One judge's 15 second comment about bark completely changed my rub game

I've been competing in KCBS events for about 4 years now, mostly small ones in the Pacific Northwest. Last summer at a tiny comp in Eugene, a judge wrote on my card that my brisket had great flavor but the bark tasted like pepper overkill. That stuck with me because I had been layering three different rubs without thinking about balance. I cut back to just salt, pepper, and a touch of garlic, then started building the rub in thin coats over 2 hours instead of one heavy application. The next comp I got a 9th place, which was my best ever. Has anyone else had a judge's offhand note completely flip how they season, or do you all just tune out the comment cards?