3 RIVERS BBQ

3 RIVERS BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 9th of 15 at the Smokin' on the White (2019). They are ranked #2738 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “3 Rivers BBQ - GA”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,738

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1513

peak 1520 · rated over 17 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 25, 2018

latest Jul 10, 2025 · 7.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#467

Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

0 podiums

Overall top-10s

6% of 17 contests

Avg finish

top 60%

overall standings

Best overall

679.9428 / 720

Master · Saracen Casino Smoke on the Water

Perfect 180s

Current form

662.77 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 651.87 (+10.89)

Walk rate

53%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

177.7028

Chicken · Saracen Casino Smoke on the Water

Consistency

±24.76

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 163.59 · weakest Pork Ribs (162.36)

Road miles

3,065

across 17 mapped stops · furthest 555 mi

Schedule strength

58%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1574)

Purse competed for

$169K

listed at 12 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 13 state-championship entries

Master avg

651.87 / 720

17 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

High-water mark

679.9428 career-best overall

94.4% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 679.9428 at Saracen Casino Smoke on the Water — 94.4% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 21, 2022

The one to beat

3× one call ahead of them

Cowboy Q has finished one call ahead of 3 RIVERS BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

9–2 behind in the head-to-head

FIRE DANCER BBQ ahead in 82% of their meetings

FIRE DANCER BBQ has come out ahead in 9 of their 11 shared contests.

A strong matchup

5–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of K & K KOOKERS in 5 of their 6 shared contests.

The comeback

2.7 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.7 years, then back at South Carolina Festival of Discovery (Jul 10, 2025).

last seen Oct 21, 2022
back Jul 10, 2025

Brisket nemesis

11 of 11 shared brisket entries lost

FIRE DANCER BBQ ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, FIRE DANCER BBQ has out-cooked them in 11 of 11 shared brisket entries.

A September team

Top 52% average finish in September

Something about September: average finish in the top 52% across 4 contests, versus top 60% the rest of the year.

4 September contests
top 60% the rest of the year

Show 1 more storyline

The long haul

3,065 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,065 miles across 17 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 555 miles to South Carolina Festival of Discovery.

17 mapped stops
furthest 555 mi

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
2025 ↗	Master	#1148 (60 pts)	#1221 (60 pts)	#1293 (60 pts)	#1190 (60 pts)	#1190 (60 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#1227 (80 pts)	#913 (165 pts)	#1270 (95 pts)	#1348 (60 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#576 (286 pts)	#696 (236 pts)	#653 (261 pts)	#661 (241 pts)	#558 (331 pts)
2020 ↗	Master	#651 (123 pts)	#836 (88 pts)	#545 (203 pts)	#792 (103 pts)	#864 (68 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#467 (706 pts)	#489 (696 pts)	#442 (776 pts)	#478 (721 pts)	#498 (671 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#1020 (271 pts)	#1115 (256 pts)	#1031 (301 pts)	#880 (371 pts)	#1024 (291 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to 3 RIVERS BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Rum Runners BBQ

#2,724 of the rated field

1513 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1515

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to 3 RIVERS BBQ)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team 3 RIVERS BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Jul 9, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

BURN ONE BBQ

#2,761 of the rated field

1512 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1519

0–2 in 2 shared contests (0% to 3 RIVERS BBQ)

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 7 years before 3 RIVERS BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

RED BARN BBQ

#2,731 of the rated field

1513 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1530

Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Apr 26, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

RED WAX BBQ

#2,728 of the rated field

1513 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 6%
Peak: 1517

18 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Aug 31, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

JUST SMOKIN' AROUND

#2,759 of the rated field

1512 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 13%
Peak: 1515

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 16 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Mar 31, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

SERIAL GRILLAZ(NL)

#2,762 of the rated field

1512 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 20%
Peak: 1549

Level with 3 RIVERS BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Jun 3, 2022

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
FIRE DANCER BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
Cowboy Q	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Kermit's Ex	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
RAZORRACKS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
DAD'S GRILLIN CREW	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
K & K KOOKERS	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
Organizer Portal	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
BBQR'S DELIGHT	6	1	5	17%	⚔ compare
Survivor-Que	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
LA PASADITA	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
RIDGE OUTLAWS BBQ	5	1	4	20%	⚔ compare
ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare
MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	17	3	177.7028	134.2628	162.49	top 63%
Pork Ribs	17	6	175.4172	146.7772	162.36	top 59%
Pork	16	3	171.9772	152.5256	163.18	top 59%
Brisket	17	1	172.5600	148.5600	163.59	top 58%

“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	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	3	top 83%
Medium (20–39)	7	top 52%
Large (40+)	7	top 58%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
AR	10	top 60%
AL	2	top 35%
SC	1	top 82%
TN	1	top 71%
MO	1	top 31%
MS	1	top 65%
IL	1	top 100%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	2	19	0	top 63%	Jun 11, 2021
Go Hog Wild Arkansas BBQ Championship	2	12	0	top 52%	Oct 4, 2019

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 7 contests

Contests a season 2.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Most contests held in AR 10 of 17 contests · 7 states in all

Contests visited 15 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 488 finished ahead 322 times, behind 366

