Five of the six Judges gave the Appearance the highest score available, a 9. One Judge gave the appearance an 8, but that Judge's score was dropped from the total. So James received the maximum allowable / attainable score on the "look", ie appearance.
What James got hit on was the Taste. For whatever reason, there must have been something the judges didn't like about the rub and/or sauce. A review of any Comment Cards for the chicken entry might give some ensight.