Their season
2024
their best year
2024 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 0 category wins, at an average finish in the top 43%.
- 3 contests
- 0 overall top-10s
- 0 category wins
- average top 43%
THERMAL CHAOS BBQ
THERMAL CHAOS BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 13 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2025. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 22 at the Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) (2019). They are ranked #3985 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1484
peak 1501 · rated over 7 contests2 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
13
in the data
First seen
Aug 31, 2017
latest Nov 5, 2025 · 8.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
8% of 13 contests
Avg finish
top 71%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
15%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±19.21
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 159.61 · weakest Brisket (154.14)
Road miles
3,087
across 12 mapped stops · furthest 844 mi
Schedule strength
63%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1580)
Purse competed for
$99K
listed at 9 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
625.45 / 720
5 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
326.99 / 360
3 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 THERMAL CHAOS BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
144 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#3,978 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 13%
- Peak
- 1484
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to THERMAL CHAOS BBQ)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team THERMAL CHAOS BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,962 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1484
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to THERMAL CHAOS BBQ)
Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before THERMAL CHAOS BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,976 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1484
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to THERMAL CHAOS BBQ)
Careers of much the same size, 10 contests to 13, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,982 of the rated field
- Contests
- 9
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1501
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to THERMAL CHAOS BBQ)
Level with THERMAL CHAOS BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3,968 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1484
Fewer contests behind them than THERMAL CHAOS BBQ has cooked, 7 to 13, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careers#3,987 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1511
Fewer contests behind them than THERMAL CHAOS BBQ has cooked, 7 to 13, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-MAC SMOKIN | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| RUB MY RACK | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| SHIGGIN & GRINNIN | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 170.8344 | 145.0628 | 158.42 | top 69% |
| Pork Ribs | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 169.6916 | 145.0628 | 159.61 | top 68% |
| Pork | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 175.4056 | 146.8572 | 155.62 | top 79% |
| Brisket | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 160.5488 | 144.5144 | 154.14 | top 87% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 43% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 83% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | 2 | 124 | 0 | top 96% | Sep 1, 2017 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2025
4 contests
Contests a season
2.6
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WI
5 of 13 contests · 5 states in all
Contests visited
8
1 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
11 entries · 0 wins · 1 call
Opponents faced
862
finished ahead 194 times, behind 989
Longest layoff
5 yrs
Jun 9, 2019 → Jun 7, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20254 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Career-best overall score650.6976 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Career-best single call (Pork)175.4056 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides
20242 milestones
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score329.6688 Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- Peak power rating (1501) Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
20193 milestones
- First call Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall top-10 Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)
- First overall podium Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY)
—1 milestone
- First tracked contest Saluting With Smoke (COMPETITORS SERIES)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.5 | Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jun 9, 2019 |
| +6.3 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 8, 2024 |
| +2.3 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 7, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.4 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) | Sep 1, 2017 |
| -11.3 | Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash | Sep 26, 2025 |
| -9.8 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down | Oct 13, 2017 |
| -6.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Nov 5, 2025 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 76% | 88.2% | 88.2% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 91% | 90.4% | 88.6% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 43% | 91.9% | 91.7% |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 14% | 89% | 89% |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 95% | 89.3% | 85.7% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nov 5, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 325 / 401 (650.6976) | 385 (153.0744) | 329 (161.6688) | 78 (175.4056) | 316 (160.5488) |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash 🏅 Egg Harbor, WI | 16 / 16 (625.4856) | 15 (160.5144) | 15 (158.8228) | 13 (158.7884) | 16 (147.3600) |
| Sep 26, 2025 | Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash (ONE MEAT RIBS) Egg Harbor, WI | — | — | 13 (145.0628) | — | — |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 14 / 37 (330.7888) | 8 (170.8344) | 21 (159.9544) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 20 / 41 (329.6688) | 12 (170.2744) | 25 (159.3944) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 21 (162.8460) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2019 | Lake Country BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 / 22 (320.5260) | 8 (156.5144) | 4 (164.0116) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2017 | Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down Rocky Mount, NC | 46 / 50 (605.5776) | 50 (149.6344) | 45 (149.6916) | 50 (147.3600) | 35 (158.8916) |
| Sep 1, 2017 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (OPEN) Kansas City, KS | 389 / 407 (602.7660) | 393 (145.0628) | 178 (166.3316) | 389 (146.8572) | 376 (144.5144) |
| Aug 31, 2017 | 38th American Royal World Series of Barbecue (INVITATIONAL) unrated Kansas City, KS | 124 / 129 (642.7316) | 109 (163.9428) | 71 (169.6916) | 127 (149.7028) | 122 (159.3944) |
| Aug 25, 2017 | Great American BBQ Festival Franklin, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | Saluting With Smoke (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Yorkville, IL | 29 / 38 (476.3884) | 24 (155.9312) | 24 (158.2172) | — | — |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.