Giant slayer
30
teams beaten in one weekend
Took the Grand Championship over a 30-team field at World Championship Hot wing Contest and Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES).
- Aug 27, 2021
Ain't it the Life
Ain't it the Life is a competition barbecue team with 17 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2019 and 2023. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the World Championship Hot wing Contest and Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES) (2021). They are ranked #4987 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1463
peak 1463 · rated over 12 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted
Contests
17
in the data
First seen
May 10, 2019
latest Sep 21, 2023 · 4.4 years on the trail
Grand champs
1
0 reserve · wins it all 6% of the time
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
12% of 17 contests
Best top-10 run
2
straight overall top-10s
Avg finish
top 68%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
660.88 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 641.23 (+19.65)
Walk rate
18%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±45.50
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork Ribs
avg 165.54 · weakest Brisket (161.83)
Road miles
3,665
across 17 mapped stops · furthest 490 mi
Schedule strength
74%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1594)
Purse competed for
$191K
listed at 13 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
won from 12 state-championship entries
Master avg
641.23 / 720
12 Master contests · 0 GCs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 ↗ | Master | #1033 (115 pts) | #998 (125 pts) | #1118 (120 pts) | #964 (125 pts) | #948 (135 pts) |
| 2022 ↗ | Master | #807 (180 pts) | #868 (180 pts) | #800 (235 pts) | #769 (220 pts) | #901 (160 pts) |
| 2021 ↗ | Master | #570 (294 pts) | #579 (299 pts) | #598 (304 pts) | #585 (294 pts) | #534 (349 pts) |
| 2019 ↗ | Master | #909 (302 pts) | #1004 (277 pts) | #937 (322 pts) | #790 (407 pts) | #992 (292 pts) |
Overall rank by season
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Ain't it the Life, each with one reason worth a look.
137 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#4,975 of the rated field
- Contests
- 10
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 10%
- Peak
- 1500
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Ain't it the Life)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Ain't it the Life has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,974 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1513
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Ain't it the Life)
They've been 1513 at their best, 49 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,966 of the rated field
- Contests
- 18
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1525
1–0 in 1 shared contest (100% to Ain't it the Life)
Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 17, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#4,973 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1463
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to Ain't it the Life)
Their last contest in the data was back in 2020, 3 years before Ain't it the Life's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#5,003 of the rated field
- Contests
- 12
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1463
12 contests and no Grand Championship yet.
⚔ Compare careers#5,001 of the rated field
- Contests
- 11
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1463
They were already cooking in 2013, 6 years before Ain't it the Life's first contest.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RAZORRACKS | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| JANKY LEG BBQ | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| FIRE DANCER BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Heavy Smoke BBQ | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Organizer Portal | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 174.2744 | 155.3600 | 162.71 | top 73% |
| Pork Ribs | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 176.5600 | 156.5372 | 165.54 | top 60% |
| Pork | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 173.1200 | 154.7772 | 164.63 | top 64% |
| Brisket | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 151.9428 | 161.83 | top 66% |
“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) | 1 | 0 | top 59% |
| Medium (20–39) | 7 | 1 | top 61% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 80% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022 | 2 | 10 | 0 | top 67% | Jul 21, 2022 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2021
5 contests · 1 GC
Contests a season
2.4
across 7 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
TN
10 of 17 contests · 6 states in all
Contests visited
12
1 of them more than once
First title
Aug 27, 2021
World Championship Hot wing Contest and Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES)
Opponents faced
759
finished ahead 233 times, behind 694
Longest layoff
