Riding a hot streak
8
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 8-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 9
TFS PIT VIPERS
TFS PIT VIPERS is a competition barbecue team with 29 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2023. They have won 4 Grand Championships, most recently at the BBQ Boogie & Blues (2023), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 4 times. They are ranked #360 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1710
peak 1710 · rated over 21 contests5 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
29
in the data
First seen
Aug 2, 2019
latest Apr 28, 2023 · 3.7 years on the trail
Grand champs
4
4 reserve · wins it all 14% of the time
Category wins
8
23 podiums
Overall top-10s
22
76% of 29 contests
Best top-10 run
9
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 15%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
513.64 ▲
last 5 Backyard (3-meat) vs avg 509.65 (+4.00)
Walk rate
72%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±10.28
spread of their Backyard (3-meat) overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 170.67 · weakest Brisket (158.24)
Road miles
5,414
across 29 mapped stops · furthest 723 mi
Schedule strength
55%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1570)
Purse competed for
$152K
listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
4 🏅
won from 20 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
340.36 / 360
7 Backyard contests · 1 GC
Backyard (3-meat) avg
509.65 / 540
16 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 3 GCs
These overall scores sit on different scales (Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #86 (720 pts) | #72 (878 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1238 (108 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #40 (891 pts) | #11 (1,241 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #31 (957 pts) | #8 (1,254 pts) | — | — |
| 2020 ↗ | Backyard | — | #20 (593 pts) | #26 (423 pts) | — | — |
| 2019 ↗ | Backyard | — | #16 (147 pts) | #19 (112 pts) | — | — |
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to TFS PIT VIPERS, each with one reason worth a look.
#359 of the rated field
- Contests
- 112
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 48%
- Peak
- 1788
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to TFS PIT VIPERS)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team TFS PIT VIPERS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#358 of the rated field
- Contests
- 64
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 44%
- Peak
- 1748
They've been 1748 at their best, 38 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careers#357 of the rated field
- Contests
- 61
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 48%
- Peak
- 1715
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 5 years before TFS PIT VIPERS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#361 of the rated field
- Contests
- 83
- GCs
- 6
- Top-10s
- 45%
- Peak
- 1768
83 contests to 29: their number has had years to settle where TFS PIT VIPERS's is still finding its level.
⚔ Compare careers#355 of the rated field
- Contests
- 43
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 56%
- Peak
- 1731
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to TFS PIT VIPERS)
Their rating is built on 4 Grand Championships in 43 contests, alongside a 56% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#354 of the rated field
- Contests
- 34
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 71%
- Peak
- 1721
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before TFS PIT VIPERS's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | 16 | 16 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 16 | 15 | 0 | 94% | ⚔ compare |
| Wine Me, Dine Me and Swine Me | 15 | 13 | 2 | 87% | ⚔ compare |
| Peckerwood Country Club | 14 | 14 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Stewbabys BBQ | 14 | 14 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| COOL HAND QUE | 14 | 13 | 1 | 93% | ⚔ compare |
| MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | 13 | 10 | 2 | 77% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 13 | 6 | 7 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Wiggle Butts BBQ | 12 | 12 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Beachin' Good Barbecue | 12 | 12 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| ZIPS BBQ | 12 | 11 | 1 | 92% | ⚔ compare |
| ROLLIN KOLBZ | 12 | 10 | 2 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
| 2 Swine Crew | 12 | 9 | 3 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Gardenvalley Smokers | 12 | 8 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 12 | 8 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 23 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 178.8572 | 164.5372 | 170.51 | top 27% |
| Pork Ribs | 24 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 179.4400 | 161.6456 | 170.67 | top 18% |
| Pork | 16 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 175.4172 | 157.6456 | 168.04 | top 20% |
| Brisket | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 158.2400 | 158.2400 | 158.24 | top 11% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 25% |
| Medium (20–39) | 12 | 4 | top 17% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 0 | top 10% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sip & Swine BBQ Festival | 4 | 2 | 0 | top 8% | Mar 3, 2023 |
| BBQ Boogie & Blues | 2 | 1 | 2 | top 3% | Apr 28, 2023 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2021
12 contests · 2 GCs
Contests a season
4.8
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
GA
18 of 29 contests · 7 states in all
Contests visited
20
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
24 entries · 4 wins · 18 calls
First title
Aug 23, 2019
Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival
Opponents faced
614
finished ahead 1,225 times, behind 195
Longest layoff
1.3 yrs
Apr 20, 2018 → Aug 2, 2019
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20234 milestones
