CAUGHT BY THE FIRE

CAUGHT BY THE FIRE is a competition barbecue team with 27 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2021. Their best overall finish is 11th of 27 at the Blount County BBQ Bash (2019). They are ranked #6402 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#6,402

of 6,477 rated · rankings

Rating

1388

peak 1388 · rated over 27 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Mar 28, 2014

latest Jun 25, 2021 · 7.2 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#774

Master 2014 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

0% of 27 contests

Avg finish

top 83%

overall standings

Best overall

672.4684 / 720

Master · Blount County BBQ Bash

Perfect 180s

Current form

555.85 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 625.02 (-69.16)

Walk rate

22%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.0228

Chicken · The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest

Consistency

±95.33

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 164.49 · weakest Brisket (157.87)

Road miles

1,844

across 27 mapped stops · furthest 172 mi

Schedule strength

62%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1578)

Purse competed for

$17K

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 3 state-championship entries

Master avg

625.02 / 720

27 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (9 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

High-water mark

672.4684 career-best overall

93.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 672.4684 at Blount County BBQ Bash — 93.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jun 21, 2019

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

LATE NIGHT WHISKEY SMOKERS has finished one call ahead of CAUGHT BY THE FIRE 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

24–0 behind in the head-to-head

Under the Radar ahead in 100% of their meetings

Under the Radar has come out ahead in 24 of their 24 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.6 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.62 points below their pork, and turns into a call 4% of the time against 12%.

Brisket avg 157.87
Pork avg 164.49
1 call in 27 entries

A strong matchup

9–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PARADISE QUE in 9 of their 12 shared contests.

The comeback

2 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2 years, then back at Blount County BBQ Bash (Jun 25, 2021).

last seen Jun 21, 2019
back Jun 25, 2021

Pork nemesis

18 of 24 shared pork entries lost

Sons of Smoke ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Sons of Smoke has out-cooked them in 18 of 24 shared pork entries.

Show 2 more storylines

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

UNCLE BUTCH BARBEQUE has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±13.24% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±13.24% 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 86.8% of a perfect score
best 93.4%

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

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019 ↗	Master	#1218 (182 pts)	#1135 (232 pts)	#1341 (172 pts)	#1216 (207 pts)	#1199 (207 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1114 (237 pts)	#1060 (277 pts)	#1199 (237 pts)	#1038 (292 pts)	#1170 (237 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2260 (60 pts)	#2266 (60 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1439 (184 pts)	#1497 (189 pts)	#1298 (244 pts)	#1135 (304 pts)	#1543 (179 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1009 (300 pts)	#882 (405 pts)	#1101 (300 pts)	#1015 (335 pts)	#1056 (300 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#774 (439 pts)	#831 (434 pts)	#716 (524 pts)	#597 (654 pts)	#807 (444 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to CAUGHT BY THE FIRE, each with one reason worth a look.

GRILLIN' GANGSTERS

#6,404 of the rated field

1387 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1387

5–1 in 6 shared contests (83% to CAUGHT BY THE FIRE)

These two have cooked 6 of the same contests — CAUGHT BY THE FIRE ahead 5–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.

rated over 18 contests
last seen May 17, 2019

⚔ Head-to-head

RUB ME TENDER

#6,403 of the rated field

1388 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1388

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 16 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Jul 23, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

Rack Addicts BBQ Team

#6,409 of the rated field

1386 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1386

Careers of much the same size, 26 contests to 27, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 26 contests
last seen May 30, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

HOKIE POKIE Q

#6,405 of the rated field

1387 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 4%
Peak: 1387

23 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 4% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Apr 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKIN GOOD BBQ

#6,408 of the rated field

1386 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1509

Level with CAUGHT BY THE FIRE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 23 contests
last seen Aug 9, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

BUTTRUBBERS (NL)

#6,401 of the rated field

1389 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 19
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1389