1.5 yrs
Sep 20, 2019 → Mar 19, 2021
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20261 milestone
- Most recent contest World Championship Hot Wings Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS SERIES)
20223 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022
- Career-best overall score683.8972 International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)176.5600 International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest
20214 milestones
- First overall top-10 Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship
- First overall podium World Championship Hot wing Contest and Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES)
- First Grand Championship World Championship Hot wing Contest and Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES)
- Biggest field won (30 teams) World Championship Hot wing Contest and Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES)
20194 milestones
- First tracked contest Esperanza Bonanza BBQ Blitz
- First call International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score675.3372 International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN
- Peak power rating (1498) International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +7.4 | International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN | Sep 6, 2019 |
| +7.3 | International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest | Sep 9, 2022 |
| +2.6 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship | Jul 23, 2021 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -11.8 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off | Sep 20, 2019 |
| -9.7 | Esperanza Bonanza BBQ Blitz | May 10, 2019 |
| -7.6 | 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ | Apr 14, 2023 |
| -6.3 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST | Sep 12, 2019 |
| -5.4 | Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship | Mar 19, 2021 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 86% | 90.6% | 90.3% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33% | top 60% | 95% | 93.2% |
| 2021 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20% | top 60% | 98.7% | 92.1% |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 73% | 93.8% | 85.1% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 2026 | World Championship Hot Wings Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS SERIES) Memphis, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 25, 2025 | World Championship Hot Wings Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS SERIES) Memphis, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apr 20, 2024 | World Championship Hot Wings Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS SERIES) Memphis, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 38 / 50 (652.4344) | 26 (169.6800) | 25 (170.2744) | 43 (160.5372) | 43 (151.9428) |
| Apr 14, 2023 | 11th Annual Bull Moose BBQ 🏅 Somerville, TN | 24 / 25 (647.8172) | 22 (163.3828) | 23 (162.2400) | 22 (162.2516) | 20 (159.9428) |
| Oct 22, 2022 | World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS) Memphis, TN | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sep 9, 2022 | International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest 🏅 Millington, TN | 17 / 38 (683.8972) | 14 (174.2744) | 8 (176.5600) | 17 (173.1200) | 30 (159.9428) |
| Jul 21, 2022 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 2022 🏅 Galax, VA | 19 / 25 (657.5428) | 22 (156.4912) | 19 (165.6684) | 11 (171.9772) | 15 (163.4060) |
| Aug 27, 2021 | World Championship Hot wing Contest and Festival (COMPETITOR SERIES) unrated Memphis, TN | 1 / 30 (177.7144) | — | — | — | — |
| Jul 23, 2021 | Smoke on the Mountain BBQ Championship 🏅 Galax, VA | 10 / 17 (662.6972) | 13 (165.0972) | 9 (165.0972) | 10 (166.2400) | 9 (166.2628) |
| May 1, 2021 | 39th Annual Kennett Jaycees Show Me State BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Kennett, MO | 26 / 32 (649.0056) | 21 (163.9428) | 30 (156.5372) | 28 (159.9428) | 16 (168.5828) |
| Apr 9, 2021 | Smokin' For Down Syndrome (Formally Bull Moose) 🏅 Collierville, TN | 32 / 44 (645.5200) | 27 (166.2284) | 34 (161.0972) | 35 (160.5372) | 33 (157.6572) |
| Mar 19, 2021 | Smoke on The Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 48 / 57 (646.0572) | 51 (158.2056) | 45 (161.6572) | 39 (164.5256) | 48 (161.6688) |
| Sep 20, 2019 | Murphysboro BBQ Cook Off 🏅 Murphysboro, IL | 53 / 54 (497.0628) | 47 (155.3600) | 18 (169.7144) | 11 (171.9884) | — |
| Sep 12, 2019 | 40th American Royal World Series of Barbecue- OPEN CONTEST 🏅 Kansas City, KS | 319 / 468 (644.4800) | 396 (155.9772) | 76 (172) | 358 (157.6800) | 313 (158.8228) |
| Sep 6, 2019 | International Goat Days Championship BBQ Contest-SMOKIN IN THE GOAT PEN 🏅 Millington, TN | 11 / 32 (675.3372) | 16 (168.5372) | 19 (162.8572) | 7 (171.9656) | 8 (171.9772) |
| May 10, 2019 | Esperanza Bonanza BBQ Blitz 🏅 Marion, AR | 27 / 30 (632.8800) | 30 (155.3600) | 20 (162.8000) | 29 (154.7772) | 20 (159.9428) |
An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.