The heartbreaker
2.8688
points from the title
Came within 2.8688 points of the Grand Championship at Grillin and Chillin (2020-06-26).
TWISTED-Q
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1606
peak 1626 · rated over 30 contests ⓘ
Best runs
6
straight top-10s
Contests
33
in the data
First seen
2014-05-09
latest 2023-03-24
Best ToY finish
#151
Master 2016
Grand champs
0
3 reserve
Category wins
3
16 podiums
Overall top-10s
15
of 33 contests
Avg finish
top 40%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
643.11 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 661.68 (-18.56)
Walk rate
61%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
6
best run (overall)
Consistency
±24.53
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 166.52 · weakest Brisket (163.68)
Road miles
4,812
mi across 33 mapped stops · furthest 395 mi
Schedule strength
74%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1594)
Purse competed for
$37K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
661.68 / 720
19 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
329.59 / 360
9 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), 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.
Storylines (15 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in brisket.
- Brisket ×1
They almost always walk
61%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 20 of 33 contests
A top-10 category call in 61% of their 33 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
694.7540
career-best overall
96.5% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 694.7540 at Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) — 96.5% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2016-09-23
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
GETTIN' BASTED has finished one call ahead of TWISTED-Q 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2021
their best year
2021 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 23%.
- 5 contests
- 5 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 23%
A tough matchup
10–1
behind in the head-to-head
PORKY BUTTS BBQ ahead in 91% of their meetings
PORKY BUTTS BBQ has come out ahead in 10 of their 11 shared contests.
A strong matchup
7–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of SPICE YOUR LIFE RUB YOUR MEAT in 7 of their 7 shared contests.
The comeback
1.8 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at Grillin and Chillin (2020-06-26).
- last seen 2018-09-15
- back 2020-06-26
Pork Ribs nemesis
8 of 12
shared pork ribs entries lost
SLAPS BBQ ahead 67% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, SLAPS BBQ has out-cooked them in 8 of 12 shared pork ribs entries.
Always the bridesmaid
3
reserve championships
Runner-up for the whole thing 3 times against 0 Grand Championships — close enough to touch it, over and over.
- 0 Grand Championships
- 33 contests
A big fish in small ponds
Top 26%
average finish in small fields
Field size changes the story: they average a top 26% finish in small fields against top 51% in large ones.
- Small (<20 teams): top 26% (4)
- Large (40+): top 51% (11)
Looking over their shoulder
3×
one call behind them
WOODWARD BARBEQUE has landed one call behind them 3 times.
A June team
Top 14%
average finish in June
Something about June: average finish in the top 14% across 3 contests, versus top 40% the rest of the year.
- 3 June contests
- top 40% the rest of the year
The long haul
4,812
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,812 miles across 33 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 395 miles to Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest.
- 33 mapped stops
- furthest 395 mi
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.
29 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#992 of the rated field
- Contests
- 30
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1635
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1635 at their best, 30 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#988 of the rated field
- Contests
- 28
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 50%
- Peak
- 1606
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 28 contests to 33, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#985 of the rated field
- Contests
- 38
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1606
No shared contest yet.
38 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 24% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#984 of the rated field
- Contests
- 58
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 21%
- Peak
- 1609
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2016, 7 years before TWISTED-Q's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#986 of the rated field
- Contests
- 62
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 37%
- Peak
- 1694
No shared contest yet.
Level with TWISTED-Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#989 of the rated field
- Contests
- 68
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1662
No shared contest yet.
Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2014.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PORKY BUTTS BBQ | 11 | 1 | 10 | 9% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| WHEN PIGS DIE | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| HELPING U BBQ | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63% | ⚔ compare |
| SPICE YOUR LIFE RUB YOUR MEAT | 7 | 7 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| YOU GONNA LIKE IT | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| WOODWARD BARBEQUE | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN DINGER - THE PROFESSOR OF HOGOLOGY | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' LEFTY'S BBQ | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71% | ⚔ compare |
| IOWA WILD HOGS BBQ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57% | ⚔ compare |
| DIRT ROAD BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| OVERSIZE LOAD BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| KEV'S CHEW CHEW BBQ | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| OFF IN THE PITS SMOKE TEAM | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 28 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 176.5600 | 150.8000 | 165.53 | top 41% |
| Pork Ribs | 30 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 177.1428 | 146.3200 | 166.52 | top 42% |
| Pork | 19 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 175.4400 | 144.5256 | 165.07 | top 51% |
| Brisket | 19 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 180.0000 🔥 | 134.2288 | 163.68 | top 43% |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| MO | 11 | 0 | top 34% |
| IA | 6 | 0 | top 42% |
| KS | 3 | 0 | top 57% |
| TN | 3 | 0 | top 75% |
| NE | 3 | 0 | top 25% |
| OK | 2 | 0 | top 15% |
| AR | 1 | 0 | top 76% |
| MN | 1 | 0 | top 12% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 4 | 0 | top 26% |
| Medium (20–39) | 14 | 0 | top 35% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 0 | top 51% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ in the Bluffs | 3 | 8 | 0 | top 48% | 2016-05-13 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 64% | 2023-03-24 |
The story so far (20 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
8.9 yrs
2014-05-09 → 2023-03-24
Busiest season
2016
13 contests
Contests a season
3.7
across 9 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
MO
14 of 33 contests · 8 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
27
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
30 entries · 1 win · 11 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 166.52 · weakest Brisket (163.68)
Walk rate
61%
a top-10 call in 20 of 33 contests
Overall top-10 rate
45%
15 of 33 contests
Best top-10 run
6
straight contests
Master average
661.68
out of 720 · 19 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
329.59
out of 360 · 9 contests · 0 GCs
Perfect 180s
1
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
960
629–822 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
4,812
33 mapped stops · furthest 395 mi
Schedule strength
1594
average field rating faced — tougher than 74% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$37,325
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 4 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
2018-09-15 → 2020-06-26
Power rating
1606
peak 1626 · #987 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2014
- First tracked contest BBQ in the Bluffs
- First call BBQ in the Bluffs
- 2015
- First category win (Brisket) BBQ in the Bluffs
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6688 BBQ in the Bluffs
- 2016
- First overall top-10 BBQ in the Bluffs
- First overall podium Smoke on the Waterfall
- First Reserve Championship RiverFest Red White and Que
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) RiverFest Red White and Que
- 10th tracked contest Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
- Career-best overall score694.7540 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)
- 2021
- 25th tracked contest So.Bo.Co. BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD)
- Peak power rating (1626) Boo-B-Que - Day 1
- 2023
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +19.8 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) | 2016-09-23 |
| +15.9 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour | 2016-09-09 |
| +15.4 | RiverFest Red White and Que | 2016-07-15 |
| +15.2 | Smoke on the Waterfall | 2016-06-24 |
| +14.9 | Boo-B-Que - Day 1 | 2021-10-29 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -15 | Smoke in the Spring (Steak) | 2022-04-08 |
| -13.8 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | 2018-09-15 |
| -12.4 | *BBQ-Fest Cooking Contest | 2017-07-28 |
| -9.8 | *Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest -Re-Boot(JUDGES FULL) | 2018-04-27 |
| -9.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | 2023-03-24 |
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 91.4% | 91.4% |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20% | top 36% | 91.6% | 89.5% |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 100% | top 23% | 94% | 92.2% |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 6% | 92.5% | 92.5% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 74% | 92.4% | 87.6% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 85% | 88.9% | 88.9% |
| 2016 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 62% | top 33% | 96.5% | 93.5% |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 42% | 90.8% | 90.8% |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 79% | 88.2% | 88.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-24 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 25 / 37 (329.0396) | 27 (161.6684) | 18 (167.3712) | — | — |
