Italians Do it Better LA
Rating
1519
peak 1519 · rated over 7 contests
Contests
7
in the data
First seen
2023-11-03
latest 2025-10-24
Best ToY finish
#631
Master 2024
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
1 podiums
Overall top-10s
3
of 7 contests
Avg finish
top 49%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
673.05 ▼
last 5 Master vs avg 675.83 (-2.78)
Walk rate
71%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±12.85
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 171.26 · weakest Chicken (167.33)
Road miles
1917
mi across 7 mapped stops · furthest 316 mi
Schedule strength
57%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1552)
Purse competed for
$224K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 7 state-championship entries
Master avg
675.83 / 720
7 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Poppa Pig has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Big D's BBQ in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
Teams like this (closest power rating, LA first)
Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poppa Pig | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 174.2972 | 156.5600 | 167.33 | top 53% |
| Pork Ribs | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 180.0000 🔥 | 159.4172 | 171.26 | top 42% |
| Pork | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 173.1316 | 161.1200 | 169.12 | top 45% |
| Brisket | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.0000 | 162.2628 | 168.13 | top 47% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA | 3 | 0 | top 31% |
| TX | 2 | 0 | top 42% |
| AL | 1 | 0 | top 85% |
| AR | 1 | 0 | top 81% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 31% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 62% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 30% | 2025-10-24 |
| Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff | 2 | 28 | 0 | top 42% | 2025-09-12 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2024 (4 contests)
- Cooks mostly in LA (3 of 7 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (7 entries)
- Average Master overall score: 675.83 / 720
- 1 perfect 180 on the books 🔥
Milestones
- 🚩 2023-11-03 — First tracked contest · VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- 📣 2023-11-03 — First call · VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- 🔥 2023-11-03 — First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) · VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- ⭐ 2023-11-03 — Career-best overall score (691.3256) · VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- 📈 2025-10-24 — Peak power rating (1519) · VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.9 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition | 2024-10-25 |
| +8.7 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition | 2025-10-24 |
| +8.3 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition | 2023-11-03 |
| +3.5 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff | 2025-09-12 |
| +3.4 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff | 2024-09-13 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.1 | Poosa Q | 2024-10-04 |
| -6.8 | Smoke on the Water | 2024-09-20 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 36% | 95.5% | 94.1% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 75% | top 59% | 95.8% | 93.2% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 33% | 96% | 96% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-24 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition 🏅 Vidalia, LA | 10 / 33 (687.9316) | 10 (173.1200) | 9 (175.4172) | 12 (170.8688) | 16 (168.5256) |
| 2025-09-12 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 39 / 92 (667.3484) | 37 (168.5600) | 37 (169.1200) | 47 (167.4056) | 49 (162.2628) |
| 2024-10-25 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition 🏅 Vidalia, LA | 9 / 31 (689.6460) | 17 (167.3944) | 14 (173.1200) | 9 (173.1316) | 4 (176.0000) |
| 2024-10-04 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 50 / 59 (662.7084) | 54 (162.8228) | 34 (168.5600) | 44 (165.0856) | 42 (166.2400) |
| 2024-09-20 | Smoke on the Water 🏅 Pine Bluff, AR | 34 / 42 (657.6228) | 40 (156.5600) | 38 (159.4172) | 9 (173.1200) | 24 (168.5256) |
| 2024-09-13 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 28 / 67 (674.2516) | 8 (174.2972) | 15 (173.1544) | 53 (161.1200) | 31 (165.6800) |
| 2023-11-03 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition 🏅 Vidalia, LA | 9 / 27 (691.3256) | 13 (168.5256) | 2 (180.0000) | 6 (173.1200) | 11 (169.6800) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #631 (261 pts) | #603 (311 pts) | #677 (281 pts) | #559 (346 pts) | #573 (331 pts) |