A first Grand Championship
6
tracked contests to get there
This was CYNICAL BBQ's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 6th tracked contest.
Lassen County Annual BBQ Cook-Off
Aug 18–19, 2017 · Susanville, CA · 📍 195 Russell Ave
CYNICAL BBQ won Grand Champion at the Lassen County Annual BBQ Cook-Off on August 18, 2017 in Susanville, CA at 195 Russell Ave, scoring 664.4916 in a field of 15 teams. THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES took Reserve Grand Champion with 656.5372. Category winners: Chicken — ROYAL SMOKIN' HOT (169.1200); Pork Ribs — PIRATES OF THE PIG (172.0000); Pork — PIGGY D'S BBQ (166.2856); Brisket — CYNICAL BBQ (171.9772).
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.
430.29
median 624.46
664.49 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 169.12
- Pork Ribs 172
- Pork 166.29
- Brisket 171.98
127.98
172
Entries
15
4 judged meats
Top score
664.4916
Winning margin
7.9544
GC over RC
Field average
613.77
430.29664.49
median 624.46 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Pork
3.4628 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
619.3488
430.29664.49
10th place overall
Field spread
234.2064
winner to last place
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 98%
beats 2% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.7 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,534
avg power rating going in · stronger than 25% of contests
Storylines (3 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
0.0228
closest of 5 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: SMOKIN' AXE BBQ edged SMOKED SEDUCTION by 0.0228. Pork Ribs places 5–6: Dusty's Barbecue edged THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES by 0.0340. Chicken places 6–7: PIGGY D'S BBQ edged SMOKIN' AXE BBQ by 0.0344.
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0228
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · 0.0340
- Chicken 6–7 · 0.0344
- Brisket 6–7 · 0.0456
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
CYNICAL BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 6th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 1st
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)
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 169.1200 | 163.9656 | 157.6456 |
| Pork Ribs | 172 | 160.5828 | 154.2400 |
| Pork | 166.2856 | 162.8228 | 151.4056 |
| Brisket | 171.9772 | 160.5600 | 150.2744 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
15 entries · top 664.4916 · median 624.4572
Chicken
15 entries · top 169.1200 · median 161.6800
Pork Ribs
15 entries · top 172 · median 158.2288
Pork
15 entries · top 166.2856 · median 157.6800
Brisket
14 entries · top 171.9772 · median 157.6972