The third spot in the Final 4 will go to either White Hut in West Springfield or Fitzwilly's in Northampton.
When we last checked in with the judges of the Valley Food Championship Burger Battle, they had chowed down at two of the Final 4 burger joints selected by online readers of MassLive.com, The Republican and El Pueblo Latino – Five Guys in Westfield and 911 Burgers and Dogs in Agawam.
On Thursday, the judges – arts and entertainment editor Ray Kelly, sports reporter Pam McCray and photographer Don Treeger – will visit the third contender selected by readers. Depending on how readers voted, the No. 3 spot will go to either Fitzwilly’s in Northampton or White Hut in West Springfield and Amherst. The readers' choice will be revealed on Thursday afternoon.
"Fitzwilly's and White Hut have very loyal followings, but the burgers couldn't be more different," Kelly said. "Fitzwilly's serves up big, hand-pressed burgers, while White Hut is known for its sliders. People will be surprised when they see the decision the online voters reached."
Next week, Kelly, Treeger and McCray will dine at the fourth and final contender, the winner of the matchup between Local Burger in Northampton and The Mick at the Delaney House in Holyoke.
The judges will compare notes and render their decision the following week.
When the contest was announced on Nov. 22, online readers were asked to submit their nominees. With tournament style voting, online readers have reduced the initial field of 87 burger joints to the Final 4