Longest layoff 2.7 yrs Oct 21, 2022 → Jul 10, 2025

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

20251 milestone

Jul 10 Most recent contest South Carolina Festival of Discovery

20223 milestones

Oct 21 Career-best overall score679.9428 Saracen Casino Smoke on the Water
Oct 21 Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7028 Saracen Casino Smoke on the Water
Oct 21 Peak power rating (1520) Saracen Casino Smoke on the Water

20193 milestones

Jun 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score661.5884 Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off
Sep 6 First overall top-10 Smokin' on the White
Oct 4 10th tracked contest Go Hog Wild Arkansas BBQ Championship

20182 milestones

May 25 First tracked contest 10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off
May 25 First call 10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+10.4	Smoke on the Falls	Sep 18, 2020
+10.3	Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest	Aug 16, 2019
+9.9	Smoke on the Falls	Apr 9, 2021
+9.6	Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival	Sep 27, 2019
+6.5	Saracen Casino Smoke on the Water	Oct 21, 2022

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.8	Beardstown Blues,Brews & Barbecue	Jun 8, 2018
-10.2	10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off	May 25, 2018
-7	South Carolina Festival of Discovery	Jul 10, 2025
-5.1	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	Jun 7, 2019
-4.5	Bikes, Blues and BBQ	Sep 28, 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	Top-10s	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2025	1	0	0%	top 82%	89.2%	89.2%
2022	1	0	100%	top 45%	94.4%	94.4%
2021	3	0	33%	top 51%	94.3%	92.2%
2020	1	0	100%	top 39%	92.7%	92.7%
2019	7	1	57%	top 53%	93.9%	91.8%
2018	4	0	50%	top 82%	89.6%	85.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jul 10, 2025	South Carolina Festival of Discovery 🏅 Greenwood, SC	54 / 66 (642.1028)	55 (160.5028)	59 (155.3484)	58 (158.2744)	41 (167.9772)
Oct 21, 2022	Saracen Casino Smoke on the Water 🏅 Pine Bluff, AR	21 / 47 (679.9428)	7 (177.7028)	18 (169.7144)	27 (167.9656)	32 (164.5600)
Jun 11, 2021	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest 🏅 Wynne, AR	19 / 38 (678.7772)	16 (173.1084)	27 (165.6800)	20 (168.5716)	14 (171.4172)
May 14, 2021	Obion County Barbeque Cook Off 🏅 Union City, TN	22 / 31 (638.8112)	22 (159.9656)	27 (154.2744)	25 (157.7256)	14 (166.8456)
Apr 9, 2021	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	12 / 38 (674.1944)	25 (168)	9 (170.8344)	17 (165.6800)	16 (169.6800)
Sep 18, 2020	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	11 / 28 (667.3032)	18 (166.2400)	4 (173.7144)	15 (164.5372)	22 (162.8116)
Oct 25, 2019	Smokin' on the Square 🏅 El Dorado, AR	13 / 20 (650.7200)	13 (164.5372)	17 (159.3944)	13 (162.2628)	15 (164.5256)
Oct 4, 2019	Go Hog Wild Arkansas BBQ Championship 🏅 Sheridan, AR	12 / 26 (655.2340)	9 (168.5372)	14 (159.9428)	14 (161.6684)	14 (165.0856)
Sep 27, 2019	Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival 🏅 Jonesboro, AR	12 / 43 (670.1712)	13 (166.2744)	8 (169.6912)	8 (171.9772)	18 (162.2284)
Sep 6, 2019	Smokin' on the White 🏅 Batesville, AR	9 / 15 (670.8000)	6 (167.9772)	7 (168.0344)	5 (170.2628)	11 (164.5256)
Aug 16, 2019	Cape Jaycees BBQ Fest 🏅 Cape Girardeau, MO	14 / 45 (675.8856)	30 (162.2400)	7 (175.4172)	23 (165.6684)	10 (172.5600)
Jun 14, 2019	Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off 🏅 Hernado, MS	32 / 49 (661.5884)	37 (164.5256)	35 (162.2744)	—	23 (167.3828)
Jun 7, 2019	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest 🏅 Wynne, AR	39 / 51 (642.6624)	34 (166.2284)	40 (158.2400)	48 (152.5256)	28 (165.6684)
Oct 5, 2018	Go Hog Wild Arkansas BBQ Championship Sheridan, AR	15 / 26 (645.0400)	17 (159.4056)	10 (166.8688)	18 (157.6800)	13 (161.0856)
Sep 28, 2018	Bikes, Blues and BBQ Fayetteville, AR	39 / 49 (616.4228)	44 (148.5028)	41 (150.2744)	34 (160.5256)	32 (157.1200)
Jun 8, 2018	Beardstown Blues,Brews & Barbecue Beardstown, IL	17 / 17 (584.3200)	17 (134.2628)	16 (146.7772)	15 (154.2172)	15 (149.0628)
May 25, 2018	10th Annual Gillett Heritage Days Festival BBQ cook off Gillett, AR	16 / 18 (627.8852)	17 (154.2512)	16 (153.6684)	4 (171.4056)	16 (148.5600)

3 RIVERS BBQ

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

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (8 found in their record)

High-water mark

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Brisket nemesis

A September team

The long haul

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)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 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)