A new contest record
699.4516
highest overall ever cooked here
699.4516 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 697.0740 CAJUN BLAZE set in 2016.
- old record 697.0740
- set 2016 by CAJUN BLAZE
World Barbecue Championship 2017
Nov 8–14, 2017 · Orange Beach, AL
GETTIN' BASTED won Grand Champion at the World Barbecue Championship on November 8, 2017 in Orange Beach, AL, scoring 699.4516 in a field of 93 teams. HOT WACHULA'S took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.3712. Category winners: Chicken — The Worms Cooking Team (180.0000); Pork Ribs — OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE (180.0000); Pork — GETTIN' BASTED (178.2972); Brisket — Team Chupacabra (180.0000). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by CAJUN BLAZE.
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.
620.91
median 670.14
699.45 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 180 🔥
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 178.30
- Brisket 180 🔥
141.63
180
Entries
93
4 judged meats · 4 ancillary
Top score
699.4516
Winning margin
4.0804
GC over RC
Field average
667.67
620.91699.45
median 670.14 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Tightest race
Pork
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
685.0628
620.91699.45
10th place overall
Field spread
78.5372
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 34%
beats 66% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
43%
38 of 89 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.59 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,645
avg power rating going in · stronger than 94% of contests
Storylines (9 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
35-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 65 times in 100
GETTIN' BASTED came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 35-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1933
- top seed 2043
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Team Chupacabra · Brisket
- The Worms Cooking Team · Chicken
- OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE · Pork Ribs
A stacked field
1645
average power rating going in
Stronger than 94% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1645 power rating going in — stronger than 94% of every contest tracked.
- top seed IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (2043)
- 93 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 17 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: SOUTHERN HEAT BBQ and SUCK KNUCKLE SMOKERS tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: SUCK KNUCKLE SMOKERS and WHISKEY BENT BBQ - FL tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N and CHOKIN 'N' THA SMOKE tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 9–10 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
GETTIN' BASTED took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 75th.
- Chicken 75th
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in brisket
180.0000
best brisket ever cooked here
Team Chupacabra turned in 180.0000 in brisket — past the 178.8572 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 178.8572
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: CAJUN BLAZE (won 2016).
- CAJUN BLAZE · 2016
One of the big ones
93
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 98% of the 5,469 contests in the data
93 teams — bigger than 98% of the 5,469 contests in the data.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2016 | Orange Beach, AL | Orange Beach | 89 | 697.0740 | CAJUN BLAZE | WHISKEY BENT BBQ - FL |
| Nov 8, 2017 ← this one | Orange Beach, AL | Orange Beach, AL 36561 | 93 | 699.4516 | GETTIN' BASTED | HOT WACHULA'S |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 180 | 175.4172 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 176.5600 | 174.2860 |
| Pork | 178.2972 | 176 | 174.8456 |
| Brisket | 180 | 175.4056 | 174.2628 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
93 entries · top 699.4516 · median 670.1368
Chicken
93 entries · top 180 · median 169.1084 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
93 entries · top 180 · median 167.4056 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
93 entries · top 178.2972 · median 167.3828
Brisket
93 entries · top 180 · median 167.3828 · 🔥 perfect 180
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 — Bill E'S Bacon
23 entries · top 176.5600 · median 163.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thin, Beautiful Blue Smoke | |
| 2 | SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | |
| 3 | TEAM TEXAS 1 | |
| 4 | AWESOME Q | |
| 5 | CRIMSON Q | |
| 6 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 7 | HAULIN' BUTT BBQ | |
| 8 | OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 9 | 270 SMOKERS | |
| 10 | CHOKIN 'N' THA SMOKE | |
| 11 | SOUTHERN HEAT BBQ | |
| 12 | The Shed BBQ | |
| 13 | OWLS NEST BBQ | |
| 14 | TEXAS WARPIG BBQ | |
| 15 | Smokestack BBQ | |
| 16 | THE PIT CREW GA | |
| 17 | SAUCED! BBQ TEAM | |
| 18 | SURVIVOR-QUE | |
| 19 | Team Chupacabra | |
| 20 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | |
| 21 | Smoke & Mirrors BBQ | |
| 22 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 23 | FIRST CLASS BBQ |
Master Series — Bolner'S Fiesta
20 entries · top 176 · median 164.2684
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 2 | AWESOME Q | |
| 3 | SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | |
| 4 | SURVIVOR-QUE | |
| 5 | THE PIT CREW GA | |
| 6 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | |
| 7 | Thin, Beautiful Blue Smoke | |
| 8 | TEXAS WARPIG BBQ | |
| 9 | CRIMSON Q | |
| 10 | The Shed BBQ | |
| 11 | Smoke & Mirrors BBQ | |
| 12 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 13 | Mama & Papa Joe's Bbq | |
| 14 | Team Chupacabra | |
| 15 | FIRST CLASS BBQ | |
| 16 | Smokestack BBQ | |
| 17 | BURNT BEAN CO. | |
| 18 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 19 | Rio Valley Meat | |
| 20 | BBQR'S DELIGHT |
Master Series — Jelly Queen'S
17 entries · top 177.1544 · median 164.5368
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIRST CLASS BBQ | |
| 2 | SURVIVOR-QUE | |
| 3 | The Shed BBQ | |
| 4 | CHOKIN 'N' THA SMOKE | |
| 5 | SWEET SMOKE Q FLORIDA | |
| 6 | AWESOME Q | |
| 7 | OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE | |
| 8 | Team Chupacabra | |
| 9 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 10 | TEXAS WARPIG BBQ | |
| 11 | CRIMSON Q | |
| 12 | Smokestack BBQ | |
| 13 | THE PIT CREW GA | |
| 14 | 270 SMOKERS | |
| 15 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | |
| 16 | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | |
| 17 | Smoke & Mirrors BBQ |
Master Series — Smithfield
43 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.2400