A new contest record
704.6172
highest overall ever cooked here
704.6172 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 696.5716 BIG BROTHERS BBQ set in 2017.
- old record 696.5716
- set 2017 by BIG BROTHERS BBQ
The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com 2018
Sep 21–22, 2018 · Grand Haven, MI · 📍 200 N Beechtree St
BIG "E" BBQ won Grand Champion at The Rumble on the River presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com on September 21, 2018 in Grand Haven, MI at 200 N Beechtree St, scoring 704.6172 in a field of 28 teams. BIG BROTHERS BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 684.4912. Category winners: Chicken — BIG BROTHERS BBQ (176.0000); Pork Ribs — BIG "E" BBQ (175.4400); Pork — BIG "E" BBQ (177.7372); Brisket — BIG "E" BBQ (178.8800). This is the 2nd of 2 editions of this contest on record; the 2017 edition was won by BIG BROTHERS BBQ.
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.
632.97
median 664.98
704.62 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 176
- Pork Ribs 175.44
- Pork 177.74
- Brisket 178.88
145.60
178.88
Entries
28
4 judged meats
Top score
704.6172
Winning margin
20.1260
GC over RC
Field average
661.19
632.97704.62
median 664.98 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
670.7428
632.97704.62
10th place overall
Field spread
71.6464
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 15%
beats 85% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
88%
21 of 24 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.44 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,640
avg power rating going in · stronger than 93% of contests
Storylines (8 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 statement win
20.1260
points clear of the field
Wider than 99% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 20.1260 points — a wider margin than 99% of championships in the data.
A hat-trick of category wins
3
category wins in a day
BIG "E" BBQ won Pork Ribs, Pork, Brisket — a hat-trick, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
A stacked field
1640
average power rating going in
Stronger than 93% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1640 power rating going in — stronger than 93% of every contest tracked.
- top seed iBQ'n (1877)
- 28 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 13 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 8–9: iBQ'n and BO B Q BBQ tied on 170.8228 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 3–4: BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE and BIG BROTHERS BBQ tied on 171.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 2–3: TIRE SMOKE BBQ edged SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ by 0.0116.
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Brisket 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 2–3 · 0.0116
- Chicken 4–5 · 0.0116
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
BIG "E" BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 3 outright wins — their weakest board was chicken at 6th.
- Chicken 6th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: BIG BROTHERS BBQ (won 2017).
- BIG BROTHERS BBQ · 2017
They keep coming back
88%
of last edition’s field returned
21 of 24 teams from 2017-09-22 came back
21 of the 24 teams that cooked the previous edition came back for this one — a contest people put on the calendar.
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 22, 2017 | Grand Haven, MI | 200 N Beechtree St | 24 | 696.5716 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | BIG "E" BBQ |
| Sep 21, 2018 ← this one | Grand Haven, MI | 200 N Beechtree St | 28 | 704.6172 | BIG "E" BBQ | BIG BROTHERS BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 176 | 173.7028 | 170.2856 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4400 | 171.9656 | 169.1200 |
| Pork | 177.7372 | 169.6684 | 167.9540 |
| Brisket | 178.8800 | 170.8228 | 166.2400 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 704.6172 · median 664.9826
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 2 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 3 | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 4 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 5 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 6 | iBQ'n | |
| 7 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 8 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 9 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 10 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 11 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 12 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 13 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 14 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 15 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 16 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 17 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 18 | S & G BBQ | |
| 19 | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | |
| 20 | KALAMAZOO PIT POSSE | |
| 21 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 22 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 23 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 24 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 25 | GOT SMOKE BBQ | |
| 26 | SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ | |
| 27 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 28 | QUEFELLAS BBQ |
Chicken
28 entries · top 176 · median 167.7142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 2 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 3 | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 4 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 5 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 6 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 7 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 8 | iBQ'n | |
| 9 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 10 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 11 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 12 | SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ | |
| 13 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 14 | KALAMAZOO PIT POSSE | |
| 15 | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | |
| 16 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 17 | GOT SMOKE BBQ | |
| 18 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 19 | QUEFELLAS BBQ | |
| 20 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 21 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 22 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 23 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 24 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 25 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 26 | S & G BBQ | |
| 27 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 28 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 175.4400 · median 168.2456
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 2 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 3 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 4 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 5 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 6 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 7 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 8 | S & G BBQ | |
| 9 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 10 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 11 | iBQ'n | |
| 12 | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 13 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 14 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 15 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 16 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 17 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 18 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 19 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 20 | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | |
| 21 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 22 | QUEFELLAS BBQ | |
| 23 | GOT SMOKE BBQ | |
| 24 | SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ | |
| 25 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 26 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 27 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 28 | KALAMAZOO PIT POSSE |
Pork
28 entries · top 177.7372 · median 164.8286
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 2 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 3 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 4 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 5 | S & G BBQ | |
| 6 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 7 | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 8 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 9 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 10 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 11 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 12 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 13 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 14 | iBQ'n | |
| 15 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 16 | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | |
| 17 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 18 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 19 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 20 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 21 | KALAMAZOO PIT POSSE | |
| 22 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 23 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 24 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 25 | SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ | |
| 26 | GOT SMOKE BBQ | |
| 27 | QUEFELLAS BBQ | |
| 28 | KEVLAR BBQ |
Brisket
28 entries · top 178.8800 · median 161.9656
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 2 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 3 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 4 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 5 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 6 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 7 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 8 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 9 | iBQ'n | |
| 10 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 11 | KALAMAZOO PIT POSSE | |
| 12 | SLIPPERY PETE'S BBQ | |
| 13 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 14 | RUBBED, SMOKED, AND SAUCED BBQ | |
| 15 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 16 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 17 | BAVARIAN SMOKE BBQ | |
| 18 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 19 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 20 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 21 | GOT SMOKE BBQ | |
| 22 | TIM'S FULL BELLI DELI | |
| 23 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 24 | QUEFELLAS BBQ | |
| 25 | PB&J'S BBQ TEAM | |
| 26 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 27 | S & G BBQ | |
| 28 | SWEET RACKS & SMOKIN' BUTTS BBQ |