MEMPHIS, Tenn. — New reaction is coming into the Bluff City after the surprise announcement Wednesday that Tom Lee Park would once again host a BBQ cooking contest, just not run by Memphis in May.
One Wednesday, organizers of the Mempho Music Festival announced it would also host a new Barbeque competition, which would seemingly rival the World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest. The new BBQ contest is set to be held the week of May 13th, which means both competitions could happen at the same time.
Earlier this year WCBCC announced it would relocate to Liberty Park, after Memphis River Parks Partnership sued them for $700,000 in damages from the 2023 competition.
A day later from the announcement, fans and former WCBCC competitors are weighing-in, whether they will compete in the new contest, the original, or both. One fan mentioned on social media it was "a waste of resources," and also "There will always be only one OG Memphis in May Bbq contest."
“For us, even though we travel this far, we want to be in Memphis,” said Craig Whitson with The Norwegian National Barbecue Team.
If you have been to the WCBCC, you may have run into Whitson, who some know as the grill king, or as Norwegians say Grillekongen.
“I can’t tell you how much of a high it is for us,” said Whitson.
For more than a decade, Whitson and his BBQ team have competed in Memphis’ WCBCC, and even won 1st Place in the Exotic Category in 2023. The Oklahoma native says he has taken part in the Memphis tradition since 2007, and he intends to continue that trend in 2024 at Liberty Park.
“In a way [it's] a no-brainer at the end of the day,” said Whitson, “We’ve kind of accepted it that we’re going to do it, maybe it’s not for everybody. We’re definitely in. I’ve already registered so I guess we’re all in.”
Whitson says work still need to be done to improve the Liberty park experience, including focus on ways to get competitors, and their fans, to downtown Memphis easier.
“Make the stadium location more attractive to people. Can they bus people in?” said Whitson, “This would be our 14th competition I think. It should be enough of a sign that it is important to us.”
There is still a lot of details about the new BBQ contest that are unknown, including how many teams will compete.
Through research, ABC24 has confirmed neither competition has locked down Tom Lee or Liberty Park as a venue with a contract, so there is still a possibility final locations can change come May.