Y'all are over-analyzing this; it's not that difficult! A fully jointed half chicken is just that. What the head judge will tell you at the cooks meeting is that all the boxes will ideally look the same - the judges are told to sample the meat (for chicken, stick with white meat if they like that, dark meat if they like that) and score on that.
Backbone in or out? It's up to you - but, as the head judge will tell you, THE BOX MUST CLOSE. Period.
Come watch the judging sometime (yes, you're allowed to observe); I think you'll find the judges are more concerned about whether or not the chicken is completely cooked than what bones are or aren't there...
Lynn H.
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