Their season
2016
their best year
2016 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 65%.
- 3 contests
- 0 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 65%
THE ROOKIES
THE ROOKIES is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2022. Their best overall finish is 14th of 25 at the Town of Mt. Pleasant Fall Festival & First Annual Polar Pig Cook-Off (2016). They are ranked #5182 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1459
peak 1500 · rated over 9 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
Apr 22, 2016
latest Jul 22, 2022 · 6.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 76%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
622.69 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 631.04 (-8.36)
Walk rate
33%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±21.73
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 163.02 · weakest Pork Ribs (153.23)
Road miles
606
across 9 mapped stops · furthest 172 mi
Schedule strength
63%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1580)
Purse competed for
$46K
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
631.04 / 720
9 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #1309 (60 pts) | #1341 (60 pts) | #1404 (60 pts) | #1348 (60 pts) | #1333 (60 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #1040 (108 pts) | #1067 (113 pts) | #1131 (108 pts) | #836 (163 pts) | #924 (128 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1955 (60 pts) | #1923 (80 pts) | #2026 (60 pts) | #1496 (135 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1954 (60 pts) | #2012 (60 pts) | #1996 (60 pts) | #1970 (70 pts) | #1806 (100 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2027 (90 pts) | #2214 (70 pts) | #2059 (100 pts) | #1743 (130 pts) | #2266 (60 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #1418 (190 pts) | #1058 (330 pts) | #1366 (225 pts) | #1070 (330 pts) | #1710 (145 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to THE ROOKIES, each with one reason worth a look.
122 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,187 of the rated field
- Contests
- 14
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1458
2–2 in 4 shared contests (50% to THE ROOKIES)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — honours even — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,181 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1459
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#5,162 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1503
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#5,180 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1516
Level with THE ROOKIES on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,188 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1514
They've been 1514 at their best, 55 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#5,174 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1459
Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 7 years before THE ROOKIES's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REDNECK SCIENTIFIC | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLY SMOKE BBQ-NC | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| HICKORY BARBEQUE COMPANY | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| MCADOO HEIGHTS BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN SKULLIES | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| TOO SAUCED | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| DANCING MOOSE BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| CHOCK FULL OF BARBEQUE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| FatHeads bbq | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| THE SMOKEHOUSE MAFIA | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE N BREW | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 174.3200 | 147.9772 | 160.68 | top 69% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.7144 | 131.3600 | 153.23 | top 79% |
| Pork | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 169.7028 | 149.0628 | 163.02 | top 51% |
| Brisket | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.4056 | 146.1828 | 154.11 | top 77% |
“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) | 5 | 0 | top 84% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 67% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest | 4 | 25 | 0 | top 88% | Jul 22, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2016
3 contests
Contests a season
1.3
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
NC
9 of 9 contests
Contests visited
6
1 of them more than once
Opponents faced
179
finished ahead 85 times, behind 253
Longest layoff
1.4 yrs
Jun 14, 2019 → Nov 6, 2020
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20221 milestone
- Most recent contest Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest
20171 milestone
- Peak power rating (1500) Peak City Pig Fest
20165 milestones
- First tracked contest Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off
- First call Peak City Pigfest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.0632 Peak City Pigfest
- Career-best overall score661.0632 Peak City Pigfest
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.3200 Peak City Pigfest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +5.8 | Peak City Pig Fest | Jun 16, 2017 |
| +4 | Peak City Pigfest | Jun 17, 2016 |
| +1.9 | Town of Mt. Pleasant Fall Festival & First Annual Polar Pig Cook-Off | Nov 11, 2016 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.3 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off | Apr 22, 2016 |
| -11.2 | Currituck Bulls & BBQ | Nov 6, 2020 |
| -9.9 | Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest | Jul 22, 2022 |
| -9.6 | Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest | Jun 15, 2018 |
| -6 | Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest | Jun 14, 2019 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 84.3% | 84.3% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 83% | 89% | 89% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 85.5% | 85.5% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 82% | 87.2% | 87.2% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 89% | 86.4% | 86.4% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 40% | 91% | 91% |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 65% | 91.8% | 88.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2022 | Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest 🏅 Apex, NC | 34 / 35 (607.1888) | 30 (161.0972) | 35 (144.4800) | 33 (153.6800) | 33 (147.9316) |
| Jul 23, 2021 | Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest 🏅 Apex, NC | 25 / 30 (640.9948) | 28 (157.0856) | 29 (154.2288) | 14 (166.8572) | 21 (162.8232) |
| Nov 6, 2020 | Currituck Bulls & BBQ 🏅 Powells Point, NC | 28 / 28 (615.2800) | 24 (160.5944) | 26 (158.2628) | 28 (149.0628) | 28 (147.3600) |
| Jun 14, 2019 | Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest 🏅 Apex, NC | 31 / 38 (627.7940) | 21 (163.9656) | 36 (149.1200) | 10 (168.5256) | 35 (146.1828) |
| Jun 15, 2018 | Bone Suckin Sauce Peak City Pig Fest Apex, NC | 39 / 44 (622.1712) | 42 (147.9772) | 40 (149.6684) | 23 (161.1200) | 17 (163.4056) |
| Jun 16, 2017 | Peak City Pig Fest Apex, NC | 19 / 47 (655.3484) | 23 (163.9772) | 17 (166.8800) | 11 (168.5256) | 34 (155.9656) |
| Nov 11, 2016 | Town of Mt. Pleasant Fall Festival & First Annual Polar Pig Cook-Off Mt. Pleasant, NC | 14 / 25 (653.6916) | 16 (163.4172) | 6 (169.7144) | 6 (168.5828) | 22 (151.9772) |
| Jun 17, 2016 | Peak City Pigfest Apex, NC | 20 / 46 (661.0632) | 3 (174.3200) | 38 (155.3832) | 7 (169.7028) | 21 (161.6572) |
| Apr 22, 2016 | Uptown Lexington BBQ Capital Cook Off Lexington, NC | 52 / 54 (595.8628) | 48 (153.7144) | 52 (131.3600) | 43 (161.1428) | 52 (149.6456) |