Judging question

[_John_]

Curious a little about judging competitions, my only knowledge is really from tv shows and here.
How do scores break out across the population, does it fit a normal distribution, or are their very clear gaps between the good and bad?
On TV they mention a strategy of watching the best guys turn in and turn yours in somewhere else so they aren't at the same judging table. I'm not sure if it is legal, but I would be curious if a team has turned in multiple boxes and gotten vastly different results. Just seems like so much is left to the personal preference of the judges, is this really an issue or just my perception?

Thanks, not looking to compete or anything, the thought just occurred to me.

[CandySueQ]

Every contest is a new ball game! There are regional differences in average scores given looking at the KCBS contest universe. Though that trend can change from year to year. Out West, judges tend to score lower. In the Southeast, the reverse is true.

These days, with the exception of chicken (because it's the first turn in), there's no way for a cook to figure what tray to what table their entry is going to go. After chicken, entries are mixed on trays to make sure the team isn't judged by the same table twice. Since KCBS is not comparative, it shouldn't matter what cook is on the tray with you. In some ways, you learn a lot if you are. If I'm 2 or 3 (or lower) score on the table and I'm up against top teams, that tells me something as a cook.

Yes, many times I'll do really well with a presentation one week and the next weekend it tanks.

[_John_]

Thanks for the response, I have thought about going through the judge certification process, I have the problem where no matter what I do my family and friends love it and have nothing negative to say. If I'm going to improve I need to know what other people look for and consider top tier BBQ, and what mine is missing. We don't have a lot of really good BBQ around here, so most people tasting mine are just comparing it to the stuff they get at a chain, which is good for their happiness but not good for my improvement.