Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
2025-06-20 – 2025-06-21 · Morris, IL
Reps: CHARLIE BRINZA, JEANNE TITUS · Prize money: $2,550.00
Grand Champion: Rudes BBQ (355.4172) · 36 teams
Entries
36
3 categories
Top score
355.4172
Winning margin
1.7028
GC over RC
Field average
334.94
median 335.96
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Tightest race
Pork Ribs
1.1428 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
345.6800
what a walk cost here
Field spread
47.4628
winner to last place
Prize money
$2,550.00
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 79%
beats 21% of 2715 overall wins in the data
Field strength
1548
avg power rating going in · stronger than 53% of contests
Storylines
🪒 A razor-thin finish
The Grand Championship was decided by 1.7028 points — closer than 75% of every championship in the data.
🃏 An upset on the books
Rudes BBQ came in rated below the field's top team, WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 30-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
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
This contest over the years
| Date | Where | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-20 ← this one | Morris, IL | 36 | 355.4172 | Rudes BBQ |
| 2026-06-19 | Morris, IL | 41 | 354.2972 | All Smoked Up BBQ |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Ancillary — Best dish
26 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.5772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 2 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 3 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 4 | 309 BBQ | |
| 5 | 2 Sauced 2 Pork | |
| 6 | Shmack Q | |
| 7 | Show Me Your Pits | |
| 8 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 9 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 10 | Reid's Southern Kitchen & Smokehouse | |
| 11 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 12 | Red, White & Bacon | |
| 13 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 14 | Slightly Porky | |
| 15 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 16 | Fam Bam-A-Q | |
| 17 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 18 | Southside Meat Sweats | |
| 19 | Gundy County Smokin Pigs | |
| 20 | Bulldog BBQ | |
| 21 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 22 | T.J.D Smokehouse | |
| 23 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 24 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 25 | Meathouse Bob-B-Que | |
| 26 | Big Foot BBQ |
Backyard Series — Chicken
36 entries · top 180.0000 · median 168.2572 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 2 | HESSHOGS | |
| 3 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 4 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 5 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 6 | 309 BBQ | |
| 7 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 8 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 9 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 10 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 11 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 12 | T.J.D Smokehouse | |
| 13 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 14 | Slingin' Q | |
| 15 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 16 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 17 | Gundy County Smokin Pigs | |
| 18 | Meathouse Bob-B-Que | |
| 19 | Bulldog BBQ | |
| 20 | Truckin Sauced | |
| 21 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 22 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 23 | Red, White & Bacon | |
| 24 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 25 | Shmack Q | |
| 26 | 2 Sauced 2 Pork | |
| 27 | Slightly Porky | |
| 28 | Culinary Creations | |
| 29 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 30 | Southside Meat Sweats | |
| 31 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 32 | Fam Bam-A-Q | |
| 33 | Dragon's Breath | |
| 34 | Reid's Southern Kitchen & Smokehouse | |
| 35 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 36 | Show Me Your Pits |
Backyard Series — Overall
36 entries · top 355.4172 · median 335.9600
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 2 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 3 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 4 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 5 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 6 | HESSHOGS | |
| 7 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 8 | 309 BBQ | |
| 9 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 10 | Slingin' Q | |
| 11 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 12 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 13 | Red, White & Bacon | |
| 14 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 15 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 16 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 17 | Truckin Sauced | |
| 18 | Gundy County Smokin Pigs | |
| 19 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 20 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 21 | Shmack Q | |
| 22 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 23 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 24 | T.J.D Smokehouse | |
| 25 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 26 | Meathouse Bob-B-Que | |
| 27 | Fam Bam-A-Q | |
| 28 | Reid's Southern Kitchen & Smokehouse | |
| 29 | Southside Meat Sweats | |
| 30 | 2 Sauced 2 Pork | |
| 31 | Slightly Porky | |
| 32 | Dragon's Breath | |
| 33 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 34 | Culinary Creations | |
| 35 | Bulldog BBQ | |
| 36 | Show Me Your Pits |
Backyard Series — Pork Ribs
36 entries · top 177.1428 · median 169.1316
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 2 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 3 | WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | |
| 4 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 5 | Red, White & Bacon | |
| 6 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 7 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 8 | HOT EMBERS BBQ | |
| 9 | Slingin' Q | |
| 10 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 11 | 309 BBQ | |
| 12 | SMOKIN E'S BBQ | |
| 13 | Wapatui Smokers | |
| 14 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 15 | Shmack Q | |
| 16 | HESSHOGS | |
| 17 | Truckin Sauced | |
| 18 | Stone Cold Grillers | |
| 19 | Diabolical Pig | |
| 20 | Reid's Southern Kitchen & Smokehouse | |
| 21 | Fam Bam-A-Q | |
| 22 | Gundy County Smokin Pigs | |
| 23 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 24 | Big Foot BBQ | |
| 25 | RUBY CREEK BBQ | |
| 26 | Southside Meat Sweats | |
| 27 | Ishy Links BBQ | |
| 28 | Meathouse Bob-B-Que | |
| 29 | 2 Sauced 2 Pork | |
| 30 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 31 | Show Me Your Pits | |
| 32 | T.J.D Smokehouse | |
| 33 | Dragon's Breath | |
| 34 | Slightly Porky | |
| 35 | Culinary Creations | |
| 36 | Bulldog BBQ |