628 points — 3 teams sat within a single point of the lead.
Stronger than 99% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1680 power rating going in — stronger than 99% of every contest tracked.
Chicken places 1–2: All in Que and GETTIN' BASTED tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: GETTIN' BASTED and TheAmericanDreamBBQTeam tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: TheAmericanDreamBBQTeam and R BUTTS R SMOKIN tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Smokin' Hoggz BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 179.4400 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (won 2014), COOL SMOKE (won 2015, 2016).
Bigger than 98% of the 5,462 contests in the data
95 teams — bigger than 98% of the 5,462 contests in the data.
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2014 | Lynchburg, TN | Lynchburg, TN 37352 | 92 | 694.7884 | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | CHIX, SWINE & BOVINE BBQ |
| Oct 23, 2015 | Lynchburg, TN | Lynchburg, TN 37352 | 93 | 698.2516 | COOL SMOKE | PARROTHEAD SMOKERS |
| Oct 21, 2016 | Lynchburg, TN | Wiseman Park | 96 | 701.1084 | COOL SMOKE | PIGSKIN BBQ |
| Oct 27, 2017 ← this one | Lynchburg, TN | Wiseman Park | 95 | 708.0684 | ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE | TheAmericanDreamBBQTeam |
| Oct 26, 2018 | Lynchburg, TN | Wiseman Park | 102 | 700.5372 | BUTCHER BBQ | IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 180 | 177.7028 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 178.2972 | 176 |
| Pork | 179.4400 | 178.8572 | 177.7028 |
| Brisket | 180 | 178.8572 | 176.0228 |
95 entries · top 708.0684 · median 677.6344
95 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
95 entries · top 180 · median 169.6684 · 🔥 perfect 180
95 entries · top 179.4400 · median 168.5828
95 entries · top 180 · median 168.5828 · 🔥 perfect 180
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.
33 entries · top 180 · median 170.8228 · 🔥 perfect 180
53 entries · top 180 · median 173.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
76 entries · top 178.2972 · median 169.7142