Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
iBQ'n won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 3rd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 7th
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 10th
- Brisket 3rd
CCS Fest 2017
Apr 7–8, 2017 · Indianapolis, IN · 📍 3639 S Keystone Ave
iBQ'n won Grand Champion at the CCS Fest on April 7, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN at 3639 S Keystone Ave, scoring 685.6344 in a field of 45 teams. THE REAL SMOKIN ACES took Reserve Grand Champion with 682.2172. Category winners: Chicken — FIREHOUSE SMOKE (174.8800); Pork Ribs — LEGENDS OF SMOKE - TEAM RED ARROW (174.2628); Pork — IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE (176.5600); Brisket — SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ (176.0228). This is the 1st of 2 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2018.
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.
538.03
median 653.01
685.63 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.88
- Pork Ribs 174.26
- Pork 176.56
- Brisket 176.02
118.77
176.56
Entries
45
4 judged meats
Top score
685.6344
Winning margin
3.4172
GC over RC
Field average
646.26
538.03685.63
median 653.01 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
2.8456 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.2284
538.03685.63
10th place overall
Field spread
147.6004
winner to last place
Double threats
3
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 81%
beats 19% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.73 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,571
avg power rating going in · stronger than 55% of contests
Storylines (2 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 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: BIG "E" BBQ and iBQ'n tied on 171.9772 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE and iBQ'n tied on 169.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 5–6: FIREHOUSE SMOKE and TIRE SMOKE BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
- Pork 7–8 · tie
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2017 ← this one | Indianapolis, IN | 3639 S Keystone Ave | 45 | 685.6344 | iBQ'n@TheBBQSuperStore.com | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES |
| Apr 6, 2018 | Indianapolis, IN | 3639 S Keystone Ave | 49 | 694.8116 | ONE2BBQ | PEACE LOVE & SMOKINESS |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8800 | 172.0228 | 170.8228 |
| Pork Ribs | 174.2628 | 171.4172 | 169.1200 |
| Pork | 176.5600 | 170.8228 | 169.1084 |
| Brisket | 176.0228 | 173.1200 | 167.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
45 entries · top 685.6344 · median 653.0056
Chicken
45 entries · top 174.8800 · median 164.5372
Pork Ribs
45 entries · top 174.2628 · median 162.8456
Pork
45 entries · top 176.5600 · median 165.0856
Brisket
45 entries · top 176.0228 · median 163.9428