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Taco Bell Delights Fans By Bringing Back This Super Popular Menu Item

And you could score one for free.
FACT CHECKED BY Mura Dominko

More than a year after its original release, Taco Bell is bringing back the popular spicier version of Doritos Locos Tacos—this time as part of a nationwide giveaway. As recently announced on its social media pages, the chain will be offering free Flamin' Hot Doritos Locos Tacos to everyone in the U.S. in the event of a "comeback" game at any point in this year's NBA Finals.

The giveaway, known as Taco Bell Comebacks, will run concurrently with the Finals, or until a qualifying "comeback" game occurs (officially, any Finals game in which the team trailing at halftime ends up winning). The chances of this happening are actually pretty good, Yahoo! Life has pointed out—of the past ten NBA Finals, seven have included "comeback" games.

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Taco Bell Comebacks is a clever update of the brand's "Steal a game, steal a taco," promotional series, which began in 2016 and was used to promote its Doritos Locos line. This time around, fans are invited to root for the "comeback" of the Flamin' Hot taco—alongside whichever NBA team offers the best odds of a comeback win.

In the event of a bona fide comeback, "residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia" will be eligible for a free Flamin' Hot Doritos Locos taco, courtesy of Taco Bell. The specialty item is a standard Taco Bell crunchy taco, but cased in a Flamin' Hot Doritos-flavored shell.

Already two matches into the seven-round series, Taco Bell fans are monitoring the NBA Finals closely, with many taking to Twitter this week to comment on the progress of the game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. Some shared stories of noticing sudden spikes in support for the Bucks, who, having trailed the Suns in the first half, are as of now the favorite of Taco Bell fans to win.

Taco Bell first released its Doritos Locos-style tacos in 2012, in celebration of the chain's fiftieth anniversary. Despite the 2019 removal of subvarieties like Cool Ranch and Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos, the fusion menu item is still going strong, with the standard version now in its ninth year on the Taco Bell menu.

Flamin' Hot Doritos Locos Tacos debuted in April 2020 as a limited-time item. The "Comeback" edition also appears to be a limited-time release, with event rules specifying the availability of Flamin' Hot Tacos "while supplies last." Customers, meanwhile, are limited to one free taco per person, regardless of how many comeback games occur.

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Owen Duff
Owen Duff is a freelance journalist based in Vermont, home of Ben & Jerry’s. Read more about Owen