A new contest record
694.2972
highest overall ever cooked here
694.2972 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 691.3484 WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 691.3484
- set 2017 by WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ
BBQ Gives Back 2018
Mar 23–24, 2018 · Urbanna, VA · 📍 609 Browns Lane
WHO CARES BBQ won Grand Champion at the BBQ Gives Back on March 23, 2018 in Urbanna, VA at 609 Browns Lane, scoring 694.2972 in a field of 75 teams. PIGHEADED BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 691.4060. Category winners: Chicken — APORKALYPSE NOW (177.1544); Pork Ribs — PIGHEADED BBQ (178.2972); Pork — WHO CARES BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — SHORTSVILLE SMOKERS (176.5944). This is the 2nd of 23 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ; the next was held in 2021.
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.
307.50
median 654.15
694.30 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.15
- Pork Ribs 178.30
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.59
134.88
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2017 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
75
4 judged meats
Top score
694.2972
Winning margin
2.8912
GC over RC
Field average
644.06
307.50694.30
median 654.15 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Chicken
2.8916 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
677.0400
307.50694.30
10th place overall
Field spread
386.8000
winner to last place
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 56%
beats 44% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
63%
40 of 64 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,605
avg power rating going in · stronger than 81% 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
30-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 70 times in 100
WHO CARES BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 30-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1764
- top seed 1912
A dynasty in the making
3×
wins at this contest
3 of 20 tracked editions
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ has won this contest 3 times across its 20 tracked editions.
- 2017
- 2021
- 2021
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 5–6: e2BBQ and SAUCED! BBQ TEAM tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: MUTTLEY CREW BBQ and THE BBQ GURU tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 9–10: LIL WILL'S LONE STAR QUE and WHO CARES BBQ tied on 170.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 5–6 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · tie
- Pork 5–6 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
WHO CARES BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 19th.
- Chicken 19th
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in pork
180.0000
best pork ever cooked here
WHO CARES BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork — past the 174.2972 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 174.2972
- across 1 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ (won 2017).
- WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ · 2017
One of the big ones
75
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 96% of the 5,482 contests in the data
75 teams — bigger than 96% of the 5,482 contests in the data.
A perfect score on the table
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 was scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- WHO CARES BBQ · Pork
This contest's own records (5 in the KCBS record book)
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 2017 | Urbanna, VA | 609 Browns Lane | 64 | 691.3484 | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ |
| Mar 23, 2018 ← this one | Urbanna, VA | 609 Browns Lane | 75 | 694.2972 | WHO CARES BBQ | PIGHEADED BBQ |
| Mar 26, 2021 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 46 | 697.0972 | Wolf's Revenge BBQ | Rogue Hog BBQ |
| Mar 27, 2021 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 40 | 699.3828 | Wolf's Revenge BBQ | SMOKECRAFT - MD |
| Mar 24, 2023 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 53 | 703.4288 | Off the Rack BBQ | SMOKIN SKULLIES |
| Mar 24, 2023 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 33 | 178.8572 | Old Virginia Smoke | — |
| Mar 24, 2023 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 33 | 180 | Good Googly Goo BBQ | — |
| Mar 25, 2023 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 46 | 706.2284 | Redneck Scientific | SMOKIN SKULLIES |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 45 | 699.3944 | Smokecraft - MD | Optimus Swine |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 27 | 177.1544 | Glamping Grillers | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 26 | 176 | Smokecraft - MD | — |
| Mar 23, 2024 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 42 | 708.5256 | Muttley Crew BBQ | Ham Squad |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 45 | 703.4288 | Gettin' Basted | WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 24 | 175.4172 | Fire & Shine BBQ | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 21 | 176.0344 | Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | — |
| Mar 22, 2025 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 43 | 708.5256 | Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit | HotMess BBQ |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 40 | 702.2400 | B's Que | MUTTLEY CREW BBQ |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 26 | 178.8572 | Rough Cut Q | — |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 27 | 177.1544 | Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ | — |
| Mar 28, 2026 | Urbanna, VA | Bethpage Camp-Resort | 36 | 707.4060 | 3 Eyz BBQ | B'S QUE |
| Mar 19, 2027 | Urbanna, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2027 | Urbanna, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 24, 2028 | Urbanna, VA | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1544 | 174.2628 | 173.1544 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.2972 | 173.1200 | 170.2744 |
| Pork | 180 | 171.9656 | 170.2628 |
| Brisket | 176.5944 | 172.5600 | 171.4056 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
75 entries · top 694.2972 · median 654.1484
Chicken
75 entries · top 177.1544 · median 165.1200
Pork Ribs
74 entries · top 178.2972 · median 163.9886
Pork
75 entries · top 180 · median 162.8000 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
73 entries · top 176.5944 · median 163.3828