They accepted 250 judges and most are certified by the Memphis BBQ Network. I'm not sure how I slipped in. After the judges briefing I was assigned "On Site Shoulder" and "Blind Ribs". I thought all of the judging was done blind in a judges area away from the teams, but that's not the case. Teams could enter 3 categories: whole hog, shoulder, and ribs. They are judged on site by a team of 3 judges, one at a time, and then by a team of 4 judges in the blind judging area.