After nearly three weeks of intense battling, comments squabbling and behind the scenes get-out-the-vote campaigns, the results are in and the final four have been confirmed. Here they are, with their path to the finals:
#3 Tacos Por Favor
Seeded third, Santa Monica's most popular taco shop has proven to be a resilient competitor, with loyal west side fans turning out in droves to vote for "TPF". The Olympic Boulevard spot beat Carnitas Michoacan in round I, and the mighty fish tacos of Tacos Baja Ensenada in Round II to secure a spot in the final four.
vs.
#1 King Taco
The heavyweight chain with a legion of fans spanning the entire city and its outskirts handily chomped its way through the competition, proving the #1 seeding was accurate. Round I saw an initially heated battled with West LA'S Two location mini-chain Tacomiendo that ultimately proved no challenge to the King. Round II was much the same, with an easy win over Echo Park's beloved Taco Zone.
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#3 Kogi BBQ
The internet sensation was reviled by many in the comments, who felt that the two-truck fusion korean tacos were not authentic enough for the competition. Still, purists can take solace in knowing that Kogi defeated the competition's other most controversial entrant, seventh seed Tito's Tacos in Round II. Round I was a cakewalk for Kogi as they easily beat the Valley's only entrant, Tacos El Zorro.
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#4 Yuca's
The seeding committee is fans of Yuca's but mistakenly seeded them 4th, thinking they were more of a local favorite and not a taco heavyweight. Defying those expectations, Yuca's battled for every vote and ultimately defeated Loteria Grill in Round I and upstart Cactus Taqueria in Round II. Yuca's family owned mini chain is beloved by people from all over the city, it seems, but they will need to rally their fans to beat internet supernova Kogi BBQ.
VOTING IS OPEN UNTIL THURSDAY. A CHAMPION WILL BE CROWNED MONDAY of NEXT WEEK!
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