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Sep 21, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Sons of Smoke	24	1	23	4%	⚔ compare
Under the Radar	24	0	24	0%	⚔ compare
SMOKE ON THIS	22	1	21	5%	⚔ compare
SOGGY BOTTOM SMOKERS	21	0	21	0%	⚔ compare
FIREHOUSE SMOKERS TN	19	1	18	5%	⚔ compare
CONTAGIOUS Q	19	0	19	0%	⚔ compare
RIVER ROAD GRILLBILLIES	19	0	19	0%	⚔ compare
HOGGY BOTTOM BOYS	18	6	12	33%	⚔ compare
Chairman of the Boar	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
DIRTY OL' BUTT SLAPPERS	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-Q 101	15	1	14	7%	⚔ compare
K-TOWN DADDY'S BBQ	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
PARADISE QUE	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare
THE ALGOOD BAR-B-Q PIT CREW	12	1	11	8%	⚔ compare
ROCKY TOP BARBEQUE	12	0	12	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	26	2	0	176.0228	135.8856	161.30	top 76%
Pork Ribs	26	1	0	171.9656	145.6228	159.32	top 79%
Pork	26	3	1	176.0228	155.4400	164.49	top 65%
Brisket	27	1	0	173.7028	139.9656	157.87	top 79%

“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 field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 94%
Medium (20–39)	13	top 80%
Large (40+)	13	top 84%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
TN	24	top 82%
GA	1	top 83%
NC	1	top 96%
KY	1	top 90%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Blount County BBQ Bash	4	11	top 70%	Jun 21, 2019
Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass	4	26	top 76%	May 17, 2019
Blount County BBQ Bash	2	28	top 84%	Jun 25, 2021
Bar-B-Cure	2	23	top 83%	Nov 18, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2014 7 contests

Contests a season 3.9 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in TN 24 of 27 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 19 4 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Brisket 27 entries · 0 wins · 1 call

Opponents faced 378 finished ahead 180 times, behind 859

Longest layoff 2 yrs Jun 21, 2019 → Jun 25, 2021

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

20211 milestone

Jun 25 Most recent contest Blount County BBQ Bash

20192 milestones

May 17 25th tracked contest Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass
Jun 21 Career-best overall score672.4684 Blount County BBQ Bash

20153 milestones

May 15 First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.6856 Sevierville Bloomin' BBQ and Bluegrass Festival
May 29 10th tracked contest The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest
May 29 Career-best single call (Chicken)176.0228 The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest

20143 milestones

Mar 28 First tracked contest Grills Gone Wild BBQ Festival
Mar 28 Peak power rating (1488) Grills Gone Wild BBQ Festival
Jun 27 First call Blount County BBQ Bash

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+11.6	Blount County BBQ Bash	Jun 21, 2019
+4.7	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass	May 17, 2019
+3.1	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass	May 19, 2017
+0.1	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass	May 20, 2016

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass	May 16, 2014
-11.7	Grills Gone Wild BBQ Festival	Mar 28, 2014
-10.9	The Rotary Club of West Knoxville - Rocky Top Hummin' & Strummin' BBQ Cook-Off	May 30, 2014
-10	Grills Gone Wild BBQ Fest	Sep 12, 2014
-10	Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash	Jul 25, 2014

