TWISTED-Q

TWISTED-Q is a competition barbecue team with 33 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2014 and 2023. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 12 at the Mozingo Lake BBQ (2021), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #993 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “TWISTED Q”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#993

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1606

peak 1626 · rated over 30 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 9, 2014

latest Mar 24, 2023 · 8.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#151

Master 2016 · every season

Grand champs

3 reserve

Category wins

16 podiums

Overall top-10s

45% of 33 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 40%

overall standings

Best overall

694.7540 / 720

Master · Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)

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

Best single call

180 🔥

Brisket · RiverFest Red White and Que

Consistency

±24.53

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 166.52 · weakest Brisket (163.68)

Road miles

4,812

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 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

661.68 / 720

19 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

329.59 / 360

9 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master 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 their record)

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

The heartbreaker

2.8688 points from the title

Came within 2.8688 points of the Grand Championship at Grillin and Chillin (Jun 26, 2020).

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

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
Sep 23, 2016

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.

Show 8 more storylines

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 (Jun 26, 2020).

last seen Sep 15, 2018
back Jun 26, 2020

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

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
2022 ↗	Backyard	—	#275 (105 pts)	#285 (105 pts)	—	—
2021 ↗	Backyard	—	#20 (1,083 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 (1,709 pts)	#277 (1,209 pts)	#232 (1,364 pts)	#171 (1,509 pts)	#115 (1,799 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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to TWISTED-Q, each with one reason worth a look.

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

Sauce Em & Toss Em BBQ

#991 of the rated field

1606 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 47%
Peak: 1618

Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 33, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 27 contests
last seen Jul 11, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

HalaQyah BBQ

#995 of the rated field

1606 power rating

Contests: 40
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1609

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 40 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 40 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

EATIN AINT CHEATIN

#997 of the rated field

1606 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 65%
Peak: 1611

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.

rated over 17 contests

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TEMPLAR TEMPTATIONS

#992 of the rated field

1606 power rating

Contests: 58
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1609

58 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 21% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 58 contests
last seen Oct 7, 2016

⚔ Compare careers

Pappy Q

#990 of the rated field

1607 power rating

Contests: 62
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1695

Level with TWISTED-Q on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 62 contests
last seen May 10, 2024

⚔ Compare careers

BAR-B-CUDA BBQ

#996 of the rated field

1606 power rating

Contests: 66
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 26%
Peak: 1625

A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 66 contests to 33.

rated over 64 contests
last seen Sep 4, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar 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 🔥	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 field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	top 26%
Medium (20–39)	14	top 35%
Large (40+)	11	top 51%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
MO	11	top 34%
IA	6	top 42%
KS	3	top 57%
TN	3	top 75%
NE	3	top 25%
OK	2	top 15%
AR	1	top 76%
MN	1	top 12%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ in the Bluffs	3	8	0	top 48%	May 13, 2016
American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest	2	15	0	top 64%	Mar 24, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 13 contests

Contests a season 3.7 across 9 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 14 of 33 contests · 8 states in all

Contests visited 27 2 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 30 entries · 1 win · 11 calls

Opponents faced 958 finished ahead 629 times, behind 822

Longest layoff 1.8 yrs Sep 15, 2018 → Jun 26, 2020

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

20231 milestone

Mar 24 Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest

20212 milestones

Sep 11 25th tracked contest So.Bo.Co. BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD)
Oct 29 Peak power rating (1626) Boo-B-Que - Day 1

20166 milestones

May 13 First overall top-10 BBQ in the Bluffs
Jun 24 First overall podium Smoke on the Waterfall
Jul 15 First Reserve Championship RiverFest Red White and Que
Jul 15 First perfect 180 (Brisket) RiverFest Red White and Que
Jul 22 10th tracked contest Up in Smoke BBQ Bash
Sep 23 Career-best overall score694.7540 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)

20152 milestones

May 8 First category win (Brisket) BBQ in the Bluffs
May 8 First overall past 90% of a perfect score653.6688 BBQ in the Bluffs

20142 milestones

May 9 First tracked contest BBQ in the Bluffs
May 9 First call BBQ in the Bluffs

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+19.9	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour (Regional)	Sep 23, 2016
+16	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour	Sep 9, 2016
+15.4	RiverFest Red White and Que	Jul 15, 2016
+15.2	Smoke on the Waterfall	Jun 24, 2016
+14.9	Boo-B-Que - Day 1	Oct 29, 2021

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-15	Smoke in the Spring (Steak)	Apr 8, 2022
-13.8	39th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN)	Sep 15, 2018
-12.4	BBQ-Fest Cooking Contest	Jul 28, 2017
-9.9	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest -Re-Boot (JUDGES FULL)	Apr 27, 2018
-9.5	American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest	Mar 24, 2023

