A tough matchup
10–0
behind in the head-to-head
SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS ahead in 100% of their meetings
SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.
WHISKEY RIVER BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1431
peak 1431 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ
Contests
11
in the data
First seen
2016-05-13
latest 2022-08-05
Best ToY finish
#1182
Master 2016
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 11 contests
Avg finish
top 84%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
619.40 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 626.37 (-6.97)
Walk rate
18%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±13.30
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 160.24 · weakest Brisket (151.16)
Road miles
1,966
mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 878 mi
Schedule strength
56%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1572)
Purse competed for
$14K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 1 state-championship entries
Master avg
626.37 / 720
10 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
493.65 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Storylines (5 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.
The weak link
−9.1
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 9.08 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 0% of the time against 9%.
- Brisket avg 151.16
- Chicken avg 160.24
- 0 calls in 10 entries
The comeback
3 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 3 years, then back at Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY) (2022-08-05).
- last seen 2019-07-19
- back 2022-08-05
Chicken nemesis
9 of 10
shared chicken entries lost
SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS ahead 90% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS has out-cooked them in 9 of 10 shared chicken entries.
Boom or bust
±14.52%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±14.52% 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 91.6% of a perfect score
- best 137.1%
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.
45 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#6014 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1431
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 10 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#6017 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1431
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#6023 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1431
No shared contest yet.
14 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Head-to-head#6027 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1511
No shared contest yet.
Level with WHISKEY RIVER BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#6022 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1431
No shared contest yet.
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2016.
⚔ Head-to-head#6015 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1502 at their best, 71 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKEY AND HIS BANDITS | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ROLLIN' SMOKE BBQ SD | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SIN CIRCLE BBQ | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SPITFIRE | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Borgy the BBQ Butcher | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RICHIE Z's | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LAST CALL HEROES BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PARROTHEAD SMOKERS | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| LUCKY 19 SAUCE COMPANY | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Hogline | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Pigtamer BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Backroads BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TIMBONE BARBECUE | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Eggspert BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.7256 | 150.8228 | 160.24 | top 71% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.6800 | 142.7888 | 157.99 | top 74% |
| Pork | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 167.3828 | 151.3716 | 158.66 | top 77% |
| Brisket | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.9772 | 143.9200 | 151.16 | top 83% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SD | 7 | 0 | top 84% |
| MN | 3 | 0 | top 85% |
| AL | 1 | 0 | top 76% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 4 | 0 | top 79% |
| Large (40+) | 7 | 0 | top 86% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookin On Kampeska | 3 | 37 | 0 | top 92% | 2019-07-19 |
The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
6.2 yrs
2016-05-13 → 2022-08-05
Busiest season
2016
4 contests
Contests a season
2.2
across 5 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
SD
7 of 11 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
9
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
11 entries · 0 wins · 1 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 160.24 · weakest Brisket (151.16)
Walk rate
18%
a top-10 call in 2 of 11 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 11 contests
Master average
626.37
out of 720 · 10 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
493.65
out of 360 · 1 contest · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
207
70–354 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
1,966
11 mapped stops · furthest 878 mi
Schedule strength
1572
average field rating faced — tougher than 56% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$13,775
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 1 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
3 yrs
2019-07-19 → 2022-08-05
Power rating
1431
peak 1431 · #6020 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2016
- First tracked contest Minnesota in May
- Peak power rating (1493) Minnesota in May
- Career-best overall score642.0684 Original SD BBQ Championships
- 2018
- First call *The Original SD BBQ Championships
- Career-best single call (Chicken)169.7256 *The Original SD BBQ Championships
- 2019
- 10th tracked contest Cookin On Kampeska
- 2022
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score493.6456 Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Most recent contest Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.4 | SMSU Smokefest | 2017-08-18 |
| -10.1 | Cookin On Kampeska | 2017-07-14 |
| -9.9 | Cookin' on Kampeska | 2016-07-15 |
| -7.5 | Minnesota in May | 2016-05-13 |
| -7.2 | Cookin On Kampeska | 2019-07-19 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 76% | 137.1% | 137.1% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 87.9% | 87.9% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 82% | 87.3% | 86.6% |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 86.2% | 84.3% |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 78% | 89.2% | 88.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-08-05 | Back to School Bash (BACKYARD ONLY) Madison, AL | 16 / 21 (493.6456) | 18 (160.5600) | 14 (165.7028) | 10 (167.3828) | — |
| 2019-07-19 | Cookin On Kampeska 🏅 Watertown, SD | 37 / 40 (633.0168) | 36 (154.2744) | 25 (165.1428) | 35 (158.2284) | 35 (155.3712) |
| 2018-09-07 | Ribs, Rod & Rock'n Roll Vermillion, SD | 18 / 25 (625.5084) | 17 (157.6800) | 15 (164.5256) | 22 (153.0628) | 19 (150.2400) |
| 2018-07-20 | *Cookin On Kampeska Watertown, SD | 39 / 45 (628.4572) | 40 (155.3944) | 38 (154.8000) | 36 (158.8456) | 29 (159.4172) |
| 2018-06-01 | *The Original SD BBQ Championships Huron, SD | 29 / 33 (617.6340) | 6 (169.7256) | 32 (142.8228) | 30 (154.8456) | 29 (150.2400) |
| 2017-08-18 | SMSU Smokefest Marshall, MN | 40 / 41 (592.3660) | 40 (150.8228) | 41 (142.7888) | 40 (151.3716) | 37 (147.3828) |
| 2017-07-14 | Cookin On Kampeska Watertown, SD | 46 / 48 (620.9712) | 32 (165.6800) | 45 (155.9544) | 46 (153.1084) | 47 (146.2284) |
| 2016-07-15 | Cookin' on Kampeska Watertown, SD | 37 / 41 (631.8056) | 34 (158.2628) | 16 (169.6800) | 36 (159.9428) | 39 (143.9200) |
| 2016-06-24 | Smoke on the Waterfall Redwoodfalls, MN | 21 / 26 (635.9200) | 14 (166.8572) | 13 (165.1428) | 22 (157.6456) | 25 (146.2744) |
| 2016-06-03 | Original SD BBQ Championships Huron, SD | 28 / 44 (642.0684) | 32 (161.0856) | 28 (162.2400) | 19 (166.2400) | 32 (152.5028) |
| 2016-05-13 | Minnesota in May Falcon Heights, MN | 54 / 71 (635.9428) | 39 (162.2968) | 69 (149.1088) | 32 (164.5600) | 42 (159.9772) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1955 (60 pts) | #2049 (60 pts) | #2026 (60 pts) | #2029 (60 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1199 (203 pts) | #970 (323 pts) | #1247 (218 pts) | #1332 (183 pts) | #1276 (198 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #1722 (120 pts) | #1802 (120 pts) | #1822 (120 pts) | #1799 (120 pts) | #1794 (120 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1182 (251 pts) | #1166 (286 pts) | #1044 (336 pts) | #1209 (276 pts) | #1338 (231 pts) |