The Bearded Bandits IA
Rating
1504
peak 1517
Contests
5
in the data
First seen
2024-03-29
latest 2025-10-03
Best ToY finish
#179
Backyard 2025
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 5 contests
Avg finish
top 57%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
536.85
last 5 vs career avg 536.85 (+0.00)
Walk rate
60%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±154.83
std dev of overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 174.62 · weakest Brisket (154.25)
Road miles
280
mi across 5 mapped stops · furthest 101 mi
Storylines
⚔️ A tough matchup
Bramble BBQ has come out ahead in 4 of their 5 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of SMOKEHOUSE 72 in 3 of their 4 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Iowa State BBQ Championship is their spot: an average finish in the top 16% across 2 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 1.1428 points of the Grand Championship at Iowa State BBQ Championship (2025-04-04).
Teams like this (closest power rating, IA first)
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 178.2972 | 170.2744 | 174.62 | top 27% |
| Pork Ribs | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 159.9428 | 169.01 | top 51% |
| Pork | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 177.1428 | 161.6800 | 167.78 | top 62% |
| Brisket | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156.5488 | 151.3944 | 154.25 | top 96% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 4 | 0 | top 51% |
| MO | 1 | 0 | top 82% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 3 | 0 | top 84% |
| Large (40+) | 2 | 0 | top 16% |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2025 (3 contests)
- Cooks mostly in IA (4 of 5 contests)
- Most-entered category: Chicken (5 entries)
- All-time average overall score: 536.85
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
Category scores over time
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Category wins | Best overall | Avg overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 671.9316 | 562.80 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 654.1944 | 497.93 |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-03 | La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown La Belle, MO | 32 / 39 (663.3256) | 18 (173.7028) | 20 (173.7028) | 37 (164.5256) | 36 (151.3944) |
| 2025-05-16 | King of the Corn Ottumwa, IA | 26 / 33 (671.9316) | 3 (178.2972) | 33 (159.9428) | 3 (177.1428) | 33 (156.5488) |
| 2025-04-04 | Iowa State BBQ Championship Altoona, IA | 2 / 49 (353.1316) | 1 (177.7144) | 6 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2024-05-17 | King of the Corn Ottumwa, IA | 33 / 36 (654.1944) | 22 (170.2744) | 20 (167.4400) | 29 (161.6800) | 34 (154.8000) |
| 2024-03-29 | Iowa State BBQ Championship Altoona, IA | 12 / 42 (341.6684) | 8 (173.1200) | 16 (168.5484) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #179 (260 pts) | #174 (285 pts) | #259 (175 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #926 (118 pts) | #583 (328 pts) | #947 (143 pts) | #599 (293 pts) | #967 (118 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #285 (125 pts) | #269 (155 pts) | #331 (105 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #1182 (60 pts) | #1190 (75 pts) | #1213 (85 pts) | #1231 (60 pts) | #1204 (60 pts) |