GECKO BBQ

GECKO BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 30 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2015 and 2019. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Bataille Sur La Sorgue (2018), and finished Reserve Grand Champion 3 times. They are ranked #1282 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings. Also listed in KCBS results as “* Gecko BBQ”.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,282

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1581

peak 1600 · rated over 27 contests3 invitational or side-series contests not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

May 2, 2015

latest Sep 12, 2019 · 4.4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#203

Master 2018 · every season

Grand champs

3 reserve · wins it all 3% of the time

Category wins

16 podiums

Overall top-10s

57% of 30 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 45%

overall standings

Best overall

689.0744 / 720

Master · W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest

Perfect 180s

1 🔥

Current form

647.43 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 660.35 (-12.92)

Walk rate

80%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Pork · Smoke By the River

Consistency

±14.66

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Pork

avg 167.28 · weakest Pork Ribs (162.17)

Road miles

29,333

across 30 mapped stops · furthest 4,984 mi

Schedule strength

38%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1550)

Purse competed for

$106K

listed at 2 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

660.35 / 720

30 Master contests · 1 GC

Storylines (18 found in their record)

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

The heartbreaker

0.5144 points from the title

Came within 0.5144 points of the Grand Championship at W.E.S.T. Winter extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest (Jan 13, 2018).

Perfect scores on the board

1 perfect 180

1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in pork.

Pork ×1

Against the odds

25-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 75 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Bataille Sur La Sorgue (Oct 13, 2018) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 25-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, MISS PIGGY'S U.K..

Happy hunting ground

Top 7% average finish here

W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest is their spot: an average finish in the top 7% across 3 visits.

3 visits
best finish 2nd
average top 7%

They almost always walk

80% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 24 of 30 contests

A top-10 category call in 80% of their 30 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

689.0744 career-best overall

95.7% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 689.0744 at W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest — 95.7% of a perfect 720.

Master
Jan 19, 2019

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

GRILLKUNST has finished one call ahead of GECKO BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Show 11 more storylines

Their season

2018 1 Grand Championship

2018 was the year it came together: 9 contests, 1 Grand Championship and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 33%.

9 contests
6 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 33%

A tough matchup

12–1 behind in the head-to-head

BUNCH OF SWINES ahead in 92% of their meetings

BUNCH OF SWINES has come out ahead in 12 of their 13 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.1 points behind their best meat

Pork Ribs is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.10 points below their pork, and turns into a call 33% of the time against 66%.

Pork Ribs avg 162.17
Pork avg 167.28
10 calls in 30 entries

The drought

10 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Bataille Sur La Sorgue on Oct 13, 2018 — 10 contests and 8 years ago.

last GC Oct 13, 2018
8 years ago

A strong matchup

9–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 82% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of LOS GRILLOS in 9 of their 11 shared contests.

Pork nemesis

9 of 13 shared pork entries lost

SOUTHERN DUTCH BBQ ahead 69% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, SOUTHERN DUTCH BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 13 shared pork entries.

Always the bridesmaid

3 reserve championships

Runner-up for the whole thing 3 times against 1 Grand Championship — close enough to touch it, over and over.

1 Grand Championship
30 contests

A big fish in small ponds

Top 49% average finish in small fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 49% finish in small fields against top 59% in large ones.

Small (<20 teams): top 49% (4)
Large (40+): top 59% (9)

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

GOOD OLD BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

A January team

Top 7% average finish in January

Something about January: average finish in the top 7% across 3 contests, versus top 45% the rest of the year.

3 January contests
top 45% the rest of the year

The long haul

29,333 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 29,333 miles across 30 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 4,984 miles to 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST.

