BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The 31-city
Sam's Club® National BBQ Tour came to an end in late September as
iBQ'n@TheBBQSuperstore.com celebrated its victory with a
$50,000 payday. The tour, which began
in February with over 750 teams participating, featured 50 of the
nation's hottest barbecue teams in a national finale in
Bentonville where a total of
$150,000 in prize money was up for
grabs. Gettin' Basted, a team based out of Saddlebrooke, Mo., took home a $25,000 check for its runner up performance.
The Sam's Club corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. was literally smoking hot on
Sept. 27 as the 50 teams fired up
their pits and rolled up their sleeves. They had already beaten out
teams from 49 states in a tournament-style process made up of 25
local competitions, 5 regional competitions and, finally, the
National Championship. Receiving a top 10 category call in the
chicken and pork ribs category, resulting in an overall score of
703.9776, iBQ'n@TheBBQSuperstore.com walked away with the Grand
Champion title and a total of $52,100
in prize money.
"I am just ecstatic," said Richard
Parker, pitmaster for iBQ'n. "The day started out just
great. I thought my big meats were the best I had cooked, but I was
really shocked to get a chicken and rib call." Arguably, this
win has changed the lives of this 4-person team.
Since 2011, the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour has traveled
the United States, region by
region, searching for the best teams in competitive barbecue and
doling out almost $2 million in prize
money along the way. In that time, thousands of Kansas City
Barbeque Society (KCBS) competition teams worked to carefully
perfect and present their barbecue, which was assessed by KCBS
Certified Barbecue Judges, hoping to earn the title of "National
Champion."
"The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour has fueled and propelled the
sport of barbeque in an unprecedented way," said Carolyn Wells, executive director of KCBS. "The
tour, in its tournament format, continues to demand skillful
execution from preparation to turn-in."
After clocking in roughly 13,682 miles from its start in
Tampa, Fla. to its final
destination in Bentonville, Ark.,
the tour is already gearing up to kick off a 2015 season.
The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour is a tournament-style series in
which teams must advance from a local qualifying event to the top
tier of their regional event in order to qualify for the National
Championship and a shot at the $50,000 Grand Champion prize. Sponsored by
Bush's®, Cargill®, Coca-Cola®, Heinz®, Hillshire®, KC Masterpiece®,
Kingsford®, the National Pork Board, New Zealand Lamb, Pillsbury®,
Tone's® and Wright® Brand
Bacon, this continuously building competition that brings
out the best, most committed barbecue teams and keeps judges and
spectators returning to Sam's Club competitions for the smell and
flavor of the country's best barbecue.
About Sam's Club
Sam's Club®, a division
of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is a leading membership
warehouse club offering superior products, savings and services to
millions of members in 643 clubs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. To learn more about Sam's Club,
visit the Sam's Club Newsroom, shop at SamsClub.com, and
interact with Sam's Club
on Twitter and Facebook.
*Based on estimated annualized savings on items Members
purchased in select categories derived from a survey conducted in
30 US markets between 2/25/2013 and
3/15/2013 comparing our regular unit prices to regular and
shelf-visible sale and loyalty discount unit prices of selected
non-Club competitors, including but not limited to grocery stores
and mass retailers, but excluding Walmart®. Local savings for
individual customers vary. For more information, please send
requests to the attention of Sam's Club Member Services, 2101 SE
Simple Savings Drive., Bentonville,
AR 72716-0745.
About Kansas City Barbeque Society
The Kansas City
Barbeque Society (KCBS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
promoting and enjoying barbeque, is the world's largest
organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts with over 20,000
members worldwide.
KCBS sanctions over 400 barbeque contests throughout
the United States and spanning the
globe. From volunteering to actual event production, our members
also offer assistance to civic and charitable organizations who
organize events. For more information, visit: kcbs.us.
SOURCE Kansas City Barbeque Society