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BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Bill & Andrea Heyen
Bill and Andrea Heyen farm corn and soybeans in Gillespie, Illinois, and cook barbecue as Triple H BBQ. A perfect rack of ribs at a Missouri airfield just earned the husband-and-wife team a seat at the first BBQ World Cup in Las Vegas, cooking for $1,000,000.
The First Name Called: Chris Salsberry's Road From Fred Vegas to Las Vegas
A retired cybersecurity executive who cooks alone, throws his score sheets away, and calls competition barbecue expensive camping. Chris Salsberry was the first name called for the BBQ World Cup and a $1,000,000 cook in Las Vegas.
BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Mike Magill
Mike Magill calls Mean Moe's BBQ a hobby gone wrong in all the right ways. From a backyard about 40 minutes north of Toronto to a win by three hundredths of a point in Montreal, the first Canadian qualifier is headed to the BBQ World Cup and a shot at $1,000,000.
Alby Ransom: Scuffletown Smokers Pitmaster and BBQ World Cup Qualifier
A two-man team of uncle and nephew from Boonville, Indiana, a town the locals call Boon Vegas. Alby Ransom finished 47th of 50 at his first contest, then went on to win the Jack. Now Scuffletown Smokers is headed to the real Vegas and a cook for $1,000,000 at the BBQ World Cup.
Brad Leighninger: Gettin' Basted Hall of Famer and BBQ World Cup Qualifier
Brad Leighninger has won the Jack, a Memphis in May world title, and more than 150 grand championships, and he sits in two halls of fame. In July he flew to Croatia and won again. In April of 2027 he and Gettin' Basted cook in Las Vegas for $1,000,000.
BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Brian Kennish
Brian Kennish spent all season chasing one win, the Jersey Shore contest where B's Que first cooked over a decade ago. He got it, then skipped a family wedding to grab a last-minute ticket to Las Vegas. Now the Philadelphia power-plant manager cooks for $1,000,000.
BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Click & Q
Three years ago Joris Nies and his Belgian team were running virtual barbecue contests out of a Facebook group during lockdown. This April, Click & Q flies to Las Vegas as Belgium's only team on the road to the BBQ World Cup, chasing $1,000,000.
BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Cody Howard
Cody Howard came up through Alabama's backyard barbecue circuit, cooking a few contests a year for the love of it. At Lakeland Pigfest he finished third overall, the only backyard team to grab a spot, and in 2027 Rollin Smoke BBQ cooks in Las Vegas for $1,000,000.
BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Mark Wetherell
Mark Wetherell cooked alone for years, an accountant from Evans, Georgia who named his barbecue team after his daughter. Now he and Cristina cook as a pair, and Maya Jane BBQ Co. just earned a seat at the first BBQ World Cup in Las Vegas, cooking for $1,000,000.
BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Nate Benson
The boy from American Fork, Utah who thought cooking was torture at twelve is on his way to Las Vegas. Nate Benson of Uncle Jesse's BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion at Slab-O-Rama and qualified for the BBQ World Cup, and Vegas is almost his backyard.
BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Nick Holman
Nick and Shannon Holman built Burnt Trees BBQ into a force from Minot, North Dakota, a state with one contest a year. Four Grand Champion finishes in fifty tries later, the little team is headed to the BBQ World Cup and a shot at $1,000,000.
Tony Gonzalez: Past Our Prime Pitmaster and BBQ World Cup Qualifier
Tony Gonzalez calls himself a weekend warrior. For more than a decade he cooked a sixty-dollar grocery-store brisket at the San Antonio Rodeo. On a freezing night this year, Past Our Prime took reserve grand champion and a spot in the BBQ World Cup, cooking for $1,000,000 in Las Vegas.