Sweet Cheeks BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

KCBS records held

1 🥇

best championship rate

Power ranking

#500

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1677

peak 1677 · rated over 24 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s · 3 straight GCs

Contests

in the data

First seen

2016-09-09

latest 2021-05-14

Best ToY finish

#372

Master 2020

Grand champs

3 reserve

Category wins

21 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 38 contests

Avg finish

top 26%

overall standings

Best overall

681.0628 / 720

Master · Smoke on the Falls

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

378.13 ▲

last 5 Backyard vs avg 376.84 (+1.29)

Walk rate

55%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Chicken · Mission Q (Backyard Only)

Consistency

±71.25

std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.66 · weakest Pork Ribs (168.67)

Road miles

8,686

mi across 38 mapped stops · furthest 1016 mi

Schedule strength

39%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1551)

Purse competed for

$181K

listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

2 🏅

GCs in 12 state-championship entries

Master avg

669.76 / 720

4 Master contests · 0 GCs

Backyard avg

376.84 / 360

20 Backyard contests · 7 GCs

Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (16 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 heartbreaker

1.2000 points from the title

Came within 1.2000 points of the Grand Championship at Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) (2021-05-14).

Among the elite

#500 of 6,413 rated teams

In the top 8% of every rated team in the data

A power rating of 1677 puts them #500 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 8% of the field.

rating 1677
peak 1677
24 rated contests

Perfect scores on the board

2 perfect 180s

2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.

Chicken ×1
Pork Ribs ×1

Giant slayer

39 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 39-team field at High on the Hog Festival.

2019-04-19

Multi-meat days

2 contests with 2+ category wins

They've won two or more meats on the same day 2 times — the best of them 2 category wins at Mission Q (Backyard Only) (2019-11-22).

Chicken 1st
Pork Ribs 1st

High-water mark

681.0628 career-best overall

94.6% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 681.0628 at Smoke on the Falls — 94.6% of a perfect 720.

Master
2020-09-18

State champions

2 state championships won

They've taken 2 state championships from 12 entries at contests carrying the title.

12 state-championship entries

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

RIBLIFE has finished one call ahead of Sweet Cheeks BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2019 7 Grand Championships

2019 was the year it came together: 21 contests, 7 Grand Championships and 10 category wins, at an average finish in the top 23%.

21 contests
17 overall top-10s
10 category wins
average top 23%

A tough matchup

5–2 behind in the head-to-head

HOT COLE'S BBQ ahead in 71% of their meetings

HOT COLE'S BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 7 shared contests.

A strong matchup

10–2 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 83% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of HELL ON SQUEALS in 10 of their 12 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

11 of 17 shared chicken entries lost

PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q ahead 65% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q has out-cooked them in 11 of 17 shared chicken entries.

A big fish in small ponds

Top 19% average finish in small fields

Field size changes the story: they average a top 19% finish in small fields against top 47% in large ones.

Small (<20 teams): top 19% (4)
Large (40+): top 47% (6)

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

Hickory Hangover has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±18.61% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±18.61% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.

averages 102.7% of a perfect score
best 145.4%

The long haul

8,686 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 8,686 miles across 38 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 1,016 miles to Smokin On The Pecos (Day 1).

38 mapped stops
furthest 1,016 mi

Record book — 1 held (1 in the KCBS record book)

Where this team stands in the all-time KCBS record book. A gold line is a record they hold outright; the rest are boards they are on. Rebuilt nightly, so beating one shows up here the next morning.

🥇 🎯 Best championship rate 28% of contests won outright · 7 titles from 25 contests · 14 May 2021

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.

DUCE'S WILD

#497 of the rated field

1677 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 46%
Peak: 1682

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 3 years before Sweet Cheeks BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 23 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

WHITEWATER BBQ COMPANY

#498 of the rated field

1677 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 43
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 47%
Peak: 1695

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 43 contests to 38, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 43 contests
last seen 2022-09-02

⚔ Head-to-head

WOODWARD BARBEQUE

#499 of the rated field

1677 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 116
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 43%
Peak: 1741

No shared contest yet.

