The heartbreaker
1.2004
points from the title
Came within 1.2004 points of the Grand Championship at Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff (Sep 8, 2023).
Team Chupacabra
Team Chupacabra is a competition barbecue team with 14 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2024. Their best overall finish is 2nd of 99 at the Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff (2023), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #1230 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1584
peak 1584 · rated over 8 contests4 invitational or side-series contests not counted
Contests
14
in the data
First seen
Nov 8, 2017
latest Oct 30, 2024 · 7 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
3
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
4
29% of 14 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 26%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
3 🔥
Current form
685.65 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 682.40 (+3.25)
Walk rate
36%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±14.26
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 171.32 · weakest Pork (169.60)
Road miles
3,952
across 14 mapped stops · furthest 732 mi
Schedule strength
61%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1578)
Purse competed for
$420K
listed at 10 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 8 state-championship entries
Master avg
682.40 / 720
12 Master contests · 0 GCs
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Team Chupacabra, each with one reason worth a look.
32 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#1,231 of the rated field
- Contests
- 41
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 34%
- Peak
- 1591
1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to Team Chupacabra)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Team Chupacabra has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#1,228 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 60%
- Peak
- 1584
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#1,233 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 73%
- Peak
- 1590
Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 14, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#1,226 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 68%
- Peak
- 1584
19 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 68% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#1,227 of the rated field
- Contests
- 20
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1606
Level with Team Chupacabra on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#1,229 of the rated field
- Contests
- 35
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1616
They've been 1616 at their best, 33 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHICKEN FRIED BBQ | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| Crossed Rifles BBQ | 10 | 7 | 3 | 70% | ⚔ compare |
| LC BBQ | 10 | 5 | 5 | 50% | ⚔ compare |
| Barton BBQ | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| BULLHORN BBQ | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| LA PASADITA | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE | 9 | 6 | 3 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ | 9 | 5 | 4 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
| MAN MEAT BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| SHAKE 'N BAKE BBQ | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKE THIS BBQ MO | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44% | ⚔ compare |
| 913 BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| MUTTLEY CREW BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
| Fergolicious BBQ | 9 | 3 | 6 | 33% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 180 🔥 | 158.8116 | 170.74 | top 40% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 177.1772 | 164.5600 | 171.32 | top 36% |
| Pork | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 159.3828 | 169.60 | top 41% |
| Brisket | 12 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 180 🔥 | 158.7884 | 170.74 | top 33% |
“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
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest | 3 | 7 | 0 | top 26% | Sep 27, 2023 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | 3 | 31 | 0 | top 41% | Sep 27, 2023 |
| Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 7% | Sep 13, 2024 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2024
4 contests
Contests a season
2.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
KS
10 of 14 contests · 3 states in all
Contests visited
7
3 of them more than once
Opponents faced
1,129
finished ahead 2,071 times, behind 934
Longest layoff
3.8 yrs
Nov 8, 2017 → Aug 20, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20242 milestones
- Peak power rating (1584) American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides
20233 milestones
- First overall podium Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff
- First Reserve Championship Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff
- 10th tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest
20221 milestone
- Career-best overall score702.8456 American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST
20176 milestones
- First tracked contest World Barbecue Championship
- First call World Barbecue Championship
- First category win (Brisket) World Barbecue Championship
- First overall top-10 World Barbecue Championship
- First perfect 180 (Brisket) World Barbecue Championship
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score693.0744 World Barbecue Championship
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +20.5 | World Barbecue Championship | Nov 8, 2017 |
| +15.6 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Oct 30, 2024 |
| +14.5 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff | Sep 8, 2023 |
| +14.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST | Sep 16, 2021 |
| +11.2 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff | Sep 13, 2024 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -1.4 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST | Sep 29, 2022 |
| -1 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest | Sep 27, 2023 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50% | top 27% | 97.1% | 95.8% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33% | top 29% | 96.1% | 94.9% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | top 31% | 97.6% | 94.7% |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 27% | 94.6% | 93.9% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | top 4% | 96.3% | 96.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Sides Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 16 / 444 (699.4172) | 48 (176.5828) | 252 (168.5372) | 72 (174.2972) | 1 (180) |
| Oct 30, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 110 / 169 (679.8972) | 89 (171.9772) | 28 (176.0116) | 97 (170.8228) | 159 (161.0856) |
| Sep 13, 2024 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 8 / 67 (690.8228) | 1 (180) | 42 (167.4172) | 22 (171.4056) | 9 (172) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Invitational Contest unrated Kansas City, KS | 58 / 211 (689.6572) | 137 (169.1084) | 21 (176.5716) | 60 (173.7144) | 106 (170.2628) |
| Sep 27, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - Open Contest 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 278 / 487 (668.4340) | 358 (163.4056) | 214 (170.2628) | 81 (174.2628) | 358 (160.5028) |
| Sep 8, 2023 | Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Cookoff 🏅 Waller, TX | 2 / 99 (691.9656) | 4 (176) | 4 (177.1772) | 74 (162.2284) | 5 (176.5600) |
| Oct 1, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - SIDES Kansas City, KS | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 302 / 505 (661.0056) | 427 (158.8116) | 178 (170.2512) | 376 (161.1200) | 128 (170.8228) |
| Sep 29, 2022 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue - INVITATIONAL CONTEST unrated Kansas City, KS | 7 / 249 (702.8456) | 79 (173.7028) | 29 (176) | 43 (176) | 15 (177.1428) |
| Sep 16, 2021 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 31 / 467 (504.4684) | 66 (173.7028) | 272 (164.5600) | 337 (159.3828) | 319 (158.7884) |
| Sep 16, 2021 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue-INVITATIONAL CONTEST 🏅 unrated Kansas City, KS | 91 / 185 (681.0400) | 111 (169.6800) | 132 (167.3828) | 105 (169.6800) | 38 (174.2972) |
| Aug 20, 2021 | Raider Red Meat BBQ & Ribeye Championship 🏅 Lubbock, TX | 11 / 43 (674.2056) | 14 (166.2628) | 5 (174.8456) | 19 (165.6800) | 14 (167.4172) |
| Nov 8, 2017 | World Barbecue Championship Orange Beach, AL | 4 / 93 (693.0744) | 42 (169.6684) | 49 (166.8460) | 4 (176.5600) | 1 (180) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.