BAD NEWS BEER 'N' QUE

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

Power ranking

#5067

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1461

peak 1461 · rated over 19 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-06-07

latest 2018-05-18

Best ToY finish

#1368

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 19 contests

Avg finish

top 68%

overall standings

Best overall

669.0512 / 720

Master · Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest

Perfect 180s

Current form

641.02 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 627.93 (+13.09)

Walk rate

21%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

172.5600

Pork · Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship

Consistency

±42.84

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 161.03 · weakest Brisket (156.48)

Road miles

1,520

mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 139 mi

Schedule strength

31%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1541)

Master avg

627.93 / 720

19 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

669.0512 career-best overall

92.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 669.0512 at Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest — 92.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
2016-04-15

Their season

2016 their best year

2016 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 35%.

3 contests
1 overall top-10s
0 category wins
average top 35%

A tough matchup

11–1 behind in the head-to-head

THUMP & STRUM BBQ ahead in 92% of their meetings

THUMP & STRUM BBQ has come out ahead in 11 of their 12 shared contests.

The weak link

−4.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.54 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 5% of the time against 6%.

Brisket avg 156.48
Chicken avg 161.03
1 calls in 19 entries

A strong matchup

7–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of SMKN Q MO in 7 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

10 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

THUMP & STRUM BBQ ahead 83% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, THUMP & STRUM BBQ has out-cooked them in 10 of 12 shared chicken entries.

A May team

Top 55% average finish in May

Something about May: average finish in the top 55% across 3 contests, versus top 68% the rest of the year.

3 May contests
top 68% the rest of the year

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.

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

Rub You Long Time

#5062 of the rated field

1461 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1525

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BAD NEWS BEER 'N' QUE)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BAD NEWS BEER 'N' QUE has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 18 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

END OF THE ROAD BBQ

#5045 of the rated field

1461 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 34
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1501

2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to BAD NEWS BEER 'N' QUE)

They've been 1501 at their best, 40 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 34 contests
last seen 2026-03-20

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG LOG BBQ

#5072 of the rated field

1461 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1461

2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to BAD NEWS BEER 'N' QUE)

Fewer contests behind them than BAD NEWS BEER 'N' QUE has cooked, 9 to 19, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2018-04-20

⚔ Head-to-head

Big D & Briquettes BBQ

#5071 of the rated field

1461 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 6
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1461

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to BAD NEWS BEER 'N' QUE)

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

rated over 6 contests
last seen 2024-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

Beantown Smokers

#5057 of the rated field

1461 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 11%
Peak: 1461

No shared contest yet.

19 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 11% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2025-08-09

⚔ Head-to-head

Sloppy Seconds

#5046 of the rated field

1461 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1520

No shared contest yet.

Level with BAD NEWS BEER 'N' QUE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2024-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
THUMP & STRUM BBQ	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
NICKLE BOYS BBQ	11	3	8	27%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
Sons of a Brisket	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
SMOOTH SMOKE	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
Theslabs.com	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
PELLET ENVY	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
BUTT BROS BBQ	8	6	2	75%	⚔ compare
BURNT FINGER BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
SMKN Q MO	7	7	0	100%	⚔ compare
HANG 'EM' HIGH	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
WALDO BBQ	7	1	6	14%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	18	1	171.4056	143.9656	161.03	top 60%
Pork Ribs	19	1	168.5712	141.6228	158.08	top 65%
Pork	19	3	172.5600	144.5484	160.82	top 63%
Brisket	19	1	172.5600	143.4400	156.48	top 64%

“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 62%
Large (40+)	14	0	top 70%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smokin' On The Summit	4	21	top 63%	2017-06-02
*Racing for the BBQ	2	43	top 79%	2017-07-28
Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship	2	10	top 39%	2016-05-06

The story so far (14 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.9 yrs 2013-06-07 → 2018-05-18

Busiest season 2015 5 contests

Contests a season 3.2 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 19 of 19 contests

Contests visited 14 3 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 19 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 161.03 · weakest Brisket (156.48)

Walk rate 21% a top-10 call in 4 of 19 contests

Overall top-10 rate 5% 1 of 19 contests

Master average 627.93 out of 720 · 19 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 544 342–717 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,520 19 mapped stops · furthest 139 mi

Schedule strength 1541 average field rating faced — tougher than 31% of rated contests

Power rating 1461 peak 1461 · #5067 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Jun 7 First tracked contest SMOKIN on the Summit
Jun 7 Peak power rating (1489) SMOKIN on the Summit
Sep 27 First call Hermann BBQ & Brats Festival
2015
May 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score664.5372 Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship
May 1 10th tracked contest Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship
2016
Apr 15 Career-best overall score669.0512 Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
May 6 First overall top-10 Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship
May 6 Career-best single call (Pork)172.5600 Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship
2018
May 18 Most recent contest 23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+13.7	Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest	2016-04-15
+11.5	Smokin' on the Summit	2015-06-05
+9.7	Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship	2015-05-01
+8.3	Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship	2016-05-06
+6.8	Smokin' on the Summit BBQ	2016-06-03

