HERE COME THE JUDGE BBQ TEAM

HERE COME THE JUDGE BBQ TEAM is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2018. Their best overall finish is 19th of 25 at the Que & Cruz (2018). They are ranked #5938 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#5,938

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1438

peak 1438 · rated over 13 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Apr 1, 2016

latest Oct 5, 2018 · 2.5 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#955

Master 2017 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

1 podium

Overall top-10s

0% of 14 contests

Avg finish

top 81%

overall standings

Best overall

643.7596 / 720

Master · Chillin & Grillin in the Glades (JUDGES FULL)

Perfect 180s

Current form

625.32 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 614.87 (+10.44)

Walk rate

36%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

170.2744

Pork · Gettysburg BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL)

Consistency

±18.41

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 158.82 · weakest Brisket (148.30)

Road miles

2,584

across 14 mapped stops · furthest 378 mi

Schedule strength

72%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1591)

Master avg

614.87 / 720

13 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (4 found in their record)

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

A tough matchup

9–0 behind in the head-to-head

3 EYZ BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

3 EYZ BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 9 shared contests.

The weak link

−10.5 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 10.52 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 8% of the time against 15%.

Brisket avg 148.30
Chicken avg 158.82
1 call in 13 entries

A strong matchup

3–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Buddhist From Mecca BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

8 of 9 shared chicken entries lost

3 EYZ BBQ ahead 89% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, 3 EYZ BBQ has out-cooked them in 8 of 9 shared chicken entries.

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
2018 ↗	Master	#1213 (199 pts)	#1207 (224 pts)	#1139 (249 pts)	#1172 (239 pts)	#1096 (264 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#955 (361 pts)	#926 (421 pts)	#986 (381 pts)	#952 (391 pts)	#992 (356 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1182 (251 pts)	#850 (446 pts)	#1119 (301 pts)	#1248 (261 pts)	#1307 (236 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to HERE COME THE JUDGE BBQ TEAM, each with one reason worth a look.

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

LTS BBQ

#5,940 of the rated field

1437 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 13 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Jul 16, 2021

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ATLANTA BBQ CLUB

#5,935 of the rated field

1438 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1438

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Apr 28, 2018

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Backwoods Grillin'

#5,941 of the rated field

1437 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

14 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Oct 20, 2017

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Chisholm Trail Smokers

#5,929 of the rated field

1438 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1438

They turned up 9 years after HERE COME THE JUDGE BBQ TEAM did, first appearing in 2025.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

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Hickswood BBQ

#5,946 of the rated field

1437 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1437

Level with HERE COME THE JUDGE BBQ TEAM on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen May 4, 2024

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BUTTS & LINKS BBQ

#5,933 of the rated field

1438 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1438

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen Sep 21, 2019

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
3 EYZ BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
4:20 Q	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
LO' -N- SLO' BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
DRILLING & GRILLING	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
BAR-B-QUE MAYHAM	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
SAUCE THIS BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
PIG PEN BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
LAKEVIEW BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
2 RHODIES BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
BONE TO BARK BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	13	2	1	169.7028	147.9544	158.82	top 66%
Pork Ribs	13	1	0	164.5828	138.2632	152.71	top 76%
Pork	13	1	0	170.2744	140.4800	155.04	top 74%
Brisket	13	1	0	169.1084	128.4800	148.30	top 80%

“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
Medium (20–39)	8	0	top 81%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 80%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
VA	6	top 80%
PA	5	top 81%
MD	2	top 83%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Chillin & Grillin in the Glades (JUDGES FULL)	2	24	top 89%	Jul 20, 2018
Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest	2	22	top 74%	Oct 13, 2017
The Ironman	2	32	top 71%	Mar 31, 2017

More numbers

Busiest season 2017 6 contests

Contests a season 4.7 across 3 seasons in the data

Most contests held in VA 6 of 14 contests · 3 states in all

Contests visited 10 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 261 finished ahead 101 times, behind 392

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

20183 milestones

May 25 Career-best single call (Pork)170.2744 Gettysburg BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL)
Jul 20 Career-best overall score643.7596 Chillin & Grillin in the Glades (JUDGES FULL)
Oct 5 Most recent contest Que & Cruz

20171 milestone

Oct 13 10th tracked contest Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest

20163 milestones

Apr 1 First tracked contest The Ironman
Apr 1 Peak power rating (1499) The Ironman
Aug 26 First call Boydton's Big Bad BBQ

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

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.6	Pit at the Park	Aug 5, 2016
-8.6	Smoke in the Grove (JUDGES FULL)	Jul 28, 2017
-7.4	Chillin & Grillin In The Glades	Jul 14, 2017
-7	The Ironman	Mar 31, 2017
-6.7	Boydton's Big Bad BBQ	Aug 26, 2016

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	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	4	75%	top 78%	89.4%	87.8%
2017	6	17%	top 85%	88.8%	84.6%
2016	4	25%	top 77%	87.5%	84.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Oct 5, 2018	Que & Cruz Louisa, VA	19 / 25 (620.9252)	19 (155.9312)	9 (164.5828)	25 (147.9084)	20 (152.5028)
Aug 25, 2018	HAVA Nagrilla 2018 (KOSHER SERIES) (JUDGES FULL) Wynnewood, PA	—	—	—	—	—
Jul 20, 2018	Chillin & Grillin in the Glades (JUDGES FULL) Wise, VA	24 / 29 (643.7596)	19 (165.0856)	29 (149.0400)	26 (160.5256)	10 (169.1084)
May 25, 2018	Gettysburg BBQ Festival (JUDGES FULL) Gettysburg, PA	26 / 35 (631.8744)	28 (157.6684)	29 (153.1316)	10 (170.2744)	29 (150.8000)
Oct 13, 2017	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	22 / 30 (639.3028)	10 (169.7028)	18 (162.2744)	20 (159.9428)	28 (147.3828)
Jul 28, 2017	Smoke in the Grove (JUDGES FULL) Spring Grove, PA	47 / 51 (590.7196)	49 (147.9544)	46 (146.8228)	44 (147.9540)	45 (147.9884)
Jul 14, 2017	Chillin & Grillin In The Glades Wise, VA	25 / 26 (585.4516)	25 (151.9888)	25 (146.2056)	26 (140.4800)	23 (146.7772)
Apr 14, 2017	Interstate BBQ Festival Hagerstown, MD	47 / 58 (625.6460)	31 (165.1316)	49 (154.2744)	37 (161.7028)	51 (144.5372)
Mar 31, 2017	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	49 / 59 (604.9948)	41 (155.9428)	56 (138.2632)	21 (162.2744)	46 (148.5144)
Mar 3, 2017	The Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown Brunswick, MD	42 / 50 (607.8164)	43 (153.0968)	36 (151.9540)	40 (151.4056)	40 (151.3600)
Oct 14, 2016	Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest Woodstock, VA	28 / 38 (619.8172)	31 (154.8000)	29 (151.9428)	22 (159.9428)	28 (153.1316)
Aug 26, 2016	Boydton's Big Bad BBQ Boydton, VA	22 / 28 (596.4572)	3 (168.5600)	22 (148)	23 (151.4172)	26 (128.4800)
Aug 5, 2016	Pit at the Park Macungie, PA	22 / 23 (596.3996)	15 (156.5372)	18 (155.3828)	22 (148.5256)	22 (135.9540)
Apr 1, 2016	The Ironman Greencastle, PA	32 / 54 (630.1712)	25 (162.2972)	19 (163.3828)	39 (153.1084)	38 (151.3828)

HERE COME THE JUDGE BBQ TEAM

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

Master avg

Storylines (4 found in their record)

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

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)

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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)