A new contest record
710.8344
highest overall ever cooked here
710.8344 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 710.8228 Smoke Central BBQ set in 2023.
- old record 710.8228
- set 2023 by Smoke Central BBQ
Honeybee BBQ Competition 2026
May 29–30, 2026 · Lafayette, GA · 📍 298 Culberson Ave · State championship
Reps: Lygia (Lex) Vanegas, Robert Vanderipe · Prize money: $5,750
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN won Grand Champion at the Honeybee BBQ Competition on May 29, 2026 in Lafayette, GA at 298 Culberson Ave, scoring 710.8344 in a field of 19 teams. Colorado Bulldawg BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 701.6456. Category winners: Chicken — BAD ROOSTER BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Electro-Que-ted (177.7144); Pork — ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN (180.0000); Brisket — CHOOCHOO BBQ (176.5600). This is the 7th of 7 editions of this contest on record; the 2025 edition was won by Stewbabys 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.
662.73
median 687.87
710.83 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 177.71
- Pork 180 🔥
- Brisket 176.56
154.22
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2019 to 2026 — this edition picked out.
Entries
19
4 judged meats
Top score
710.8344
Winning margin
9.1888
GC over RC
Field average
687.03
662.73710.83
median 687.87 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Brisket
2.2972 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
687.8740
662.73710.83
10th place overall
Field spread
48.1024
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,750
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 2%
beats 98% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
30%
11 of 37 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.76 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,599
avg power rating going in · stronger than 77% of contests
Storylines (6 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
9.1888
points clear of the field
Wider than 85% of the 4,710 championships in the data
The champion won by 9.1888 points — a wider margin than 85% of championships in the data.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 15 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 4–5: Electro-Que-ted and Colorado Bulldawg BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 3–4: Colorado Bulldawg BBQ and Cluckin’ Crazy BBQ tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: K & E's Little Smokers and BAD ROOSTER BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 4–5 · tie
- Pork Ribs 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 6–7 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was chicken at 2nd.
- Chicken 2nd
- Pork Ribs 2nd
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 2nd
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: Bad Rooster BBQ (won 2024).
- Bad Rooster BBQ · 2024
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.
- ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN · Pork
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2019 | LaFayette, GA | 298 Culberson Av | 22 | 699.9656 | Under The Radar | Q-INATOR! |
| Jun 12, 2020 | LaFayette, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 25 | 701.0740 | Smoke Me Silly | UNDER THE RADAR |
| Jun 2, 2023 | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 27 | 710.8228 | Smoke Central BBQ | Organizer Portal |
| May 31, 2024 | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 25 | 698.1940 | Bad Rooster BBQ | CHOOCHOO BBQ |
| May 30, 2025 | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 26 | 699.4060 | Stewbabys BBQ | MAYA JANE BBQ CO. |
| May 29, 2026 ← this one | Lafayette, GA | 298 Culberson Ave | 19 | 710.8344 | ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | Colorado Bulldawg BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 171.9656 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7144 | 174.2628 | 173.1200 |
| Pork | 180 | 177.1544 | 174.2628 |
| Brisket | 176.5600 | 174.2628 | 173.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
19 entries · top 710.8344 · median 687.8740
Chicken
19 entries · top 178.8572 · median 171.9656
Pork Ribs
19 entries · top 177.7144 · median 173.1200
Pork
19 entries · top 180 · median 174.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
Brisket
19 entries · top 176.5600 · median 173.1200