A new contest record
699.9656
highest overall ever cooked here
699.9656 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 698.2744 SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES set in 2014.
- old record 698.2744
- set 2014 by SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES
Downtown BBQ Showdown 2019
Jul 19–20, 2019 · Hattiesburg, MS · 📍 600 Rebecca Ave · State championship
Reps: Carol Bigler, Randy G Bigler · Prize money: $9,400
THE SPECIALISTS won Grand Champion at the Downtown BBQ Showdown on July 19, 2019 in Hattiesburg, MS at 600 Rebecca Ave, scoring 699.9656 in a field of 28 teams. SHIG NINJA BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 693.1316. Category winners: Chicken — BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM (179.4400); Pork Ribs — THE SPECIALISTS (178.8572); Pork — Grill Team 6 (176.0000); Brisket — Grill Team 6 (176.5944). This is the 5th of 5 editions of this contest on record; the 2018 edition was won by WINK'S BARBEQUE.
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.
606.77
median 667.58
699.97 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 179.44
- Pork Ribs 178.86
- Pork 176
- Brisket 176.59
134.22
179.44
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2014 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
28
4 judged meats
Top score
699.9656
Winning margin
6.8340
GC over RC
Field average
661.15
606.77699.97
median 667.58 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Brisket
3.4744 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.0512
606.77699.97
10th place overall
Field spread
93.1996
winner to last place
Prize money
$9,400
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 33%
beats 67% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
40%
12 of 30 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.65 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,626
avg power rating going in · stronger than 90% 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.
An upset on the books
27-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 73 times in 100
The Specialists came in rated below the field's top team, Organizer Portal, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 27-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1810
- top seed 1985
A stacked field
1626
average power rating going in
Stronger than 90% of every rated contest
The field averaged a 1626 power rating going in — stronger than 90% of every contest tracked.
- top seed Organizer Portal (1985)
- 28 rated teams
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 8 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: THE SPECIALISTS and SHIG NINJA BBQ tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 4–5: PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ and Organizer Portal tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Brisket places 5–6: Organizer Portal and LA PASADITA tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Brisket 4–5 · tie
- Brisket 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 4–5 · 0.0116
A double category winner
2
category wins in a day
Grill Team 6 won Pork, Brisket — a double.
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
THE SPECIALISTS took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was brisket at 12th.
- Chicken 3rd
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 12th
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 2014 | Hattiesburg, MS | Hattiesburg, MS 39401 | 27 | 698.2744 | SMOKIN' GOOD TIMES | LIBERTY BBQ |
| Oct 9, 2015 | Hattiesburg, MS | Hattiesburg, MS | 26 | 694.8116 | KILLER HOGS | C4-QUE |
| Oct 20, 2017 | Hattiesburg, MS | 600 Walnut | 19 | 691.9200 | THE GRILL DOCTORS | THE BLUE BLOODS |
| Aug 17, 2018 | Hattiesburg, MS | Townsquare Park, 100 Main St | 30 | 688.4912 | WINK'S BARBEQUE | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID |
| Jul 19, 2019 ← this one | Hattiesburg, MS | 600 Rebecca Ave | 28 | 699.9656 | The Specialists | SHIG NINJA BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 179.4400 | 175.4744 | 170.2972 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 173.1200 | 168.5372 |
| Pork | 176 | 171.9772 | 169.1084 |
| Brisket | 176.5944 | 173.1200 | 169.6916 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 699.9656 · median 667.5770
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 2 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 3 | Grill Team 6 | |
| 4 | BEER-B-QUE BOYS | |
| 5 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 6 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 7 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 8 | Organizer Portal | |
| 9 | Big Bear | |
| 10 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 11 | ONE MAN PITS | |
