The heartbreaker
3.4168
points from the title
Came within 3.4168 points of the Grand Championship at Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival (2022-04-29).
Smokin N The Bandits
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1564
peak 1577 · rated over 24 contests ⓘ
Contests
25
in the data
First seen
2018-05-04
latest 2025-05-02
Best ToY finish
#476
Master 2019
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
6
of 25 contests
Avg finish
top 48%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
677.77 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 669.92 (+7.85)
Walk rate
76%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.77
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 169.07 · weakest Brisket (164.60)
Road miles
4,058
mi across 25 mapped stops · furthest 331 mi
Schedule strength
66%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1583)
Purse competed for
$213K
listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 19 state-championship entries
Master avg
669.92 / 720
24 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
311.36 / 360
1 Backyard contest · 0 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.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Storylines (13 found in this team's record)
Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.
Happy hunting ground
Top 19%
average finish here
Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off is their spot: an average finish in the top 19% across 2 visits.
- 2 visits
- best finish 6th
- average top 19%
They almost always walk
76%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 19 of 25 contests
A top-10 category call in 76% of their 25 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
694.2400
career-best overall
96.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 694.2400 at Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off — 96.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2018-06-15
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Vallee AC Cold Smoke has finished one call ahead of Smokin N The Bandits 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
14–6
behind in the head-to-head
PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ ahead in 70% of their meetings
PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ has come out ahead in 14 of their 20 shared contests.
The weak link
−4.5
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 4.47 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 25% of the time against 32%.
- Brisket avg 164.60
- Chicken avg 169.07
- 6 calls in 24 entries
A strong matchup
9–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of 2nd Hand Smoke in 9 of their 9 shared contests.
Chicken nemesis
12 of 13
shared chicken entries lost
FIRE DANCER BBQ ahead 92% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, FIRE DANCER BBQ has out-cooked them in 12 of 13 shared chicken entries.
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
THE BLUE BLOODS has landed one call behind them 2 times.
A June team
Top 34%
average finish in June
Something about June: average finish in the top 34% across 6 contests, versus top 48% the rest of the year.
- 6 June contests
- top 48% the rest of the year
The long haul
4,058
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,058 miles across 25 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 331 miles to Smithfield Classic in Nashville.
- 25 mapped stops
- furthest 331 mi
The metronome
±2.39%
swing around their own average
Their overall lands within ±2.39% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.
- averages 92.8% of a perfect score
- 25 contests
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.
41 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1489 of the rated field
- Contests
- 29
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1592
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2021, 4 years before Smokin N The Bandits's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#1498 of the rated field
- Contests
- 33
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 61%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 32 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#1487 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 28%
- Peak
- 1568
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 25, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#1493 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 29%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
35 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 29% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#1488 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 46%
- Peak
- 1565
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 5 years before Smokin N The Bandits's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#1500 of the rated field
- Contests
- 13
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1564
No shared contest yet.
