FENDER BENDER BBQ WI
Rating
1704
peak 1708 · rated over 43 contests
Best runs
7
straight top-10s · 2 straight GCs
Contests
57
in the data
First seen
2021-05-07
latest 2026-08-15
Best ToY finish
#5
Backyard 2026
Grand champs
4
2 reserve
Category wins
9
18 podiums
Overall top-10s
26
of 57 contests
Avg finish
top 34%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
347.29 ▲
last 5 Backyard vs avg 338.18 (+9.11)
Walk rate
68%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
7
best run (overall)
Consistency
±9.40
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 172.54 · weakest Brisket (150.24)
Road miles
4567
mi across 57 mapped stops · furthest 237 mi
Schedule strength
69%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1565)
Purse competed for
$263K
listed at 51 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
3 🏅
GCs in 21 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.13 / 720
1 Master contest · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
338.18 / 360
42 Backyard contests · 4 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
Storylines
🎯 The one to beat
DAWGS BBQ has finished one call ahead of FENDER BENDER BBQ 3 times — their closest competition in the data.
👀 Looking over their shoulder
Porket About It has landed one call behind them 6 times.
⚔️ A tough matchup
WEEZ'S GROOVIN' BBQ has come out ahead in 20 of their 23 shared contests.
⚔️ A strong matchup
They've finished ahead of Big Bear BBQ in 18 of their 21 shared contests.
🏕️ Happy hunting ground
Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) is their spot: 1 Grand Championship in 5 visits.
💔 The heartbreaker
Came within 1.7256 points of the Grand Championship at BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) (2026-05-15).
🗡️ Giant slayer
Took the Grand Championship over a 37-team field at Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD).
📅 A June team
Something about June: average finish in the top 23% across 12 contests, versus top 34% the rest of the year.
Teams like this (closest power rating, WI first)
Familiar 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 |
| What’cha Got BBQ | 20 | 9 | 11 | 45% | ⚔ compare |
| UGLY BABY BBQ | 19 | 16 | 3 | 84% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 43 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 180.0000 🔥 | 155.3600 | 168.55 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 56 | 34 | 5 | 12 | 180.0000 🔥 | 150.8116 | 168.79 | top 38% |
| 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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| WI | 20 | 1 | top 32% |
| MN | 16 | 1 | top 38% |
| IA | 7 | 2 | top 28% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 10 | 2 | top 47% |
| Medium (20–39) | 22 | 2 | top 31% |
| Large (40+) | 11 | 0 | top 27% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring 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% | 2026-06-13 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 5 | 5 | 0 | top 34% | 2026-06-12 |
| Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 4 | 4 | 0 | top 53% | 2026-08-15 |
| Minnesota in May | 4 | 3 | 0 | top 21% | 2026-05-08 |
| Art of the Que (Backyard 2) | 3 | 1 | 1 | top 29% | 2025-06-27 |
| Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3 | 2 | 0 | top 32% | 2026-04-24 |
| Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) | 2 | 9 | 0 | top 40% | 2026-07-18 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 58% | 2023-10-15 |
| Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 5 | 0 | top 18% | 2023-09-09 |
| Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 12 | 0 | top 86% | 2023-07-21 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 60% | 2022-10-15 |
| Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2 | 8 | 0 | top 39% | 2022-10-14 |
| Minnesota in May (Backyard) | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 37% | 2022-05-13 |
The story so far
- Busiest season: 2026 (14 contests)
- Cooks mostly in WI (26 of 57 contests)
- Most-entered category: Pork Ribs (56 entries)
- First Grand Championship in the data: Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) (2025-06-27)
- Wins it all in 7% of contests
- Average Master overall score: 654.13 / 720
- Average Backyard overall score: 338.18 / 360
- 2 perfect 180s on the books 🔥
Milestones
- 🚩 2021-05-07 — First tracked contest · Minnesota in May - One Meat Contest - Ribs
- 📣 2021-05-07 — First call · Minnesota in May
