SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ CA
Rating
1631
peak 1656
Contests
75
in the data
First seen
2019-01-18
latest 2026-05-23
Best ToY finish
#21
Master 2014
Grand champs
2
2 reserve
Category wins
6
31 podiums
Overall top-10s
39
of 75 contests
Avg finish
top 36%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Current form
684.72 ▲
last 5 vs career avg 681.34 (+3.37)
Walk rate
87%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
6
best run (overall)
Consistency
±10.90
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 171.66 · weakest Brisket (168.45)
Road miles
17954
mi across 75 mapped stops · furthest 858 mi
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
7 SINS BBQ has finished one call ahead of SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ 6 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
West Coast BBQ Shop has landed one call behind them 3 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
Meat Candy Q has come out ahead in 43 of their 57 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Pops BBQ 22 in 26 of their 28 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge is their spot: an average finish in the top 15% across 4 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 1.1772 points of the Grand Championship at The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) (2025-01-25).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 36-team field at Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge.
📅 A January team
Something about January: average finish in the top 19% across 13 contests, versus top 36% the rest of the year.
🃏 Against the odds
Their Grand Championship at Roaring Camp BBQ Cook-Off (2023-05-26) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 31-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, BIG POPPA SMOKERS.
🐣 Announced themselves early
Finished 5 of 63 at their very first tracked contest, Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge (2019-01-18).
Teams like this (closest power rating, CA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 75 | 40 | 2 | 12 | 180.0000 🔥 | 160.5256 | 171.66 | top 38% |
| Pork Ribs | 75 | 30 | 1 | 8 | 177.7372 | 158.2172 | 169.72 | top 42% |
| Pork | 75 | 32 | 1 | 7 | 180.0000 🔥 | 154.8000 | 171.51 | top 36% |
| Brisket | 75 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 177.1428 | 149.6800 | 168.45 | top 44% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 50 | 2 | top 36% |
| AZ | 13 | 0 | top 36% |
| NV | 8 | 0 | top 40% |
| NM | 2 | 0 | top 11% |
| ID | 1 | 0 | top 54% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 1 | top 31% |
| Medium (20–39) | 48 | 1 | top 40% |
| Large (40+) | 23 | 0 | top 29% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2019 (16 contests)
- Cooks mostly in CA (50 of 75 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (75 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge (2019-07-26)
- Wins it all in 3% of contests
- All-time average overall score: 681.34
- 3 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 693.0628 | 686.11 |
| 2025 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 702.2744 | 682.42 |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 688.4684 | 681.45 |
| 2023 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 703.9428 | 686.61 |
