LOW LIFE BBQ

LOW LIFE BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 19 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2019. Their best overall finish is 3rd of 47 at the Johnson County BBQ Challenge (JUDGES FULL) (2018). They are ranked #811 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#811

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1627

peak 1627 · rated over 19 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Oct 3, 2013

latest Oct 25, 2019 · 6.1 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#611

Master 2019 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

8 podiums

Overall top-10s

32% of 19 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

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

Best single call

178.2972

Pork · Johnson County BBQ Challenge (JUDGES FULL)

Consistency

±15.20

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 171.51 · weakest Brisket (165.72)

Road miles

1,349

across 19 mapped stops · furthest 138 mi

Schedule strength

66%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1584)

Purse competed for

$4,800

listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings

State championships

0 🏅

won from 4 state-championship entries

Master avg

672.59 / 720

19 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (8 found in their record)

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

On the rise

+28 rating points in a year

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

5 contests since Oct 26, 2018
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
Jul 6, 2018

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.

Show 1 more storyline

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

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	#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)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

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

Big Wigs BBQ

#812 of the rated field

1627 power rating

Contests: 47
GCs: 3
Top-10s: 32%
Peak: 1689

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

2 contests 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 45 contests
last seen Aug 23, 2024

⚔ Head-to-head

MAGNUM P.I.G. MN BBQ TEAM

#810 of the rated field

1627 power rating

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

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 19 contests
last seen Nov 12, 2021

⚔ Compare careers

The Smokin Goat

#814 of the rated field

1627 power rating

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

Careers of much the same size, 20 contests to 19, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

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

⚔ Compare careers

Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que

#807 of the rated field

1627 power rating

Contests: 46
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 39%
Peak: 1628

46 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 39% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 41 contests
last seen Aug 28, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

HERE PIGGY PIGGY BBQ

#813 of the rated field

1627 power rating

Contests: 42
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 40%
Peak: 1634

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 41 contests
last seen Apr 26, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

2LiveQ

#809 of the rated field

1627 power rating

Contests: 49
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 22%
Peak: 1637

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

rated over 49 contests
last seen Aug 15, 2025

⚔ Compare careers

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 field size and state

By contest size

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

By state / province (where the contests were held)

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

Repeat visits (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%	Jun 1, 2018
Border War Barbeque	2	15	0	top 33%	Oct 25, 2019

More numbers

Busiest season 2018 5 contests

Contests a season 2.7 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in MO 12 of 19 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 16 2 of them more than once

Opponents faced 1,082 finished ahead 1,161 times, behind 602

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

20192 milestones

Oct 25 Peak power rating (1627) Border War Barbeque
Oct 25 Most recent contest Border War Barbeque

20184 milestones

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)

20171 milestone

Aug 18 10th tracked contest BBQ and Fly In on the River

20161 milestone

Aug 12 First overall top-10 Holy Smoke BBQ Competition

20151 milestone

Aug 21 First call Holy Smoke BBQ Contest

20141 milestone

Oct 2 First overall past 90% of a perfect score674.2168 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

20131 milestone

Oct 3 First tracked contest 34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+15.6	Johnson County BBQ Challenge (JUDGES FULL)	Jul 6, 2018
+12.2	35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open	Oct 2, 2014
+11.2	Big Blue BBQ Championship (TEAM FULL)	Jun 2, 2017
+9.9	Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest -Re-Boot (JUDGES FULL)	Apr 27, 2018
+9.4	BBQ and Fly In on the River	Aug 18, 2017

📉 Toughest weekends

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

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	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
Oct 25, 2019	Border War Barbeque 🏅 Osawatomie, KS	17 / 44 (680.5028)	8 (174.8456)	18 (168.5716)	22 (167.3828)	24 (169.7028)
Jul 19, 2019	Smokin on the Summit 🏅 Unity Village, MO	10 / 35 (683.9084)	9 (174.2628)	2 (175.4172)	13 (170.8228)	21 (163.4056)
May 3, 2019	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)
Apr 26, 2019	Sertoma 48 BBQ 🏅 Lawrence, KS	8 / 38 (678.2060)	13 (168.5600)	22 (164.5488)	9 (169.6800)	2 (175.4172)
Oct 26, 2018	Border War Barbeque Osawatomie, KS	15 / 56 (686.7656)	3 (176.5600)	16 (173.1200)	34 (164.5256)	10 (172.5600)
Aug 3, 2018	Laurie Hillbilly BBQ Laurie, MO	12 / 35 (674.2172)	6 (172)	11 (169.1544)	17 (166.8344)	17 (166.2284)
Jul 6, 2018	Johnson County BBQ Challenge (JUDGES FULL) Warrensburg, MO	3 / 47 (693.6456)	7 (173.7028)	10 (173.1200)	1 (178.2972)	14 (168.5256)
Jun 1, 2018	Big Blue BBQ Championship (TEAMS FULL) Marysville, KS	18 / 42 (661.6572)	13 (169.1200)	14 (167.9772)	8 (172.0116)	34 (152.5484)
Apr 27, 2018	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)
Aug 18, 2017	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)
Jun 2, 2017	Big Blue BBQ Championship (TEAM FULL) Marysville, KS	8 / 35 (670.2284)	14 (169.1428)	8 (172.5600)	9 (167.9884)	17 (160.5372)
Apr 28, 2017	The G Town Smokin Showdown Garnett, KS	12 / 27 (673.1316)	7 (171.9772)	15 (164.5944)	14 (168.5600)	9 (168)
Aug 12, 2016	Holy Smoke BBQ Competition Liberty, MO	6 / 16 (683.8968)	2 (176.5600)	6 (171.4056)	5 (171.9656)	11 (163.9656)
Jun 3, 2016	Big Blue BBQ Championship Marysville, KS	15 / 30 (657.0628)	11 (166.2628)	20 (154.8000)	18 (161.7028)	2 (174.2972)
May 13, 2016	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)
Sep 11, 2015	Independence Fire & Ice BBQ Independence, MO	47 / 76 (634.7084)	50 (158.2284)	49 (158.8344)	58 (157.1200)	39 (160.5256)
Aug 21, 2015	Holy Smoke BBQ Contest Liberty, MO	11 / 28 (677.6116)	12 (171.9772)	13 (166.8344)	6 (174.8572)	18 (163.9428)
Oct 2, 2014	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)
Oct 3, 2013	34th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Kansas City, MO	284 / 535 (635.9428)	179 (165.1428)	376 (154.2400)	101 (168)	420 (148.5600)

LOW LIFE 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 (8 found in their record)

On the rise

They almost always walk

High-water mark

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

The metronome

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 — 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)