Riding a hot streak
4
straight overall top-10s
Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.
- career best 7
FENDER BENDER BBQ
FENDER BENDER BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 58 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2021 and 2026. They have won 4 Grand Championships, most recently at the Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026), and finished Reserve Grand Champion twice. They are ranked #314 of 6,477 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1721
peak 1721 · rated over 44 contests
Contests
58
in the data
First seen
May 7, 2021
latest Sep 18, 2026 · 5.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
4
2 reserve · wins it all 7% of the time
Category wins
10
19 podiums
Overall top-10s
27
47% of 58 contests
Best top-10 run
7
straight overall top-10s · 2 straight GCs
Avg finish
top 33%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
347.17 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 338.31 (+8.86)
Walk rate
69%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±9.33
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 172.54 · weakest Brisket (150.24)
Road miles
4,769
across 58 mapped stops · furthest 259 mi
Schedule strength
62%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1578)
Purse competed for
$276K
listed at 52 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
3 🏅
won from 22 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.13 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
338.31 / 360
43 Backyard contests · 4 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)
| Year | Series | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #7 (1,302 pts) | #20 (1,110 pts) | #2 (1,316 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #672 (260 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #51 (931 pts) | #59 (856 pts) | #37 (1,049 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | #545 (392 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #68 (797 pts) | #62 (827 pts) | #79 (759 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | — | — | #850 (181 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #116 (554 pts) | #54 (963 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #647 (325 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #75 (640 pts) | #46 (830 pts) | — | — |
| 2021 ↗ | Backyard | — | #117 (250 pts) | #163 (145 pts) | — | — |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to FENDER BENDER BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
#315 of the rated field
- Contests
- 51
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 49%
- Peak
- 1728
Careers of much the same size, 51 contests to 58, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#316 of the rated field
- Contests
- 51
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 71%
- Peak
- 1723
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 50 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#318 of the rated field
- Contests
- 43
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1729
Their rating is built on 4 Grand Championships in 43 contests, alongside a 60% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Compare careers#311 of the rated field
- Contests
- 55
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 51%
- Peak
- 1722
7 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.
⚔ Compare careers#312 of the rated field
- Contests
- 61
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 48%
- Peak
- 1730
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before FENDER BENDER BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#317 of the rated field
- Contests
- 73
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 41%
- Peak
- 1725
Level with FENDER BENDER 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAWGS BBQ | 39 | 17 | 22 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| Sensuous BBQ | 37 | 16 | 21 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Ten Bones | 32 | 17 | 15 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKEY GQ | 31 | 15 | 16 | 48% | ⚔ compare |
| Porket About It | 29 | 17 | 12 | 59% | ⚔ compare |
| DAD BOD BARBEQUE | 26 | 12 | 14 | 46% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Racks BBQ | 24 | 14 | 9 | 58% | ⚔ compare |
| WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ | 23 | 3 | 20 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Big Bear BBQ | 21 | 18 | 3 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| T Daddys BBQ | 21 | 11 | 10 | 52% | ⚔ compare |
| Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | 21 | 5 | 16 | 24% | ⚔ compare |
| Wrecking Crew BBQ | 21 | 4 | 17 | 19% | ⚔ compare |
| Marty Party BBQ | 20 | 10 | 10 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| HOT DADDY'S BBQ | 20 | 9 | 9 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| What’cha Got BBQ | 20 | 9 | 11 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 44 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 180 🔥 | 155.3600 | 168.47 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 57 | 35 | 6 | 13 | 180 🔥 | 150.8116 | 168.96 | top 37% |
| Pork | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 175.4056 | 169.6800 | 172.54 | top 19% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 150.2400 | 150.2400 | 150.24 | top 86% |
“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) | 10 | 2 | top 47% |
