LOW LIFE BBQ

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

Power ranking

#806

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1627

peak 1627 · rated over 19 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-10-03

latest 2019-10-25

Best ToY finish

#611

Master 2019

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

8 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 19 contests

Avg finish

top 34%

overall standings

Best overall

693.6456 / 720

Master · Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL)

Perfect 180s

Current form

681.29 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 672.59 (+8.70)

Walk rate

79%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

178.2972

Pork · Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL)

Consistency

±15.20

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.51 · weakest Brisket (165.72)

Road miles

1,349

mi across 19 mapped stops · furthest 138 mi

Schedule strength

66%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1583)

Purse competed for

$5K

listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

672.59 / 720

19 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (8 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.

On the rise

+28 rating points in a year

Their power rating has climbed 28 points across 5 contests since 2018-10-26 — from 1599 up to 1627.

5 contests since 2018-10-26
now 1627

They almost always walk

79% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 15 of 19 contests

A top-10 category call in 79% of their 19 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

693.6456 career-best overall

96.3% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 693.6456 at Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL) — 96.3% of a perfect 720.

Master
2018-07-06

A tough matchup

9–1 behind in the head-to-head

GETTIN' BASTED ahead in 90% of their meetings

GETTIN' BASTED has come out ahead in 9 of their 10 shared contests.

The weak link

−5.8 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.79 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 21% of the time against 53%.

Brisket avg 165.72
Chicken avg 171.51
4 calls in 19 entries

A strong matchup

6–1 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 86% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of PIG NEWTON in 6 of their 7 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

8 of 10 shared chicken entries lost

GETTIN' BASTED ahead 80% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, GETTIN' BASTED has out-cooked them in 8 of 10 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±2.11% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.11% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 93.4% of a perfect score
19 contests

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.

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

BARREL BOYS BBQ

#800 of the rated field

1627 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 41
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 37%
Peak: 1662

1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to LOW LIFE BBQ)

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

rated over 36 contests
last seen 2025-06-13

⚔ Head-to-head

HABITUAL SMOKERS

#799 of the rated field

1627 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 71
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 41%
Peak: 1735

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

They've been 1735 at their best, 108 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 71 contests
last seen 2025-11-05

⚔ Head-to-head

MAGNUM P.I.G. MN BBQ TEAM

#801 of the rated field

1627 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 24
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 67%
Peak: 1627

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 24 contests to 19, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 19 contests
last seen 2021-11-12

⚔ Head-to-head

The Smokin Goat

#805 of the rated field

1627 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 75%
Peak: 1627

No shared contest yet.

20 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 75% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 20 contests
last seen 2024-09-20
on a 4-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

BLACK HART BBQ

#809 of the rated field

1627 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 23
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 65%
Peak: 1627

No shared contest yet.

4 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.

rated over 23 contests
last seen 2019-08-16

⚔ Head-to-head

Thin Blue Swine

#808 of the rated field

1627 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 27
GCs: 2
Top-10s: 56%
Peak: 1632

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 27 contests
last seen 2026-06-05

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
DIRT ROAD BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
GETTIN' BASTED	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
R BUTTS R SMOKIN	9	5	4	56%	⚔ compare
SLAPS BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
Sons of a Brisket	8	4	4	50%	⚔ compare
B & C SMOKERS	8	2	6	25%	⚔ compare
THE SMOKING HILLS	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
PIG NEWTON	7	6	1	86%	⚔ compare
HIGH i QUE	7	4	3	57%	⚔ compare
Theslabs.com	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare
Wabash BBQ	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
Bare Bones BBQ Team	6	6	0	100%	⚔ compare
ALL FORKED UP FOR Q	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
UNFAMOUS DAVE'S	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
AMERICAN FIRE BBQ	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	19	10	0	4	177.7028	158.2284	171.51	top 25%
Pork Ribs	19	5	0	1	175.4172	154.2400	166.87	top 42%
Pork	19	7	1	1	178.2972	157.1200	168.49	top 39%
Brisket	19	4	0	2	175.4172	148.5600	165.72	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 state / province

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
MO	12	0	top 34%
KS	7	0	top 35%

By contest size

Field	Contests	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	top 38%
Medium (20–39)	9	top 34%
Large (40+)	9	top 33%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
*Big Blue BBQ Championship(TEAMS FULL)	3	8	0	top 39%	2018-06-01
Border War Barbeque	2	15	0	top 33%	2019-10-25

The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 6.1 yrs 2013-10-03 → 2019-10-25

Busiest season 2018 5 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 7 seasons in the data

Cooks most in MO 12 of 19 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 16 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 19 entries · 0 wins · 10 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 171.51 · weakest Brisket (165.72)

Walk rate 79% a top-10 call in 15 of 19 contests

Overall top-10 rate 32% 6 of 19 contests

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 672.59 out of 720 · 19 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 1,090 1,161–602 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 1,349 19 mapped stops · furthest 138 mi

Schedule strength 1583 average field rating faced — tougher than 66% of rated contests

Purse competed for $4,800 listed at 1 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships 0 from 4 state-championship entries

