BLIND CHERRY BBQ

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

Power ranking

#6218

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1413

peak 1413 · rated over 14 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-03

latest 2019-08-23

Best ToY finish

#1086

Master 2018

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 14 contests

Avg finish

top 85%

overall standings

Best overall

636.9372 / 720

Master · Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 2

Perfect 180s

Current form

613.11 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 608.71 (+4.41)

Walk rate

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

169.7028

Brisket · Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition

Consistency

±19.62

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 157.47 · weakest Pork Ribs (147.22)

Road miles

761

mi across 14 mapped stops · furthest 82 mi

Schedule strength

59%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)

Purse competed for

$21K

listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

608.71 / 720

14 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (6 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

12–0 behind in the head-to-head

DRILLING & GRILLING ahead in 100% of their meetings

DRILLING & GRILLING has come out ahead in 12 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−10.3 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 10.26 points below their pork, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 0%.

Pork Ribs avg 147.22
Pork avg 157.47
0 calls in 14 entries

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of JUST Q IT in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival (2015-05-01).

last seen 2013-05-03
back 2015-05-01

Pork nemesis

11 of 12 shared pork entries lost

DRILLING & GRILLING ahead 92% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, DRILLING & GRILLING has out-cooked them in 11 of 12 shared pork entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

GO DAWGS BARBECUE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

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.

Too Hot to Handle

#6217 of the rated field

1413 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1413

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen 2026-06-26

⚔ Head-to-head

MADMIKE'S SMOKIN' HAWGS BBQ

#6219 of the rated field

1413 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1413

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2018-06-02

⚔ Head-to-head

3 T's BBQ

#6221 of the rated field

1413 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1413

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 6 years after BLIND CHERRY BBQ did, first appearing in 2019.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2024-10-04

⚔ Head-to-head

WINGMAN BBQ SAUCE

#6220 of the rated field

1413 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1413

No shared contest yet.

Level with BLIND CHERRY BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2017-03-25

⚔ Head-to-head

JUST Q IT

#6212 of the rated field

1415 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1415

4–0 in 4 shared contests (100% to BLIND CHERRY BBQ)

These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — BLIND CHERRY BBQ ahead 4–0 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2019-10-18

⚔ Head-to-head

Kickin Ash

#6223 of the rated field

1412 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1412

No shared contest yet.

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 14 contests
last seen 2026-08-15

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
DRILLING & GRILLING	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare
Uncle Pig's Barbeque Pit	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
3 EYZ BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
SAUCE THIS BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
ROCKIN ROBYNS BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
GUZZY-Q	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
SLOWER LOWER BBQ	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
DON'T KNOW JACK BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
HOG STREET BULLIES	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare
APORKALYPSE NOW	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' TEX BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	14	0	163.9428	136.5712	151.42	top 85%
Pork Ribs	14	0	162.8344	129.6344	147.22	top 85%
Pork	14	0	166.8344	138.7884	157.47	top 64%
Brisket	14	1	169.7028	136.5144	152.60	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.

By state / province

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MD	6	top 86%
PA	4	top 89%
DE	4	top 78%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	3	0	top 85%
Large (40+)	11	0	top 84%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
New Holland Summer Fest	2	53	top 83%	2019-08-23
Boo-B-Que	2	56	top 82%	2018-10-19
Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition	2	31	top 74%	2018-06-08
*Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest	2	29	top 80%	2018-05-05
Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	2	46	top 85%	2016-05-06

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6.3 yrs 2013-05-03 → 2019-08-23

Busiest season 2018 4 contests

Contests a season 2.3 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MD 6 of 14 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 9 5 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 14 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls

Strongest meat Pork averages 157.47 · weakest Pork Ribs (147.22)

Walk rate 7% a top-10 call in 1 of 14 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 14 contests

Master average 608.71 out of 720 · 14 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 319 116–613 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 761 14 mapped stops · furthest 82 mi

Schedule strength 1575 average field rating faced — tougher than 59% of rated contests

Purse competed for $20,875 listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 3 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 2 yrs 2013-05-03 → 2015-05-01

