The heartbreaker
0.5372
points from the title
Came within 0.5372 points of the Grand Championship at American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off (Mar 20, 2026).
Sofa King Awesome BBQ
Sofa King Awesome BBQ is a competition barbecue team with 6 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2023 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 2nd at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off (2026), and they have finished Reserve Grand Champion once. They are ranked #2585 of 6,485 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1517
peak 1531 · rated over 6 contests
Contests
6
in the data
First seen
Mar 24, 2023
latest Mar 20, 2026 · 3 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
1 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
33% of 6 contests
Avg finish
top 54%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Walk rate
17%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±6.89
spread of their Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 167.83 · weakest Pork Ribs (167.82)
Road miles
0
across 6 mapped stops
Schedule strength
24%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1532)
Purse competed for
$20K
listed at 5 contests — purses, not winnings
Backyard avg
335.65 / 360
4 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to Sofa King Awesome BBQ, each with one reason worth a look.
72 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#2,593 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1522
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before Sofa King Awesome BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careers#2,591 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1529
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,594 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 57%
- Peak
- 1531
They were already cooking in 2014, 9 years before Sofa King Awesome BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Compare careers#2,583 of the rated field
- Contests
- 6
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1524
Level with Sofa King Awesome BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#2,578 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 20%
- Peak
- 1527
Careers of much the same size, 5 contests to 6, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#2,579 of the rated field
- Contests
- 5
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1533
Their last contest in the data was back in 2022, 4 years before Sofa King Awesome BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutty Cocks BBQ | 5 | 4 | 1 | 80% | ⚔ compare |
| Wapatui Smokers | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60% | ⚔ compare |
| Rucking Fidiculous BBQ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 170.8344 | 162.2400 | 167.83 | top 52% |
| Pork Ribs | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 171.9772 | 162.2512 | 167.82 | top 56% |
“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.
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | 4 | 12 | 0 | top 54% | Mar 20, 2026 |
| American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | Mar 20, 2026 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
2 contests
Contests a season
1.5
across 4 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
MO
6 of 6 contests
Contests visited
2
2 of them more than once
Opponents faced
92
finished ahead 80 times, behind 75
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20264 milestones
- First overall podium American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off
- First Reserve Championship American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off
- Peak power rating (1531) American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off
- Most recent contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
20253 milestones
- First overall top-10 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off
- Career-best overall score342.8116 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)171.9772 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
20233 milestones
- First tracked contest American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- First call American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score335.9312 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +13.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off | Mar 20, 2026 |
| +6.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | Mar 21, 2025 |
| +5.5 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | Mar 24, 2023 |
| +2.8 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | Mar 22, 2024 |
| +2.7 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off | Mar 21, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.2 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest | Mar 20, 2026 |
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 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | top 94% | 97.2% | 93.6% |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | top 36% | 95.9% | 95.5% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 48% | 94.3% | 94.3% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100% | top 38% | 93.3% | 93.3% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 31 / 33 (324.4912) | 32 (162.2400) | 27 (162.2512) | — | — |
| Mar 20, 2026 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO | 2 (174.8800) | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 12 / 33 (342.8116) | 13 (170.8344) | 13 (171.9772) | — | — |
| Mar 21, 2025 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Steak Cook-Off Kansas City, MO | 7 (172.5600) | — | — | — | — |
| Mar 22, 2024 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 15 / 31 (339.3600) | 15 (168.5372) | 13 (170.8228) | — | — |
| Mar 24, 2023 | American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest Kansas City, MO | 14 / 37 (335.9312) | 9 (169.6912) | 22 (166.2400) | — | — |