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Southeastern BBQ Showdown 2024 Competition Results

About Southeastern BBQ Showdown
Southeastern BBQ Showdown is an electrifying food competition that brings together top barbecue teams from across the country for a thrilling, taste-filled cook-off. Teams go head-to-head in this spectacular display of culinary talent to compete for prestigious titles and hefty prizes, all while striving to showcase their skills in a variety of cook-off categories. Attendees have the chance to sample a variety of barbecue styles and flavors, participate in interactive exhibits, and enjoy live entertainment.  This one-of-a-kind event offers a blend of competitive cooking, live demonstrations, and a festive atmosphere, celebrating the art of barbecue with a grand finale including live music and fireworks.
Southeastern BBQ Showdown 2024
The inaugural Southeastern BBQ Showdown was held on June 14-15, 2024 at Segra Park in Columbia, South Carolina, home of the Columbia Fireflies Minor League Baseball team. The inaugural event set the precedent as the “first food sport competition to be held in a sports stadium in the United States,” and featured 23 teams from 15 states and 2 countries competing to win the title of Grand Champion and a golden ticket straight to the 2024 World Food Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. Barbecue enthusiasts gathered to witness these top pitmasters compete for prestigious titles and hefty prizes, showcasing their skills in a variety of categories on Lang BBQ Smokers. The event included a vendor expo, shag music from Band of Oz, barbecue samples, a concert from multi-Grammy® award-winning group Alabama, a fireworks finale, and a whole lot of fun! Champions Barbecue Alliance (CBA) served as the sanctioning body for the 2024 event. “The Southeastern BBQ Showdown was an out of the park cookoff and event, from the event Emcee - Mark Conway, to the Host - Capital City/Lake Murray Country, and the Segra Park staff - as well as the community.  You would have never thought that this was a first year event with all the many moving parts and all of the organization,” shared CBA Out of State Area Ambassador - Steven Pfeiffer. CBA Board of Director/Event Representative, Ronda Pfeiffer said, “It was a great privilege and honor that Champions BBQ Alliance was chosen to run the first part of the BBQ challenge. The Southeastern BBQ Showdown was a blast and one of our favorite events. We cannot wait to see what's in store for next!” Robert Smith and Brian Keen of First Class BBQ from Hempstead, Texas, took home the $10,000 cash prize, the title of Grand Champion, and a Golden Ticket to compete at the 2024 World Food Championships. Known for their dedication to barbecue perfection, First Class BBQ showcased why they are a top contender in the competitive barbecue circuit, dazzling the judges and audience alike with their exceptional skills and flavors. You can check out the full lineup of results from the 2024 Southeastern BBQ Showdown here.
Southeastern BBQ Showdown 2024 on TV
The Southeastern BBQ Showdown Excursion television show, hosted by David Zelski, had a two-part premiere on Bally Sports Southeast, with Part I premiering on September 7, followed by Part II on September 14, 2024. Both parts of the show were re-aired on Bally Sports Southeast throughout September 2024. Watch both Part I and Part II of the Southeastern BBQ Showdown Excursion show on our Youtube channel! Both episodes will also air on the Cooking Channel in April 2025.