A new contest record
708.5372
highest overall ever cooked here
708.5372 is the highest overall score this contest has ever produced — past the 706.2744 913 BBQ set in 2015.
- old record 706.2744
- set 2015 by 913 BBQ
Kelley Wilson Memorial BBQ Competition 2022
Jun 3–4, 2022 · Kansas City, MO · 📍 Rockhurst High School · State championship
Reps: Forrest Bruce, Larry Hadley, Rosemary Morrow · Prize money: $10,001
The Boys in Que won Grand Champion at the Kelley Wilson Memorial BBQ Competition on June 3, 2022 in Kansas City, MO at Rockhurst High School, scoring 708.5372 in a field of 41 teams. KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON took Reserve Grand Champion with 700.5256. Category winners: Chicken — LOVE 2 Q (177.1428); Pork Ribs — SLAPS BBQ (180.0000); Pork — 913 BBQ (177.7144); Brisket — AMERICAN FIRE BBQ (180.0000). This is the 3rd of 3 editions of this contest on record; the 2016 edition was won by HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
446.78
median 651.86
708.54 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 177.14
- Pork Ribs 180 🔥
- Pork 177.71
- Brisket 180 🔥
138.22
180
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2015 to 2022 — this edition picked out.
Entries
41
4 judged meats
Top score
708.5372
Winning margin
8.0116
GC over RC
Field average
653.85
446.78708.54
median 651.86 · last place to winner
Tightest race
Pork
2.3088 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
687.9432
446.78708.54
10th place overall
Field spread
261.7604
winner to last place
Prize money
$10,001
on the line
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 6%
beats 94% of 4711 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
13%
6 of 45 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.64 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,573
avg power rating going in · stronger than 57% of contests
Storylines (8 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
An upset on the books
22-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 78 times in 100
The Boys in Que came in rated below the field's top team, SLAPS BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 22-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1721
- top seed 1945
Won without a category win
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
The Boys in Que won the Grand Championship without winning a single meat — 4 calls from 4 boards, best of them 2nd. Consistency beat fireworks.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 3rd
- Pork 2nd
- Brisket 2nd
A day of perfect scores
3
perfect 180s
3 perfect 180s were scored at this contest — every judge at the table handing back a nine.
- AMERICAN FIRE BBQ · Brisket
- The Boys in Que · Brisket
- SLAPS BBQ · Pork Ribs
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 16 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 1–2: LOVE 2 Q and Is-It-Done Smokers tied on 177.1428 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 3–4: 913 BBQ and SONS OF A BRISKET tied on 174.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 6–7: SLAPS BBQ and IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ tied on 174.2628 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 1–2 · tie
- Chicken 3–4 · tie
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
A contest record in pork ribs
180.0000
best pork ribs ever cooked here
SLAPS BBQ turned in 180.0000 in pork ribs — past the 176.5600 that had stood across 2 earlier editions.
- old best 176.5600
- across 2 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 913 BBQ (won 2015).
- 913 BBQ · 2015
The contest returns
6 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 6 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2016-06-03.
