GRILLDROIDS

GRILLDROIDS is a competition barbecue team with 10 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2025. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the BBQ Fest Costa Rica (2017). They are ranked #2027 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “*Grill Droids”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,027

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1538

peak 1541 · rated over 9 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Mar 4, 2017

latest Mar 14, 2025 · 8 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#889

Master 2023 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 10% of the time

Category wins

8 podiums

Overall top-10s

70% of 10 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s, still running

Avg finish

top 40%

overall standings

Best overall

675.4056 / 720

Master · BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022

Perfect 180s

Current form

655.81 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 653.06 (+2.75)

Walk rate

90%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

176.5716

Pork Ribs · BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023

Consistency

±14.34

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork Ribs

avg 168.21 · weakest Brisket (159.97)

Road miles

10,321

across 10 mapped stops · furthest 1,872 mi

Schedule strength

17%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1524)

Purse competed for

$2,625

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

Master avg

653.06 / 720

9 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (14 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

Riding a hot streak

4 straight overall top-10s

Currently on a 4-contest overall top-10 run.

career best 4

They almost always walk

90% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 9 of 10 contests

A top-10 category call in 90% of their 10 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

675.4056 career-best overall

93.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 675.4056 at BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022 — 93.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
Mar 25, 2022

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

Justice BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

Justice BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−8.2 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 8.24 points below their pork ribs, and turns into a call 44% of the time against 70%.

Brisket avg 159.97
Pork Ribs avg 168.21
4 calls in 9 entries

The drought

9 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at BBQ Fest Costa Rica on Mar 4, 2017 — 9 contests and 9.6 years ago.

last GC Mar 4, 2017
9.6 years ago

A strong matchup

5–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of BBQ Holics in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

Show 7 more storylines

The comeback

2.1 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 2.1 years, then back at Fuego y Humo 2021 (Apr 23, 2021).

last seen Mar 23, 2019
back Apr 23, 2021

Pork Ribs nemesis

3 of 5 shared pork ribs entries lost

Club Carbon CR ahead 60% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, Club Carbon CR has out-cooked them in 3 of 5 shared pork ribs entries.

Announced themselves early

1st at their very first contest

Finished 1 of 18 at their very first tracked contest, BBQ Fest Costa Rica (Mar 4, 2017).

Mar 4, 2017
18-team field

Looking over their shoulder

3× one call behind them

BBQ Costa Rica has landed one call behind them 3 times.

A March team

Top 28% average finish in March

Something about March: average finish in the top 28% across 4 contests, versus top 40% the rest of the year.

4 March contests
top 40% the rest of the year

The long haul

10,321 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 10,321 miles across 10 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,872 miles to Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018.

10 mapped stops
furthest 1,872 mi

The metronome

±1.99% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.99% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 90.7% of a perfect score
10 contests

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
2025 ↗	Master	#930 (117 pts)	#1140 (82 pts)	#1110 (112 pts)	#860 (147 pts)	#746 (192 pts)
2023 ↗	Master	#889 (136 pts)	#907 (156 pts)	#710 (276 pts)	#962 (126 pts)	#1620 (51 pts)
2022 ↗	Master	#916 (148 pts)	#880 (178 pts)	#1057 (138 pts)	#1178 (103 pts)	#1242 (83 pts)
2021 ↗	Master	#988 (117 pts)	#1274 (62 pts)	#637 (272 pts)	#864 (152 pts)	#1120 (92 pts)
2019 ↗	Master	#1180 (197 pts)	#1387 (162 pts)	#1108 (247 pts)	#1392 (162 pts)	#1831 (87 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to GRILLDROIDS, each with one reason worth a look.

83 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

LOCAL SMOKE BBQ

#2,016 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 51
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 12%
Peak: 1614

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to GRILLDROIDS)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team GRILLDROIDS has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 49 contests
last seen Jul 11, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Jager Q

#2,029 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1542

Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 5 years before GRILLDROIDS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 9 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Mac's BBQ

#2,028 of the rated field

1538 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 44%
Peak: 1538

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 9 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 9 contests
last seen Mar 25, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

JP BBQ and Catering

#2,030 of the rated field

1537 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 50%
Peak: 1539

Careers of much the same size, 8 contests to 10, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Jan 22, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

Ridge Bros BBQ

#2,036 of the rated field

1537 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 75%
Peak: 1557

Level with GRILLDROIDS on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 8 contests
last seen Jun 6, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

SMOKE 'N' BARRELS BBQ-VA

#2,039 of the rated field

1537 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1552

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 6 years before GRILLDROIDS's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 11 contests

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
88 BBQ	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
BBQ Costa Rica	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
CLUB CARBONCITO	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
BBQ Holics	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
DARTH GRILLERS	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
TEC BBQ	5	5	0	100%	⚔ compare
The Grillers	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
Comparrillas	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
Club Carbon CR	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Justice BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	9	6	0	1	172.5828	148.5256	162.45	top 50%
Pork Ribs	10	7	2	5	176.5716	155.3944	168.21	top 36%
Pork	9	4	0	0	169.1772	150.8572	162.21	top 55%
Brisket	9	4	1	2	174.2628	145.0744	159.97	top 54%

