High-water mark
665.5884
career-best overall
92.4% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 665.5884 at Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) — 92.4% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2023-07-28
The Fake Italian
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1484
peak 1484 · rated over 4 contests ⓘ
Contests
4
in the data
First seen
2020-07-24
latest 2023-07-29
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
0
of 4 contests
Avg finish
top 68%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
654.15
last 4 Master vs avg 654.15 (+0.00)
Walk rate
25%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.66
std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 167.97 · weakest Chicken (161.69)
Road miles
59
mi across 4 mapped stops
Schedule strength
51%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1566)
Purse competed for
$43K
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 4 state-championship entries
Master avg
654.15 / 720
4 Master contests · 0 GCs
Storylines (4 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.
A tough matchup
4–0
behind in the head-to-head
Capt. Blue BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings
Capt. Blue BBQ has come out ahead in 4 of their 4 shared contests.
A strong matchup
3–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Pappy's Q in 3 of their 3 shared contests.
The comeback
1.8 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 1.8 years, then back at Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) (2023-07-28).
- last seen 2021-10-15
- back 2023-07-28
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.
The Fake Italian has 4 rated contests — short of the five it takes to earn a power ranking — so this rating has barely moved off the 1500 every team starts on and 143 rated teams sit within a point of it. Read the list as the nearest company at a number nobody here has moved far from, not as a verdict on who this team belongs with.
#3915 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to The Fake Italian)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team The Fake Italian has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#3946 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1484
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 4, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3935 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1484
No shared contest yet.
Level with The Fake Italian on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#3916 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1485
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 4, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3932 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1509
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 4, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#3923 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1485
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 3 years before The Fake Italian's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headBy meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.4172 | 155.9884 | 161.69 | top 74% |
| Pork Ribs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 173.1428 | 163.3940 | 167.97 | top 46% |
| Pork | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 167.3828 | 158.2400 | 162.52 | top 72% |
| Brisket | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8228 | 154.8228 | 161.96 | top 61% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA | 3 | 0 | top 71% |
| MD | 1 | 0 | top 60% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 1 | 0 | top 60% |
| Large (40+) | 3 | 0 | top 71% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) | 2 | 31 | 0 | top 75% | 2023-07-29 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3 yrs
2020-07-24 → 2023-07-29
Busiest season
2023
2 contests
Contests a season
1.3
across 3 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
PA
3 of 4 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
3
1 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
4 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
averages 167.97 · weakest Chicken (161.69)
Walk rate
25%
a top-10 call in 1 of 4 contests
Overall top-10 rate
0%
0 of 4 contests
Master average
654.15
out of 720 · 4 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
180
82–206 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
59
4 mapped stops
Schedule strength
1566
average field rating faced — tougher than 51% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$42,925
listed at 4 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 4 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
1.8 yrs
2021-10-15 → 2023-07-28
Power rating
1484
peak 1484 · #null of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2020
- First tracked contest Smoke in the Grove
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score651.2336 Smoke in the Grove
- 2021
- Peak power rating (1498) Maryland State BBQ Bash
- 2023
- Career-best overall score665.5884 Smoke on the Rail (Day 1)
- First call Smoke on the Rail (Day 2)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)173.1428 Smoke on the Rail (Day 2)
- Most recent contest Smoke on the Rail (Day 2)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +3.3 | Maryland State BBQ Bash | 2021-10-15 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9.6 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) | 2023-07-29 |
| -5.5 | Smoke in the Grove | 2020-07-24 |
| -3.9 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) | 2023-07-28 |
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)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50% | top 75% | 92.4% | 91.3% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 60% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 61% | 90.4% | 90.4% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-29 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 2) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 36 / 40 (649.0512) | 39 (155.9884) | 8 (173.1428) | 32 (165.0972) | 39 (154.8228) |
| 2023-07-28 | Smoke on the Rail (Day 1) 🏅 New Freedom, PA | 31 / 51 (665.5884) | 35 (167.4172) | 25 (169.1084) | 46 (158.2400) | 14 (170.8228) |
| 2021-10-15 | Maryland State BBQ Bash 🏅 Belair, MD | 15 / 25 (650.7084) | 16 (163.4172) | 16 (166.2400) | 18 (159.3712) | 15 (161.6800) |
| 2020-07-24 | Smoke in the Grove 🏅 Spring Grove, PA | 36 / 59 (651.2336) | 40 (159.9312) | 30 (163.3940) | 26 (167.3828) | 36 (160.5256) |