Wow, this is the first time I have ever heard about teams complaining about the judging!
I have judged countless events both, IBCA and KCBS. I have also competed in countless events, both IBCA and KCBS. The common denominator at ALL of those events was that there was some complaining about the judging.
BBQ judging is subjective. No matter how "seasoned" the judges are, I know from being in the tent that judges judge in odd ways. I know that the goal is to have all judges grading with the same mindset, but the truth is, it will never happen.
Mike has run both KCBS and IBCA events and knows the best ways to make sure the teams are given the best shot at getting as fair a score as possible. Double blind judging, mixing turn-in boxes so that all 4 entries end up on different tables each time, sorting the judges so that seasoned judges are spread over all the tables equally, reiterating the judging criteria at the judges meeting the day of the event, making sure the table captains are managing their tables to ensure each entry is presented and distributed in a timely and equal manner.
It has always been a mystery to me why teams don't go through the certified judging class, whether it is KCBS, IBCA or the newly formed BCS. You can complain about the judges all you want, but if you haven't been certified yourself, how can you begin to criticize the judging?
I do agree that it should be mandatory of all judges that give any score of 6 or below to fill out a comment card. We had some strange scores as well this weekend, but it sure isn't the first time, and I highly doubt it will be the last. As long as what I turn in is based on someone else's opinion and not by a unit of measure, I have to accept what they give me and move on.