Perfect scores on the board
1
perfect 180s
1 perfect 180 in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in chicken.
- Chicken ×1
Southern Life BBQ
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1629
peak 1629 · rated over 14 contests ⓘ
Best runs
4
straight top-10s
Contests
15
in the data
First seen
2022-04-29
latest 2025-11-14
Best ToY finish
#81
Backyard 2025
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
6
12 podiums
Overall top-10s
10
of 15 contests
Avg finish
top 19%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
1 🔥
Current form
348.31 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 399.04 (-50.73)
Walk rate
80%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
4
best run (overall)
Consistency
±77.10
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 173.86 · weakest Pork (168.36)
Road miles
997
mi across 15 mapped stops · furthest 150 mi
Schedule strength
59%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1575)
Purse competed for
$124K
listed at 14 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 14 state-championship entries
Master avg
682.75 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
399.04 / 360
12 Backyard contests · 0 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.
Storylines (14 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
+30
rating points in a year
Their power rating has climbed 30 points across 6 contests since 2024-11-15 — from 1599 up to 1629.
- 6 contests since 2024-11-15
- now 1629
Signature meat
50%
brisket entries won
2 wins from 4 entries
When brisket is on the table, watch out — they've won it in 50% of their entries (2 of 4).
- best 175.4172
- average 171.13
- 3 calls
Happy hunting ground
Top 12%
average finish here
BBQ, Boogie & Blues is their spot: an average finish in the top 12% across 3 visits.
- 3 visits
- best finish 3rd
- average top 12%
A multi-meat day
1
contests with 2+ category wins
They've won two or more meats on the same day 1 time — the best of them 2 category wins at BBQ & Boogie (2025-04-25).
- Pork 1st
- Brisket 1st
They almost always walk
80%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 12 of 15 contests
A top-10 category call in 80% of their 15 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
687.8852
career-best overall
95.5% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 687.8852 at Honeybee BBQ Competition — 95.5% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2024-05-31
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA has finished one call ahead of Southern Life BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
A tough matchup
5–1
behind in the head-to-head
Electro-Que-ted ahead in 83% of their meetings
Electro-Que-ted has come out ahead in 5 of their 6 shared contests.
The weak link
−5.5
points behind their best meat
Pork is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 5.50 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 50% of the time against 71%.
- Pork avg 168.36
- Chicken avg 173.86
- 5 calls in 10 entries
A strong matchup
11–0
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 100% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Wiggle Butts BBQ in 11 of their 11 shared contests.
Announced themselves early
4th
at their very first contest
Finished 4 of 37 at their very first tracked contest, BBQ Boogie & Blues (2022-04-29).
- 2022-04-29
- 37-team field
Looking over their shoulder
2×
one call behind them
1909 Mountain Smoke has landed one call behind them 2 times.
Boom or bust
±20.61%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±20.61% 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 108.6% of a perfect score
- best 143.3%
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.
26 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#778 of the rated field
- Contests
- 174
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 48%
- Peak
- 1822
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to Southern Life BBQ)
2 contests in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team Southern Life BBQ has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#783 of the rated field
- Contests
- 24
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 33%
- Peak
- 1632
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 21 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-head#777 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 2
- Top-10s
- 40%
- Peak
- 1629
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 7 years before Southern Life BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#784 of the rated field
- Contests
- 29
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 17%
- Peak
- 1632
No shared contest yet.
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 29 contests to 15.
⚔ Head-to-head#780 of the rated field
- Contests
- 42
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 43%
- Peak
- 1631
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 42 contests, alongside a 43% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#787 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 23%
- Peak
- 1639
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2014, 8 years before Southern Life BBQ's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ | 13 | 8 | 5 | 62% | ⚔ compare |
| Blue Smoke Q | 12 | 9 | 2 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| COOL HAND QUE | 12 | 8 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Wiggle Butts BBQ | 11 | 11 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| CHOOCHOO BBQ | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| Stewbabys BBQ | 11 | 9 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| OFF THE CHAIN | 11 | 8 | 2 | 73% | ⚔ compare |
| ZIPS BBQ | 11 | 7 | 3 | 64% | ⚔ compare |
| ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36% | ⚔ compare |
| Wine Me, Dine Me and Swine Me | 10 | 10 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Peckerwood Country Club | 10 | 9 | 1 | 90% | ⚔ compare |
| Kings BBQ Team | 9 | 7 | 2 | 78% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 9 | 6 | 2 | 67% | ⚔ compare |
| Organizer Portal | 9 | 5 | 3 | 56% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 14 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 180.0000 🔥 | 163.4056 | 173.86 | top 15% |