Level with Smokin N The Bandits on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIGLITICALLY INCORRECT BBQ | 20 | 6 | 14 | 30% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 13 | 2 | 11 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE DANCER BBQ | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SOUTHSIDE BBQ | 12 | 9 | 3 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Rankin County BBQ Company | 12 | 4 | 8 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| THE BLUE BLOODS | 11 | 3 | 7 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| 2nd Hand Smoke | 9 | 9 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| BEER-B-QUE BOYS | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| UNCLE FEOL'S TENNESSEE STYLE BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Kith n' Kin | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Vallee AC Cold Smoke | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38% | ⚔ compare |
| Poppa Pig | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25% | ⚔ compare |
| MISSISSIPPI MEAT MAFIA | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| MEMPHIS ORIGINAL BBQ | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43% | ⚔ compare |
| Q-BONES BBQ | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 177.7028 | 152.5372 | 169.07 | top 45% |
| Pork Ribs | 25 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 178.8572 | 147.9428 | 167.32 | top 47% |
| Pork | 24 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 174.2628 | 156.5488 | 167.89 | top 46% |
| Brisket | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 175.4172 | 143.3372 | 164.60 | top 53% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS | 18 | 0 | top 49% |
| LA | 2 | 0 | top 45% |
| TN | 2 | 0 | top 49% |
| AL | 1 | 0 | top 42% |
| FL | 1 | 0 | top 43% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 3 | 0 | top 52% |
| Medium (20–39) | 15 | 0 | top 53% |
| Large (40+) | 6 | 0 | top 34% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smokin on the Rez BBQ and Music Festival (DAY 2) | 4 | 13 | 0 | top 63% | 2019-08-24 |
| Downtown BBQ Showdown | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 67% | 2019-07-19 |
| Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off | 2 | 6 | 0 | top 19% | 2019-06-14 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
7 yrs
2018-05-04 → 2025-05-02
Busiest season
2019
8 contests
Contests a season
3.1
across 8 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
MS
19 of 25 contests · 5 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
19
3 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
25 entries · 0 wins · 8 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 169.07 · weakest Brisket (164.60)
Walk rate
76%
a top-10 call in 19 of 25 contests
Overall top-10 rate
24%
6 of 25 contests
Master average
669.92
out of 720 · 24 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
311.36
out of 360 · 1 contest · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
534
505–411 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
4,058
25 mapped stops · furthest 331 mi
Schedule strength
1583
average field rating faced — tougher than 66% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$213,340
listed at 16 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 19 state-championship entries
Power rating
1564
peak 1577 · #1492 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2018
- First tracked contest *D'Iberville BBQ Throw down Kids Q & Festival (JUDGES FULL)
- First call *Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score649.0404 *Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival
- First overall top-10 Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off
- Career-best overall score694.2400 Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off
- 2019
- First category win (Pork Ribs) D'Iberville BBQ Throw Down Festival
- 10th tracked contest Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival
- 2022
- First overall podium Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival
- First Reserve Championship Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival
- 2023
- Peak power rating (1577) Poosa Q
- 2024
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)178.8572 VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition
- 2025
- 25th tracked contest Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Fest
- Most recent contest Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Fest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.2 | Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival | 2022-04-29 |
| +14.8 | Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off | 2018-06-15 |
| +9.6 | Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off | 2019-06-14 |
| +8.5 | Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff | 2023-04-28 |
| +8 | Hammond BBQ | 2019-03-22 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -8.6 | Smokin on the Rez BBQ and Music Festival (DAY 1) | 2019-08-23 |