Power rating 1627 peak 1627 · #806 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Oct 3 First tracked contest 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
2014
Oct 2 First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.2168 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open
2015
Aug 21 First call Holy Smoke BBQ Contest
2016
Aug 12 First overall top-10 Holy Smoke BBQ Competition
2017
Aug 18 10th tracked contest BBQ and Fly In on the River
2018
Jul 6 First category win (Pork) Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL)
Jul 6 First overall podium Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL)
Jul 6 Career-best overall score693.6456 Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL)
Jul 6 Career-best single call (Pork)178.2972 Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL)
2019
Oct 25 Peak power rating (1627) Border War Barbeque
Oct 25 Most recent contest Border War Barbeque

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.7	Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL)	2018-07-06
+12.2	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	2014-10-02
+11.1	*Big Blue BBQ Championship(TEAM FULL)	2017-06-02
+9.9	*Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest -Re-Boot(JUDGES FULL)	2018-04-27
+9.4	BBQ and Fly In on the River	2017-08-18

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-2.4	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ	2015-09-11

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	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2019	4	3	0	100%	top 28%	95%	94.4%
2018	5	1	1	100%	top 27%	96.3%	94.5%
2017	3	1	0	67%	top 32%	93.6%	93.4%
2016	3	1	0	100%	top 45%	95%	93.4%
2015	2	0	0	50%	top 51%	94.1%	91.1%
2014	1	0	0	0%	top 18%	93.6%	93.6%
2013	1	0	0	0%	top 53%	88.3%	88.3%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2019-10-25	Border War Barbeque 🏅 Osawatomie, KS	17 / 44 (680.5028)	8 (174.8456)	18 (168.5716)	22 (167.3828)	24 (169.7028)
2019-07-19	Smokin on the Summit 🏅 Unity Village, MO	10 / 35 (683.9084)	9 (174.2628)	2 (175.4172)	13 (170.8228)	21 (163.4056)
2019-05-03	Apple Blossom BBQ Made with Uncommon Character 🏅 St. Joseph, MO	9 / 39 (677.0516)	2 (177.7028)	18 (166.2516)	15 (168.5600)	24 (164.5372)
2019-04-26	Sertoma 48 BBQ 🏅 Lawrence, KS	8 / 38 (678.2060)	13 (168.5600)	22 (164.5488)	9 (169.6800)	2 (175.4172)
2018-10-26	*Border War Barbeque Osawatomie, KS	15 / 56 (686.7656)	3 (176.5600)	16 (173.1200)	34 (164.5256)	10 (172.5600)
2018-08-03	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	12 / 35 (674.2172)	6 (172.0000)	11 (169.1544)	17 (166.8344)	17 (166.2284)
2018-07-06	Johnson County BBQ Challenge(JUDGES FULL) Warrensburg, MO	3 / 47 (693.6456)	7 (173.7028)	10 (173.1200)	1 (178.2972)	14 (168.5256)
2018-06-01	*Big Blue BBQ Championship(TEAMS FULL) Marysville, KS	18 / 42 (661.6572)	13 (169.1200)	14 (167.9772)	8 (172.0116)	34 (152.5484)
2018-04-27	*Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest -Re-Boot(JUDGES FULL) Sugar Creek, MO	13 / 53 (686.2516)	2 (177.1544)	30 (163.9772)	9 (174.8572)	19 (170.2628)
2017-08-18	BBQ and Fly In on the River Excelsior Springs, MO	19 / 65 (674.2060)	13 (173.7144)	32 (165.6800)	36 (165.0972)	18 (169.7144)
2017-06-02	*Big Blue BBQ Championship(TEAM FULL) Marysville, KS	8 / 35 (670.2284)	14 (169.1428)	8 (172.5600)	9 (167.9884)	17 (160.5372)
2017-04-28	The G Town Smokin Showdown Garnett, KS	12 / 27 (673.1316)	7 (171.9772)	15 (164.5944)	14 (168.5600)	9 (168.0000)
2016-08-12	Holy Smoke BBQ Competition Liberty, MO	6 / 16 (683.8968)	2 (176.5600)	6 (171.4056)	5 (171.9656)	11 (163.9656)
2016-06-03	Big Blue BBQ Championship Marysville, KS	15 / 30 (657.0628)	11 (166.2628)	20 (154.8000)	18 (161.7028)	2 (174.2972)
2016-05-13	2016 Smokin in the Wood BBQ Competition Greenwood, MO	14 / 30 (675.9772)	7 (172.5944)	9 (170.8572)	23 (165.1084)	14 (167.4172)
2015-09-11	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	47 / 76 (634.7084)	50 (158.2284)	49 (158.8344)	58 (157.1200)	39 (160.5256)
2015-08-21	Holy Smoke BBQ Contest Liberty, MO	11 / 28 (677.6116)	12 (171.9772)	13 (166.8344)	6 (174.8572)	18 (163.9428)
2014-10-02	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	100 / 552 (674.2168)	154 (169.1428)	156 (168.5828)	178 (167.9656)	140 (168.5256)
2013-10-03	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	284 / 535 (635.9428)	179 (165.1428)	376 (154.2400)	101 (168.0000)	420 (148.5600)

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
2019 ↗	Master	#611 (535 pts)	#506 (680 pts)	#649 (525 pts)	#728 (450 pts)	#708 (470 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#953 (362 pts)	#973 (392 pts)	#1095 (317 pts)	#1114 (312 pts)	#1044 (332 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#2020 (105 pts)	#1846 (125 pts)	#2240 (80 pts)	#2166 (90 pts)	#1234 (255 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2158 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2209 (60 pts)	#2225 (60 pts)	#2214 (60 pts)