If true that teams are just getting better, then it would mean that the overall scores are getting that much higher. That isn't the case. It isn't just about placement in the field of teams, it is about the number of 8's and 9's you are getting. Since judges don't, theoretically, compare teams, then what I'm saying about scores being overall higher would be true. I'm just not seeing that. I'm seeing scores staying the same, but teams with different recipes moving around in the field. That tells me that there's a shift in what's winning. Could be presentation style changes that are affecting that as much as taste.
I don't know that our points have to be mutually exclusive. As for the scores, I haven't done the analysis but I'd be willing to bet that the mean has gone up over the last 5 years. The range I'd expect to remain about the same. At the top end, it's usually the difference in 8s and 9s. I'd be curious to know what QUAU had to say about whether he's cooking better product than he was 3-4 years ago, and how his scores do or don't reflect the current quality of his product now vs. 4 yrs. ago.
I also agree that there has been a shift in the flavor profile. In fact, I suspect that there has been more than one. With the classes that have been taught over the last several years, there are a lot of people that have been influenced by a handful of cooks. I think that has probably served to draw the flavor profiles closer together for a large # of teams. When you were the only guy using your profile and process for pork, it naturally stood out. When you taught a couple of classes, and one friend shared some tips with another friend, and after some success that friend shared with.... There's a natural ripple effect there. I'm sure the majority of judges consciously try to judge each entry separately, but I also believe that it's reasonable to expect entries that taste very similar to be lumped together subconsciously. The second shift is people like yourself that, finding a consistent product has fallen off, start tweaking a recipe/process to set themselves apart again. Based on results, it appears that two teams were ahead of that curve earlier than most.
Put the 'Bug' in Paul's ear for some statistical wizardry:wink: I bet it would be interesting.