Tie Breakers under KCBS Rules

Under the KCBS scoring system, the procedure for breaking a tie in the Grand Champion or Reserve Champion titles is different from that of ties in the individual categories (chicken, ribs, etc.).

Tie for Grand and/or Reserve Champion

In the case of a tie for the Grand and/or Reserve Champion, a computer-generated "coin toss" determines the winner.

Each of the teams which is tied for the Grand or Reserve Championship is assigned a number, like 1, 2, and 3.  Then the computer generates a random number, and the winner is the team whose number matches the computer-generated number.

Beginning in the year 2001, the KCBS computer program was rewritten to fix a computer 'bug', and now the random number generator works correctly to select a winner on a random basis.

Tie in an individual category

In the case of a tie in an individual category, the tie is broken by one of five tie breakers.  If two or more entries have the same weighted scores (counting only the five highest weighted scores from the six judges), then five tie breakers are applied, in the following order:

1. Compare taste scores
2. Compare tenderness scores
3. Compare appearance scores
4. Compare low scores
5. Random selection

Compare taste scores

First, if the tie still remains, the five raw taste scores of the tied entries are cumulated and compared, and the entry with the highest score wins.

Compare tenderness scores

Second, if the tie still remains, then the five raw tenderness scores of the tied entries are cumulated and compared, and the entry with the highest score wins.

Compare appearance scores

Third, if the tie still remains, then the five raw appearance scores of the tied entries are cumulated and compared, and the entry with the highest score wins. 

Those who understand mathematics will know that this third step can never break at tie.  If there is a tie in the overall best five scores, and in the taste scores of those same five scores, and in the tenderness scores of those same best scores, then the appearance scores of those same five scores must be tied.  That is, if entries are tied in the initial five weighted scores and in the first two tie breakers (taste scores and tenderness scores), then there must also be a tie in the appearance scores.  Thus, although this third tie breaker is 'on the books', it does not have any real effect.  

Compare low scores

Fourth, if the tie still remains, then the tied entries' low weighted scores (the lowest of the six weighted scores which had been "thrown out") are compared, and the entry with the highest score wins.

Random selection

Fifth, if the tie still remains, then a computer-generated "coin toss" determines the winner.  As with the computer generated "coin toss" to break any tie for Grand or Reserve Champion, each of the teams which is tied in an individual category is assigned a number, like 1, 2, and 3.  Then the computer generates a random number, and the winner is the team whose number matches the computer-generated number.