30 mapped stops
furthest 4,984 mi

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
2019 ↗	Master	#339 (922 pts)	#300 (1,012 pts)	#505 (682 pts)	#223 (1,222 pts)	#349 (932 pts)
2018 ↗	Master	#203 (1,397 pts)	#129 (1,642 pts)	#202 (1,337 pts)	#228 (1,262 pts)	#282 (1,127 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#647 (598 pts)	#901 (433 pts)	#937 (408 pts)	#792 (508 pts)	#728 (543 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#890 (386 pts)	#1246 (261 pts)	#1288 (246 pts)	#640 (626 pts)	#780 (486 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1528 (150 pts)	#1778 (120 pts)	#1693 (140 pts)	#1557 (170 pts)	#1601 (150 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

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

PO PO PORK

#1,283 of the rated field

1581 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 14%
Peak: 1590

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to GECKO BBQ)

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

rated over 49 contests
last seen Aug 28, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Scooter's BBQ

#1,288 of the rated field

1580 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1580

1–1 in 2 shared contests (50% to GECKO BBQ)

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 14 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 14 contests
last seen Aug 16, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

5 Alarm BBQ

#1,289 of the rated field

1580 power rating

Contests: 30
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1611

Careers of much the same size, 30 contests to 30, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 30 contests
last seen Jun 19, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

BEAUX HAWG BBQ

#1,287 of the rated field

1580 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 3%
Peak: 1592

31 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 3% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 31 contests
last seen Aug 28, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

303 BBQ

#1,278 of the rated field

1581 power rating

Contests: 33
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1581

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

rated over 32 contests
last seen Jun 16, 2023

⚔ Compare careers

WAY 2 QUE

#1,280 of the rated field

1581 power rating

Contests: 42
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 21%
Peak: 1591

Careers of much the same size, 42 contests to 30, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 42 contests
last seen Mar 2, 2018

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
White Squirrel BBQ	18	8	10	44%	⚔ compare
GOOD OLD BBQ	17	10	7	59%	⚔ compare
DRAGON BBQ	14	7	7	50%	⚔ compare
BROS HOG	14	4	10	29%	⚔ compare
SOUTHERN DUTCH BBQ	14	2	12	14%	⚔ compare
BUNCH OF SWINES	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
MISS PIGGY'S U.K.	13	1	12	8%	⚔ compare
THE BARKTENDERS	12	6	6	50%	⚔ compare
LOS GRILLOS	11	9	2	82%	⚔ compare
STICKY FINGERS BARBECUE TEAM	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
BBQ WIESEL	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
ROKENDE REGAHS	10	5	5	50%	⚔ compare
BBQ+	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
Knockstone BBQ Team Austria	9	6	3	67%	⚔ compare
UNCLE TONY'S COCKNEY Q	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	30	11	3	6	177.7028	148.4684	167.23	top 47%
Pork Ribs	30	10	0	2	172.5600	148.6060	162.17	top 58%
Pork	29	19	2	5	180 🔥	152.4684	167.28	top 39%
Brisket	30	15	0	3	173.7372	148.5028	164.15	top 45%

“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)	4	1	top 49%
Medium (20–39)	17	0	top 37%
Large (40+)	9	0	top 59%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	Avg finish
BZ	3	top 7%
KS	2	top 61%
TN	2	top 89%
DE	1	top 72%
CZ	1	top 32%
CH	1	top 30%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest	3	2	top 7%	Jan 19, 2019
Italian Hardcore Barbecue (Day 2)	2	6	top 50%	Jun 9, 2018
Beer,Fries & BBQ V (Day 2)	2	12	top 36%	May 12, 2018
Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)	2	76	top 89%	Oct 21, 2016
Smoke By the River	2	6	top 32%	Apr 30, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2019 9 contests

Contests a season 6 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in BZ 3 of 30 contests · 6 states in all

Contests visited 24 5 of them more than once

First title Oct 13, 2018 Bataille Sur La Sorgue

Opponents faced 845 finished ahead 708 times, behind 784

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

20194 milestones

Jan 19 Career-best overall score689.0744 W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
Mar 23 Peak power rating (1600) Country Road & BBQ Contest -Day2
Apr 13 25th tracked contest 2nd Wild King BBQ Competition
Sep 12 Most recent contest 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST

20181 milestone

Oct 13 First Grand Championship Bataille Sur La Sorgue

20173 milestones

Jan 14 First overall podium W.E.S.T.Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
Jan 14 First Reserve Championship W.E.S.T.Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest
Jul 1 10th tracked contest Prime UVE INVITATIONAL BARBECUE CHAMPIONSHIP

20162 milestones

Apr 30 First category win (Pork) Smoke By the River
Apr 30 First perfect 180 (Pork) Smoke By the River

20154 milestones

May 2 First tracked contest Smoke by the River
May 2 First call Smoke by the River
May 2 First overall top-10 Smoke by the River
May 2 First overall past 90% of a perfect score650.2516 Smoke by the River

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.1	Bataille Sur La Sorgue	Oct 13, 2018
+15.4	W.E.S.T. Winter extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest	Jan 13, 2018
+15.1	W.E.S.T.Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest	Jan 14, 2017
+13.4	W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest	Jan 19, 2019
+11.9	5th Annual BBQ Society Cook-Off	Oct 7, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9.8	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY)	Oct 23, 2015
-9.7	4th Black Forest Smoke & Wine Festival	Jul 20, 2019
-9.5	2nd Black Forest Smoke & Wine Festival	Jul 22, 2017
-8	Brew N Q Open	May 25, 2019
-5.8	Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival	Jul 23, 2016

