A day of perfect scores
20
perfect 180s
20 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- Leaning Jowler BBQ · Chicken
- Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team · Chicken
- JANKY LEG BBQ · Brisket
8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026)
May 24, 2026 · Lebanon, TN · 📍 James E. Ward Agricultural Center (Wilson County Fairgrounds)
Reps: Carolyn Wells, Charlie Brinza, Dave Rogers, David Burstein, Eugene Wickham, Jeanne Titus, Peg Rogers, Sarah Wickham
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ won Grand Champion at the 8th Annual KCBS World Invitational: Master Series Invitational and the Backyard Series Invitational (Sunday, May 24, 2026) on May 24, 2026 in Lebanon, TN at James E. Ward Agricultural Center (Wilson County Fairgrounds), scoring 710.8344 in a field of 82 teams. Phantom Smoke & BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 707.9772. Category winners: Chicken — WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ (180.0000); Pork Ribs — SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ (180.0000); Pork — Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ (180.0000); Brisket — JANKY LEG BBQ (180.0000). The Backyard Series standings were won by Leaning Jowler BBQ with 356.5944.
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.
652.41
median 693.63
710.83 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Master Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Master Series — Pork 180 🔥
- Master Series — Brisket 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Chicken 180 🔥
- Backyard Series — Pork Ribs 178.86
151.95
180
Entries
82
6 judged meats
Top score
710.8344
Winning margin
2.8572
GC over RC
Field average
692.06
652.41710.83
median 693.63 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
20 🔥
Leaning Jowler BBQ (Chicken), Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team (Chicken), JANKY LEG BBQ (Brisket) + 17 more
Tightest race
Chicken
0 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
703.9544
652.41710.83
10th place overall
Field spread
58.4228
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 2%
beats 98% of 4714 Master Series wins in the data
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.
A knife fight at the top
4.5484
points across the top five
First to fifth in the overall standings covered just 4.5484 points.
- 1st WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ
- 2nd Phantom Smoke & BBQ
- 3rd JANKY LEG BBQ
- 4th SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ
- 5th WHEN PIGS DIE
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 38 calls decided inside half a point
Master Series — Chicken places 1–2: WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ and SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 2–3: SCUFFLETOWN SMOKERS and ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Master Series — Chicken places 3–4: ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN and CHUNKY BBQ tied on 180.0000 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Master Series — Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Master Series — Chicken 4–5 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
WAG'S BACKWOODS BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 47th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 10th
- Pork 4th
- Brisket 47th
One of the big ones
82
teams on the grounds
Bigger than 97% of the 5,468 contests in the data
82 teams — bigger than 97% of the 5,468 contests in the data.
In the record book (3 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
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Series — Chicken | 180 | 180 | 178.8572 |
| Master Series — Pork Ribs | 180 | 178.8572 | 178.8572 |
| Master Series — Pork | 180 | 180 | 177.7144 |
| Master Series — Brisket | 180 | 178.8572 | 177.7144 |
| Backyard Series — Chicken | 180 | 177.7372 | 176.5600 |
| Backyard Series — Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 176.5716 | 175.4172 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
82 entries · top 710.8344 · median 693.6344
Chicken
82 entries · top 180 · median 174.2744 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
82 entries · top 180 · median 174.2686 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork
82 entries · top 180 · median 173.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
82 entries · top 180 · median 173.1200 · 🔥 perfect 180
Backyard Series
Overall
47 entries · top 356.5944 · median 343.9428
Chicken
47 entries · top 180 · median 173.1084 · 🔥 perfect 180
Pork Ribs
47 entries · top 178.8572 · median 172.0116