The only problem with a new, pretty pit that everyone want to peek into is that it'll throw your cooking times off. I've had it happen two times cooking on a Kamado in Vegas and in Sacramento. Both times were demo pits provided by Kamado, so I couldn't exactly say no. I was happy to show off the cooker and its capabilities, but it is something to factor in during a competition with tight turn-in times.
By the way...the big Kamado in my photo is what I won in Sacramento, so I guess it didn't hold me back too much. At Vegas, I walked away with nothing...but then that can be said of many visitors to Sin City.