- Biggest field won (32 teams) BBQ Boogie & Blues
- Career-best overall score525.6916 BBQ Boogie & Blues
- Peak power rating (1710) BBQ Boogie & Blues
- Most recent contest BBQ Boogie & Blues
20221 milestone
- 25th tracked contest 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL
20213 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club
- First Reserve Championship GBC Summer Showdown
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)179.4400 BBQ Boogie & Blues
20198 milestones
- First call Hawgin On Lanier
- First overall top-10 Hawgin On Lanier
- First overall podium Hawgin On Lanier
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score501.6116 Hawgin On Lanier
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival
- First Grand Championship Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival
- First state championship Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival
- First multi-meat day Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival
20181 milestone
- First tracked contest Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ Competition
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +16.7 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival | Aug 23, 2019 |
| +16.5 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club | Mar 19, 2021 |
| +16.1 | Hawgin On Lanier | Aug 2, 2019 |
| +13 | Hawgin On Lanier | Jul 31, 2020 |
| +12.4 | BBQ Boogie & Blues | Sep 24, 2021 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 100% | top 4% | 97.4% | 96.9% |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 71% | top 8% | 96.5% | 94.8% |
| 2021 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 75% | top 21% | 100% | 95.2% |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50% | top 15% | 95.7% | 93.1% |
| 2019 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 100% | top 12% | 96% | 93.2% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2023 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 1 / 32 (525.6916) | 3 (177.7144) | 2 (176.0116) | 5 (171.9656) | — |
| Mar 3, 2023 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 3 / 65 (521.0972) | 3 (177.7144) | 8 (172.5600) | 6 (170.8228) | — |
| Nov 18, 2022 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 5 / 57 (506.1828) | 8 (171.4172) | 3 (173.1200) | 15 (161.6456) | — |
| Nov 17, 2022 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic (One Meat Ribs) Cumming, GA | — | — | 15 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Nov 12, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - BACKYARD SERIES INVITATIONAL unrated Gadsden, AL | 6 / 49 (347.3828) | 11 (175.4056) | 8 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2022 | 4th Annual KCBS World Invitational - OPEN unrated Gadsden, AL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 19, 2022 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 3 / 30 (510.2172) | 5 (171.9656) | 5 (165.1200) | 2 (173.1316) | — |
| Jun 3, 2022 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 2 / 25 (505.0284) | 3 (168.5256) | 1 (178.8572) | 9 (157.6456) | — |
| Mar 4, 2022 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 2 / 73 (518.2400) | 4 (174.2628) | 1 (177.7144) | 12 (166.2628) | — |
| Nov 19, 2021 | GBC Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 5 / 28 (175.4172) | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 12, 2021 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Backyard unrated Shawnee, OK | 22 / 33 (332.5028) | 15 (169.6684) | 22 (162.8344) | — | — |
| Nov 11, 2021 | 3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Ancillary unrated Shawnee, OK | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague 🏅 Galax, VA | 5 / 15 (341.7144) | 17 (165.1200) | 2 (176.5944) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Nightmare Before Zom-B-Q-Rufus Teague 🏅 Galax, VA | 2 / 15 (342.8112) | 12 (167.3940) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Sep 24, 2021 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 1 / 27 (522.8112) | 7 (170.2628) | 1 (179.4400) | 3 (173.1084) | 3 (158.2400) |
| Jul 30, 2021 | GBC Summer Showdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 2 / 39 (180) | 4 (170.8228) | 6 (169.7028) | 2 (173.7144) | — |
| Jul 23, 2021 | Hot Summer Nights Smoke n Sauce BBQ- (BACKYARD ONLY) Bloomington, IN | 4 / 14 (498.8456) | 4 (168.5600) | 8 (161.7028) | 5 (168.5828) | — |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 9 / 31 (341.6800) | 21 (167.3828) | 3 (174.2972) | — | — |
| Apr 17, 2021 | Fire at the Foothills (BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, AL | 5 / 21 (502.2060) | 15 (164.5372) | 4 (171.4288) | 10 (166.2400) | — |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown - Dorchester Shrine Club 🏅 Summerville, SC | 1 / 26 (345.1200) | 1 (170.8572) | 2 (174.2628) | — | — |
| Mar 5, 2021 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 8 / 81 (509.6800) | 18 (165.7028) | 15 (168.5600) | 1 (175.4172) | — |
| Nov 20, 2020 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 13, 2020 | Second Annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition 🏅 unrated Mayetta, KS | 22 / 94 (331.3256) | 17 (169.6800) | 25 (161.6456) | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2020 | Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Cumming, GA | 5 / 55 (516.5372) | 1 (178.8572) | 5 (173.1200) | 17 (164.5600) | — |
| Mar 6, 2020 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 8 / 61 (494.1484) | 7 (168.5256) | 11 (161.6800) | 17 (163.9428) | — |
| Nov 15, 2019 | Georgia BBQ Championship Throwdown 🏅 Cedartown, GA | 9 / 35 (489.5540) | 7 (165.0856) | 11 (162.7884) | 12 (161.6800) | — |
| Aug 23, 2019 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 1 / 32 (518.2400) | 3 (170.8228) | 1 (173.7144) | 1 (173.7028) | — |
| Aug 2, 2019 | Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Gainesville, GA | 3 / 45 (501.6116) | 3 (171.4056) | 6 (163.9544) | 5 (166.2516) | — |
| Apr 20, 2018 | Cornelia Apple Blossom BBQ Competition Cornelia, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.