- ⭐ 2023-06-09 — Career-best overall score (654.1256) · Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- 🎖️ 2023-10-13 — 25th tracked contest · Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- 🔥 2024-06-07 — First perfect 180 (Chicken) · Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD)
- 🏆 2025-06-27 — First Grand Championship · Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1)
- 🎖️ 2026-06-12 — 50th tracked contest · Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- 📈 2026-08-07 — Peak power rating (1708) · Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.9 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2022-06-11 |
| +14.9 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) | 2025-06-27 |
| +13.1 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2026-04-24 |
| +13.1 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2024-06-07 |
| +12.6 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2023-06-10 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -12.3 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-08-20 |
| -11.5 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-07-22 |
| -8.4 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) | 2023-06-09 |
| -8.2 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2023-07-21 |
| -4.5 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-10-15 |
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)
Team of the Year rank by season
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 86% | top 20% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-15 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 9 / 18 (342.2284) | 10 (170.2628) | 9 (171.9656) | — | — |
| 2026-08-07 | Chippewa Valley Ribfest (BACKYARD ONLY) Montevideo, MN | 1 / 14 (355.4400) | 3 (175.4400) | 1 (180.0000) | — | — |
| 2026-07-31 | Cruisin' and BBQin' 🏅 Hampton, IA | 1 / 26 (350.8572) | 1 (175.4172) | 2 (175.4400) | — | — |
| 2026-07-18 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 2) Miles, IA | 13 / 28 (343.3828) | 19 (168.5256) | 7 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2026-07-17 | Great River Threshers BBQ Contest (BACKYARD ONLY) (Day 1) Miles, IA | 9 / 27 (344.5600) | 12 (171.4172) | 7 (173.1428) | — | — |
| 2026-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 1 / 37 (348.5488) | 8 (170.8344) | 1 (177.7144) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 8 / 40 (345.0972) | 6 (175.4172) | 18 (169.6800) | — | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 19 (166.2628) | — | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Owatonna, MN | 7 / 25 (341.0856) | 19 (165.0856) | 3 (176.0000) | — | — |
| 2026-05-15 | BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) Chippewa Falls, WI | 2 / 21 (348.5600) | 2 (175.4056) | 5 (173.1544) | — | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 3 / 77 (349.1200) | 4 (173.7028) | 3 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 6 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2026-04-24 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 2 / 24 (348.0000) | 10 (170.2628) | 1 (177.7372) | — | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Iowa State BBQ Championship 🏅 Altoona, IA | 11 / 42 (343.9544) | 12 (173.1200) | 11 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2025-08-16 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 4 / 17 (345.0972) | 8 (169.6800) | 2 (175.4172) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Backyard 2) Spencer, IA | 8 / 17 (333.0972) | 4 (171.4172) | 13 (161.6800) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (Masters and Backyard 1) 🏅 Spencer, IA | 1 / 15 (349.1200) | 1 (176.5600) | 2 (172.5600) | — | — |
| 2025-06-27 | Art of the Que (One Meat Ribs) Spencer, IA | — | — | 6 (170.2744) | — | — |
| 2025-06-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 36 (345.6800) | 10 (170.8228) | 2 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 8 / 36 (345.0972) | 11 (173.1200) | 8 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-06-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 8 (172.5600) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 15 / 58 (337.1428) | 16 (171.4400) | 19 (165.7028) | — | — |
| 2025-05-09 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 20 (169.7144) | — | — |
| 2025-04-25 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 15 / 24 (329.0628) | 16 (163.3944) | 14 (165.6684) | — | — |
| 2024-08-17 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 8 / 18 (335.9544) | 6 (171.9888) | 10 (163.9656) | — | — |
