A razor-thin finish
0.0572
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 96% of the 4,714 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.0572 points — closer than 96% of every championship in the data.
- Kevlar
- BooyaQ
Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com 2020
Sep 25–26, 2020 · Grand Haven, MI · 📍 Eastpointe RV Resort · State championship
Prize money: $7,500
KEVLAR BBQ won Grand Champion at the Rumble on the River Presented by TheBBQSuperStore.com on September 25, 2020 in Grand Haven, MI at Eastpointe RV Resort, scoring 688.0000 in a field of 28 teams. BooyaQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 687.9428. Category winners: Chicken — BooyaQ (177.7144); Pork Ribs — KEVLAR BBQ (177.7028); Pork — FIREHOUSE SMOKE (177.7028); Brisket — BO B Q BBQ (177.1428). This is the 2nd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2019 edition was won by iBQn@thebbqsuperstore.com; the next was held in 2021.
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.
642.22
median 669.33
688 🏆
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 177.70
- Pork 177.70
- Brisket 177.14
147.93
177.71
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2019 to 2021 — this edition picked out.
Entries
28
4 judged meats
Top score
688
Winning margin
0.0572
GC over RC
Field average
668.07
642.22688
median 669.33 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4.5828 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
674.1944
642.22688
10th place overall
Field spread
45.7832
winner to last place
Prize money
$7,500
on the line
Double threats
6
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 76%
beats 24% of 4715 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
89%
25 of 28 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.36 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,625
avg power rating going in · stronger than 89% of contests
Storylines (7 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
16-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 84 times in 100
KEVLAR BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, iBQ'n, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 16-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1644
- top seed 1930
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 3 tracked editions
Kevlar has won this contest 2 times across its 3 tracked editions.
- 2020
- 2021
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 10 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 3–4: Q-JITSU and BIG "E" BBQ tied on 174.2972 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: MAC ATTACK BBQ and SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ tied on 170.2744 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork places 1–2: FIREHOUSE SMOKE and THE REAL SMOKIN ACES tied on 177.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
- Pork 1–2 · tie
- Pork 6–7 · tie
How the title was won
3 of 4
meats called to the stage
KEVLAR BBQ took the title on 3 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 17th.
- Chicken 8th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 17th
- Brisket 2nd
A contest record in pork ribs
177.7028
best pork ribs ever cooked here
KEVLAR BBQ turned in 177.7028 in pork ribs — past the 172.5600 that had stood across 1 earlier editions.
- old best 172.5600
- across 1 past editions
They keep coming back
89%
of last edition’s field returned
25 of 28 teams from 2019-09-20 came back
25 of the 28 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 20, 2019 | Grand Haven, MI | Eastpointe RV Resort | 28 | 693.7028 | iBQn@thebbqsuperstore.com | PB&J's BBQ |
| Sep 25, 2020 ← this one | Grand Haven, MI | Eastpointe RV Resort | 28 | 688 | Kevlar | BooyaQ |
| Sep 24, 2021 | Grand Haven, MI | Grand Haven, MI 49417 | 28 | 695.4288 | Kevlar | BooyaQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.7144 | 173.1316 | 171.4056 |
| Pork Ribs | 177.7028 | 172 | 169.1428 |
| Pork | 177.7028 | 171.9656 | 168.5372 |
| Brisket | 177.1428 | 171.4056 | 168.5828 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
28 entries · top 688 · median 669.3256
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 2 | BooyaQ | |
| 3 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 4 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 5 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 6 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 7 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 8 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 9 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 10 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 11 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 12 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 13 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 14 | iBQ'n | |
| 15 | S & G BBQ | |
| 16 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 17 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 18 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 19 | Smokin' in the D | |
| 20 | Q-JITSU | |
| 21 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 22 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 23 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 24 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 25 | Smoldering Q | |
| 26 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 27 | QUEFELLAS BBQ | |
| 28 | Meat Rubbers |
Chicken
28 entries · top 177.7144 · median 169.3884
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BooyaQ | |
| 2 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 3 | Q-JITSU | |
| 4 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 5 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 6 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 7 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 8 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 9 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 10 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 11 | Smokin' in the D | |
| 12 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 13 | S & G BBQ | |
| 14 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 15 | iBQ'n | |
| 16 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 17 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 18 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 19 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 20 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 21 | Meat Rubbers | |
| 22 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 23 | QUEFELLAS BBQ | |
| 24 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 25 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 26 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 27 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 28 | Smoldering Q |
Pork Ribs
28 entries · top 177.7028 · median 166.5828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 2 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 3 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 4 | S & G BBQ | |
| 5 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 6 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 7 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 8 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 9 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 10 | BooyaQ | |
| 11 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 12 | Smoldering Q | |
| 13 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 14 | Meat Rubbers | |
| 15 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 16 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 17 | iBQ'n | |
| 18 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 19 | QUEFELLAS BBQ | |
| 20 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 21 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 22 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 23 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 24 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 25 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 26 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 27 | Q-JITSU | |
| 28 | Smokin' in the D |
Pork
28 entries · top 177.7028 · median 165.3884
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 2 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 3 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 4 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 5 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 6 | iBQ'n | |
| 7 | BooyaQ | |
| 8 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 9 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 10 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 11 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 12 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 13 | Smokin' in the D | |
| 14 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 15 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 16 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 17 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 18 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 19 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 20 | Smoldering Q | |
| 21 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 22 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 23 | Meat Rubbers | |
| 24 | S & G BBQ | |
| 25 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 26 | Q-JITSU | |
| 27 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 28 | QUEFELLAS BBQ |
Brisket
28 entries · top 177.1428 · median 165.7142
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BO B Q BBQ | |
| 2 | KEVLAR BBQ | |
| 3 | FIREHOUSE SMOKE | |
| 4 | MAC ATTACK BBQ | |
| 5 | Q-JITSU | |
| 6 | TIRE SMOKE BBQ | |
| 7 | BooyaQ | |
| 8 | BAD HABIT BBQ | |
| 9 | SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ | |
| 10 | Smokin' in the D | |
| 11 | BIG "E" BBQ | |
| 12 | PapaDads BBQ | |
| 13 | BROTHERHOOD OF SWINE | |
| 14 | TWO CRACKERS Q-ING | |
| 15 | THE REAL SMOKIN ACES | |
| 16 | S & G BBQ | |
| 17 | QUEFELLAS BBQ | |
| 18 | Smoldering Q | |
| 19 | iBQ'n | |
| 20 | 40 CALIBER BBQ | |
| 21 | WICKED SMOKE BBQ | |
| 22 | BAD WOLF BBQ | |
| 23 | Littles BBQ Co | |
| 24 | BIG BROTHERS BBQ | |
| 25 | JAYBIRD'S BBQ | |
| 26 | PB&J's BBQ | |
| 27 | BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. | |
| 28 | Meat Rubbers |