| Medium (20–39) | 23 | 2 | top 30% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 0 | top 27% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 5 | 1 | 1 | top 12% | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 5 | 5 | 0 | top 34% | Jun 12, 2026 |
| Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 4 | 4 | 0 | top 53% | Aug 15, 2026 |
| Minnesota in May | 4 | 3 | 0 | top 21% | May 8, 2026 |
| Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 29% | Jun 27, 2025 |
| Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 32% | Apr 24, 2026 |
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 40% | Jul 18, 2026 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 58% | Oct 15, 2023 |
| Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 18% | Sep 9, 2023 |
| Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 86% | Jul 21, 2023 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 60% | Oct 15, 2022 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 39% | Oct 14, 2022 |
| Minnesota in May (Backyard) | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 37% | May 13, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
15 contests · 3 GCs
Contests a season
9.7
across 6 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
WI
26 of 58 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
19
13 of them more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
57 entries · 6 wins · 35 calls
First title
Jun 27, 2025
Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1)
Opponents faced
477
finished ahead 1,400 times, behind 554
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20266 milestones
- First Reserve Championship Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 50th tracked contest Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- Biggest field won (37 teams) Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- 10th category win Tri City BBQ Fest
- Peak power rating (1721) Tri City BBQ Fest
- Most recent contest Tri City BBQ Fest
20252 milestones
- First Grand Championship Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1)
- First state championship Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1)
20241 milestone
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
20232 milestones
- Career-best overall score654.1256 Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- 25th tracked contest Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD)
20224 milestones
- First category win (Pork Ribs) Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- First overall top-10 Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- First overall podium Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- 10th tracked contest Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY)
20213 milestones
- First tracked contest Minnesota in May - One Meat Contest - Ribs
- First call Minnesota in May
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score332.0344 Minnesota in May
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.9 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 11, 2022 |
| +15.4 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) | Jun 27, 2025 |
| +13.7 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 7, 2024 |
| +13.3 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 10, 2023 |
| +13 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | Apr 24, 2026 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.3 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Aug 20, 2022 |
| -11.4 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jul 22, 2022 |
| -8.3 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | Jul 21, 2023 |
| -7.8 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | Jun 9, 2023 |
| -4.4 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | Oct 15, 2022 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 87% | top 19% | 98.7% | 96.3% |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 70% | top 29% | 97% | 94.6% |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 71% | top 24% | 96.2% | 94.7% |
| 2023 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 64% | top 46% | 94.6% | 92.1% |
| 2022 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 55% | top 51% | 96% | 91.7% |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 40% | 92.2% | 91.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Tri City BBQ Fest 🏅 Denison, IA | 3 / 26 (343.9544) | 5 (165.0972) | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 9 / 18 (342.2284) | 10 (170.2628) | 9 (171.9656) | — | — |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Montevideo, MN | 1 / 14 (355.4400) | 3 (175.4400) | 1 (180) | — | — |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 1 / 26 (350.8572) | 1 (175.4172) | 2 (175.4400) | — | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 13 / 28 (343.3828) | 19 (168.5256) | 7 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 9 / 27 (344.5600) | 12 (171.4172) | 7 (173.1428) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 1 / 37 (348.5488) | 8 (170.8344) | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 8 / 40 (345.0972) | 6 (175.4172) | 18 (169.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 12, 2026 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 19 (166.2628) | — | — |
| May 29, 2026 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Owatonna, MN | 7 / 25 (341.0856) | 19 (165.0856) | 3 (176) | — | — |
