WILL AND THE THRILLS

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#2364

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1524

peak 1533 · rated over 13 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-09-13

latest 2019-03-01

Best ToY finish

#740

Master 2014

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 13 contests

Avg finish

top 50%

overall standings

Best overall

691.9084 / 720

Master · The National BBQ Cup

Perfect 180s

Current form

670.61 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 663.59 (+7.02)

Walk rate

54%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5600

Chicken · Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)

Consistency

±13.30

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 167.97 · weakest Chicken (164.62)

Road miles

315

mi across 13 mapped stops · furthest 54 mi

Schedule strength

43%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1557)

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 1 state-championship entries

Master avg

663.59 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (7 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

High-water mark

691.9084 career-best overall

96.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 691.9084 at The National BBQ Cup — 96.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-11-20

A tough matchup

6–0 behind in the head-to-head

MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM ahead in 100% of their meetings

MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM has come out ahead in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

A strong matchup

6–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Willingham's in 6 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

1.7 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 1.7 years, then back at Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (2019-03-01).

last seen 2017-06-16
back 2019-03-01

Pork nemesis

5 of 6 shared pork entries lost

MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM has out-cooked them in 5 of 6 shared pork entries.

An August team

Top 28% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 28% across 3 contests, versus top 50% the rest of the year.

3 August contests
top 50% the rest of the year

The metronome

±1.85% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.85% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 92.2% of a perfect score
13 contests

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

90 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

SMOK'N BOOTY BBQ

#2381 of the rated field

1524 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1533

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to WILL AND THE THRILLS)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team WILL AND THE THRILLS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 15 contests
last seen 2017-06-23

⚔ Head-to-head

Bare Bones

#2366 of the rated field

1524 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 15%
Peak: 1539

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

THE GRILLER B’S

#2355 of the rated field

1524 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1568

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1568 at their best, 43 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2023-10-06

⚔ Head-to-head

SWINE ENTHUSIAST BBQ

#2351 of the rated field

1524 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1538

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 14% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2019-05-31

⚔ Head-to-head

HG BBQ

#2354 of the rated field

1524 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1530

No shared contest yet.

Level with WILL AND THE THRILLS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2024-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG O'S BBQ

#2352 of the rated field

1524 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 26%
Peak: 1550

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 16 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
CHOO CHOO TRAIN BBQ	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
SOUTHERN THUNDER BBQ	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW GA	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
SWINE AND SHINE BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
Willingham's	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
CLAUDE'S Q	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
MAJOR Q BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
PLUM SUPERIOR BBQ	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
ATLANTA BBQ STORE	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
MOYERS COMPETITION BAR-B-Q TEAM	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
The Pig Lebowski	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
SWEET WATER BAR-B-QUE	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
RUNWAY SMOKE	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
SQUEALZ ON WHEELZ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
CRAFT BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	1	1	176.5600	149.6800	164.62	top 61%
Pork Ribs	13	2	0	172.5600	157.0972	165.06	top 52%
Pork	13	4	1	174.8572	161.6572	167.97	top 39%
Brisket	13	3	0	173.1200	157.0972	165.94	top 49%

“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 contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 55%
Large (40+)	8	0	top 47%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2	10	top 26%	2016-08-26
The National BBQ Cup	2	5	top 46%	2015-11-20
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2	16	top 67%	2015-05-22

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.5 yrs 2013-09-13 → 2019-03-01

Busiest season 2014 5 contests

Contests a season 2.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in GA 13 of 13 contests

Contests visited 10 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 13 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 167.97 · weakest Chicken (164.62)

Walk rate 54% a top-10 call in 7 of 13 contests

Overall top-10 rate 23% 3 of 13 contests

Master average 663.59 out of 720 · 13 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 361 301–330 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 315 13 mapped stops · furthest 54 mi

Schedule strength 1557 average field rating faced — tougher than 43% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 1 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1.7 yrs 2017-06-16 → 2019-03-01