| 2024-07-05 | Smoke & Fire (BACKYARD ONLY) Stanley, WI | 4 / 16 (340.5256) | 8 (165.6684) | 4 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2024-06-08 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 7 / 37 (340.5260) | 7 (170.8344) | 5 (169.6916) | — | — |
| 2024-06-07 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 5 / 41 (346.2400) | 1 (180.0000) | 14 (166.2400) | — | — |
| 2024-06-07 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 11 (166.2628) | — | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 10 / 58 (341.7144) | 17 (169.7144) | 8 (172.0000) | 1 (175.4056) | — |
| 2024-05-10 | Minnesota in May (ONE MEAT RIBS) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 30 (165.6800) | — | — |
| 2023-10-15 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 12 / 24 (334.7772) | 20 (165.0856) | 8 (169.6916) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 14 / 21 (331.3716) | 14 (166.8344) | 16 (164.5372) | — | — |
| 2023-10-13 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 14 (168.5256) | — | — |
| 2023-09-09 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 5 / 30 (340.5716) | 17 (165.7144) | 1 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2023-07-21 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 12 / 15 (324.4800) | 13 (155.3600) | 6 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2023-07-07 | Art of the Que 🏅 Spencer, IA | 9 / 28 (330.8000) | 12 (161.0972) | 3 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2023-06-10 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 6 / 40 (337.1544) | 8 (169.1772) | 7 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2023-06-09 | 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) |
| 2023-06-09 | Bring'n Home the Bacon (ONE MEAT RIBS) West Salem, WI | — | — | 7 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May 🏅 St. Peter, MN | 21 / 59 (326.2512) | 31 (156.5484) | 10 (169.7028) | — | — |
| 2023-05-12 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) St. Peter, MN | — | — | 42 (158.2056) | — | — |
| 2022-10-15 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 14 / 20 (332.5372) | 15 (164.5600) | 9 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2022-10-15 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II (One Meat Ribs) West Salem, WI | — | — | 11 (159.9544) | — | — |
| 2022-10-14 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD ONLY) West Salem, WI | 8 / 22 (337.6800) | 7 (169.7028) | 9 (167.9772) | — | — |
| 2022-09-10 | Bent Brewstillery BBQ (BACKYARD ONLY) Roseville, MN | 6 / 30 (342.2628) | 7 (172.0000) | 6 (170.2628) | — | — |
| 2022-08-20 | Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Canton, MN | 14 / 15 (313.0628) | 10 (162.2512) | 15 (150.8116) | — | — |
| 2022-07-22 | Fillmore County Fair BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Preston, MN | 12 / 13 (323.3828) | 12 (161.6684) | 9 (161.7144) | — | — |
| 2022-06-11 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 2 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 3 / 37 (345.7144) | 13 (166.8572) | 1 (178.8572) | — | — |
| 2022-06-10 | Bring'n Home the Bacon Day 1 (MASTER & BACKYARD) 🏅 West Salem, WI | 17 / 39 (318.2056) | 16 (162.8456) | 22 (155.3600) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (Backyard) Cambridge, MN | 17 / 38 (327.3372) | 18 (166.2400) | 21 (161.0972) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (One Meat Ribs) Cambridge, MN | — | — | 34 (152.5028) | — | — |
| 2022-05-13 | Minnesota in May (Masters) 🏅 Cambridge, MN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-10-16 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 2 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 18 / 36 (328.5028) | 16 (165.1084) | 20 (163.3944) | — | — |
| 2021-10-15 | Bring'n Home the Bacon II Day 1 (BACKYARD) West Salem, WI | 17 / 40 (327.3484) | 9 (167.4056) | 26 (159.9428) | — | — |
| 2021-05-07 | Minnesota in May 🏅 Cambridge, MN | 17 / 60 (332.0344) | 23 (162.8800) | 8 (169.1544) | — | — |
| 2021-05-07 | Minnesota in May - One Meat Contest - Ribs Cambridge, MN | — | — | 13 (170.2972) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #5 (1302 pts) | #11 (1110 pts) | #2 (1291 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | — | — | #580 (260 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #51 (931 pts) | #59 (856 pts) | #37 (1049 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) | — | — |