A tough matchup
5–0
behind in the head-to-head
HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB ahead in 100% of their meetings
HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM
THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM is a competition barbecue team with 5 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 32nd of 56 at the Kelly Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) (2019). They are ranked #3892 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “The Gang Starts a BBQ Team'”.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1485
peak 1485 · rated over 5 contests
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
Sep 1, 2017
latest Sep 12, 2019 · 2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
0% of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 65%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
0%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±15.69
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 163.97 · weakest Pork Ribs (156.55)
Road miles
54
across 5 mapped stops
Schedule strength
46%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1560)
Purse competed for
$78K
listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
637.26 / 720
5 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 | #1955 (60 pts) | #2049 (60 pts) | #2026 (60 pts) | #1513 (130 pts) | #2010 (60 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1524 (120 pts) | #1598 (120 pts) | #1614 (120 pts) | #1610 (120 pts) | #1586 (120 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2212 (60 pts) | #2286 (60 pts) | #2304 (60 pts) | #2260 (60 pts) | #2266 (60 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM, each with one reason worth a look.
159 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,921 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1485
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,899 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1515
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM)
They've been 1515 at their best, 30 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,925 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1485
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM)
Careers of much the same size, 6 contests to 5, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,910 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1508
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM)
Level with THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,901 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1525
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM)
20 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,898 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 4%
- Peak
- 1546
1–3 in 4 shared contests (25% to THE GANG STARTS A BBQ TEAM)
These two have cooked 4 of the same contests — Hawg Wild ahead 3–1 — so there's a record behind this pairing and not just a matching number.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BROWNIES BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| Smokin' Bunz BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
| HUNKA HUNKA BURNIN' RUB | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 169.7028 | 147.9084 | 159.28 | top 59% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165.6800 | 150.2972 | 156.55 | top 70% |
| Pork | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 172 | 151.3600 | 163.97 | top 46% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 159.3828 | 155.9884 | 157.45 | top 66% |
“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
More numbers
Busiest season
2019
2 contests
Contests a season
1.7
across 3 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
4 of 5 contests · 2 states in all
Contests visited
5
a different one every time
Opponents faced
974
finished ahead 407 times, behind 1,171
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20194 milestones
- Career-best single call (Pork)172 Kelly Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.7884 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
- Career-best overall score650.7884 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
- Most recent contest 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST
20181 milestone
- Peak power rating (1493) The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle
20171 milestone
- First tracked contest 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +4.1 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle | Jun 22, 2018 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.7 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 1, 2017 |
| -4.3 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST | Sep 12, 2019 |
| -3.9 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 15, 2018 |
| -0.1 | Kelly Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) | May 31, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 59% | 90.4% | 90% |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 57% | 89.2% | 89.1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 93% | 84.3% | 84.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2019 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 285 / 468 (650.7884) | 131 (169.7028) | 428 (150.2972) | 82 (171.9656) | 317 (158.8228) |
| May 31, 2019 | Kelly Wilson BBQ (KWBBQ) 🏅 Kansas City, MO | 32 / 56 (645.6000) | 42 (154.8228) | 31 (159.3944) | 11 (172) | 30 (159.3828) |
| Sep 15, 2018 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 341 / 467 (641.0856) | 394 (156.5828) | 237 (165.6800) | 269 (162.8344) | 353 (155.9884) |
| Jun 22, 2018 | The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle Lenexa, KS | 74 / 185 (642.2172) | 26 (167.4056) | 116 (156.5944) | 82 (161.7144) | 106 (156.5028) |
| Sep 1, 2017 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 380 / 407 (606.6056) | 386 (147.9084) | 369 (150.8000) | 372 (151.3600) | 302 (156.5372) |