| 2023-03-24 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-07-16 | 2022 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off - One Meat Ribs Cameron, MO | — | — | 20 (166.2516) | — | — |
| 2022-07-15 | 2022 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO | 6 / 27 (314.7428) | 6 (150.8000) | 4 (163.9428) | — | — |
| 2022-04-08 | Smoke in the Spring (Steak) Osage City, KS | 12 (168.0116) | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-03-25 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 15 / 25 (329.6228) | 14 (166.2284) | 14 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2022-03-25 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO | 3 / 11 (166.8228) | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-10-29 | Boo-B-Que - Day 1 🏅 Unity Village, MO | 3 / 41 (334.2056) | 3 (164.5256) | 2 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2021-09-11 | So.Bo.Co. BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD) Ashland, MO | 4 / 10 (327.4172) | 2 (166.8572) | 6 (160.5600) | — | — |
| 2021-09-03 | Mozingo Lake BBQ 🏅 Maryville, MO | 2 / 12 (325.0512) | 2 (161.0740) | 2 (163.9772) | — | — |
| 2021-07-16 | County Seat Cookoff Jay, OK | 3 / 15 (334.7884) | 2 (169.1084) | 3 (165.6800) | — | — |
| 2021-03-12 | American Royal Backyard and Steak Contest Kansas City, MO | 7 / 24 (338.2628) | 5 (170.8572) | 14 (167.4056) | — | — |
| 2020-07-18 | Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off Single Meat - Rib Contest Cameron, MO | — | — | 6 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2020-06-26 | Grillin and Chillin 🏅 Chillicothe, MO | 2 / 34 (333.1428) | 6 (157.1428) | 1 (176.0000) | — | — |
| 2018-09-15 | 39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 427 / 467 (607.4172) | 236 (166.2744) | 441 (146.3200) | 389 (154.8456) | 447 (139.9772) |
| 2018-04-27 | *Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest -Re-Boot(JUDGES FULL) Sugar Creek, MO | 42 / 53 (620.4688) | 21 (168.5944) | 36 (161.6916) | 50 (144.5256) | 47 (145.6572) |
| 2018-04-06 | Eighth Annual Bull Moose (JUDGE'S FULL) Somerville, TN | 21 / 40 (665.0172) | 2 (176.5600) | 12 (171.4056) | 32 (161.1200) | 33 (155.9316) |
| 2017-07-28 | *BBQ-Fest Cooking Contest Dyersburg, TN | 22 / 26 (639.8976) | 9 (171.4172) | 19 (163.4172) | 11 (170.8344) | 26 (134.2288) |
| 2016-09-30 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Championship Bentonville, AR | 38 / 50 (682.7660) | 38 (170.8228) | 31 (169.1316) | 47 (167.3944) | 12 (175.4172) |
| 2016-09-23 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional) Midwest City, OK | 3 / 30 (694.7540) | 5 (175.4172) | 20 (169.6684) | 5 (175.4056) | 2 (174.2628) |
| 2016-09-09 | Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Kansas City, MO | 4 / 30 (681.6572) | 15 (167.3944) | 4 (171.4172) | 4 (175.4400) | 13 (167.4056) |
| 2016-09-03 | Septemberfest BBQ & Rib-eye Steak Cookoff Challenge Omaha, NE | 20 / 45 (658.1256) | 24 (165.0856) | 23 (162.2400) | 22 (165.6800) | 24 (165.1200) |
| 2016-08-05 | 24th Annual State BBQ Championship of Nebraska Omaha, NE | 18 / 70 (668.5144) | 29 (165.6916) | 50 (158.2744) | 8 (173.1084) | 8 (171.4400) |
| 2016-07-22 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 13 / 47 (679.4172) | 19 (170.8456) | 13 (171.4172) | 22 (168.0000) | 16 (169.1544) |
| 2016-07-15 | RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE | 2 / 45 (692.6172) | 8 (170.8572) | 2 (177.1428) | 19 (164.6172) | 1 (180.0000) |
| 2016-07-01 | Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA | 6 / 35 (685.7372) | 17 (168.5484) | 11 (169.7372) | 9 (172.0000) | 3 (175.4516) |
| 2016-06-24 | Smoke on the Waterfall Redwoodfalls, MN | 3 / 26 (679.9428) | 6 (171.4172) | 14 (165.1200) | 4 (170.2972) | 4 (173.1084) |
| 2016-06-03 | Big Blue BBQ Championship Marysville, KS | 7 / 30 (670.8340) | 18 (157.7028) | 3 (172.5828) | 8 (169.7028) | 7 (170.8456) |
| 2016-05-13 | BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA | 8 / 33 (670.7424) | 11 (168.0000) | 16 (163.9656) | 3 (170.2628) | 7 (168.5140) |
| 2016-04-22 | Central Iowa Expo BBQ (Day 1) (Judges Full) Boone, IA | 26 / 42 (657.7028) | 31 (161.1200) | 23 (163.9772) | 31 (163.4284) | 13 (169.1772) |
| 2016-04-01 | Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest Jackson, TN | 54 / 61 (627.2684) | 54 (157.1084) | 13 (171.4172) | 61 (151.3828) | 57 (147.3600) |
| 2015-05-08 | BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA | 14 / 33 (653.6688) | 23 (157.6800) | 15 (161.1544) | 22 (161.6800) | 1 (173.1544) |
| 2014-05-09 | BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA | 26 / 33 (635.3372) | 28 (155.9888) | 7 (169.1544) | 26 (156.5256) | 26 (153.6684) |
Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)
Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #275 (105 pts) | #285 (105 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #20 (1083 pts) | #37 (928 pts) | — | — |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #1954 (60 pts) | #1898 (80 pts) | #1996 (60 pts) | #2030 (60 pts) | #1990 (60 pts) |
| 2017 ↗ | Master | #2169 (66 pts) | #1720 (136 pts) | #2186 (81 pts) | #1795 (121 pts) | #2924 (51 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #151 (1709 pts) | #277 (1209 pts) | #232 (1364 pts) | #171 (1509 pts) | #115 (1799 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #1867 (113 pts) | #2169 (68 pts) | #1944 (108 pts) | #2160 (73 pts) | #1099 (283 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #2745 (58 pts) | #2744 (58 pts) | #1598 (163 pts) | #2755 (58 pts) | #2745 (58 pts) |