Car shows...
First thing is that they are like little beauty pageants but for grown men. And afterwards we sound like Pageant Moms.
"Did you see that car that won? They didn't even detail the engine compartment right. And those stupid looking exhaust tips! There is just no way that car was better than mine!"
But there are 3 ways I have seen that "judging" can go sideways and stupid.
1. The Car Club. If a show gives each participant a card and just the participants get to vote on their favorite, it's Bad. If you have 100 cars and one of the local car clubs has 10 or 15 members entered and those guys have all decided that today Ernie is going to win because he has really been working hard on that 4 door 1973 Dodge Dart with the slant 6 and the sagging headliner...Well that POS is going to win Best In Show because they are all going to vote for Ernie.
2. Everyone can Scan a QR Code. I was in a show where a guy had an App that "voted" for his car once every 60 seconds. All day. Fortunately the organizers realized something was off and disqualified him. All that for a trophy, not even for any money.
4. The Judge. If the organizers bring in an outside judge he is going to have opinions and he may have a soft spot for AMC Gremlins. He may know that '57 T-Bird with factory power seats is the best car there but he cannot help but like the '84 Corvette painted white with black Stormtrooper and Tie Fighter decals from Star Wars all over it.
I have heard my Favorite Ex Brother In Law many times after a local car show say something like, "If my Bronco/Trans Am/Camaro wasn't good enough to make the Top 10 then why was my vehicle the only one with a line in front of it with people taking pictures?"
Car Shows can be a lot of fun but it's best to leave your feelings at home.