GORILLA ISLANDS

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

Power ranking

#1043

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1600

peak 1600 · rated over 18 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2014-06-20

latest 2018-03-23

Best ToY finish

#558

Master 2015

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 18 contests

Avg finish

top 35%

overall standings

Best overall

689.6344 / 720

Master · Horse Town Brew n Que Festival

Perfect 180s

Current form

672.26 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 675.02 (-2.76)

Walk rate

72%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.8572

Pork · 4th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship

Consistency

±9.97

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 169.47 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.66)

Road miles

2,343

mi across 18 mapped stops · furthest 372 mi

Schedule strength

53%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1568)

Master avg

675.02 / 720

18 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.

They almost always walk

72% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 18 contests

A top-10 category call in 72% of their 18 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

689.6344 career-best overall

95.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 689.6344 at Horse Town Brew n Que Festival — 95.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2015-05-29

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ has finished one call ahead of GORILLA ISLANDS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

15–1 behind in the head-to-head

Burnin and Lootin ahead in 94% of their meetings

Burnin and Lootin has come out ahead in 15 of their 16 shared contests.

A strong matchup

13–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 93% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of COOL GRILLING in 13 of their 14 shared contests.

Brisket nemesis

9 of 12 shared brisket entries lost

DG FIREHOUSE BBQ ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, DG FIREHOUSE BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 12 shared brisket entries.

The metronome

±1.38% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.38% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.8% of a perfect score
18 contests

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.

RUBY CREEK BBQ

#1040 of the rated field

1600 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1600

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 23 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2026-06-19

⚔ Head-to-head

Woodquarter Smokerheads

#1042 of the rated field

1600 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 85%
Peak: 1612

No shared contest yet.

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 26 contests to 18.

rated over 24 contests
last seen 2026-07-18

⚔ Head-to-head

THAT'S OUR QUE

#1049 of the rated field

1599 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 26
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 42%
Peak: 1600

No shared contest yet.

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 26 contests, alongside a 42% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 26 contests
last seen 2019-06-01

⚔ Head-to-head

Sure Shot BBQ

#1039 of the rated field

1600 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1600

No shared contest yet.

They turned up 8 years after GORILLA ISLANDS did, first appearing in 2022.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-04-10

⚔ Head-to-head

CRAZY COYOTE

#1050 of the rated field

1599 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 32
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 34%
Peak: 1618

No shared contest yet.

Level with GORILLA ISLANDS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 32 contests
last seen 2017-08-04

⚔ Head-to-head

BIG BLOCK BBQ

#1046 of the rated field

1599 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 30%
Peak: 1635

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1635 at their best, 36 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 32 contests
last seen 2016-09-03

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
Burnin and Lootin	16	1	15	6%	⚔ compare
COOL GRILLING	14	13	1	93%	⚔ compare
SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
Smokin it Up BBQ	13	8	5	62%	⚔ compare
THE PIT CREW BBQ OF AZ	13	6	7	46%	⚔ compare
LADY OF Q	13	3	10	23%	⚔ compare
JET COATINGS - MONKEY STYLE	12	8	4	67%	⚔ compare
SMOKIN' HART'S	12	7	5	58%	⚔ compare
ZZYZX BAR.B.Q	12	5	7	42%	⚔ compare
DG FIREHOUSE BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
TWISTED BRISKET BBQ	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
RIDGE ROUTE BOYS BBQ	11	7	4	64%	⚔ compare
Sharpe's Woodshed	11	5	6	45%	⚔ compare
Porterhouse BBQ	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
BIG POPPA SMOKERS	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	18	4	1	176.5944	155.9544	168.87	top 44%
Pork Ribs	18	4	0	176.5944	157.6916	167.66	top 46%
Pork	18	4	0	178.8572	157.1200	169.02	top 39%
Brisket	18	9	1	175.4172	156.5372	169.47	top 32%

“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
CA	16	top 34%
NV	1	top 66%
AZ	1	top 27%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	7	0	top 43%
Large (40+)	11	0	top 30%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
*Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival( JUDGES FULL)	2	10	0	top 36%	2017-11-03
Horse Town Brew n Que Festival	2	11	0	top 29%	2016-06-03

The story so far (15 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 3.8 yrs 2014-06-20 → 2018-03-23

Busiest season 2015 8 contests

Contests a season 3.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Cooks most in CA 16 of 18 contests · 3 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 16 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 18 entries · 0 wins · 4 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 169.47 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.66)

Walk rate 72% a top-10 call in 13 of 18 contests

Overall top-10 rate 28% 5 of 18 contests

Best top-10 run 2 straight contests

Master average 675.02 out of 720 · 18 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 341 632–284 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 2,343 18 mapped stops · furthest 372 mi

Schedule strength 1568 average field rating faced — tougher than 53% of rated contests