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — 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)
2019	9	0	4	1	78%	top 48%	95.7%	88.2%
2018	9	1	6	2	100%	top 33%	93.7%	91.9%
2017	6	0	4	0	83%	top 47%	94.7%	92.8%
2016	4	0	2	2	50%	top 53%	92.6%	91.6%
2015	2	0	1	0	50%	top 66%	90.3%	88.2%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS	124 / 468 (325.0972)	305 (162.2400)	383 (155.9428)	152 (169.1084)	177 (167.3712)
Sep 12, 2019	40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- INVITATIONAL CONTEST 🏅 unrated Kansas City, KS	129 / 135 (650.6512)	93 (168.5372)	121 (160.5028)	135 (152.4684)	84 (169.1428)
Jul 20, 2019	4th Black Forest Smoke & Wine Festival Bad Bellingen	33 / 44 (633.1088)	1 (177.7028)	40 (148.6060)	—	31 (154.2744)
May 25, 2019	Brew N Q Open Leicestershire	25 / 34 (642.2172)	19 (165.6800)	26 (157.1316)	10 (167.9656)	32 (151.4400)
May 24, 2019	Brew N Q Invitational unrated Leicestershire	10 / 26 (656.5144)	12 (167.9656)	15 (158.2288)	8 (168)	11 (162.3200)
Apr 13, 2019	2nd Wild King BBQ Competition Tirol	14 / 28 (664.4916)	15 (167.3712)	21 (153.0860)	7 (170.2972)	3 (173.7372)
Mar 23, 2019	Country Road & BBQ Contest -Day2 Torreglia	4 / 25 (680)	4 (176)	17 (162.2628)	2 (172)	9 (169.7372)
Mar 22, 2019	Country Road & BBQ Contest -Day1 Torreglia	10 / 20 (667.3944)	19 (161.6572)	8 (168.5944)	2 (175.4400)	14 (161.7028)
Jan 19, 2019	W.E.S.T. Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest Rein in Taufers, BZ	2 / 30 (689.0744)	9 (169.6800)	9 (168.5716)	2 (177.7028)	3 (173.1200)
Oct 20, 2018	SMOKE IN SCHLIEREN Goldschlagiplatz	10 / 20 (660.4344)	11 (163.3828)	12 (159.4060)	5 (168.5256)	7 (169.1200)
Oct 13, 2018	Bataille Sur La Sorgue L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue	1 / 16 (661.0284)	3 (168.5600)	2 (166.2628)	4 (163.3828)	3 (162.8228)
Jul 21, 2018	3rd Black Forest Smoke & Wine Festival Bad Bellingen	17 / 48 (651.9084)	36 (159.4056)	6 (167.4172)	24 (164.5600)	20 (160.5256)
Jun 9, 2018	Italian Hardcore Barbecue (Day 2) Milano	10 / 20 (665.6344)	1 (174.8572)	15 (163.3944)	6 (173.7028)	19 (153.6800)
Jun 8, 2018	Italian Hardcore Barbecue (Day 1) Milano	6 / 12 (667.5088)	1 (177.1772)	6 (164.5944)	10 (165.7372)	10 (160)
May 12, 2018	Beer,Fries & BBQ V (Day 2) Hasselt	12 / 51 (662.3084)	12 (170.9028)	19 (164)	32 (159.3828)	8 (168.0228)
May 11, 2018	Beer Fries & BBQ V (Day1) Hasselt	18 / 37 (645.5656)	2 (174.2628)	21 (158.2516)	12 (164.5484)	30 (148.5028)
Apr 28, 2018	4th Barbecue Bulls Championship Salzburg 2018 Salzburg Austria	6 / 24 (667.9776)	14 (165.6800)	6 (166.2972)	5 (171.4172)	5 (164.5832)
Jan 13, 2018	W.E.S.T. Winter extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest Rein in Taufers, BZ	2 / 30 (674.3544)	3 (172.5484)	3 (170.3200)	4 (168.0688)	16 (163.4172)
Oct 7, 2017	5th Annual BBQ Society Cook-Off Hoofddorp	8 / 47 (670.2288)	14 (169.6800)	25 (162.3088)	5 (171.4056)	9 (166.8344)
Jul 22, 2017	2nd Black Forest Smoke & Wine Festival Bad Bellingen	34 / 40 (639.2344)	39 (157.0860)	32 (160.5144)	34 (158.2628)	25 (163.3712)
Jul 1, 2017	Prime UVE INVITATIONAL BARBECUE CHAMPIONSHIP unrated Gaiarine	13 / 18 (671.4288)	11 (167.4172)	12 (165.7144)	7 (171.4628)	11 (166.8344)
May 27, 2017	Italian Hardcore Barbcue Anzola dell'Emilia, Italy	8 / 12 (667.9428)	9 (165.7144)	9 (169.7028)	8 (163.4056)	4 (169.1200)
Apr 22, 2017	Bardo-Q BBQ Competition Bardonecchia	10 / 28 (681.7028)	14 (169.7144)	14 (169.1200)	9 (172)	7 (170.8684)
Jan 14, 2017	W.E.S.T.Winter Extreme South Tyrol BBQ Contest Rein in Taufers, BZ	2 / 30 (678.1940)	8 (170.8228)	5 (172.5600)	11 (166.2856)	5 (168.5256)
Oct 21, 2016	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN	76 / 96 (655.9084)	21 (173.1428)	73 (162.8344)	90 (155.3712)	67 (164.5600)
Jul 23, 2016	Black Forrest Smoke & Wine Festival Millheim, DE	21 / 29 (666.8688)	22 (166.8572)	15 (167.4516)	19 (164.5600)	12 (168)
May 21, 2016	Bohemian BBQ Prague, Czech Republic	7 / 22 (657.6684)	12 (162.2284)	21 (154.8572)	1 (174.8800)	5 (165.7028)
Apr 30, 2016	Smoke By the River Brugg, Switzerland	6 / 20 (656.4688)	18 (161.1316)	19 (150.2172)	1 (180)	4 (165.1200)
Oct 23, 2015	Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) Lynchburg, TN	91 / 93 (619.7940)	91 (148.4684)	89 (154.8000)	85 (157.7256)	72 (158.8000)
May 2, 2015	Smoke by the River Brugg	7 / 20 (650.2516)	10 (161.1316)	8 (162.2972)	5 (163.4400)	7 (163.3828)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

GECKO BBQ

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

State championships

Master avg

Storylines (18 found in their record)

The heartbreaker

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

Happy hunting ground

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

The drought

A strong matchup

Pork nemesis

Always the bridesmaid

A big fish in small ponds

Looking over their shoulder

A January team

The long haul

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

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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, averaged over 5 contests — 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)