A razor-thin finish
1.1660
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 79% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.1660 points — closer than 79% of every championship in the data.
- WEQ4U
- PB&J'S BBQ TEAM
PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival ( TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) 2017
Sep 1–2, 2017 · Lebanon, OH · 📍 6000 West State Route 63 · State championship
WEQ4U won Grand Champion at the PigMania Lebanon State Championship BBQ & Music Festival ( TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) on September 1, 2017 in Lebanon, OH at 6000 West State Route 63, scoring 697.1316 in a field of 40 teams. PB&J'S BBQ TEAM took Reserve Grand Champion with 695.9656. Category winners: Chicken — WEQ4U (177.7144); Pork Ribs — TIRE SMOKE BBQ (178.8572); Pork — PB&J'S BBQ TEAM (177.1544); Brisket — HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO (176.0000). 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.
610.09
median 667.57
697.13 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.71
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 177.15
- Brisket 176
142.78
178.86
Entries
40
4 judged meats · 1 ancillary
Top score
697.1316
Winning margin
1.1660
GC over RC
Field average
661.88
610.09697.13
median 667.57 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
1.6800 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
685.6116
610.09697.13
10th place overall
Field spread
87.0400
winner to last place
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 44%
beats 56% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.72 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,577
avg power rating going in · stronger than 61% of contests
Storylines (5 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
26-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100
WeQ4U came in rated below the field's top team, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1684
- top seed 1868
A first Grand Championship
78
tracked contests to get there
This was WEQ4U's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 78th tracked contest.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 7–8: SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ and SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 1–2: TIRE SMOKE BBQ and GREY STREET BBQ tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 2–3: QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N and DUB TOWN SMOKERS tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 7–8 · tie
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Pork 2–3 · tie
- Pork 8–9 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
WEQ4U took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 8th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 8th
- Pork 6th
- Brisket 6th
In the record book (1 in the KCBS record book)
What happened at this contest that stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record nobody has beaten.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2017 ← this one | Lebanon, OH | 6000 West State Route 63 | 40 | 697.1316 | WEQ4U | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM |
| Aug 31, 2018 | Lebanon, OH | 6000 West State Route 63 | 46 | 704.5832 | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | Organizer Portal |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 171.9772 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 171.9772 |
| Pork | 177.1544 | 173.7256 | 170.2744 |
| Brisket | 176 | 174.3200 | 171.9884 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
40 entries · top 697.1316 · median 667.5714
Chicken
40 entries · top 177.7144 · median 167.9886
Pork Ribs
40 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.8172
Pork
40 entries · top 177.1544 · median 167.3828
Brisket
40 entries · top 176 · median 164.8286
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 — Dessert
9 entries · top 176.5600 · median 173.7028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 2 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 3 | WEQ4U | |
| 4 | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 5 | E.T.'S BBQ | |
| 6 | QUE'N STEW'N & BREW'N | |
| 7 | HIGH ON THE HOG OHIO | |
| 8 | SHEP DOGG'S PORCH N' BBQ | |
| 9 | MAMA'S BOY BBQ |