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-11.5	7th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest	2015-04-17
-11.1	Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off	2013-09-06
-11	SMOKIN on the Summit	2013-06-07
-9.9	Racing for the BBQ	2014-07-25
-9.8	Smokin on the Summit	2014-06-06

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)
2018	1	0	0%	top 86%	86.3%	86.3%
2017	3	0	0%	top 64%	90.1%	89.2%
2016	3	1	33%	top 35%	92.9%	91.9%
2015	5	0	40%	top 64%	92.3%	85.2%
2014	4	0	0%	top 88%	87.8%	86%
2013	3	0	33%	top 78%	89.1%	85.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-05-18	23rd Annual Platte City BBQ Cook Off at Basswood Resort Platte City, MO	32 / 37 (621.0972)	37 (149.1428)	27 (161.1316)	24 (161.1200)	29 (149.7028)
2017-10-06	*Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	45 / 76 (640.3768)	46 (161.6456)	42 (159.9428)	46 (162.8228)	51 (155.9656)
2017-07-28	*Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	43 / 54 (638.1260)	38 (164.5372)	44 (153.6916)	43 (157.6572)	36 (162.2400)
2017-06-02	Smokin' On The Summit Lee's Summit, MO	35 / 65 (648.9940)	15 (171.4056)	64 (141.6228)	17 (169.7028)	19 (166.2628)
2016-06-03	Smokin' on the Summit BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	25 / 67 (656.5028)	26 (168.0000)	28 (165.0972)	49 (157.7028)	21 (165.7028)
2016-05-06	Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship Grandview, MO	10 / 25 (660.5144)	11 (165.1544)	9 (168.5256)	5 (172.5600)	19 (154.2744)
2016-04-15	Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO	14 / 53 (669.0512)	30 (166.2628)	17 (168.5712)	18 (167.3828)	18 (166.8344)
2015-07-24	Racing for the BBQ Lees Summit, MO	50 / 63 (637.5772)	42 (162.2400)	50 (154.8116)	55 (159.4284)	40 (161.0972)
2015-06-05	Smokin' on the Summit Lee's Summit, MO	21 / 78 (657.7028)	25 (166.8800)	44 (155.4172)	10 (170.2628)	22 (165.1428)
2015-05-01	Truman Heritage Festival BBQ Championship Grandview, MO	12 / 32 (664.5372)	7 (168.5600)	16 (164.0344)	27 (159.3828)	5 (172.5600)
2015-04-17	7th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO	49 / 49 (466.7656)	—	31 (159.9772)	29 (157.7028)	42 (149.0856)
2015-04-03	Smokin On Big Creek BBQ Contest Benefiting Operation BBQ Relief(Judges Full) Pleasant Hill, MO	54 / 71 (640.5028)	54 (157.6916)	52 (159.4172)	55 (160.5828)	36 (162.8112)
2014-09-26	Hermann Bar-BQ and Brats Festival Hermann, MO	32 / 37 (631.9200)	22 (164.5600)	34 (152.5256)	33 (155.9656)	25 (158.8688)
2014-07-25	Racing for the BBQ Lee's Summit, MO	49 / 54 (622.1604)	46 (159.9544)	33 (161.1316)	46 (156.5600)	53 (144.5144)
2014-06-06	Smokin on the Summit Lee's Summit, MO	69 / 79 (598.7312)	19 (166.8228)	75 (143.9200)	76 (144.5484)	69 (143.4400)
2014-04-11	6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO	40 / 46 (623.2912)	44 (149.1084)	19 (164.5600)	31 (160.5256)	42 (149.0972)
2013-09-27	Hermann BBQ & Brats Festival Hermann, MO	23 / 39 (641.6000)	17 (166.2744)	28 (157.0972)	10 (168.5828)	30 (149.6456)
2013-09-06	Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off Blue Springs, MO	64 / 72 (606.7088)	70 (143.9656)	53 (156.5260)	61 (158.2744)	62 (147.9428)
2013-06-07	SMOKIN on the Summit Lees Summit, MO	69 / 81 (604.5716)	74 (146.2858)	55 (155.4286)	59 (154.8570)	64 (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
2016 ↗	Master	#1739 (125 pts)	#1883 (120 pts)	#1790 (135 pts)	#1613 (175 pts)	#2228 (80 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1368 (182 pts)	#1320 (222 pts)	#1585 (162 pts)	#1911 (117 pts)	#1213 (242 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1672 (146 pts)	#1746 (146 pts)	#1532 (176 pts)	#1741 (146 pts)	#1729 (146 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1970 (75 pts)	#2073 (75 pts)	#2043 (75 pts)	#2080 (75 pts)	#2034 (75 pts)