The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Animal House BBQ has finished one call ahead of IBEW SMOKIN' SPARKYS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
IBEW SMOKIN' SPARKYS
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1436
peak 1504 · rated over 15 contests ⓘ
Contests
15
in the data
First seen
2013-06-21
latest 2021-09-16
Best ToY finish
#1236
Master 2021
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 15 contests
Avg finish
top 69%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
577.67 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 598.78 (-21.11)
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±52.03
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 158.64 · weakest Brisket (150.45)
Road miles
176
mi across 15 mapped stops
Schedule strength
27%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1536)
Purse competed for
$61K
listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 6 state-championship entries
Master avg
598.78 / 720
15 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (9 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.
A tough matchup
13–0
behind in the head-to-head
B & C SMOKERS ahead in 100% of their meetings
B & C SMOKERS has come out ahead in 13 of their 13 shared contests.
The weak link
−8.2
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.19 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.
- Brisket avg 150.45
- Pork avg 158.64
- 0 calls in 14 entries
The comeback
3 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 3 years, then back at American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST (2021-09-16).
- last seen 2018-09-15
- back 2021-09-16
Pork nemesis
11 of 13
shared pork entries lost
Four Men and A Pig ahead 85% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, Four Men and A Pig has out-cooked them in 11 of 13 shared pork entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
BIG BULLS BBQ BUNCH has landed one call behind them 2 times.
Boom or bust
±7.23%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±7.23% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.
- averages 83.2% of a perfect score
- best 89.2%
An October team
Top 50%
average finish in October
Something about October: average finish in the top 50% across 4 contests, versus top 69% the rest of the year.
- 4 October contests
- top 69% the rest of the year
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship every year from 2013 to 2016 — the contest they never miss.
- 4 visits in all
- best finish 86th
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.
69 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5921 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1436
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to IBEW SMOKIN' SPARKYS)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team IBEW SMOKIN' SPARKYS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5911 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1437
1–2 in 3 shared contests (33% to IBEW SMOKIN' SPARKYS)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#5908 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1437
4–2 in 6 shared contests (67% to IBEW SMOKIN' SPARKYS)
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before IBEW SMOKIN' SPARKYS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#5913 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1437
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 14 contests to 15, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#5923 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1436
No shared contest yet.
13 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Head-to-head#5905 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1437
No shared contest yet.
Level with IBEW SMOKIN' SPARKYS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PARK AVENUE PORK | 13 | 3 | 10 | 23% | ⚔ compare |
| Four Men and A Pig | 13 | 1 | 12 | 8% | ⚔ compare |
| B & C SMOKERS | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG BULLS BBQ BUNCH | 12 | 10 | 2 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| Brewski and Barbeque | 12 | 8 | 4 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Hawg Wild | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| Theslabs.com | 12 | 3 | 9 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| BREW 'N' BAR-B-QUE | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKERS PURGATORY | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | 11 | 2 | 9 | 18% | ⚔ compare |
| Sublime BBQ | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| BURNT FINGER BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RIB I'S | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| Flower of the Flames | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| PELLET ENVY | 10 | 2 | 8 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.7372 | 132.4800 | 151.94 | top 74% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 133.6572 | 155.97 | top 65% |
| Pork | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.1200 | 143.9428 | 158.64 | top 61% |
| Brisket | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.3944 | 133.6344 | 150.45 | top 73% |
“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.