They've been 1741 at their best, 64 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 113 contests
last seen 2018-09-15

⚔ Head-to-head

RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA

#506 of the rated field

1676 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 83%
Peak: 1687

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Sweet Cheeks BBQ)

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

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2026-05-29

⚔ Head-to-head

SCOTTS BBQ SHACK

#495 of the rated field

1678 ▲ 1 power rating

Contests: 86
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1700

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Sweet Cheeks BBQ)

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 86 contests, alongside a 23% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 84 contests
last seen 2022-04-22

⚔ Head-to-head

LA PASADITA

#503 of the rated field

1676 ▼ 1 power rating

Contests: 175
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1805

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Sweet Cheeks BBQ)

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

rated over 162 contests
last seen 2026-08-21

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
LEE LA Q	20	11	9	55%	⚔ compare
REDBONES BBQ	19	12	7	63%	⚔ compare
PERFECTLY BLENDED	18	12	6	67%	⚔ compare
PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q	17	7	10	41%	⚔ compare
RIBLIFE	14	9	5	64%	⚔ compare
Hickory Hangover	13	10	3	77%	⚔ compare
HELL ON SQUEALS	12	10	2	83%	⚔ compare
Thin Blue Swine	12	10	2	83%	⚔ compare
Organizer Portal	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
BAMA BOYS BBQ	9	8	1	89%	⚔ compare
BEES KNEES BBQ TEAM	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
The Specialists	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare
BUSH LEAGUE BBQ	8	7	1	88%	⚔ compare
South Pork	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
JIGGY PIGGY	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	25	18	6	9	180.0000 🔥	163.9884	171.66	top 26%
Pork Ribs	25	18	3	7	180.0000 🔥	145.6800	168.67	top 30%
Pork	11	7	2	5	178.8572	162.2400	170.89	top 28%
Brisket	4	2	0	0	175.4056	162.2400	171.26	top 35%

“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
AL	18	5	top 26%
TN	3	1	top 37%
MS	2	1	top 18%
TX	1	0	top 6%
GA	1	0	top 32%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	4	2	top 19%
Medium (20–39)	15	5	top 19%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 47%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Falls	2	8	0	top 29%	2020-09-18

The story so far (21 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 4.7 yrs 2016-09-09 → 2021-05-14

Busiest season 2019 21 contests · 7 GCs

Contests a season 6.3 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in AL 25 of 38 contests · 7 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 24 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 25 entries · 6 wins · 18 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 171.66 · weakest Pork Ribs (168.67)

Walk rate 55% a top-10 call in 21 of 38 contests

Overall top-10 rate 53% 20 of 38 contests

Wins it all 18% 7 Grand Championships · 3 reserve

First title 2019-03-08 Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)

Best top-10 run 13 straight contests

Master average 669.76 out of 720 · 4 contests · 0 GCs

Backyard average 376.84 out of 360 · 20 contests · 7 GCs

Perfect 180s 2 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 620 771–302 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 8,686 38 mapped stops · furthest 1,016 mi

Schedule strength 1551 average field rating faced — tougher than 39% of rated contests

Purse competed for $181,295 listed at 20 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 2 from 12 state-championship entries