Power rating 1600 peak 1600 · #1043 of 6,413 rated

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

2014
Jun 20 First tracked contest 3rd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship
Jun 20 First call 3rd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship
Jun 20 First overall top-10 3rd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship
Jun 20 First overall past 90% of a perfect score682.2404 3rd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship
2015
Mar 20 Career-best single call (Pork)178.8572 4th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship
May 29 Career-best overall score689.6344 Horse Town Brew n Que Festival
Jul 24 10th tracked contest 7th Annual Vista BBQ Classic
2018
Mar 23 Peak power rating (1600) 7th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship
Mar 23 Most recent contest 7th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+14.6	3rd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship	2014-06-20
+13.4	5th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship	2016-04-01
+11.4	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival	2015-05-29
+11.1	6th Annual Vista Q Classic	2014-07-25
+8.9	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full)	2016-11-11

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-4.8	West Coast BBQ Classic	2015-05-08
-3	Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship	2016-05-06
-0.2	Stagecoach Days 1st Annual State BBQ Championship	2015-06-19

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 35%	93.2%	93.2%
2017	1	0	0%	top 46%	94%	94%
2016	6	3	83%	top 35%	95.5%	93.9%
2015	8	1	88%	top 39%	95.8%	93.5%
2014	2	1	50%	top 15%	94.8%	94.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-03-23	7th Annual Santa Anita Winners Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA	27 / 78 (671.3716)	31 (169.1428)	53 (163.3828)	23 (168.5600)	21 (170.2860)
2017-11-03	*Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival( JUDGES FULL) Indio, CA	16 / 35 (676.4572)	20 (167.9656)	16 (167.9772)	12 (171.9656)	15 (168.5488)
2016-11-11	Indio California State BBQ Championship & Festival ( Judges Full) Indio, CA	10 / 38 (686.2400)	28 (163.3828)	6 (176.5944)	11 (171.4056)	9 (174.8572)
2016-06-03	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA	25 / 58 (670.7428)	35 (168.5256)	23 (169.1544)	15 (170.8228)	37 (162.2400)
2016-05-06	Smokin In Mesquite BBQ Championship Mesquite, NV	23 / 35 (656.4800)	24 (165.1200)	23 (162.8000)	33 (157.1200)	9 (171.4400)
2016-04-15	The Ultimate BBQ showdown East vs West VII Wildomar, CA	14 / 32 (675.8972)	2 (176.5944)	25 (164.5372)	9 (170.8228)	20 (163.9428)
2016-04-01	5th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arciadia, CA	4 / 72 (687.9544)	9 (172.5828)	10 (173.7144)	33 (166.2400)	3 (175.4172)
2016-03-18	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Tucson, AZ	8 / 30 (679.8856)	12 (169.6800)	22 (164.5256)	14 (170.8228)	4 (174.8572)
2015-07-24	7th Annual Vista BBQ Classic Vista, CA	18 / 54 (682.7656)	12 (174.2628)	22 (169.6916)	33 (166.2628)	9 (172.5484)
2015-06-19	Stagecoach Days 1st Annual State BBQ Championship Banning, CA	17 / 29 (674.1600)	14 (171.9888)	23 (161.6456)	16 (168.5600)	7 (171.9656)
2015-05-29	Horse Town Brew n Que Festival Norco, CA	11 / 75 (689.6344)	9 (175.4288)	10 (174.2628)	23 (170.8228)	35 (169.1200)
2015-05-08	West Coast BBQ Classic Long Beach, CA	38 / 57 (653.0288)	48 (155.9544)	24 (167.9772)	10 (172.5600)	44 (156.5372)
2015-04-10	The Ultimate BBQ Showdown East vs West VI Wildomar, CA	17 / 42 (674.1712)	25 (169.1428)	19 (169.1200)	22 (168.5256)	17 (167.3828)
2015-03-27	Havasu Landing CA (JUDGES LIST IS FULL) Havasu Landing, CA	9 / 25 (672.4912)	9 (167.3828)	13 (165.7028)	10 (167.9656)	4 (171.4400)
2015-03-20	4th Annual Santa Anita Winners' Circle BBQ Championship Arcadia, CA	27 / 100 (678.8000)	54 (167.4400)	35 (168.5600)	4 (178.8572)	58 (163.9428)
2015-02-20	The Pig (Guinea Pig) Competitor's Series Rancho Mirage, CA	19 / 49 (659.3032)	21 (167.9772)	39 (157.6916)	23 (163.9428)	8 (169.6916)
2014-07-25	6th Annual Vista Q Classic Vista, CA	12 / 60 (678.7656)	14 (171.9772)	22 (167.3828)	24 (167.4056)	12 (172.0000)
2014-06-20	3rd Annual Pechanga BBQ Championship Temecula, CA	7 / 65 (682.2404)	39 (165.1088)	4 (173.1544)	12 (169.7028)	4 (174.2744)

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	#1954 (60 pts)	#2012 (60 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	#1970 (70 pts)	#1893 (80 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#641 (602 pts)	#631 (647 pts)	#939 (402 pts)	#812 (482 pts)	#554 (727 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#558 (674 pts)	#558 (694 pts)	#648 (599 pts)	#500 (774 pts)	#480 (784 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#981 (320 pts)	#1430 (205 pts)	#1052 (315 pts)	#1372 (220 pts)	#924 (365 pts)