The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Pops BBQ 22 has finished one call ahead of HELLO BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
HELLO BBQ
HELLO BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 20 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2016 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 13th of 21 at the Ceres Bands Brews & BBQ Throwdown / Formerly Smoke on the River (2017). They are ranked #5502 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1451
peak 1451 · rated over 11 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
20
in the data
First seen
Oct 21, 2016
latest Sep 20, 2019 · 2.9 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
2 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 20 contests
Avg finish
top 75%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
639.26 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 617.74 (+21.52)
Walk rate
30%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±40.44
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 161.83 · weakest Brisket (149.80)
Road miles
1,186
across 20 mapped stops · furthest 113 mi
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1565)
Purse competed for
$60K
listed at 3 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 3 state-championship entries
Master avg
617.74 / 720
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1147 (206 pts) | #1336 (176 pts) | #1134 (236 pts) | #1164 (226 pts) | #1153 (226 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1669 (119 pts) | #1713 (119 pts) | #1292 (199 pts) | #1728 (119 pts) | #1700 (119 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #813 (462 pts) | #471 (822 pts) | #791 (507 pts) | #803 (502 pts) | #1037 (337 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2274 (60 pts) | #2154 (95 pts) | #2349 (60 pts) | #2326 (60 pts) | #2166 (90 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to HELLO BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
123 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5,499 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 9%
- Peak
- 1504
They've been 1504 at their best, 53 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#5,506 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1451
Fewer contests behind them than HELLO BBQ has cooked, 11 to 20, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#5,513 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1451
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#5,515 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1450
Level with HELLO BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#5,490 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1504
They've been 1504 at their best, 53 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#5,487 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1451
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKIN' AXE BBQ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokey and the Pirate | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PIRATES OF THE PIG | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Cynical BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BAR-B-CUDA BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| BAR-B-Q'S-2GO | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| NUTIN2IT BUT2QIT | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SON OF SMOKE | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKED SEDUCTION | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| BIG POPPA SMOKERS | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Pops BBQ 22 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| CANYON RIDERS BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| SIMPLY MARVELOUS BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| THE CALIFORNIA GRILL BILLIES | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 13 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 173.7028 | 138.8340 | 161.83 | top 51% |
| Pork Ribs | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 166.8800 | 150.2628 | 161.48 | top 54% |
| Pork | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8800 | 146.2400 | 157.17 | top 75% |
| Brisket | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 166.8916 | 125.6344 | 149.80 | top 76% |
“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) | 7 | 0 | top 71% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 82% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Valley BBQ Championship | 3 | 36 | 0 | top 77% | Jun 21, 2019 |
| Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 67% | Jul 28, 2018 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2017
6 contests
Contests a season
3.3
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
CA
19 of 20 contests
Contests visited
9
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
227
finished ahead 109 times, behind 379
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20193 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.8004 Clayton BBQ Cook-off
- Career-best overall score650.8004 Clayton BBQ Cook-off
- Most recent contest 5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship
20172 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship
- Career-best single call (Chicken)173.7028 Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge
20163 milestones
- First call Smoke on the River Bands, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD)
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Smoke on the River Bands, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD)
- Peak power rating (1496) San Francisco BBQ Festival BBQ Competition
20141 milestone
- First tracked contest Brentwood Cook Off & Car Show
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +3 | Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge | Jul 28, 2017 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.3 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship | May 5, 2017 |
| -11.2 | 3rd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship | Sep 15, 2017 |
| -5.5 | Grills N Grills | Aug 25, 2017 |
| -4.8 | Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge | Jul 28, 2018 |
| -4.7 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship | Jun 22, 2018 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 90.4% | 89.8% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 80% | 88.1% | 87.3% |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67% | top 77% | 88.9% | 83.4% |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20% | top 68% | 85.2% | 85.2% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2019 | 5th Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship 🏅 | 33 / 44 (647.3028) | 28 (163.9772) | 28 (163.3828) | 38 (156.5600) | 23 (163.3828) |
| Jul 12, 2019 | Clayton BBQ Cook-off 🏅 Clayton, CA | 19 / 31 (650.8004) | 26 (158.8116) | 13 (165.7144) | 22 (159.3828) | 17 (166.8916) |
| Jun 21, 2019 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship 🏅 unrated Santa Clara, CA | 36 (640.5372) | 40 (154.8228) | 26 (162.8572) | 18 (166.8572) | 34 (156) |
| Jul 28, 2018 | Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge Gilroy, CA | 27 / 34 (634.1832) | 26 (158.2400) | 24 (163.4060) | 25 (162.8344) | 29 (149.7028) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | 39 / 49 (623.4628) | 39 (158.2628) | 10 (166.8800) | 36 (159.4400) | 46 (138.8800) |
| Sep 15, 2017 | 3rd Annual Hot Q's & Cold Brews BBQ Championship Oroville, CA | 47 / 48 (506.3428) | 14 (169.1428) | 25 (166.3200) | 7 (170.8800) | — |
| Aug 25, 2017 | Grills N Grills penn Valley, CA | 21 / 27 (637.0288) | 9 (172) | 14 (166.8572) | 23 (155.3600) | 24 (142.8116) |
| Aug 11, 2017 | Ceres Bands Brews & BBQ Throwdown / Formerly Smoke on the River Ceres, CA | 13 / 21 (634.2516) | 5 (169.1316) | 17 (153.7028) | 16 (156.0116) | 12 (155.4056) |
| Jul 28, 2017 | Gilroy Garli-Que Challenge Gilroy, CA | 14 / 26 (639.9316) | 2 (173.7028) | 9 (166.8572) | 22 (154.8344) | 25 (144.5372) |
| Jun 23, 2017 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Santa Clara, CA | 46 / 62 (624.4456) | 19 (166.2972) | 38 (155.9428) | 52 (150.8228) | 51 (151.3828) |
| May 5, 2017 | Elk Grove Western Festival and BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA | 32 / 33 (560.9712) | 32 (138.8340) | 29 (150.2628) | 30 (146.2400) | 33 (125.6344) |
| Oct 21, 2016 | San Francisco BBQ Festival BBQ Competition San Francisco, CA | 26 / 38 (613.6112) | 18 (161.6684) | 29 (152) | 31 (146.8228) | 19 (153.1200) |
| Aug 26, 2016 | Smoke on the River Bands, Brews & BBQ (BACKYARD) Ceres, CA | — | 9 (158.8456) | 1 (165.1200) | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2016 | Oaktown Throwdown BBQ Oakland, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 5, 2016 | 2016 Clayton Rib Cook-off (COMPETITOR SERIES ) Clayton, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 24, 2016 | Silicon Valley Barbeque Championships Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2015 | Oaktown Throwdown Oakland, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Silicon Valley BBQ Championships Santa Clara, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| May 1, 2015 | Elk Grove Western Festival & BBQ Championship Elk Grove, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 8, 2014 | Brentwood Cook Off & Car Show Brentwood, CA | — | — | — | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.