High-water mark
682.2288
career-best overall
94.8% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 682.2288 at Columbia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest — 94.8% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2020-10-17
Fowl Ballz
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1451
peak 1451 · rated over 19 contests ⓘ
Contests
20
in the data
First seen
2014-04-11
latest 2022-10-07
Best ToY finish
#503
Master 2020
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 20 contests
Avg finish
top 71%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
650.35 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 640.41 (+9.93)
Walk rate
30%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±34.14
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 166.89 · weakest Brisket (151.78)
Road miles
4,020
mi across 20 mapped stops · furthest 740 mi
Schedule strength
68%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1585)
Purse competed for
$112K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 10 state-championship entries
Master avg
640.41 / 720
19 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (8 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.
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
Bushwood BBQ has finished one call ahead of Fowl Ballz 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
10–0
behind in the head-to-head
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ has come out ahead in 10 of their 10 shared contests.
The weak link
−15.1
points behind their best meat
Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 15.10 points below their pork, and turns into a call 5% of the time against 32%.
- Brisket avg 151.78
- Pork avg 166.89
- 1 calls in 19 entries
A strong matchup
4–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Grandpa Smokeys in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
The comeback
3 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 3 years, then back at Apple Blossom BBQ Made with Uncommon Character (2019-05-03).
- last seen 2016-05-06
- back 2019-05-03
Pork nemesis
7 of 10
shared pork entries lost
GETTIN' BASTED ahead 70% of the time
Even in their strongest meat, GETTIN' BASTED has out-cooked them in 7 of 10 shared pork entries.
The long haul
4,020
road miles between contests
Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 4,020 miles across 20 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 740 miles to Smoke & Soul Fest.
- 20 mapped stops
- furthest 740 mi
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.
122 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5441 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1452
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Fowl Ballz)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Fowl Ballz has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#5454 of the rated field
- Contests
- 59
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1451
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Fowl Ballz)
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 56 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#5476 of the rated field
- Contests
- 21
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1451
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 21 contests to 20, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#5469 of the rated field
- Contests
- 16
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 6%
- Peak
- 1451
No shared contest yet.
16 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 6% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Head-to-head#5445 of the rated field
- Contests
- 23
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1452
No shared contest yet.
Level with Fowl Ballz on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#5465 of the rated field
- Contests
- 15
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 7%
- Peak
- 1451
No shared contest yet.
They turned up 6 years after Fowl Ballz did, first appearing in 2020.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| S&S BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' BASTED | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SLAPS BBQ | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Theslabs.com | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OINK-A-DOODLE-MOO 1559 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29% | ⚔ compare |
| 4 LEGS UP BBQ | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| POLITICAL PORK | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| ALL FORKED UP FOR Q | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17% | ⚔ compare |
| R BUTTS R SMOKIN | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| OUTLAW HAWGS BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| AWESOME RACKS COOKIN CREW | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| UNCLE BUB'S BBQ, LLC | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| GETTIN' SAUCED | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 175.4400 | 142.2172 | 160.11 | top 73% |
| Pork Ribs | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 147.3372 | 161.63 | top 62% |
| Pork | 19 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 178.8572 | 150.8000 | 166.89 | top 44% |
| Brisket | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 20.0000 | 151.78 | top 67% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MO | 16 | 0 | top 72% |
| WY | 1 | 0 | top 66% |
| KS | 1 | 0 | top 79% |
| IA | 1 | 0 | top 63% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 100% |
| Medium (20–39) | 10 | 0 | top 68% |
| Large (40+) | 8 | 0 | top 72% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBQ and Fly In on the River | 2 | 41 | 0 | top 74% | 2015-08-14 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
8.5 yrs
2014-04-11 → 2022-10-07
Busiest season
2015
5 contests
Contests a season
2.5
across 8 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
MO
16 of 20 contests · 5 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
18
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
19 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 166.89 · weakest Brisket (151.78)
Walk rate
30%
a top-10 call in 6 of 20 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 20 contests
Master average
640.41
out of 720 · 19 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
1,195