| 2022 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 690.2860 | 680.39 |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 688.5488 | 678.55 |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 683.9316 | 668.21 |
| 2019 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 705.6800 | 680.13 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-23 | Best Dam BBQ Boulder City, NV | 18 / 33 (684.5028) | 2 (180.0000) | 22 (169.1316) | 26 (164.5484) | 13 (170.8228) |
| 2026-04-17 | The Downtown Grand Master BBQ Showdown Las Vegas, NV | 23 / 29 (668.4572) | 21 (166.8344) | 27 (161.0972) | 24 (166.2628) | 6 (174.2628) |
| 2026-03-27 | Q's & Brews Bighorn BBQ Competition Lake Havasu City, AZ | 12 / 33 (689.0744) | 8 (175.4172) | 27 (162.8116) | 4 (177.1428) | 10 (173.7028) |
| 2026-03-20 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest Dinuba, CA | 6 / 27 (689.0628) | 6 (176.5600) | 17 (168.5256) | 4 (176.5600) | 12 (167.4172) |
| 2026-01-30 | The Golden State Battle VIII Riverside, CA | 12 / 41 (692.4912) | 25 (170.8228) | 9 (173.1428) | 13 (174.2628) | 11 (174.2628) |
| 2026-01-16 | 11th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 7 / 53 (693.0628) | 7 (175.4172) | 26 (169.6800) | 12 (173.1200) | 8 (174.8456) |
| 2025-11-21 | BBQ Jackpot Las Vegas, NV | 42 / 90 (682.7772) | 5 (178.8572) | 7 (176.0000) | 85 (154.8000) | 25 (173.1200) |
| 2025-08-29 | Meat & Tater BBQ Fest Meridian, ID | 21 / 39 (685.0400) | 22 (170.8228) | 24 (170.8228) | 7 (176.0000) | 25 (167.3944) |
| 2025-08-09 | 3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 2) Felton, CA | 15 / 21 (660.4576) | 18 (163.3944) | 6 (170.8688) | 15 (166.2400) | 16 (159.9544) |
| 2025-08-08 | 3rd Annual Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) Felton, CA | 17 / 25 (671.2912) | 3 (176.5600) | 18 (165.1200) | 20 (162.2284) | 14 (167.3828) |
| 2025-05-31 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival (Day 2) Norco, CA | 9 / 20 (690.2060) | 12 (169.6800) | 11 (174.2744) | 7 (174.2744) | 8 (171.9772) |
| 2025-05-30 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival (Day 1) Norco, CA | 9 / 27 (688.4684) | 11 (169.6800) | 6 (175.4056) | 13 (169.6800) | 4 (173.7028) |
| 2025-05-23 | Best Dam BBQ Boulder City, NV | 13 / 29 (680.4800) | 7 (175.4056) | 14 (170.2744) | 14 (171.9772) | 22 (162.8228) |
| 2025-05-16 | Rotary Day at Galway BBQ Competition Temecula, CA | 11 / 19 (672.9828) | 6 (174.2628) | 15 (166.2400) | 9 (169.6800) | 14 (162.8000) |
| 2025-04-11 | BBQ, Boots & Brew Perris, CA | 8 / 26 (685.0628) | 5 (175.4172) | 16 (163.4056) | 7 (171.9772) | 5 (174.2628) |
| 2025-03-28 | Q's & Brews Lake Havasu, AZ | 3 / 26 (694.2632) | 1 (178.8572) | 14 (166.8344) | 7 (174.2744) | 4 (174.2972) |
| 2025-02-21 | Best in the Southwest Yuma, AZ | 23 / 29 (667.3492) | 18 (169.6916) | 16 (168.5716) | 14 (170.2744) | 28 (158.8116) |
| 2025-01-25 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 2) Hollister, CA | 2 / 27 (702.2744) | 9 (175.4400) | 14 (173.1200) | 4 (178.2972) | 4 (175.4172) |
| 2025-01-24 | The Golden State Battle VII (Day 1) Hollister, CA | 2 / 31 (690.8228) | 3 (175.4172) | 5 (175.4516) | 16 (168.5484) | 5 (171.4056) |
| 2024-12-06 | BBQ Jackpot Las Vegas, NV | 14 / 74 (688.4684) | 36 (169.6684) | 18 (172.5600) | 25 (171.9772) | 14 (174.2628) |
