TUESDAY, MARCH 25: FIRST ROUND BURGER ACTION >>>

Southern California burger chain Slater's 50/50 has spent the past couple years making a name for itself through its flagship burger patty made from 100 percent ground bacon: 'Merica Burger. The bacon patty is topped off with a sunny side up egg and more bacon, in the form of bacon cheddar cheese, "bacon island" dressing and, oh yeah, actual bacon. Foodbeast.com decided that this wasn't enough and set out to make a 100 percent bacon burger, where every single thing on the burger has a bit of bacon in it. The foodie website decided even the bun should coated with bacon bits and pork rinds, as the photo below dictates. Will a South Sound burger joint follow suit to secure a few extra votes during the Tournament of Burgers? Stay tuned. In the meantime, below are yesterday's game results and eight new burger joints up for vote.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Lunchbox Laboratory vs. The Office Bar & Grill

The nice thing about a number one seed is it usually means you have a paddy-cake game in the first round. Not so much the case yesterday. The Office Bar and Grill rallied The Steno Pool and the folks in the mailroom, surging here and there. In the end, the number one seed did prevail, and Lunchbox Laboratory moves into the Second Round with 68 percent of the votes.

Game 2: Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery vs. El Gaucho

The Powerhouse and El Gaucho battled back and forth all day, changing leads several times. Then, the Powerhouse put the Jolly Pumpkin Artesianal Ales Maraciabo Especial Sour Belgian on the guest tap. Not so fast, my fancy friend. El Gaucho's lounge pianist busted out "It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and the whole restaurant laughed and clinked martini glasses. The Powerhouse moves into the Second Round with 51 percent of the votes and a date with Lunchbox Laboratory March 30.

Game 3: Boathouse 19 vs. The Spar - Old Town

Unexpectedly, this was an epic battle ... the kind of thing Tournament of Burgers "instant classic" are made of. A surprisingly low scoring affair, with much of the action on defense, sixth seeded Boathouse 19 and the 11th seeded Spar in Old Town Tacoma were in a dead heat - literally tied - going into the final hours of the competition. Tournament of Burgers officials frantically discussed what to do in case of a tie. Overtime? Coin Flip? Shotgun a beer? Then, in a brilliant move, cook Tony walked to the middle of The Spar, slammed down a catsup and mustard bottle and walked back to the grill. That display of condiments was a dagger! The Spar edged out the win, securing exactly 51 percent of the vote. This one will go down in the burger history books.

Game 4: Norma's Burgers vs. Tides Tavern

Norma's Burgers quickly comes to the lips of many when discussing the best South Sound burger. So, perhaps it isn't a surprise that the burger house next to Interstate 5 won handily, kicking the Tides Tavern to the dock while garnering a respectable 63 percent of the vote. Norma's moves into the Second Round to face The Spar March 30.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

• Lunchbox Laboratory
• Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery
• The Spar - Old Town
• Norma's Burgers

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's First Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m.