364–1,343 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
4,020
20 mapped stops · furthest 740 mi
Schedule strength
1585
average field rating faced — tougher than 68% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$112,310
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 10 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
3 yrs
2016-05-06 → 2019-05-03
Power rating
1451
peak 1451 · #5458 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2014
- First tracked contest 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
- Peak power rating (1497) 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest
- 2015
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score658.2512 Apple Blossom BBQ Contest
- 2019
- First call Apple Blossom BBQ Made with Uncommon Character
- 10th tracked contest Apple Blossom BBQ Made with Uncommon Character
- 2020
- First category win (Pork) Columbia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest
- Career-best overall score682.2288 Columbia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest
- Career-best single call (Pork)178.8572 Columbia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest
- 2025
- Most recent contest World Championship Hot Wings Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS SERIES)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +6.3 | Ozarks BBQ Fest | 2020-06-19 |
| +5.4 | Columbia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest | 2020-10-17 |
| +3.2 | Apple Blossom BBQ Contest | 2015-05-01 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.8 | Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival | 2019-07-27 |
| -7.6 | BBQ and Fly In on the River | 2014-08-15 |
| -7.3 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open | 2015-10-03 |
| -7.1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST | 2021-09-16 |
| -6.4 | WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest | 2022-04-22 |
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 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 79% | 91.4% | 89.8% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 79% | 92.5% | 90.7% |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 51% | 94.8% | 94.2% |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 85% | 89.7% | 83.2% |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 68% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 65% | 91.4% | 89.2% |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 70% | 89.6% | 87.8% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-25 | World Championship Hot Wings Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS SERIES) Memphis, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-10-07 | Smoke & Soul Fest 🏅 Casper, WY | 19 / 29 (658.1144) | 22 (163.9428) | 7 (170.2744) | 4 (174.2628) | 25 (149.6344) |
| 2022-04-22 | WashMo BBQ & Bluesfest 🏅 Washington, MO | 27 / 29 (634.6632) | 21 (165.1316) | 29 (147.3372) | 13 (167.3828) | 27 (154.8116) |
| 2021-09-16 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 369 / 467 (633.5084) | 436 (148.5028) | 433 (150.7656) | 203 (166.2744) | 164 (167.9656) |
| 2021-08-20 | BBQ & Fly in on the River - Day 1 🏅 Excelsior Springs, MO | 30 / 40 (659.3144) | 22 (171.4172) | 27 (164.5488) | 29 (165.0856) | 28 (158.2628) |
| 2021-05-01 | Columbia Elks BBQ Cookoff 🏅 Columbia, MO | 32 / 39 (666.1256) | 31 (163.9312) | 29 (163.3944) | 30 (165.6800) | 11 (173.1200) |
| 2020-10-17 | Columbia Elks Lodge # 594 BBQ Contest 🏅 Columbia, MO | 21 / 38 (682.2288) | 14 (175.4400) | 34 (161.6916) | 1 (178.8572) | 26 (166.2400) |
| 2020-06-19 | Ozarks BBQ Fest 🏅 Springfield, MO | 12 / 26 (674.7200) | 21 (161.6456) | 15 (166.2516) | 2 (176.0000) | 10 (170.8228) |
| 2019-10-04 | Guts Glory Ram BBQ Showdown 🏅 Lebanon, MO | 20 / 27 (646.1028) | 22 (157.7028) | 24 (157.0628) | 9 (171.9772) | 20 (159.3600) |
| 2019-07-27 | Hannibal Bar-B-Q-Festival 🏅 Hannibal, MO | 18 / 18 (511.3600) | 15 (156.5256) | 11 (161.1316) | 2 (173.7028) | 18 (20.0000) |
| 2019-05-03 | Apple Blossom BBQ Made with Uncommon Character 🏅 St. Joseph, MO | 32 / 39 (640.4228) | 32 (155.3940) | 5 (171.9772) | 7 (172.0000) | 39 (141.0516) |
| 2016-05-06 | Apple Blossom Bar-B-Q St. Joseph, MO | 21 / 31 (651.2224) | 20 (163.9428) | 27 (155.9656) | 17 (166.2284) | 16 (165.0856) |
| 2015-10-03 | 36th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbeque- Open Kansas City, MO | 446 / 606 (631.3716) | 280 (164.5600) | 319 (162.8800) | 544 (150.8000) | 450 (153.1316) |
| 2015-08-14 | BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO | 45 / 67 (640.5260) | 35 (164.0116) | 27 (166.8916) | 50 (156.5028) | 50 (153.1200) |
| 2015-07-24 | Up in Smoke BBQ Bash Mason City, IA | 34 / 54 (650.1824) | 39 (163.3940) | 36 (161.1084) | 20 (167.9772) | 39 (157.7028) |
| 2015-05-01 | Apple Blossom BBQ Contest St. Joseph, MO | 19 / 36 (658.2512) | 32 (157.7256) | 15 (168.5600) | 16 (165.6800) | 14 (166.2856) |
| 2015-04-17 | 7th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO | 34 / 49 (632.5028) | 44 (154.2628) | 28 (160.5716) | 14 (167.4056) | 41 (150.2628) |
| 2014-08-15 | BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO | 41 / 51 (628.3200) | 49 (148.4112) | 16 (166.8344) | 36 (161.6800) | 43 (151.3944) |
| 2014-05-02 | Apple Blossom Barbecue Contest St. Joseph, MO | 21 / 33 (623.8972) | 32 (142.2172) | 18 (160.0000) | 21 (159.4056) | 12 (162.2744) |
| 2014-04-11 | 6th Annual Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest Washington, MO | 30 / 46 (645.0400) | 21 (163.9656) | 40 (153.6916) | 22 (164.0000) | 25 (163.3828) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #942 (138 pts) | #975 (143 pts) | #840 (213 pts) | #625 (318 pts) | #1151 (108 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #752 (180 pts) | #773 (195 pts) | #833 (180 pts) | #776 (180 pts) | #659 (250 pts) |
| 2020 ↗ | Master | #503 (196 pts) | #553 (186 pts) | #626 (161 pts) | #232 (536 pts) | #553 (186 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #1126 (215 pts) | #1170 (220 pts) | #872 (355 pts) | #621 (545 pts) | #1176 (215 pts) |
| 2016 ↗ | Master | #2169 (76 pts) | #2225 (81 pts) | #2912 (56 pts) | #2137 (96 pts) | #2110 (101 pts) |
| 2015 ↗ | Master | #951 (330 pts) | #1070 (300 pts) | #991 (350 pts) | #860 (425 pts) | #959 (355 pts) |
| 2014 ↗ | Master | #1672 (146 pts) | #1600 (166 pts) | #1475 (191 pts) | #1626 (161 pts) | #1729 (146 pts) |