| 2024-06-28 | 20th Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest Riverside, CA | 25 / 35 (671.3140) | 21 (169.6684) | 24 (167.9772) | 16 (171.9656) | 28 (161.7028) |
| 2024-06-14 | Ignite your Passion Winchester, CA | 14 / 22 (678.7084) | 19 (161.6572) | 6 (176.5600) | 6 (175.4056) | 17 (165.0856) |
| 2024-05-24 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook Off Felton, CA | 10 / 21 (681.0744) | 18 (166.8344) | 7 (172.0000) | 11 (167.9772) | 6 (174.2628) |
| 2024-04-26 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship Lodi, CA | 16 / 34 (684.5144) | 8 (176.0000) | 5 (176.5944) | 26 (163.3828) | 17 (168.5372) |
| 2024-04-12 | BBQ Boots & Brew Perris, CA | 13 / 39 (687.3600) | 6 (176.5600) | 29 (165.6916) | 13 (173.7028) | 16 (171.4056) |
| 2024-03-15 | Dinuba's BBQ & Brew Fest Dinuba, CA | 9 / 27 (683.3944) | 4 (172.0000) | 11 (170.8688) | 8 (173.7028) | 16 (166.8228) |
| 2024-03-01 | The Golden State Battle VI Hollister, CA | 9 / 33 (686.7884) | 19 (170.8456) | 2 (177.7144) | 1 (180.0000) | 31 (158.2284) |
| 2024-02-23 | Best in the Southwest Yuma, AZ | 18 / 25 (666.1256) | 15 (169.6800) | 12 (169.1316) | 13 (168.5256) | 22 (158.7884) |
| 2024-01-12 | 9th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 16 / 58 (686.7656) | 43 (168.5256) | 26 (169.7028) | 12 (175.4172) | 9 (173.1200) |
| 2023-11-17 | Golden State Battle of Indio Indio, CA | 24 / 40 (686.1944) | 9 (175.4056) | 28 (169.6916) | 17 (173.1316) | 30 (167.9656) |
| 2023-10-06 | Swanner House Autumn Reata Round Up BBQ Contest San Juan Capistrano, CA | 6 / 17 (691.9084) | 10 (173.1084) | 5 (174.8572) | 3 (174.2744) | 10 (169.6684) |
| 2023-09-29 | Field, Fire Fork! Los Banos, CA | 5 / 19 (688.5144) | 8 (167.9772) | 3 (176.5716) | 13 (171.9656) | 4 (172.0000) |
| 2023-08-04 | Dinuba's Annual BBQ & Brew Fest Dinuba, CA | 9 / 29 (682.7888) | 6 (175.4172) | 17 (167.4288) | 19 (165.6800) | 4 (174.2628) |
| 2023-06-02 | Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA | 6 / 43 (691.3484) | 16 (173.1084) | 14 (171.4172) | 14 (173.1200) | 9 (173.7028) |
| 2023-05-26 | Roaring Camp BBQ Cook-Off Felton, CA | 1 / 19 (689.0856) | 2 (174.2628) | 7 (168.5600) | 4 (172.0000) | 1 (174.2628) |
| 2023-04-28 | BBQ, Boots & Brew Perris, CA | 4 / 33 (703.9428) | 7 (175.4172) | 5 (177.7028) | 4 (177.7144) | 10 (173.1084) |
| 2023-03-10 | BBQ & Brew Fest - Best in the Southwest Yuma, AZ | 21 / 32 (671.3260) | 26 (166.8460) | 19 (167.3944) | 11 (172.0000) | 26 (165.0856) |
| 2023-03-03 | The Golden State Battle V Hollister, CA | 15 / 28 (673.1088) | 24 (166.2628) | 16 (165.1316) | 10 (173.1544) | 13 (168.5600) |
| 2023-01-13 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 3 / 45 (687.9200) | 12 (172.5600) | 3 (172.5600) | 20 (169.6800) | 4 (173.1200) |
| 2022-11-04 | 2022 Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival Indio, CA | 7 / 35 (689.0516) | 5 (176.5600) | 3 (175.4288) | 20 (169.6800) | 18 (167.3828) |
| 2022-09-23 | The Great Kearney BBQ Smoke-Out Fresno, CA | 16 / 43 (669.1084) | 27 (163.4056) | 36 (159.9772) | 14 (168.5828) | 1 (177.1428) |
| 2022-06-03 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival Norco, CA | 8 / 37 (690.2860) | 7 (174.2856) | 2 (177.7144) | 19 (168.5944) | 17 (169.6916) |
| 2022-05-27 | Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 6 / 26 (681.6232) | 12 (168.5372) | 2 (174.2744) | 8 (172.5600) | 11 (166.2516) |
