They almost always walk
63%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 5 of 8 contests
A top-10 category call in 63% of their 8 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
HELLUVA 'Q
HELLUVA 'Q is a competition barbecue team with 8 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 10th of 19 at the Barn Burner BBQ (2017). They are ranked #5280 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1456
peak 1456 · rated over 8 contests
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
Apr 4, 2014
latest Jun 3, 2017 · 3.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
2
25% of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 73%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
622.64 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 619.89 (+2.75)
Walk rate
63%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.77
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 157.28 · weakest Brisket (150.67)
Road miles
4,993
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 4,774 mi
Schedule strength
10%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1514)
Master avg
619.89 / 720
8 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to HELLUVA 'Q, each with one reason worth a look.
124 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,267 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1457
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to HELLUVA 'Q)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team HELLUVA 'Q has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,297 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,295 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1456
Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,287 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1501
Level with HELLUVA 'Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,273 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1457
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,260 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1457
They turned up 7 years after HELLUVA 'Q did, first appearing in 2021.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAT WALLY'S FIREHOUSE BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| THE SMOKIN' GRILL NEXT DOOR | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Buzz Saw BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Rusty's BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ROCKY MOUNTAIN SMOKERS | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 173.1428 | 140.5372 | 157.28 | top 64% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 165.1888 | 144.5144 | 156.19 | top 63% |
| Pork | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 161.7028 | 150.2740 | 155.75 | top 73% |
| Brisket | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 163.4172 | 135.3484 | 150.67 | top 71% |
“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 | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 66% |
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 76% |
| Large (40+) | 1 | 0 | top 82% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barn Burner BBQ | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 74% | Apr 8, 2017 |
More numbers
Contests a season
2
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
BC
4 of 8 contests · 3 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
7
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
143
finished ahead 50 times, behind 149
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20174 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.2516 Barn Burner BBQ
- Career-best overall score650.2516 Barn Burner BBQ
- Career-best single call (Chicken)173.1428 Barn Burner BBQ
- Most recent contest Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition
20144 milestones
- First tracked contest Sam's Club National BBQ Tour
- First call Washington State Spring BBQ Championship
- First overall top-10 Washington State Spring BBQ Championship
- Peak power rating (1490) Washington State Spring BBQ Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +3 | Washington State Spring BBQ Championship | Apr 25, 2014 |
| +2.6 | Barn Burner BBQ | Apr 8, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.3 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | Apr 4, 2014 |
| -12.8 | Barn Burner BBQ | Mar 19, 2016 |
| -7.9 | BBQ off the Bypass | Sep 10, 2016 |
| -7.6 | Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition | Jun 3, 2017 |
| -5.4 | Barn Burner BBQ | Mar 21, 2015 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 67% | 90.3% | 88.9% |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 89% | 85.2% | 83.9% |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 67% | 86.8% | 85.9% |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 69% | 89.2% | 85.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 2017 | Tony Stone Low & Slow BBQ Competition Hoofddorp Netherlands | 46 / 56 (630.2176) | 52 (157.1772) | 47 (153.6688) | 44 (158.8344) | 32 (160.5372) |
| Apr 8, 2017 | Barn Burner BBQ Chilliwack, BC | 10 / 19 (650.2516) | 3 (173.1428) | 7 (165.1888) | 16 (154.8000) | 12 (157.1200) |
| Sep 10, 2016 | BBQ off the Bypass Langley, British of Columbia, BC | 15 / 18 (613.5772) | 13 (153.1200) | 14 (153.0972) | 7 (161.7028) | 13 (145.6572) |
| Mar 19, 2016 | Barn Burner BBQ Chilliwack, British of Columbi, CA | 21 / 22 (594.1260) | 22 (140.5372) | 19 (151.4288) | 18 (151.9428) | 20 (150.2172) |
| Sep 12, 2015 | BBQ On the Bypass Langley, BC | 12 / 19 (625.0516) | 7 (161.7372) | 18 (144.5144) | 14 (155.3828) | 10 (163.4172) |
| Mar 21, 2015 | Barn Burner BBQ Yarrow, BC | 15 / 21 (612.5144) | 13 (158.2972) | 9 (161.1428) | 10 (157.1200) | 18 (135.9544) |
| Apr 25, 2014 | Washington State Spring BBQ Championship Monroe, WA | 10 / 22 (642.1372) | 7 (166.2628) | 5 (162.8228) | 19 (155.9428) | 11 (157.1088) |
| Apr 4, 2014 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Renton, WA | 28 / 30 (591.2796) | 29 (147.9656) | 18 (157.6916) | 27 (150.2740) | 30 (135.3484) |