Bad Bears BBQ

Bad Bears BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 36 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1) (2025), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #661 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#661

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1647

peak 1661 · rated over 35 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jul 10, 2022

latest Sep 18, 2026 · 4.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#102

Master 2026 · every season

Grand champs

3 reserve · wins it all 3% of the time

Category wins

16 podiums

Overall top-10s

56% of 36 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 37%

overall standings

Best overall

707.4172 / 720

Master · The Sutherlin Throwdown

Perfect 180s

5 🔥

Current form

691.49 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 686.94 (+4.54)

Walk rate

86%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)

Consistency

±10.28

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 173.34 · weakest Brisket (169.41)

Road miles

10,599

across 36 mapped stops · furthest 1,898 mi

Schedule strength

64%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1581)

Purse competed for

$323K

listed at 35 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

won from 34 state-championship entries

Master avg

686.94 / 720

34 Master contests · 1 GC

Backyard avg

303.87 / 360

1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

Storylines (18 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

The heartbreaker

Tie level with the champion

Finished level on points with the champion at Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest (Mar 15, 2024) — the Grand Championship went to the KCBS tiebreaker.

The 180 club

5 perfect 180s

5 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.

Chicken ×4
Pork Ribs ×1

Against the odds

8-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 92 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1) (May 30, 2025) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 8-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, GETTIN' BASTED.

On the rise

+27 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 27 points across 11 contests since Nov 21, 2025 — from 1621 up to 1647.

11 contests since Nov 21, 2025
now 1647

Giant slayer

30 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 30-team field at The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1).

May 30, 2025

Happy hunting ground

1× Grand Championship here

The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2) is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 2 visits.

2 visits
best finish 1st
average top 16%

They almost always walk

86% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 31 of 36 contests

A top-10 category call in 86% of their 36 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

Show 11 more storylines

High-water mark

707.4172 career-best overall

98.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 707.4172 at The Sutherlin Throwdown — 98.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jul 20, 2024

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 34 entries at contests carrying the title.

34 state-championship entries

The one to beat

4× one call ahead of them

BULL MARKET BBQ has finished one call ahead of Bad Bears BBQ 4 times — their closest competition in the data.

A strong matchup

15–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Pops BBQ 22 in 15 of their 18 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

16 of 24 shared chicken entries lost

BULL MARKET BBQ ahead 67% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, BULL MARKET BBQ has out-cooked them in 16 of 24 shared chicken entries.

Always the bridesmaid

3 reserve championships

Runner-up for the whole thing 3 times against 1 Grand Championship — close enough to touch it, over and over.

1 Grand Championship
36 contests

Built for the big stage

Top 30% average finish in large fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 30% finish in large fields against top 48% in small ones.

Large (40+): top 30% (6)
Small (<20 teams): top 48% (4)

Looking over their shoulder

4× one call behind them

Small Axe BBQ has landed one call behind them 4 times.

A May team

Top 24% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 24% across 6 contests, versus top 37% the rest of the year.

6 May contests
top 37% the rest of the year

The long haul

10,599 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 10,599 miles across 36 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,898 miles to Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY).

36 mapped stops
furthest 1,898 mi

The metronome

±2.30% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.30% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 95.1% of a perfect score
36 contests

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026 ↗	Master	#102 (1,340 pts)	#60 (1,635 pts)	#178 (1,096 pts)	#68 (1,475 pts)	#122 (1,224 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#120 (1,493 pts)	#104 (1,532 pts)	#149 (1,368 pts)	#152 (1,282 pts)	#120 (1,458 pts)
2024 ↗	Master	#117 (1,375 pts)	#145 (1,245 pts)	#148 (1,265 pts)	#81 (1,530 pts)	#207 (1,020 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#438 (447 pts)	#539 (362 pts)	#418 (587 pts)	#385 (557 pts)	#467 (427 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to Bad Bears BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

OM BBQ

#662 of the rated field

1647 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 48%
Peak: 1647

2–10 in 12 shared contests (17% to Bad Bears BBQ)