| 2022-04-29 | 3rd Annual Lodi BeerFest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA | 7 / 29 (681.1544) | 12 (169.1200) | 7 (173.7144) | 3 (174.3200) | 19 (164.0000) |
| 2022-04-08 | BBQ, Boots & Brew Perris, CA | 18 / 29 (668.4000) | 20 (167.3828) | 24 (162.8116) | 12 (170.8228) | 15 (167.3828) |
| 2022-04-02 | 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship - Day 2 Arcadia, CA | 20 / 27 (682.1828) | 23 (161.6800) | 8 (173.1316) | 12 (174.2628) | 15 (173.1084) |
| 2022-04-01 | 9th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA | 14 / 37 (677.6228) | 5 (176.5828) | 6 (173.1200) | 9 (174.2972) | 32 (153.6228) |
| 2022-01-22 | The Golden State Battle IV - Day 2 Santa Barbara, CA | 9 / 25 (686.7428) | 1 (180.0000) | 21 (166.2400) | 16 (168.5256) | 9 (171.9772) |
| 2022-01-21 | The Golden State Battle IV - Day 1 Santa Barbara, CA | 9 / 30 (685.6228) | 16 (170.8228) | 12 (170.2628) | 4 (177.7028) | 18 (166.8344) |
| 2022-01-14 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 21 / 59 (672.4916) | 8 (173.7028) | 51 (159.9544) | 29 (167.9772) | 10 (170.8572) |
| 2021-06-04 | 2nd Annual Throwdown in the Vineyards Murphy, CA | 6 / 29 (686.2512) | 3 (176.5828) | 2 (173.1428) | 21 (159.3828) | 2 (177.1428) |
| 2021-05-28 | The Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 7 / 26 (675.3488) | 9 (169.6916) | 6 (167.3944) | 11 (169.1428) | 8 (169.1200) |
| 2021-05-21 | BBQ, Boots & Brew Perris, CA | 12 / 25 (669.5884) | 10 (168.5484) | 13 (165.0972) | 12 (167.4172) | 13 (168.5256) |
| 2021-04-17 | The Golden State Battle III - Day 2 Hollister, CA | 20 / 26 (673.0168) | 21 (168.5256) | 13 (171.4172) | 5 (174.8572) | 26 (158.2168) |
| 2021-04-16 | The Golden State Battle III - Day 1 Hollister, CA | 4 / 41 (688.5488) | 2 (174.8456) | 15 (169.7372) | 8 (175.4172) | 19 (168.5488) |
| 2020-02-28 | Best in the Desert Southwest KCBS BBQ Competition Yuma, AZ | 17 / 29 (668.4112) | 16 (166.2400) | 22 (161.6572) | 3 (174.8456) | 16 (165.6684) |
| 2020-02-21 | The Tyson Guinea Pig, Matt Dalton Memorial Coachella, CA | 45 / 50 (640.5144) | 32 (165.1544) | 45 (158.2744) | 23 (167.4056) | 48 (149.6800) |
| 2020-01-24 | The Golden State Battle II Hollister, CA | 11 / 46 (679.9772) | 21 (169.1200) | 23 (165.1200) | 13 (170.8572) | 7 (174.8800) |
| 2020-01-17 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 5 / 59 (683.9316) | 9 (175.4172) | 6 (172.5716) | 17 (168.5372) | 19 (167.4056) |
| 2019-09-27 | Mazatzal Grill Masters-BBQ Competition & Testicle Festival Payson, AZ | 17 / 33 (662.6740) | 23 (161.6456) | 26 (158.2172) | 14 (169.6912) | 4 (173.1200) |
| 2019-09-20 | 5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship | 20 / 44 (668.5028) | 22 (166.8228) | 27 (163.4172) | 4 (174.8800) | 24 (163.3828) |
| 2019-08-16 | Turf & Surf BBQ Championship Del Mar, CA | 8 / 35 (676.4456) | 3 (175.4172) | 12 (169.6684) | 7 (171.4172) | 27 (159.9428) |
| 2019-07-26 | Gilroy Garli-Que BBQ Challenge Gilroy, CA | 1 / 36 (691.3828) | 3 (175.4056) | 9 (170.2628) | 5 (176.0000) | 8 (169.7144) |
| 2019-07-05 | Smoke & Hops Harmony, CA | 7 / 26 (682.7772) | 10 (170.8228) | 6 (170.8344) | 12 (169.7144) | 10 (171.4056) |
| 2019-06-29 | Smokin On The Pecos (Day 2) Artesia, NM | 3 / 34 (705.6800) | 4 (177.7028) | 4 (175.4172) | 3 (179.4400) | 9 (173.1200) |
