Cobra Kai actor Jacob Bertrand reveals that he didn't know about the identity of the new All-Valley champion until a crew member mentioned it to him. Set in the "Miyagi-verse," the sequel series to 1984's The Karate Kid takes place 34 years after the events of the original film, when Daniel LaRusso triumphed over Johnny Lawrence in the final match of the All-Valley Karate Championships. Cobra Kai re-examines the universe from Johnny's point of view and delves into his decision to re-open the notorious Cobra Kai dojo, which subsequently reawakens his enduring rivalry with Daniel.
Cobra Kai first premiered on YouTube in 2018 but eventually landed on Netflix before the premiere of season 3 in 2020, following YouTube's decision to stop creating original scripted programming. The series saw actors William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, and Martin Kove reprise their iconic roles as Johnny, Daniel, and John Kreese, respectively. Season 4 also saw the return of The Karate Kid Part 3's Thomas Ian Griffith as the brutal martial artist Terry Silver. The latest recruits to the cast, representing a new generation of fighters, included Jacob Bertrand, Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser, Tanner Buchanan, Gianni DeCenzo, and Peyton List.
While speaking to EW in a recent interview, Cobra Kai star Jacob Bertrand, who plays Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz in the popular series, reveals that he had no idea his character was going to win the All-Valley Championship until the secret was slipped to him by his "hairdresser." He mentions that no cast member knew about the winners of the tournament "for a really long time." While most audiences were unaware of the results "until episode 10 actually came out," he says, he was told about it "in the hair room," which absolutely shocked him. Check out his full quote below:
No one knew for a really long time. Like, most people didn't know until episode 10 actually came out who was winning for the girls' and the boys' divisions. But when I was sitting down about to film the scene where I walk in and my hair is all messed up and shaved, the big three were in the room and they were giving Miss Vanessa, our hairdresser, exact details of what they wanted my messed-up hair to look like. And they told me, 'Hey, we're not doing this for nothing. You're gonna be an All Valley champ.' They told me in the hair room right there and I was like, 'Oh dang, that's crazy!'
The season 4 finale of Cobra Kai featured the finals of both the Men's and Women's segments of the All-Valley tournament. While it wasn't much of a surprise that Tory Nichols and Sam LaRusso would go head-to-head in the Women's finals, the Men's category threw a major curveball when Miguel made the decision not to take any further part in the competition, making Eli the winner of their semi-final showdown. This meant he would then have to take on Cobra Kai's Robby Keene in the final match. While the task may have looked daunting for Eli at first, he managed to successfully combine Daniel and Johnny's fighting styles to come out as the winner after a breathtaking fight sequence that was forced to go to overtime to find a winner.
Eli had been struggling with self-confidence throughout Season 4 as he had to cope with the aftermath of the events from Season 3 and face the repercussions, which included the Cobra Kai dojo members shaving off his trademark mohawk. Most viewers may have been surprised that Robby wasn't the eventual winner in the finale, but the above-mentioned events made Eli's hard-earned victory feel even sweeter. Fans will undoubtedly be looking forward to more from Eli in season 5 after his well-deserved moment in the spotlight.
Source: EW