Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Awards $50,000 to Grand Champion

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The 31-city Sam's Club® National BBQ Tour came to an end in late September as iBQ'[email protected] 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'[email protected] 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