These two have cooked 12 of the same contests — OM BBQ ahead 10–2 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Sep 18, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

BOOG-A-LOU SMOKE CREW

#660 of the rated field

1647 power rating

Contests: 38
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1655

Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before Bad Bears BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 36 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Blue Smoke Q

#663 of the rated field

1647 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1651

Careers of much the same size, 49 contests to 36, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 45 contests
last seen Aug 7, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SWINE ASSASSINS

#665 of the rated field

1647 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1648

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 20 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 20 contests
last seen Aug 9, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Compete BBQ Team

#666 of the rated field

1647 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 79%
Peak: 1647

Their rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 19 contests, alongside a 79% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 17 contests
last seen Jun 7, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

DIVINE SWINE

#664 of the rated field

1647 power rating

Contests: 90
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1716

They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Bad Bears BBQ's first contest.

rated over 85 contests
last seen Sep 29, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
BONE RUBBIN BBQ	28	15	13	54%	⚔ compare
BULL MARKET BBQ	24	5	19	21%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-CUDA BBQ	23	15	8	65%	⚔ compare
Smokin' Bliss BBQ	23	9	14	39%	⚔ compare
Cynical BBQ	23	4	19	17%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	22	11	11	50%	⚔ compare
Big Cat BBQ	20	14	6	70%	⚔ compare
Meat Candy Q	20	7	13	35%	⚔ compare
Rio Good BBQ	19	11	8	58%	⚔ compare
Big Boys BBQ	19	9	10	47%	⚔ compare
Cherry Anchor BBQ	19	4	15	21%	⚔ compare
Pops BBQ 22	18	15	3	83%	⚔ compare
Small Axe BBQ	16	10	6	63%	⚔ compare
Chompa Q	16	9	7	56%	⚔ compare
OM BBQ COMPANY	16	8	8	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	36	19	4	7	180 🔥	160.5372	173.34	top 35%
Pork Ribs	36	18	1	3	180 🔥	143.3372	170.81	top 43%
Pork	30	14	2	5	178.8800	162.2400	172.14	top 39%
Brisket	35	15	1	1	177.7028	157.0740	169.41	top 46%

“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.

By field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	0	top 48%
Medium (20–39)	26	1	top 37%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 30%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
CA	25	0	top 43%
OR	6	1	top 16%
NV	3	0	top 42%
AZ	1	0	top 32%
TN	1	0	top 8%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2)	4	5	0	top 40%	Aug 8, 2026
Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship	3	8	0	top 36%	Apr 24, 2026
Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest	3	2	0	top 37%	Mar 20, 2026
The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2)	2	1	1	top 16%	May 31, 2025
Sutherlin Throwdown	2	4	0	top 23%	Jul 18, 2026
BBQ Jackpot	2	34	0	top 45%	Nov 21, 2025
3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2)	2	8	0	top 45%	Aug 9, 2025
The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2)	2	10	0	top 52%	Jan 25, 2025

More numbers

Busiest season 2025 12 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 7.2 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in CA 25 of 36 contests · 5 states in all

Contests visited 24 8 of them more than once

First title May 30, 2025 The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1)

Opponents faced 438 finished ahead 781 times, behind 425

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20262 milestones

Aug 8 Peak power rating (1661) Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2)
Sep 18 Most recent contest 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest

20255 milestones

May 30 First Grand Championship The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1)
May 30 First state championship The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1)
May 30 Biggest field won (30 teams) The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1)
Oct 10 25th tracked contest Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)
Oct 10 5th perfect 180 Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)

20247 milestones

Mar 15 First overall top-10 Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
Mar 15 First overall podium Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
Mar 15 First Reserve Championship Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest
May 24 10th tracked contest Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off
Jun 14 First category win (Pork) CBCA Clayton BBQ and Brews Festival (MASTERS)
Jul 20 First perfect 180 (Chicken) The Sutherlin Throwdown
Jul 20 Career-best overall score707.4172 The Sutherlin Throwdown

20232 milestones

Apr 28 First call Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship
Apr 28 First overall past 90% of a perfect score667.4172 Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship

20221 milestone

Jul 10 First tracked contest CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+17.5	Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest	Mar 15, 2024
+16.3	The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1)	May 30, 2025
+14.8	CBCA Clayton BBQ and Brews Festival (MASTERS)	Jun 14, 2024
+13.6	The Sutherlin Throwdown	Jul 20, 2024
+12	Golden State Battle of Indio	Nov 17, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.7	22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest	Sep 18, 2026
-9.3	CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD)	Jul 10, 2022
-5.9	Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest	Mar 14, 2025
-3.9	The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1)	Jan 24, 2025
-3.2	The Golden State Battle VI	Mar 1, 2024

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Season	Contests	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	10	0	8	1	90%	top 35%	97.7%	95.8%
2025	12	1	7	5	83%	top 35%	97.7%	95.4%
2024	8	0	5	2	88%	top 29%	98.3%	95.9%
2023	5	0	0	0	100%	top 50%	96%	94%
2022	1	0	0	0	0%	top 80%	84.4%	84.4%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 18, 2026	22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest 🏅 Riverside, CA	24 / 31 (675.8856)	3 (174.2744)	24 (167.9772)	—	29 (157.0740)
Aug 8, 2026	Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) 🏅 Felton, CA	7 / 17 (703.3940)	5 (177.1428)	11 (173.7028)	4 (177.7028)	8 (174.8456)
Aug 7, 2026	Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) 🏅 Felton, CA	9 / 25 (688.5140)	12 (170.2628)	6 (174.2856)	13 (170.8572)	9 (173.1084)
Jul 18, 2026	Sutherlin Throwdown 🏅 Sutherlin, OR	10 / 29 (693.0856)	7 (174.8572)	13 (174.2628)	15 (170.8456)	9 (173.1200)
May 23, 2026	BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay 🏅 North Bend, OR	4 / 33 (696.5600)	7 (174.8456)	4 (176.5716)	6 (174.8800)	16 (170.2628)
Apr 24, 2026	Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	8 / 29 (687.9656)	5 (177.1428)	16 (169.1428)	1 (178.8800)	20 (162.8000)
Apr 17, 2026	The Downtown Grand Master BBQ Showdown 🏅 Las Vegas, NV	10 / 29 (686.7768)	3 (177.7028)	25 (166.2628)	20 (169.1084)	7 (173.7028)
Mar 20, 2026	Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA	9 / 27 (686.7540)	9 (175.4056)	10 (170.8112)	10 (172)	10 (168.5372)
Jan 30, 2026	The Golden State Battle VIII 🏅 Riverside, CA	9 / 41 (695.9316)	10 (176.5600)	21 (170.8344)	—	5 (175.4172)
Jan 16, 2026	11th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge 🏅 Bullhead City, AZ	17 / 53 (685.6000)	16 (173.1200)	29 (168.5488)	16 (173.1084)	17 (170.8228)
Nov 21, 2025	BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV	40 / 90 (683.3488)	13 (176)	23 (172.5716)	60 (168.5372)	66 (166.2400)
Oct 10, 2025	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (Competitor's Series) (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) unrated Lynchburg, TN	7 / 90 (697.1200)	1 (180)	7 (178.8572)	40 (172.5600)	68 (165.7028)
Aug 9, 2025	3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) 🏅 Felton, CA	8 / 21 (682.2172)	14 (169.1200)	8 (170.2628)	3 (175.4516)	12 (167.3828)
Aug 8, 2025	3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) 🏅 Felton, CA	13 / 25 (677.6456)	8 (173.1200)	9 (171.9772)	14 (166.2628)	16 (166.2856)
Jul 19, 2025	Sutherlin Throwdown 🏅 Sutherlin, OR	4 / 35 (703.3828)	17 (172.5600)	1 (180)	12 (173.1200)	4 (177.7028)
May 31, 2025	The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 2) 🏅 Sweet Home, OR	8 / 28 (694.2172)	1 (180)	19 (169.6800)	7 (176)	18 (168.5372)