“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)	3	1	top 36%
Medium (20–39)	5	0	top 31%
Large (40+)	1	0	top 94%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023	2	8	0	top 32%	Apr 15, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2023 2 contests

Contests a season 1.3 across 8 seasons in the data

Most contests held in TN 2 of 10 contests

Contests visited 8 1 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 10 entries · 2 wins · 7 calls

First title Mar 4, 2017 BBQ Fest Costa Rica

Opponents faced 179 finished ahead 123 times, behind 136

Longest layoff 2.1 yrs Mar 23, 2019 → Apr 23, 2021

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20252 milestones

Mar 14 10th tracked contest Masters BBQ Challenge CR
Mar 14 Most recent contest Masters BBQ Challenge CR

20241 milestone

Apr 6 Peak power rating (1541) BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2024

20231 milestone

Apr 15 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5716 BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023

20221 milestone

Mar 25 Career-best overall score675.4056 BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022

20177 milestones

Mar 4 First tracked contest BBQ Fest Costa Rica
Mar 4 First call BBQ Fest Costa Rica
Mar 4 First category win (Brisket) BBQ Fest Costa Rica
Mar 4 First overall top-10 BBQ Fest Costa Rica
Mar 4 First overall podium BBQ Fest Costa Rica
Mar 4 First Grand Championship BBQ Fest Costa Rica
Mar 4 First overall past 90% of a perfect score665.0512 BBQ Fest Costa Rica

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.8	BBQ Fest Costa Rica	Mar 4, 2017
+10.8	BBQFest Costa Rica 2019	Mar 23, 2019
+8	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2024	Apr 6, 2024
+6.8	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022	Mar 25, 2022
+5.2	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023	Apr 15, 2023

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-7.8	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)	Oct 27, 2017
-3.7	Masters BBQ Challenge CR	Mar 14, 2025
-0.3	Fuego y Humo 2021	Apr 23, 2021

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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)
2025	1	0	1	0	100%	top 59%	89.2%	89.2%
2024	1	0	1	0	100%	top 25%	90.9%	90.9%
2023	2	0	1	1	100%	top 35%	92.1%	92.1%
2022	1	0	1	0	100%	top 29%	93.8%	93.8%
2021	1	0	0	1	100%	top 50%	89.4%	89.4%
2019	1	0	1	0	100%	top 18%	92.5%	92.5%
2018	1	0	1	0	100%	top 44%	88.2%	88.2%
2017	2	1	1	1	50%	top 50%	92.4%	90.1%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Mar 14, 2025	Masters BBQ Challenge CR San Jose	10 / 17 (642.2172)	17 (148.5256)	11 (164.5716)	7 (164)	4 (165.1200)
Apr 6, 2024	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2024 Heredia	6 / 24 (654.1368)	6 (166.2628)	14 (161.6684)	13 (159.9428)	3 (166.2628)
May 20, 2023	Patio Porkers on Beale (ONE MEAT RIBS) Memphis, TN	—	—	8 (166.2628)	—	—
Apr 15, 2023	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2023 San Jose	9 / 26 (663.4060)	7 (172.5828)	1 (176.5716)	10 (169.1772)	26 (145.0744)
Mar 25, 2022	BBQ Fest Costa Rica 2022 San Jose	8 / 28 (675.4056)	5 (169.1428)	9 (173.1428)	15 (166.2628)	19 (166.8572)
Apr 23, 2021	Fuego y Humo 2021 San Jose	11 / 22 (643.8740)	22 (149.6684)	1 (174.2856)	7 (167.9656)	16 (151.9544)
Mar 23, 2019	BBQFest Costa Rica 2019 San Jose	4 / 22 (665.6568)	6 (167.9656)	2 (176)	6 (166.2856)	17 (155.4056)
Apr 7, 2018	Circuito Parrillero by BBQ Fest Etapo 1 2018 San Jose	7 / 16 (635.3372)	7 (161.1200)	3 (166.2628)	14 (150.8572)	6 (157.0972)
Oct 27, 2017	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN	89 / 95 (632.4236)	93 (156.5144)	92 (155.3944)	75 (162.8116)	83 (157.7032)
Mar 4, 2017	BBQ Fest Costa Rica Costa Rica	1 / 18 (665.0512)	2 (170.2628)	3 (167.9772)	14 (152.5484)	1 (174.2628)

GRILLDROIDS

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

Master avg

Storylines (14 found in their record)

Riding a hot streak

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

The drought

A strong matchup

The comeback

Pork Ribs nemesis

Announced themselves early

Looking over their shoulder

A March team

The long haul

The metronome

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — 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

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)