| -5.5 | Hog Wild BBQ & Family Fest | 2024-05-03 |
| -5.4 | Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Fest | 2025-05-02 |
| -4.1 | *Downtown BBQ Showdown | 2018-08-17 |
| -3.2 | Smokin on the Rez BBQ and Music Festival (DAY 2) | 2019-08-24 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 74% | 94.2% | 94.2% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 65% | 94% | 93.3% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 37% | 95.8% | 95% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100% | top 25% | 95.5% | 95% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 67% | top 43% | 95.1% | 94.6% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 48% | 90.7% | 90.7% |
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 63% | top 50% | 95.6% | 91.5% |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 83% | top 50% | 96.4% | 92.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-02 | Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Fest 🏅 Brookhaven, MS | 20 / 27 (678.1944) | 21 (170.8112) | 6 (175.4288) | 11 (174.2628) | 25 (157.6916) |
| 2024-10-25 | VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition 🏅 Vidalia, LA | 18 / 31 (677.0628) | 20 (166.2400) | 6 (178.8572) | 11 (171.9656) | 23 (160.0000) |
| 2024-05-03 | Hog Wild BBQ & Family Fest 🏅 Brookhaven, MS | 18 / 25 (666.2856) | 14 (170.8456) | 17 (169.7372) | 19 (165.1200) | 21 (160.5828) |
| 2023-10-05 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 31 / 73 (677.6228) | 6 (177.7028) | 40 (167.9656) | 65 (162.8344) | 38 (169.1200) |
| 2023-04-28 | Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Brandon, MS | 9 / 28 (689.6684) | 13 (174.8456) | 4 (177.1544) | 19 (167.9656) | 16 (169.7028) |
| 2022-06-03 | Covington World's Oldest Barbeque Festival 🏅 Covington, TN | 12 / 28 (679.9200) | 10 (173.1316) | 5 (175.4056) | 14 (169.1084) | 18 (162.2744) |
| 2022-04-29 | Hog Wild BBQ Cookoff and Family Festival 🏅 Brookhaven, MS | 2 / 25 (687.4060) | 4 (174.8572) | 9 (165.7144) | 3 (174.2628) | 4 (172.5716) |
| 2021-09-03 | Smithfield Classic in Nashville 🏅 Nashville, TN | 28 / 50 (681.0512) | 45 (163.3828) | 13 (173.7144) | 22 (172.5484) | 23 (171.4056) |
| 2021-06-25 | Back the Blue 🏅 Brookhaven, MS | 6 / 16 (677.0400) | 4 (173.1200) | 12 (164.5372) | 3 (173.1200) | 11 (166.2628) |
| 2021-06-18 | DeSoto Shrine Club 13th Annual BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Nesbit, MS | 17 / 48 (684.5028) | 13 (173.1200) | 24 (168.5600) | 22 (167.9772) | 8 (174.8456) |
| 2020-06-26 | Swinging Bridge BBQ Festival 🏅 Byram, MS | 15 / 31 (653.0740) | 10 (167.9540) | 31 (147.9428) | 10 (168.0000) | 9 (169.1772) |
| 2019-08-24 | Smokin on the Rez BBQ and Music Festival (DAY 2) 🏅 Brandon, MS | 19 / 28 (657.0172) | 20 (161.0972) | 12 (166.2628) | 24 (162.2400) | 15 (167.4172) |
| 2019-08-23 | Smokin on the Rez BBQ and Music Festival (DAY 1) 🏅 Brandon, MS | 24 / 29 (647.8056) | 10 (169.6800) | 21 (161.6456) | 19 (160.5372) | 23 (155.9428) |
| 2019-07-19 | Downtown BBQ Showdown 🏅 Hattiesburg, MS | 17 / 28 (662.1600) | 18 (165.6800) | 16 (163.9428) | 8 (169.7372) | 22 (162.8000) |
| 2019-06-14 | Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off 🏅 Hernado, MS | 12 / 49 (688.4916) | 23 (170.8344) | 23 (170.8228) | 9 (174.2628) | 9 (172.5716) |
| 2019-05-24 | Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival 🏅 Brookhaven, MS | 8 / 26 (155.4172) | 12 (166.2400) | 16 (160.5256) | 15 (162.8684) | 13 (161.7144) |
| 2019-03-22 | Hammond BBQ 🏅 Hammond, LA | 15 / 48 (681.0284) | 16 (171.9656) | 41 (161.0856) | 8 (172.5600) | 5 (175.4172) |
| 2019-03-15 | Smokin In the Square 🏅 Pensacola, FL | 15 / 35 (311.3600) | 13 (170.2856) | 15 (158.8228) | 30 (156.5488) | 12 (168.5828) |
| 2019-02-22 | D'Iberville BBQ Throw Down Festival 🏅 Diberville, MS | 9 / 16 (650.6972) | 6 (165.7028) | 1 (175.4172) | 6 (166.2400) | 14 (143.3372) |
| 2018-08-25 | *Smokin on the Rez BBQ and Music Festival (DAY 2) Brandon, MS | 15 / 28 (667.9884) | 17 (168.5828) | 7 (170.2972) | 19 (163.4056) | 15 (165.7028) |
| 2018-08-24 | *Smokin on the Rez BBQ and Music Festival (DAY 1) Brandon, MS | 13 / 28 (668.0116) | 12 (170.8344) | 12 (167.4172) | 23 (158.8800) | 6 (170.8800) |
| 2018-08-17 | *Downtown BBQ Showdown Hattiesburg, MS | 22 / 30 (645.5776) | 13 (168.5256) | 21 (160.5488) | 5 (170.8344) | 26 (145.6688) |
| 2018-06-15 | Desoto Shrine Club BBQ Cook off Hernado, MS | 6 / 45 (694.2400) | 8 (174.2628) | 4 (176.5716) | 9 (173.7028) | 20 (169.7028) |
| 2018-05-04 | *Hog Wild BBQ Cook off, Kids Que and Family Festival Brookhaven, MS | 12 / 19 (649.0404) | 11 (164.5716) | 14 (157.1200) | 4 (170.2628) | 12 (157.0860) |
| 2018-02-23 | *D'Iberville BBQ Throw down Kids Q & Festival (JUDGES FULL) D'Iberville, MS | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #476 (687 pts) | #459 (742 pts) | #439 (782 pts) | #398 (847 pts) | #435 (772 pts) |
| 2018 ↗ | Master | #978 (292 pts) | #930 (347 pts) | #1048 (292 pts) | #796 (437 pts) | #950 (332 pts) |