- previous edition 2016-06-03
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2015 | Kansas City, MO | Kansas City, MO 64114 | 43 | 706.2744 | 913 BBQ | SLAPS BBQ |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Kansas City, MO | Kansas City, MO 64114 | 45 | 690.2516 | HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | GETTIN' SAUCED |
| Jun 3, 2022 ← this one | Kansas City, MO | Rockhurst High School | 41 | 708.5372 | The Boys In Que | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 177.1428 | 174.2744 | 173.1200 |
| Pork Ribs | 180 | 175.4172 | 170.8228 |
| Pork | 177.7144 | 175.4056 | 171.9656 |
| Brisket | 180 | 176 | 173.7028 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
41 entries · top 708.5372 · median 651.8628
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Boys in Que | |
| 2 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 3 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 4 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 5 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 6 | AMERICAN FIRE BBQ | |
| 7 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 8 | 913 BBQ | |
| 9 | Bears Backyard Q | |
| 10 | This Butts For You | |
| 11 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 12 | IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | |
| 13 | Is-It-Done Smokers | |
| 14 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 15 | GETTIN' SAUCED | |
| 16 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 17 | HG BBQ | |
| 18 | Calm Down BBQ | |
| 19 | END OF THE ROAD BBQ | |
| 20 | Casual Smokers II | |
| 21 | Sofa King Sweet BBQ | |
| 22 | On The Sauce | |
| 23 | PayHeed BBQ | |
| 24 | B&D BBQ | |
| 25 | POWER I BBQ | |
| 26 | The BBQ Mavens | |
| 27 | 91 Problems | |
| 28 | No Money No Honey BBQ | |
| 29 | Panic BBQ | |
| 30 | Heartland Pork Pullers | |
| 31 | Kmac's rib shack | |
| 32 | Smokin Bunz BBQ | |
| 33 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 34 | Pancho, Cisco, The Kid, and Company | |
| 35 | Social Smokers | |
| 36 | Weekend at BBQ's | |
| 37 | Broken Fingers | |
| 38 | 65 Sauce Power Trap | |
| 39 | Tamn Good Eatin | |
| 40 | Fractured Ribs Social Club | |
| 41 | Brewster |
Chicken
41 entries · top 177.1428 · median 167.3828
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 2 | Is-It-Done Smokers | |
| 3 | 913 BBQ | |
| 4 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 5 | The Boys in Que | |
| 6 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 7 | IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | |
| 8 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 9 | AMERICAN FIRE BBQ | |
| 10 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 11 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 12 | Bears Backyard Q | |
| 13 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 14 | This Butts For You | |
| 15 | No Money No Honey BBQ | |
| 16 | The BBQ Mavens | |
| 17 | HG BBQ | |
| 18 | POWER I BBQ | |
| 19 | 65 Sauce Power Trap | |
| 20 | 91 Problems | |
| 21 | Pancho, Cisco, The Kid, and Company | |
| 22 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 23 | PayHeed BBQ | |
| 24 | Calm Down BBQ | |
| 25 | END OF THE ROAD BBQ | |
| 26 | Social Smokers | |
| 27 | Casual Smokers II | |
| 28 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 29 | On The Sauce | |
| 30 | Kmac's rib shack | |
| 31 | Broken Fingers | |
| 32 | Heartland Pork Pullers | |
| 33 | Smokin Bunz BBQ | |
| 34 | GETTIN' SAUCED | |
| 35 | Fractured Ribs Social Club | |
| 36 | Tamn Good Eatin | |
| 37 | Sofa King Sweet BBQ | |
| 38 | Weekend at BBQ's | |
| 39 | Panic BBQ | |
| 40 | B&D BBQ | |
| 41 | Brewster |
Pork Ribs
41 entries · top 180 · median 165.0856 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 2 | IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | |
| 3 | The Boys in Que | |
| 4 | GETTIN' SAUCED | |
| 5 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 6 | Bears Backyard Q | |