Power rating 1524 peak 1533 · #2364 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Sep 13 First tracked contest Atlanta BarB-Q Festival
Sep 13 First call Atlanta BarB-Q Festival
Sep 13 First overall top-10 Atlanta BarB-Q Festival
Sep 13 First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.6228 Atlanta BarB-Q Festival
2014
Aug 22 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.5600 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
2015
Nov 20 Career-best overall score691.9084 The National BBQ Cup
2016
Mar 4 10th tracked contest Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
2017
Jun 16 Peak power rating (1533) Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
2019
Mar 1 Most recent contest Sip & Swine BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18.1	The National BBQ Cup	2015-11-20
+10.3	Atlanta BarB-Q Festival	2013-09-13
+8.9	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2016-08-26
+8.7	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2014-08-22
+6.7	Atlanta BarB-Que Festival (SBBQA)	2014-08-15

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.4	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival	2019-03-01
-8.4	The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA)	2014-11-21
-8.3	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	2014-05-30
-5.5	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)	2016-03-04
-4.6	Whole Hawg Happenin' (SBBQA)	2014-09-27

Category scores over time

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

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	1	0	100%	top 73%	90.7%	90.7%
2017	1	0	100%	top 46%	93.9%	93.9%
2016	2	1	0%	top 50%	94.3%	92.5%
2015	3	1	33%	top 41%	96.1%	93.6%
2014	5	0	60%	top 58%	93.5%	91.2%
2013	1	1	100%	top 20%	91.9%	91.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-03-01	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	45 / 62 (652.9484)	59 (159.3712)	53 (158.8000)	10 (170.8344)	38 (163.9428)
2017-06-16	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Alpharetta, GA	13 / 28 (675.8512)	17 (168.5256)	13 (166.2284)	2 (174.8572)	17 (166.2400)
2016-08-26	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA	10 / 38 (679.3028)	13 (170.8228)	14 (169.1200)	13 (169.6800)	13 (169.6800)
2016-03-04	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Lawrenceville, GA	43 / 59 (653.0168)	31 (167.9656)	48 (159.3828)	26 (168.0000)	46 (157.6684)
2015-11-20	The National BBQ Cup Cumming, GA	5 / 74 (691.9084)	19 (173.1200)	18 (172.5600)	16 (173.1084)	20 (173.1200)
2015-11-13	Smokin' Up The Saddle Club (GBC Qualifier) Chatsworth, GA	30 / 48 (665.5312)	19 (170.2628)	34 (166.2400)	40 (161.6572)	28 (167.3712)
2015-05-22	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Marietta, GA	16 / 29 (664.4680)	24 (158.8112)	19 (161.1312)	5 (171.9656)	7 (172.5600)
2014-11-21	The National BBQ Cup (SBBQA) Cumming, GA	74 / 86 (644.4228)	68 (164.5372)	76 (157.0972)	67 (162.2628)	72 (160.5256)
2014-09-27	Whole Hawg Happenin' (SBBQA) Marietta, GA	23 / 34 (651.8284)	29 (158.2056)	8 (169.1200)	21 (162.2400)	18 (162.2628)
2014-08-22	Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA	12 / 45 (673.0284)	2 (176.5600)	13 (169.7028)	15 (169.6684)	31 (157.0972)
2014-08-15	Atlanta BarB-Que Festival (SBBQA) Atlanta, GA	13 / 43 (665.5768)	25 (164.5484)	11 (167.4056)	21 (163.9428)	8 (169.6800)
2014-05-30	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Marietta, GA	23 / 29 (647.1652)	26 (157.6456)	22 (160.4912)	14 (162.8000)	14 (166.2284)
2013-09-13	Atlanta BarB-Q Festival Atlanta, GA	8 / 41 (661.6228)	36 (149.6800)	7 (168.5256)	5 (172.5600)	7 (170.8572)

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

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

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019 ↗	Master	#1955 (60 pts)	#2049 (60 pts)	#2026 (60 pts)	#1496 (135 pts)	#2010 (60 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1915 (113 pts)	#2080 (93 pts)	#1992 (113 pts)	#1255 (253 pts)	#2070 (93 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1399 (195 pts)	#1547 (180 pts)	#1593 (175 pts)	#1564 (180 pts)	#1503 (180 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#924 (344 pts)	#1268 (239 pts)	#1280 (239 pts)	#1001 (344 pts)	#1048 (304 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#740 (471 pts)	#718 (526 pts)	#669 (566 pts)	#789 (471 pts)	#722 (511 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1417 (161 pts)	#2521 (66 pts)	#1479 (171 pts)	#1367 (191 pts)	#1432 (171 pts)