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship | 4 | 86 | 0 | top 72% | 2016-06-24 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
8.2 yrs
2013-06-21 → 2021-09-16
Busiest season
2016
3 contests
Contests a season
2.1
across 7 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
KS
10 of 15 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
12
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
15 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 158.64 · weakest Brisket (150.45)
Walk rate
0%
a top-10 call in 0 of 15 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 15 contests
Master average
598.78
out of 720 · 15 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
1,965
1,645–2,808 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
176
15 mapped stops
Schedule strength
1536
average field rating faced — tougher than 27% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$60,910
listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 6 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
3 yrs
2018-09-15 → 2021-09-16
Power rating
1436
peak 1504 · #5918 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2013
- First tracked contest Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)175.4172 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
- Peak power rating (1504) 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
- 2014
- Career-best overall score642.2744 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
- 2016
- 10th tracked contest 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN)
- 2021
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST | 2021-09-16 |
| +9 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open | 2015-10-03 |
| +2.6 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | 2013-10-03 |
| +1.1 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 2013-06-21 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.8 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle | 2018-06-22 |
| -11.7 | Smokin' on the Summit BBQ | 2016-06-03 |
| -11.3 | Smokin' On The Summit | 2017-06-02 |
| -10.4 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship | 2016-06-24 |
| -9 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | 2018-09-15 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 22% | — | — |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 82.2% | 72.9% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 86.8% | 85.1% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 84% | 88.2% | 85.2% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 46% | 85.6% | 75.9% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 75% | 89.2% | 86.9% |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 46% | 89.1% | 88.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-09-16 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 105 / 467 (481.0860) | 431 (149.6912) | 442 (148.5256) | 379 (156.0000) | 312 (159.3828) |
| 2018-09-15 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 449 / 467 (591.7600) | 465 (132.4800) | 372 (158.2400) | 427 (150.2056) | 401 (150.8344) |
| 2018-06-22 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS | 182 / 185 (457.6344) | 109 (157.1544) | 119 (156.5372) | 168 (143.9428) | — |
| 2017-06-23 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 115 / 184 (625.0168) | 89 (158.8684) | 138 (151.9428) | 27 (169.1200) | 154 (145.0856) |
| 2017-06-02 | Smokin' On The Summit Lee's Summit, MO | 62 / 65 (600.3312) | 53 (157.1200) | 59 (149.0628) | 61 (150.2056) | 62 (143.9428) |
| 2016-10-29 | 37th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue(OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 407 / 557 (635.3488) | 137 (169.7372) | 78 (172.0000) | 393 (159.9772) | 547 (133.6344) |
| 2016-06-24 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle-Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 160 / 183 (601.5196) | 115 (155.9540) | 176 (133.6572) | 104 (158.8228) | 119 (153.0856) |
| 2016-06-03 | Smokin' on the Summit BBQ Lee's Summit, MO | 61 / 67 (603.2456) | 58 (150.8344) | 64 (141.0744) | 56 (154.8112) | 46 (156.5256) |
| 2015-10-03 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 102 / 606 (476.0228) | 573 (146.2284) | 397 (160.5260) | 360 (162.2284) | 564 (141.1428) |
| 2015-06-26 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 138 / 183 (616.5140) | 180 (132.5712) | 132 (153.6800) | 35 (167.4284) | 58 (162.8344) |
| 2014-10-02 | 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 358 / 552 (642.2744) | 501 (150.2744) | 27 (174.8800) | 194 (166.8800) | 461 (150.2400) |
| 2014-08-08 | Balloons & BBQ Festival at Kansas Speedway Kansas City, KS | 45 / 53 (623.8744) | 50 (150.2628) | 49 (153.1200) | 45 (157.0972) | 31 (163.3944) |
| 2014-06-27 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 141 / 184 (610.1136) | 182 (141.0740) | 121 (153.7144) | 34 (166.2512) | 128 (149.0740) |
| 2013-10-03 | 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO | 241 / 535 (641.6688) | 102 (168.5944) | 13 (175.4172) | 260 (160.5828) | 499 (137.0744) |
| 2013-06-21 | Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship 🏅 Lenexa, KS | 86 / 183 (631.4284) | 100 (158.2854) | 105 (157.1428) | 115 (155.9998) | 62 (160.0004) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1236 (60 pts) | #1286 (60 pts) | #1309 (60 pts) | #1262 (60 pts) | #1245 (60 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1524 (120 pts) | #1598 (120 pts) | #1614 (120 pts) | #1610 (120 pts) | #1990 (60 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1722 (120 pts) | #1802 (120 pts) | #1822 (120 pts) | #1799 (120 pts) | #1794 (120 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1454 (180 pts) | #1547 (180 pts) | #1542 (180 pts) | #1564 (180 pts) | #1503 (180 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1676 (120 pts) | #1778 (120 pts) | #1776 (120 pts) | #1790 (120 pts) | #1763 (120 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #1251 (225 pts) | #1323 (225 pts) | #1327 (225 pts) | #1340 (225 pts) | #1306 (225 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #1970 (75 pts) | #2073 (75 pts) | #2043 (75 pts) | #2080 (75 pts) | #2034 (75 pts) |