| Pork Ribs | 15 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 174.2628 | 161.6684 | 168.69 | top 32% |
| Pork | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 177.1544 | 163.9428 | 168.36 | top 28% |
| Brisket | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 175.4172 | 166.2856 | 171.13 | top 20% |
“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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GA | 11 | 0 | top 19% |
| AL | 2 | 0 | top 26% |
| TN | 1 | 0 | top 11% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (20–39) | 9 | 0 | top 22% |
| Large (40+) | 5 | 0 | top 14% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 13% | 2025-11-14 |
| Honeybee BBQ Competition | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 33% | 2025-05-30 |
| BBQ, Boogie & Blues | 3 | 3 | 0 | top 12% | 2024-04-26 |
The story so far (19 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3.5 yrs
2022-04-29 → 2025-11-14
Busiest season
2025
6 contests
Contests a season
3.8
across 4 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
GA
11 of 15 contests · 3 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
8
3 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
15 entries · 0 wins · 10 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 173.86 · weakest Pork (168.36)
Walk rate
80%
a top-10 call in 12 of 15 contests
Overall top-10 rate
67%
10 of 15 contests
Best top-10 run
4
straight contests
Master average
682.75
out of 720 · 2 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
399.04
out of 360 · 12 contests · 0 GCs
Perfect 180s
1
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
416
761–173 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
997
15 mapped stops · furthest 150 mi
Schedule strength
1575
average field rating faced — tougher than 59% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$124,220
listed at 14 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 14 state-championship entries
Power rating
1629
peak 1629 · #782 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2022
- First tracked contest BBQ Boogie & Blues
- First call BBQ Boogie & Blues
- First overall top-10 BBQ Boogie & Blues
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score508.5140 BBQ Boogie & Blues
- First category win (Chicken) Honeybee BBQ Competition
- First overall podium Honeybee BBQ Competition
- 2023
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) BBQ Boogie & Blues
- 2024
- Career-best overall score687.8852 Honeybee BBQ Competition
- 2025
- 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First multi-meat day BBQ & Boogie
- Peak power rating (1629) Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
- Most recent contest Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +14.4 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 2024-11-15 |
| +14.1 | BBQ Boogie & Blues | 2022-04-29 |
| +13.4 | Honeybee BBQ Competition | 2022-06-03 |
| +12.6 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 2025-11-14 |
| +12 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues | 2024-04-26 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -9 | Honeybee BBQ Competition | 2025-05-30 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 67% | top 26% | 97.5% | 96.1% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 100% | top 14% | 97.1% | 95.7% |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 67% | top 21% | 143.3% | 125.1% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 11% | 141.3% | 140.5% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-14 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 4 / 56 (350.8228) | 6 (176.5600) | 7 (174.2628) | — | — |
| 2025-05-30 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 16 / 26 (677.6112) | 3 (178.8572) | 21 (167.3828) | 23 (165.0856) | 14 (166.2856) |
| 2025-04-25 | BBQ & Boogie 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 5 / 32 (346.2516) | 2 (177.7144) | 8 (168.5372) | 1 (177.1544) | 1 (175.4172) |
| 2025-04-11 | Smoke on the Falls BBQ Competition 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 10 / 31 (346.2400) | 11 (174.2628) | 11 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2025-03-14 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship 🏅 Lebanon, TN | 11 / 100 (348.5256) | 14 (174.2628) | 9 (174.2628) | 30 (167.3712) | — |
| 2025-03-14 | Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Lebanon, TN | — | — | 61 (161.6684) | — | — |
| 2024-11-15 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cuming, GA | 3 / 58 (349.6916) | 1 (178.8572) | 8 (170.8344) | — | — |
| 2024-05-31 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 6 / 25 (687.8852) | 3 (175.4172) | 19 (166.2512) | 12 (170.8112) | 5 (175.4056) |
| 2024-04-26 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 3 / 34 (339.3828) | 2 (172.5600) | 6 (166.8228) | 6 (165.6800) | 1 (167.4172) |
| 2024-04-12 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 6 / 31 (345.0972) | 6 (173.1200) | 6 (171.9772) | — | — |
| 2023-11-17 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 16 / 60 (331.3372) | 13 (168.5372) | 20 (162.8000) | 14 (164.0000) | — |
| 2023-04-28 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 5 / 32 (515.9084) | 1 (180.0000) | 8 (162.8000) | 3 (173.1084) | — |
| 2023-03-03 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 13 / 65 (503.3256) | 22 (166.2400) | 5 (173.1428) | 21 (163.9428) | — |
| 2022-06-03 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 3 / 25 (503.3600) | 1 (174.2972) | 7 (163.9772) | 5 (165.0856) | — |
| 2022-04-29 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 4 / 37 (508.5140) | 10 (163.4056) | 3 (173.7028) | 4 (171.4056) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #178 (203 pts) | #202 (168 pts) | #218 (158 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #81 (669 pts) | #67 (774 pts) | #97 (629 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1018 (96 pts) | #728 (226 pts) | #979 (131 pts) | #1184 (61 pts) | #1025 (106 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #122 (485 pts) | #120 (525 pts) | #140 (405 pts) | — | — |
| 2024 ↗ | Master | #797 (165 pts) | #738 (225 pts) | #1236 (80 pts) | #1001 (115 pts) | #812 (175 pts) |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #147 (341 pts) | #161 (321 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #115 (387 pts) | #117 (367 pts) | — | — |