| May 15, 2026 | BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) Chippewa Falls, WI | 2 / 21 (348.5600) | 2 (175.4056) | 5 (173.1544) | — | — |
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 3 / 77 (349.1200) | 4 (173.7028) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| May 8, 2026 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 6 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Apr 24, 2026 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 2 / 24 (348) | 10 (170.2628) | 1 (177.7372) | — | — |
| Apr 3, 2026 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 11 / 42 (343.9544) | 12 (173.1200) | 11 (170.8344) | — | — |
| Aug 16, 2025 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 4 / 17 (345.0972) | 8 (169.6800) | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 🏅 Spencer, IA | 1 / 15 (349.1200) | 1 (176.5600) | 2 (172.5600) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA | 8 / 17 (333.0972) | 4 (171.4172) | 13 (161.6800) | — | — |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Art of the Que (One Meat Ribs) Spencer, IA | — | — | 6 (170.2744) | — | — |
| Jun 14, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 36 (345.6800) | 10 (170.8228) | 2 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 8 / 36 (345.0972) | 11 (173.1200) | 8 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Jun 13, 2025 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 8 (172.5600) | — | — |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 15 / 58 (337.1428) | 16 (171.4400) | 19 (165.7028) | — | — |
| May 9, 2025 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 20 (169.7144) | — | — |
| Apr 25, 2025 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 15 / 24 (329.0628) | 16 (163.3944) | 14 (165.6684) | — | — |
| Aug 17, 2024 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 8 / 18 (335.9544) | 6 (171.9888) | 10 (163.9656) | — | — |
| Jul 5, 2024 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 4 / 16 (340.5256) | 8 (165.6684) | 4 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 7 / 37 (340.5260) | 7 (170.8344) | 5 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 41 (346.2400) | 1 (180) | 14 (166.2400) | — | — |
| Jun 7, 2024 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 11 (166.2628) | — | — |
| May 10, 2024 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 10 / 58 (341.7144) | 17 (169.7144) | 8 (172) | 1 (175.4056) | — |
| May 10, 2024 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 30 (165.6800) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 12 / 24 (334.7772) | 20 (165.0856) | 8 (169.6916) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 14 / 21 (331.3716) | 14 (166.8344) | 16 (164.5372) | — | — |
| Oct 13, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 14 (168.5256) | — | — |
| Sep 9, 2023 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 5 / 30 (340.5716) | 17 (165.7144) | 1 (174.8572) | — | — |
| Jul 21, 2023 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 12 / 15 (324.4800) | 13 (155.3600) | 6 (169.1200) | — | — |
| Jul 7, 2023 | Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA | 9 / 28 (330.8000) | 12 (161.0972) | 3 (169.7028) | — | — |
| Jun 10, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 6 / 40 (337.1544) | 8 (169.1772) | 7 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 30 / 43 (654.1256) | 24 (166.8228) | 21 (167.3828) | 16 (169.6800) | 37 (150.2400) |
| Jun 9, 2023 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 7 (169.7028) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 21 / 59 (326.2512) | 31 (156.5484) | 10 (169.7028) | — | — |
| May 12, 2023 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 42 (158.2056) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 14 / 20 (332.5372) | 15 (164.5600) | 9 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (One Meat Ribs) West Salem, WI | — | — | 11 (159.9544) | — | — |
| Oct 14, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 8 / 22 (337.6800) | 7 (169.7028) | 9 (167.9772) | — | — |
| Sep 10, 2022 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 6 / 30 (342.2628) | 7 (172) | 6 (170.2628) | — | — |
| Aug 20, 2022 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 14 / 15 (313.0628) | 10 (162.2512) | 15 (150.8116) | — | — |
| Jul 22, 2022 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 12 / 13 (323.3828) | 12 (161.6684) | 9 (161.7144) | — | — |
| Jun 11, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 3 / 37 (345.7144) | 13 (166.8572) | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| Jun 10, 2022 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 17 / 39 (318.2056) | 16 (162.8456) | 22 (155.3600) | — | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Minnesota in May (Backyard) Cambridge, MN | 17 / 38 (327.3372) | 18 (166.2400) | 21 (161.0972) | — | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) Cambridge, MN | — | — | 34 (152.5028) | — | — |
| May 13, 2022 | Minnesota in May (Masters) 🏅 Cambridge, MN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 18 / 36 (328.5028) | 16 (165.1084) | 20 (163.3944) | — | — |
| Oct 15, 2021 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 17 / 40 (327.3484) | 9 (167.4056) | 26 (159.9428) | — | — |
| May 7, 2021 | Minnesota in May 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 17 / 60 (332.0344) | 23 (162.8800) | 8 (169.1544) | — | — |
| May 7, 2021 | Minnesota in May - One Meat Contest - Ribs Cambridge, MN | — | — | 13 (170.2972) | — | — |