A judge told me my brisket bark was 'too aggressive' at a Memphis comp

I got my score sheets back from the Memphis in May contest and one judge wrote 'bark is like biting gravel, let the meat shine more.' I was crushed, because I worked hard on that heavy pepper crust. For my next cook, I cut my black pepper amount in half, from a full cup on a 16 pound packer to just half a cup. I also stopped pressing the rub in so hard, just a light pat. The difference was crazy, the bark still had texture but didn't fight you, and you could actually taste the beef. It scored way higher. Has anyone else had a judge call them out on something that seemed like a strength?

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