May 30, 2025	The Santiam Smoke Show (Day 1) 🏅 Sweet Home, OR	1 / 30 (694.8456)	1 (180)	6 (175.4056)	12 (171.4628)	14 (167.9772)
May 16, 2025	Gold Country Casino Resort BrewFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Oroville, CA	4 / 19 (691.3712)	8 (172.5484)	3 (172.5600)	3 (177.1428)	8 (169.1200)
Apr 25, 2025	Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	12 / 31 (677.5884)	9 (174.8456)	24 (163.9544)	17 (167.9656)	10 (170.8228)
Mar 14, 2025	Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA	18 / 26 (676.5372)	12 (171.4400)	18 (166.8572)	22 (162.2400)	5 (176)
Jan 25, 2025	The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) 🏅 Hollister, CA	10 / 27 (693.0512)	14 (173.1200)	20 (169.6800)	—	1 (177.7028)
Jan 24, 2025	The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1) 🏅 Hollister, CA	21 / 31 (670.7428)	18 (169.6800)	14 (171.9772)	26 (162.8456)	12 (166.2400)
Dec 6, 2024	BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV	34 / 74 (679.8856)	12 (176.5600)	33 (170.2628)	49 (167.3944)	55 (165.6684)
Jul 20, 2024	The Sutherlin Throwdown 🏅 Sutherlin, OR	2 / 30 (707.4172)	1 (180)	5 (178.2972)	2 (178.8572)	11 (170.2628)
Jun 28, 2024	20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest 🏅 Riverside, CA	9 / 35 (695.9428)	12 (174.2856)	8 (174.2744)	9 (175.4056)	16 (171.9772)
Jun 14, 2024	CBCA Clayton BBQ and Brews Festival (MASTERS) 🏅 Clayton, CA	2 / 25 (697.0856)	11 (170.8228)	2 (176.5600)	1 (178.8572)	8 (170.8456)
May 24, 2024	Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Felton, CA	5 / 21 (689.0628)	7 (173.7028)	4 (174.8572)	6 (174.2628)	12 (166.2400)
Apr 26, 2024	Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	14 / 34 (688.0116)	17 (170.8344)	7 (176.5716)	7 (175.4400)	21 (165.1656)
Mar 15, 2024	Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA	2 / 27 (698.2744)	5 (171.4056)	4 (175.4172)	4 (176.5600)	5 (174.8916)
Mar 1, 2024	The Golden State Battle VI 🏅 Hollister, CA	24 / 33 (670.1600)	3 (178.8572)	33 (154.2172)	23 (166.2400)	16 (170.8456)
Nov 17, 2023	Golden State Battle of Indio 🏅 Indio, CA	12 / 40 (691.3944)	30 (169.7144)	34 (166.2400)	—	6 (176)
Oct 6, 2023	Swanner House Autumn Reata Round Up BBQ Contest 🏅 San Juan Capistrano, CA	12 / 17 (679.8972)	11 (171.9656)	9 (171.4172)	—	15 (163.9428)
Aug 4, 2023	Dinuba's Annual BBQ & Brew Fest 🏅 Dinuba, CA	11 / 29 (678.2516)	24 (165.0972)	4 (173.7144)	14 (168.0228)	7 (171.4172)
May 26, 2023	Roaring Camp BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Felton, CA	11 / 19 (667.8856)	9 (170.8344)	6 (169.1200)	12 (166.2284)	16 (161.7028)
Apr 28, 2023	Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA	15 / 27 (667.4172)	23 (161.7144)	16 (168.5600)	4 (176.0116)	18 (161.1312)
Jul 10, 2022	CBCA Clayton BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD) Clayton, CA	16 / 20 (303.8744)	11 (160.5372)	17 (143.3372)	—	—

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

Bad Bears BBQ

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Storylines (18 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

The 180 club

Against the odds

On the rise

Giant slayer

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

State champions

The one to beat

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Always the bridesmaid

Built for the big stage

Looking over their shoulder

A May team

The long haul

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)