Power rating 1677 peak 1677 · #500 of 6,413 rated

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

2016
Sep 9 First tracked contest Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest
2018
May 18 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Diamond (BACKYARD ONLY)
2019
Feb 22 First call Bama Q Capital City Cook-Off
Mar 8 First category win (Chicken) Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)
Mar 8 First overall top-10 Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)
Mar 8 First overall podium Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)
Mar 8 First Grand Championship Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)
Mar 8 First overall past 90% of a perfect score350.2628 Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)
Apr 19 First state championship High on the Hog Festival
Apr 19 Biggest field won (39 teams) High on the Hog Festival
Jul 26 25th tracked contest Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off
Aug 9 First Reserve Championship Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY)
Sep 6 First perfect 180 (Pork Ribs) Fire on the Mountain (BACKYARD ONLY)
Sep 6 5th Grand Championship Fire on the Mountain (BACKYARD ONLY)
Sep 13 First multi-meat day RiverFest
Nov 22 10th category win Mission Q (Backyard Only)
2020
Sep 18 Career-best overall score681.0628 Smoke on the Falls
2021
May 14 Peak power rating (1677) Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)
May 14 Most recent contest Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1)

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18.7	High on the Hog Festival	2019-04-19
+16.8	Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY)	2019-03-08
+14.6	Downtown BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY)	2019-06-07
+13.5	Smoking for a Reason(BACKYARD ONLY)	2019-08-23
+13	Fire on the Mountain (BACKYARD ONLY)	2019-09-06

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.4	Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest	2016-09-09
-4.8	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival	2021-03-05
-1.6	Bama Q Capital City Cook-Off	2019-02-22