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2023	2	0	0	0%	top 68%	91.4%	91.4%
2022	5	2	0	20%	top 36%	93.3%	91.3%
2021	5	5	0	100%	top 23%	94%	92.2%
2020	2	1	1	100%	top 6%	92.5%	92.5%
2018	3	0	0	33%	top 74%	92.4%	87.6%
2017	1	0	0	100%	top 85%	88.9%	88.9%
2016	13	7	1	62%	top 33%	96.5%	93.5%
2015	1	0	1	100%	top 42%	90.8%	90.8%
2014	1	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
Mar 24, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO	25 / 37 (329.0396)	27 (161.6684)	18 (167.3712)	—	—
Mar 24, 2023	American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO	—	—	—	—	—
Jul 16, 2022	2022 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off - One Meat Ribs Cameron, MO	—	—	20 (166.2516)	—	—
Jul 15, 2022	2022 Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off (Day 1) 🏅 Cameron, MO	6 / 27 (314.7428)	6 (150.8000)	4 (163.9428)	—	—
Apr 8, 2022	Smoke in the Spring (Steak) Osage City, KS	12 (168.0116)	—	—	—	—
Mar 25, 2022	American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO	15 / 25 (329.6228)	14 (166.2284)	14 (163.3944)	—	—
Mar 25, 2022	American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO	3 / 11 (166.8228)	—	—	—	—
Oct 29, 2021	Boo-B-Que - Day 1 🏅 Unity Village, MO	3 / 41 (334.2056)	3 (164.5256)	2 (169.6800)	—	—
Sep 11, 2021	So.Bo.Co. BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD) Ashland, MO	4 / 10 (327.4172)	2 (166.8572)	6 (160.5600)	—	—
Sep 3, 2021	Mozingo Lake BBQ 🏅 Maryville, MO	2 / 12 (325.0512)	2 (161.0740)	2 (163.9772)	—	—
Jul 16, 2021	County Seat Cookoff Jay, OK	3 / 15 (334.7884)	2 (169.1084)	3 (165.6800)	—	—
Mar 12, 2021	American Royal Backyard and Steak Contest Kansas City, MO	7 / 24 (338.2628)	5 (170.8572)	14 (167.4056)	—	—
Jul 18, 2020	Cameron Elks BBQ Cook Off Single Meat - Rib Contest Cameron, MO	—	—	6 (171.9772)	—	—
Jun 26, 2020	Grillin and Chillin 🏅 Chillicothe, MO	2 / 34 (333.1428)	6 (157.1428)	1 (176)	—	—
Sep 15, 2018	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)
Apr 27, 2018	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)
Apr 6, 2018	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)
Jul 28, 2017	BBQ-Fest Cooking Contest Dyersburg, TN	22 / 26 (639.8976)	9 (171.4172)	19 (163.4172)	11 (170.8344)	26 (134.2288)
Sep 30, 2016	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)
Sep 23, 2016	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)
Sep 9, 2016	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)
Sep 3, 2016	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)
Aug 5, 2016	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)
Jul 22, 2016	Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA	13 / 47 (679.4172)	19 (170.8456)	13 (171.4172)	22 (168)	16 (169.1544)
Jul 15, 2016	RiverFest Red White and Que Bellevue, NE	2 / 45 (692.6172)	8 (170.8572)	2 (177.1428)	19 (164.6172)	1 (180)
Jul 1, 2016	Back to Mayberry BBQ Whiting, IA	6 / 35 (685.7372)	17 (168.5484)	11 (169.7372)	9 (172)	3 (175.4516)
Jun 24, 2016	Smoke on the Waterfall Redwoodfalls, MN	3 / 26 (679.9428)	6 (171.4172)	14 (165.1200)	4 (170.2972)	4 (173.1084)
Jun 3, 2016	Big Blue BBQ Championship Marysville, KS	7 / 30 (670.8340)	18 (157.7028)	3 (172.5828)	8 (169.7028)	7 (170.8456)
May 13, 2016	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	8 / 33 (670.7424)	11 (168)	16 (163.9656)	3 (170.2628)	7 (168.5140)
Apr 22, 2016	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)
Apr 1, 2016	Blues Hog BBQ & Music Fest Jackson, TN	54 / 61 (627.2684)	54 (157.1084)	13 (171.4172)	61 (151.3828)	57 (147.3600)
May 8, 2015	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	14 / 33 (653.6688)	23 (157.6800)	15 (161.1544)	22 (161.6800)	1 (173.1544)
May 9, 2014	BBQ in the Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA	26 / 33 (635.3372)	28 (155.9888)	7 (169.1544)	26 (156.5256)	26 (153.6684)

TWISTED-Q

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

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

Backyard avg

Storylines (15 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

Always the bridesmaid

A big fish in small ponds

Looking over their shoulder

A June 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, 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

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)