| 7 | This Butts For You | |
| 8 | Heartland Pork Pullers | |
| 9 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 10 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 11 | 913 BBQ | |
| 12 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 13 | AMERICAN FIRE BBQ | |
| 14 | HG BBQ | |
| 15 | END OF THE ROAD BBQ | |
| 16 | 91 Problems | |
| 17 | PayHeed BBQ | |
| 18 | Sofa King Sweet BBQ | |
| 19 | Is-It-Done Smokers | |
| 20 | Calm Down BBQ | |
| 21 | Kmac's rib shack | |
| 22 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 23 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 24 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 25 | Pancho, Cisco, The Kid, and Company | |
| 26 | B&D BBQ | |
| 27 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 28 | On The Sauce | |
| 29 | No Money No Honey BBQ | |
| 30 | Casual Smokers II | |
| 31 | The BBQ Mavens | |
| 32 | Panic BBQ | |
| 33 | Weekend at BBQ's | |
| 34 | POWER I BBQ | |
| 35 | Broken Fingers | |
| 36 | 65 Sauce Power Trap | |
| 37 | Smokin Bunz BBQ | |
| 38 | Fractured Ribs Social Club | |
| 39 | Tamn Good Eatin | |
| 40 | Brewster | |
| 41 | Social Smokers |
Pork
41 entries · top 177.7144 · median 166.8572
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 913 BBQ | |
| 2 | The Boys in Que | |
| 3 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 4 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 5 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 6 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 7 | GETTIN' SAUCED | |
| 8 | AMERICAN FIRE BBQ | |
| 9 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 10 | HG BBQ | |
| 11 | Panic BBQ | |
| 12 | Smokin Bunz BBQ | |
| 13 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 14 | On The Sauce | |
| 15 | This Butts For You | |
| 16 | The BBQ Mavens | |
| 17 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 18 | POWER I BBQ | |
| 19 | B&D BBQ | |
| 20 | Bears Backyard Q | |
| 21 | Heartland Pork Pullers | |
| 22 | Tamn Good Eatin | |
| 23 | Casual Smokers II | |
| 24 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 25 | Broken Fingers | |
| 26 | Brewster | |
| 27 | Is-It-Done Smokers | |
| 28 | Weekend at BBQ's | |
| 29 | END OF THE ROAD BBQ | |
| 30 | Calm Down BBQ | |
| 31 | No Money No Honey BBQ | |
| 32 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 33 | IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | |
| 34 | Social Smokers | |
| 35 | Sofa King Sweet BBQ | |
| 36 | Kmac's rib shack | |
| 37 | PayHeed BBQ | |
| 38 | Pancho, Cisco, The Kid, and Company | |
| 39 | 65 Sauce Power Trap | |
| 40 | 91 Problems | |
| 41 | Fractured Ribs Social Club |
Brisket
40 entries · top 180 · median 166.2628 · 🔥 perfect 180
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMERICAN FIRE BBQ | |
| 2 | The Boys in Que | |
| 3 | KEEP CALM & SAUCE ON | |
| 4 | SONS OF A BRISKET | |
| 5 | JOUSTING PIGS BBQ | |
| 6 | SLAPS BBQ | |
| 7 | ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | |
| 8 | MAD MUTT'S BBQ | |
| 9 | Bears Backyard Q | |
| 10 | Sofa King Sweet BBQ | |
| 11 | LOVE 2 Q | |
| 12 | B&D BBQ | |
| 13 | This Butts For You | |
| 14 | Calm Down BBQ | |
| 15 | Is-It-Done Smokers | |
| 16 | GETTIN' SAUCED | |
| 17 | IRWIN'S PIT CREW BBQ | |
| 18 | 913 BBQ | |
| 19 | Social Smokers | |
| 20 | WABASH BBQ | |
| 21 | Casual Smokers II | |
| 22 | END OF THE ROAD BBQ | |
| 23 | 91 Problems | |
| 24 | Panic BBQ | |
| 25 | PayHeed BBQ | |
| 26 | Kmac's rib shack | |
| 27 | On The Sauce | |
| 28 | No Money No Honey BBQ | |
| 29 | HG BBQ | |
| 30 | POWER I BBQ | |
| 31 | Smokin Bunz BBQ | |
| 32 | Weekend at BBQ's | |
| 33 | The BBQ Mavens | |
| 34 | 65 Sauce Power Trap | |
| 35 | Heartland Pork Pullers | |
| 36 | Smoke This Drink That BBQ | |
| 37 | Pancho, Cisco, The Kid, and Company | |
| 38 | Fractured Ribs Social Club | |
| 39 | Broken Fingers | |
| 40 | Tamn Good Eatin |