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)
2021	2	0	1	1	50%	top 19%	94.4%	93.5%
2020	2	0	2	0	100%	top 30%	94.6%	94.4%
2019	21	7	17	10	86%	top 23%	145.4%	105.3%
2018	5	0	0	0	0%	—	—	—
2017	7	0	0	0	0%	—	—	—
2016	1	0	0	0	0%	top 98%	88.9%	88.9%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2021-05-14	Mark Marley's Go Big or Go Home BBQ Bash (DAY 1) 🏅 Plainview, TX	2 / 33 (333.6344)	1 (176.5600)	4 (157.0744)	—	—
2021-03-05	Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA	26 / 81 (679.3372)	49 (165.6800)	29 (169.1200)	12 (172.5600)	19 (171.9772)
2020-09-18	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	8 / 28 (681.0628)	6 (171.9656)	6 (170.8344)	17 (162.8572)	4 (175.4056)
2020-02-21	Capital City Cook Off 🏅 Montgomery, AL	8 / 25 (678.7544)	2 (176.5600)	17 (164.5488)	21 (162.2400)	4 (175.4056)
2019-11-22	Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL	1 / 20 (359.4400)	1 (180.0000)	1 (179.4400)	—	—
2019-11-01	West Alabama State Fair Barbeque Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) Northport, AL	2 / 15 (341.6572)	1 (176.5600)	9 (165.0972)	—	—
2019-10-25	Jack Daniel's World Championship Shade Tree Contest (BACKYARD) (JUDGES FULL) Lynchburg, TN	6 / 42 (517.7028)	4 (174.2628)	13 (169.1772)	4 (174.2628)	—
2019-10-11	Butlerfest 2019(BACKYARD ONLY) Butler, AL	5 / 20 (338.2284)	3 (170.8228)	8 (167.4056)	—	—
2019-10-04	Roast N Boast 🏅 Columbus, MS	8 / 25 (333.6228)	5 (169.6800)	8 (163.9428)	2 (173.1200)	—
2019-09-13	RiverFest 🏅 Decatur, AL	1 / 37 (354.2744)	1 (177.7028)	1 (176.5716)	—	—
2019-09-06	Fire on the Mountain (BACKYARD ONLY) Arab, AL	1 / 19 (523.3596)	4 (172.5484)	1 (180.0000)	3 (170.8112)	—
2019-08-23	Smoking for a Reason(BACKYARD ONLY) Fort Payne, AL	1 / 11 (515.3716)	1 (176.5600)	2 (169.1316)	3 (169.6800)	—
2019-08-09	Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL	2 / 26 (517.0860)	11 (170.8344)	6 (169.6916)	1 (176.5600)	—
2019-07-26	Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-Off 🏅 Hartselle, AL	6 / 27 (341.7032)	8 (169.7144)	4 (171.9888)	—	—
2019-06-28	Smokin On The Pecos (Day 1) 🏅 Artesia, NM	—	—	—	—	—
2019-06-21	Elkmont Lions Club Smokin Railroad St. BBQ Cook-off (BACKYARD ONLY) Elkmont, AL	7 / 23 (337.0744)	13 (165.0972)	8 (171.9772)	7 (170.8228)	—
2019-06-14	Poosa-Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL	16 / 48 (334.7768)	17 (166.8112)	14 (167.9656)	—	—
2019-06-07	Downtown BBQ Showdown (BACKYARD ONLY) Meridian, MS	1 / 22 (343.9428)	3 (171.9772)	3 (171.9656)	—	—
2019-05-11	Dr.George Smith BBQ Brawl (COMPETITORS SERIES) unrated Murfreesboro, TN	39 / 41 (334.2056)	14 (168.5256)	11 (165.6800)	—	—
2019-04-26	Smoke on the Water Festival (BACKYARD ONlY) Florence, AL	5 / 45 (344.5372)	9 (172.5600)	7 (171.9772)	1 (178.8572)	—
2019-04-19	High on the Hog Festival 🏅 Winchester, TN	1 / 39 (349.1544)	5 (171.9772)	3 (177.1772)	—	—
2019-04-12	Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL	9 / 30 (341.6456)	19 (166.2284)	3 (175.4172)	—	—
2019-04-05	Fire at the Foothills(BACKYARD ONLY) Chelsea, AL	9 / 18 (339.9428)	9 (169.6800)	9 (170.2628)	—	—
2019-03-08	Corums Building Center BBQ(BACKYARD ONLY) Harselle, AL	1 / 34 (350.2628)	1 (177.7028)	6 (172.5600)	—	—
2019-02-22	Bama Q Capital City Cook-Off 🏅 Montgomery, AL	16 / 27 (319.3944)	9 (167.4516)	18 (151.9428)	—	—
2018-11-30	*Christmas on the River Demoplis, AL	—	—	—	—	—
2018-09-14	*Riverfest BBQ and Music Festival Decatur, AL	—	—	—	—	—
2018-07-27	*Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-off Hartselle, AL	—	—	—	—	—
2018-05-18	Smoke on the Diamond (BACKYARD ONLY) Brookwood, AL	—	—	—	—	—
2018-04-20	High on the Hog Festival Winchester, TN	—	—	—	—	—
2017-09-22	*Smoke in the Valley Pikeville, TN	—	—	—	—	—
2017-09-15	Big Brother Big Sister Riverfest Decatur, AL	—	—	—	—	—
2017-08-25	Great American BBQ Festival Franklin, TN	—	—	—	—	—
2017-07-28	Dodge City Days National Beef Smokin' Saddles BBQ Contest Dodge City, KS	—	—	—	—	—
2017-07-28	*Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-off Hartselle, AL	—	—	—	—	—
2017-06-23	Smokin On The Pecos-Doubleheader-Day 1 Artesia, NM	—	—	—	—	—
2017-05-19	Barber Q Battle (PRO/MASTER AND BACKYARD) Birmingham, AL	—	—	—	—	—
2016-09-09	Decatur Jaycee's 22nd Annual Riverfest Decatur, AL	40 / 41 (639.8856)	30 (163.9884)	41 (145.6800)	21 (167.9772)	35 (162.2400)

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
2021 ↗	Master	#1236 (60 pts)	#1286 (60 pts)	#1309 (60 pts)	#943 (125 pts)	#1130 (90 pts)
2020 ↗	Backyard	—	#24 (535 pts)	#29 (395 pts)	—	—
2020 ↗	Master	#372 (293 pts)	#299 (418 pts)	#456 (258 pts)	#608 (163 pts)	#301 (403 pts)
2019 ↗	Backyard	—	#3 (535 pts)	#6 (395 pts)	—	—