The heartbreaker
4.6740
points from the title
Came within 4.6740 points of the Grand Championship at Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) ().
Troublemakers BBQ
Troublemakers BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 9 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2022 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 38 at the Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) (), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #3485 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1494
peak 1523 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
9
in the data
First seen
May 28, 2022
latest Nov 21, 2025 · 3.5 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podium
Overall top-10s
3
33% of 9 contests
Avg finish
top 50%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
327.73 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 324.99 (+2.73)
Walk rate
78%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.38
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 167.48 · weakest Pork (154.22)
Road miles
2,334
across 8 mapped stops · furthest 1,764 mi
Schedule strength
22%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1530)
Purse competed for
$33K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 2 state-championship entries
Master avg
637.22 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
324.99 / 360
6 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.
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Troublemakers BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
130 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,502 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1528
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Troublemakers BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Troublemakers BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,466 of the rated field
- Contests
- 67
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1594
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Troublemakers BBQ)
They've been 1594 at their best, 100 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,467 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1503
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before Troublemakers BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#3,463 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1507
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#3,477 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1515
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Troublemakers BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#3,480 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1494
Level with Troublemakers BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Cold Grillers | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 174.2744 | 158.7884 | 167.48 | top 34% |
| Pork Ribs | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 172.0116 | 133.6344 | 157.74 | top 56% |
| Pork | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 155.3600 | 153.0856 | 154.22 | top 95% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168.5372 | 156.4912 | 162.51 | top 74% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 5 | 0 | top 55% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 43% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 32% | Aug 24, 2024 |
| Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 29% | Jun 14, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
3 contests
Contests a season
1.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
IL
6 of 9 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
5
2 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
9 entries · 0 wins · 3 calls
Opponents faced
242
finished ahead 149 times, behind 180
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20252 milestones
- Career-best overall score644.3652 Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship
- Most recent contest BBQ Jackpot
20242 milestones
- Peak power rating (1523) Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best single call (Chicken)174.2744 Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
—6 milestones
- First tracked contest Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First call Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First Reserve Championship Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score336.5260 Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.4 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 14, 2024 |
| +10.3 | Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 20, 2022 |
| +2.5 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 17, 2023 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.5 | BBQ Jackpot | Nov 21, 2025 |
| -11 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship | Apr 25, 2025 |
| -7.3 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 24, 2024 |
| -2.9 | Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) | May 28, 2022 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 5% | 93.5% | 93.5% |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 93% | 89.5% | 88.5% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 42% | 95.1% | 90.3% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 45% | 91.1% | 91.1% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 40% | 90% | 88.2% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 2025 | BBQ Jackpot 🏅 Las Vegas, NV | 87 / 90 (630.0684) | 88 (158.7884) | 90 (149.6572) | 87 (153.0856) | 58 (168.5372) |
| Sep 20, 2025 | 12 Bridge Rib Cook-Off (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lincoln, CA | — | — | 6 (168.5256) | — | — |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Lodi BeerFest & State BBQ Championship 🏅 Lodi, CA | 28 / 31 (644.3652) | 25 (166.2628) | 19 (166.2512) | 29 (155.3600) | 26 (156.4912) |
| Aug 24, 2024 | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 26 / 36 (307.9088) | 4 (174.2744) | 33 (133.6344) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2024 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 5 / 40 (342.2744) | 8 (170.2628) | 4 (172.0116) | — | — |
| Jun 17, 2023 | Morris Rhythm & BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY) Morris, IL | 15 / 33 (327.9772) | 7 (169.1428) | 20 (158.8344) | — | — |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Vine St. BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 8 / 41 (323.9428) | 4 (166.8456) | 22 (157.0972) | — | — |
| May 28, 2022 | Westmont Red White & BBQ Backyard BBQ Cook-Off 2022 (BACKYARD ONLY) Westmont, IL | 17 / 28 (311.3372) | 7 (166.2856) | 23 (145.0516) | — | — |
| — | Vine St BBQ Competition & Fest (BACKYARD ONLY) Park Ridge, IL | 2 / 38 (336.5260) | 3 (167.9656) | 4 (168.5604) | — | — |