| 2019-06-28 | Smokin On The Pecos (Day 1) Artesia, NM | 5 / 41 (693.0856) | 5 (176.5600) | 9 (172.5600) | 3 (176.5600) | 14 (167.4056) |
| 2019-05-31 | Horse Town Brew N Que Festival (JUDGES FULL) Norco, CA | 13 / 49 (672.4800) | 20 (169.1200) | 13 (169.6916) | 11 (170.8228) | 18 (162.8456) |
| 2019-05-24 | The Best Dam Barbeque Boulder City, NV | 8 / 29 (679.3256) | 2 (178.8572) | 13 (167.9656) | 6 (172.5600) | 20 (159.9428) |
| 2019-05-03 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA | 6 / 27 (675.9772) | 10 (169.1428) | 13 (165.1200) | 2 (178.8800) | 14 (162.8344) |
| 2019-04-26 | Lodi Beerfest & BBQ Championship Lodi, CA | 5 / 48 (684.5488) | 16 (169.7028) | 17 (168.0000) | 5 (171.9772) | 3 (174.8688) |
| 2019-03-30 | 8th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship Day 2 Arcadia, CA | 8 / 47 (686.9032) | 3 (176.5828) | 5 (176.0344) | 36 (162.8460) | 13 (171.4400) |
| 2019-03-29 | 8th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship Day 1 Arcadia, CA | 46 / 70 (655.2456) | 54 (160.5256) | 53 (161.0972) | 26 (169.6800) | 43 (163.9428) |
| 2019-02-15 | The Smithfield Guinea Pig (TEAMS AND JUDGES FULL) Indian Wells, CA | 20 / 49 (673.0056) | 27 (164.5256) | 21 (169.1200) | 12 (171.9772) | 27 (167.3828) |
| 2019-01-25 | The Golden State Battle Santa Ynez, CA | 4 / 48 (690.2284) | 8 (173.1428) | 1 (177.7372) | 10 (174.2628) | 22 (165.0856) |
| 2019-01-18 | Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge Bullhead City, AZ | 5 / 63 (683.8968) | 16 (171.9656) | 7 (171.9656) | 10 (172.5828) | 26 (167.3828) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #127 (797 pts) | #76 (1062 pts) | #208 (647 pts) | #105 (832 pts) | #99 (882 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #102 (1586 pts) | #80 (1684 pts) | #180 (1236 pts) | #129 (1389 pts) | #105 (1512 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #202 (1042 pts) | #169 (1162 pts) | #154 (1237 pts) | #122 (1327 pts) | #232 (937 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #128 (1320 pts) | #184 (1060 pts) | #181 (1180 pts) | #192 (1035 pts) | #150 (1210 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #157 (1221 pts) | #132 (1326 pts) | #132 (1361 pts) | #130 (1321 pts) | #157 (1216 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #266 (726 pts) | #247 (821 pts) | #281 (751 pts) | #322 (641 pts) | #310 (651 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #245 (469 pts) | #328 (384 pts) | #338 (374 pts) | #243 (519 pts) | #294 (414 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #97 (1832 pts) | #93 (1762 pts) | #137 (1542 pts) | #85 (1787 pts) | #195 (1285 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #48 (2249 pts) | #26 (2281 pts) | #190 (1385 pts) | #66 (1970 pts) | #31 (2199 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #56 (2253 pts) | #95 (1839 pts) | #39 (2104 pts) | #72 (1919 pts) | #66 (2016 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #170 (1634 pts) | #138 (1667 pts) | #116 (1722 pts) | #197 (1444 pts) | #173 (1597 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #63 (2203 pts) | #121 (1674 pts) | #3 (2627 pts) | #14 (2423 pts) | #149 (1702 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #21 (2622 pts) | #82 (1953 pts) | #29 (2283 pts) | #22 (2406 pts) | #187 (1527 pts) |
| 2013 ↗ | Master | #83 (2066 pts) | #53 (2101 pts) | #83 (1824 pts) | #82 (1816 pts) | #136 (1629 pts) |