A statement win
10.9144
points clear of the field
Wider than 90% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The champion won by 10.9144 points — a wider margin than 90% of championships in the data.
Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ Competition
Apr 20–21, 2018 · Cornelia, GA · 📍 Downtown Cornelia
UNDER THE RADAR won Grand Champion at the Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ Competition on April 20, 2018 in Cornelia, GA at Downtown Cornelia, scoring 707.4172 in a field of 26 teams. FYC BARBEQUE took Reserve Grand Champion with 696.5028. Category winners: Chicken — CRIMSON Q (177.7144); Pork Ribs — FYC BARBEQUE (178.8572); Pork — UNDER THE RADAR (178.2972); Brisket — UNDER THE RADAR (177.7028).
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.
599.82
median 666.98
707.42 🏆
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 178.30
- Brisket 177.70
133.66
178.86
Entries
26
4 judged meats · 5 ancillary
Top score
707.4172
Winning margin
10.9144
GC over RC
Field average
661.97
599.82707.42
median 666.98 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
1.1316 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
674.6852
599.82707.42
10th place overall
Field spread
107.6000
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 7%
beats 93% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,585
avg power rating going in · stronger than 68% of contests
Storylines (4 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 12 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: UNDER THE RADAR and ATLANTA BBQ STORE tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: HICKORY PRIME and SMOKE ON THIS tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: UNCLE BUD'S BBQ and THE BLUE BLOODS tied on 173.1084 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
UNDER THE RADAR won Pork, Brisket — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
UNDER THE RADAR took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 2 outright wins — their weakest board was pork ribs at 3rd.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 1st
- 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 | 177.7144 | 176.5828 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 169.6800 |
| Pork | 178.2972 | 170.8112 | 168.5372 |
| Brisket | 177.7028 | 173.7028 | 168.5256 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
26 entries · top 707.4172 · median 666.9770
Chicken
26 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.9656
Pork Ribs
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.3944
Pork
26 entries · top 178.2972 · median 166.2400
Brisket
26 entries · top 177.7028 · median 163.9428
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 — Backyard
5 entries · top 484.5264 · median 483.3144
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geaux 2 BBQ | |
| 2 | Biddy Boys BBQ | |
| 3 | DEEP SOUTH BBQ | |
| 4 | PORK PATROL | |
| 5 | TFS PIT VIPERS |
Master Series — Backyard Chicken
5 entries · top 166.2860 · median 156.5028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geaux 2 BBQ | |
| 2 | PORK PATROL | |
| 3 | Biddy Boys BBQ | |
| 4 | DEEP SOUTH BBQ | |
| 5 | TFS PIT VIPERS |
Master Series — Backyard Pork
5 entries · top 169.7144 · median 162.8000
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biddy Boys BBQ | |
| 2 | DEEP SOUTH BBQ | |
| 3 | PORK PATROL | |
| 4 | TFS PIT VIPERS | |
| 5 | Geaux 2 BBQ |
Master Series — Backyard Ribs
5 entries · top 165.7032 · median 162.2516
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geaux 2 BBQ | |
| 2 | TFS PIT VIPERS | |
| 3 | DEEP SOUTH BBQ | |
| 4 | PORK PATROL | |
| 5 | Biddy Boys BBQ |
Master Series — Dessert
11 entries · top 180 · median 172.5600 · 🔥 perfect 180