Power rating 1413 peak 1413 · #6218 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
May 3 First tracked contest Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival
May 3 Peak power rating (1488) Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival
2017
May 5 First call Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest
Jun 9 Career-best single call (Brisket)169.7028 Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition
2018
Aug 24 10th tracked contest New Holland Summer Fest(JUDGES FULL)
2019
May 25 Career-best overall score636.9372 Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 2
Aug 23 Most recent contest New Holland Summer Fest

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

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.2	Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival	2013-05-03
-10.5	Boss Frogs BBQ	2017-04-07
-10	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	2016-05-06
-7.6	York County BBQ Festival	2019-06-28
-7.1	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival	2015-05-01

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	3	0%	top 90%	88.5%	86.6%
2018	4	0%	top 80%	87.9%	84.8%
2017	4	25%	top 83%	86.7%	84%
2016	1	0%	top 90%	81.6%	81.6%
2015	1	0%	top 80%	84.4%	84.4%
2013	1	0%	top 89%	82.4%	82.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-08-23	New Holland Summer Fest 🏅 New Holland, PA	53 / 65 (617.9884)	52 (155.3600)	59 (149.0628)	29 (163.9428)	56 (149.6228)
2019-06-28	York County BBQ Festival 🏅 Delta, PA	44 / 48 (614.6400)	40 (155.9772)	46 (147.3600)	43 (154.8000)	36 (156.5028)
2019-05-25	Gettysburg BBQ Festival Day 2 🏅 Gettysburg, PA	31 / 32 (636.9372)	32 (155.3716)	31 (155.9428)	28 (162.2400)	26 (163.3828)
2018-10-19	Boo-B-Que Rehoboth Beach, DE	60 / 73 (608.3084)	71 (142.2400)	33 (162.8344)	52 (155.3484)	65 (147.8856)
2018-08-24	New Holland Summer Fest(JUDGES FULL) New Holland, PA	60 / 71 (587.6916)	47 (154.2172)	69 (129.6344)	29 (159.3600)	57 (144.4800)
2018-06-08	Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition New Castle, DE	31 / 42 (632.9488)	30 (158.2172)	33 (153.0972)	14 (166.8344)	30 (154.8000)
2018-05-05	*Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest Crownsville, MD	30 / 37 (614.6972)	33 (149.6800)	31 (149.6800)	18 (164.5372)	31 (150.8000)
2017-10-20	Boo-B-Que Rehobeth Beach, DE	56 / 69 (620.3888)	46 (163.9428)	49 (152.5256)	33 (161.1432)	63 (142.7772)
2017-06-09	Historic New Castle Colonial BBQ Competition New Castle, DE	34 / 46 (623.9084)	40 (150.8228)	40 (146.2628)	34 (157.1200)	11 (169.7028)
2017-05-05	Naptown barBAYq Cooking Contest Crownsville, MD	29 / 37 (615.3028)	32 (153.0856)	35 (138.2860)	27 (155.9312)	10 (168.0000)
2017-04-07	Boss Frogs BBQ Hurlock, MD	45 / 45 (560.8572)	45 (142.1828)	43 (143.3716)	45 (138.7884)	44 (136.5144)
2016-05-06	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	46 / 51 (587.2340)	45 (147.3828)	49 (136.4800)	38 (151.4284)	36 (151.9428)
2015-05-01	Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival Annapolis, MD	51 / 64 (607.8628)	51 (154.8456)	52 (147.3600)	49 (153.7144)	52 (151.9428)
2013-05-03	Naptown barBAYq Contest & Music Festival Annapolis, MD	49 / 55 (593.1428)	53 (136.5712)	43 (149.1428)	19 (159.4286)	38 (148.0002)

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1086 (240 pts)	#1152 (240 pts)	#1173 (240 pts)	#957 (330 pts)	#1154 (240 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#1202 (240 pts)	#1287 (240 pts)	#1290 (240 pts)	#1281 (240 pts)	#942 (385 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2274 (60 pts)	#2353 (60 pts)	#2349 (60 pts)	#2326 (60 pts)	#2345 (60 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1970 (75 pts)	#2073 (75 pts)	#2043 (75 pts)	#1918 (105 pts)	#2034 (75 pts)