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

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

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2021	1	0%	top 97%	20.4%	20.4%
2019	2	100%	top 51%	93.4%	91.8%
2018	4	0%	top 88%	92.4%	89.5%
2017	4	25%	top 82%	91.8%	89.8%
2016	3	0%	top 79%	92.8%	91.6%
2015	6	17%	top 83%	92.1%	89.3%
2014	7	29%	top 89%	89.7%	87.4%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 25, 2021	Blount County BBQ Bash 🏅 Maryville, TN	31 / 32 (146.7656)	—	—	—	30 (146.7656)
Jun 21, 2019	Blount County BBQ Bash 🏅 Maryville, TN	11 / 27 (672.4684)	18 (165.7144)	19 (163.9772)	8 (170.8112)	8 (171.9656)
May 17, 2019	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass 🏅 Sevierville, TN	26 / 43 (650.1372)	9 (171.9656)	19 (167.3944)	30 (160.5600)	37 (150.2172)
Jul 14, 2018	Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-Off & Cruise In Day 2 Jamestown, TN	29 / 32 (664.9712)	31 (164.5256)	28 (167.3828)	20 (170.8228)	29 (162.2400)
Jul 13, 2018	Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-Off & Cruise In Day 1 Jamestown, TN	35 / 40 (644.9256)	27 (165.6800)	34 (161.6456)	35 (162.7884)	35 (154.8116)
Jun 22, 2018	Blount County BBQ Bash Maryville, TN	31 / 36 (634.6632)	17 (167.4288)	33 (155.3716)	29 (161.6456)	31 (150.2172)
May 18, 2018	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN	37 / 43 (634.1032)	35 (159.9772)	38 (155.9316)	19 (166.8228)	38 (151.3716)
Jul 8, 2017	Cumberland Plateau BBQ Cook-Off & Cruise In (DAY 1) Jamestown, TN	34 / 36 (648.9824)	35 (158.2284)	30 (164.5600)	32 (163.9656)	29 (162.2284)
Jun 23, 2017	Blount County BBQ Bash Maryville, TN	30 / 35 (634.6288)	24 (167.9772)	35 (146.7656)	24 (165.0972)	34 (154.7888)
May 19, 2017	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN	31 / 49 (660.9940)	27 (166.2512)	38 (160.5372)	38 (160.5028)	13 (173.7028)
Apr 22, 2017	Atlanta BBQ Classic (At Atlanta Motor Speedway) Hampton, GA	19 / 23 (641.5308)	18 (159.9312)	20 (155.4056)	5 (171.4056)	21 (154.7884)
Nov 18, 2016	Bar-B-Cure Knoxville, TN	23 / 29 (667.8624)	22 (167.9884)	11 (171.9656)	11 (170.8112)	26 (157.0972)
Jun 3, 2016	Fire in the Valley Red Bank BBQ Red Bank(Chattanooga), TN	34 / 39 (652.4336)	35 (161.1200)	34 (159.3940)	23 (165.6912)	27 (166.2284)
May 20, 2016	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN	32 / 46 (659.3140)	32 (166.8456)	45 (152.5372)	15 (171.9656)	24 (167.9656)
Nov 20, 2015	Bar-B-Cure Knoxville, TN	30 / 35 (627.2680)	19 (168.5712)	33 (154.7884)	21 (163.9428)	33 (139.9656)
Jul 24, 2015	WNC BBQ Festival Maggie Valley, NC	47 / 49 (615.8052)	45 (155.9884)	46 (153.0628)	43 (160.5256)	48 (146.2284)
Jun 26, 2015	Blount County BBQ Bash Maryville, TN	26 / 38 (653.5424)	27 (164.5256)	16 (164.5256)	27 (161.1084)	27 (163.3828)
May 29, 2015	The Rotary Club of Bearden - Que Fest Knoxville, TN	29 / 39 (663.3600)	10 (176.0228)	35 (160.5828)	22 (169.6800)	35 (157.0744)
May 15, 2015	Sevierville Bloomin' BBQ and Bluegrass Festival Sevierville, TN	36 / 44 (658.6856)	27 (169.6684)	35 (161.1200)	40 (161.6572)	32 (166.2400)
Apr 17, 2015	High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN	54 / 59 (637.5312)	57 (158.2628)	54 (156.5256)	53 (159.3600)	45 (163.3828)
Sep 12, 2014	Grills Gone Wild BBQ Fest Greeneville, TN	16 / 17 (644.3768)	17 (156.5028)	9 (167.9656)	15 (161.1200)	15 (158.7884)
Sep 5, 2014	Tony Stone-Cookeville Cookoff Cookeville, TN	36 / 41 (646.1028)	40 (159.3828)	16 (169.1316)	38 (156.4912)	33 (161.0972)
Jul 25, 2014	Foothills Country Fair BBQ Bash Cleveland, TN	46 / 49 (624.3772)	46 (152.5028)	48 (150.2516)	23 (167.4056)	45 (154.2172)
Jun 27, 2014	Blount County BBQ Bash Maryville, TN	28 / 39 (640.4456)	34 (151.9312)	31 (159.3828)	2 (176.0228)	34 (153.1088)
May 30, 2014	The Rotary Club of West Knoxville - Rocky Top Hummin' & Strummin' BBQ Cook-Off Knoxville, TN	44 / 48 (637.5884)	47 (151.9544)	30 (163.9656)	34 (163.4400)	39 (158.2284)
May 16, 2014	Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Sevierville, TN	53 / 56 (608.2512)	52 (149.0972)	54 (152.4684)	46 (157.6456)	48 (149.0400)
Mar 28, 2014	Grills Gone Wild BBQ Festival London, KY	38 / 42 (604.3428)	41 (135.8856)	39 (145.6228)	40 (155.4400)	16 (167.3944)

CAUGHT BY THE FIRE

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (9 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

Boom or bust

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

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

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

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

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

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