| 12 | BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ | |
| 13 | BIG BRUSH BBQ | |
| 14 | COCHON 225 | |
| 15 | THE PIT CREW GA | |
| 16 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 17 | SMOKIN N THE BANDITS | |
| 18 | SOUTHSIDE BBQ | |
| 19 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 20 | Team JDQ | |
| 21 | Bpne N' Butts BBQ | |
| 22 | LA PASADITA | |
| 23 | Bootleggers Barbeque Team | |
| 24 | SECOND HAND SMOKE SLV | |
| 25 | Chunky Monkey BBQ | |
| 26 | Smokin Rebels | |
| 27 | Wyld Child Catering | |
| 28 | Smokin Magnolia |
Chicken
28 entries · top 179.4400 · median 167.6858
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 2 | LA PASADITA | |
| 3 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 4 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 5 | Big Bear | |
| 6 | Organizer Portal | |
| 7 | BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ | |
| 8 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 9 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 10 | SOUTHSIDE BBQ | |
| 11 | Grill Team 6 | |
| 12 | THE PIT CREW GA | |
| 13 | ONE MAN PITS | |
| 14 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 15 | Team JDQ | |
| 16 | BEER-B-QUE BOYS | |
| 17 | Wyld Child Catering | |
| 18 | SMOKIN N THE BANDITS | |
| 19 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 20 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 21 | COCHON 225 | |
| 22 | BIG BRUSH BBQ | |
| 23 | Smokin Rebels | |
| 24 | Bpne N' Butts BBQ | |
| 25 | Smokin Magnolia | |
| 26 | Bootleggers Barbeque Team | |
| 27 | Chunky Monkey BBQ | |
| 28 | SECOND HAND SMOKE SLV |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 178.8572 · median 164.8286
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 2 | BIG BRUSH BBQ | |
| 3 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 4 | BEER-B-QUE BOYS | |
| 5 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 6 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 7 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 8 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 9 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 10 | ONE MAN PITS | |
| 11 | COCHON 225 | |
| 12 | Big Bear | |
| 13 | Organizer Portal | |
| 14 | SECOND HAND SMOKE SLV | |
| 15 | Team JDQ | |
| 16 | SMOKIN N THE BANDITS | |
| 17 | BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ | |
| 18 | Bpne N' Butts BBQ | |
| 19 | THE PIT CREW GA | |
| 20 | SOUTHSIDE BBQ | |
| 21 | Bootleggers Barbeque Team | |
| 22 | Grill Team 6 | |
| 23 | Smokin Magnolia | |
| 24 | Wyld Child Catering | |
| 25 | Chunky Monkey BBQ | |
| 26 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 27 | Smokin Rebels | |
| 28 | LA PASADITA |
Pork
28 entries · top 176 · median 167.1486
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grill Team 6 | |
| 2 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 3 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 4 | COCHON 225 | |
| 5 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 6 | BEER-B-QUE BOYS | |
| 7 | THE PIT CREW GA | |
| 8 | SMOKIN N THE BANDITS | |
| 9 | ONE MAN PITS | |
| 10 | Big Bear | |
| 11 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 12 | Organizer Portal | |
| 13 | Bootleggers Barbeque Team | |
| 14 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 15 | BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ | |
| 16 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 17 | Bpne N' Butts BBQ | |
| 18 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 19 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 20 | BIG BRUSH BBQ | |
| 21 | LA PASADITA | |
| 22 | Smokin Magnolia | |
| 23 | SOUTHSIDE BBQ | |
| 24 | Chunky Monkey BBQ | |
| 25 | Team JDQ | |
| 26 | SECOND HAND SMOKE SLV | |
| 27 | Smokin Rebels | |
| 28 | Wyld Child Catering |
Brisket
28 entries · top 176.5944 · median 167.3942
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grill Team 6 | |
| 2 | FAT, DRUNK & STUPID | |
| 3 | SHIG NINJA BBQ | |
| 4 | PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | |
| 5 | Organizer Portal | |
| 6 | LA PASADITA | |
| 7 | BEER-B-QUE BOYS | |
| 8 | Q-BONES BBQ | |
| 9 | Big Bear | |
| 10 | BIG BRUSH BBQ | |
| 11 | ONE MAN PITS | |
| 12 | THE SPECIALISTS | |
| 13 | COCHON 225 | |
| 14 | BAYOU BOOGIE BBQ | |
| 15 | Bpne N' Butts BBQ | |
| 16 | SOUTH PORK | |
| 17 | BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM | |
| 18 | THE PIT CREW GA | |
| 19 | BUSH LEAGUE BBQ | |
| 20 | SOUTHSIDE BBQ | |
| 21 | Team JDQ | |
| 22 | SMOKIN N THE BANDITS | |
| 23 | SECOND HAND SMOKE SLV | |
| 24 | Bootleggers Barbeque Team | |
| 25 | Wyld Child Catering | |
| 26 | Chunky Monkey BBQ | |
| 27 | Smokin Rebels | |
| 28 | Smokin Magnolia |