In one of the most intense showdowns on the internet since that time two guys argued about whether a hotdog is a sandwich, twelve thick-set brown bears from Alaska’s Katmai National Park have been clawing their way through Fat Bear Week.
Every year, fans from across the globe log on to vote for their favourite ursine unit as the bears scramble to shovel down salmon before clocking in for their months-long nap.
A live camera allows enthusiasts to witness the action in real time – basically Love Island, if everyone was furrier and more into fish.
After a week of brutal ballot-boxing, it came down to two heavyweights: Bear 856 and Bear 32, better known as Chunk.
Chunk took the crown after racking up 96,350 votes to 856’s 63,725. He won with 60.2 per cent of the vote, proving that America still loves a good underdog story – especially when the underdog looks like he ate the actual dog.
Chunk’s Cinderella arc only sweetened his victory: he overcame a jaw injury that once threatened to sideline his salmon-gobbling career. In the semis, he demolished Bear 602, also known as “Flotato,” by a landslide 70-30 margin. (Pour one out for Flotato: never forgotten, always fabulous.)
Meanwhile, Bear 856 muscled past last year’s reigning queen, 128 Grazer, by 68-32.
Grazer was the last female bear standing, meaning the finals were, regrettably, a boys-only buffet.
Of course, the competition is more than just a glorified bear beauty pageant.
Katmai rangers use Fat Bear Week to educate the public about brown bears and their habitat. As the park’s website notes, “fat bears are successful bears” – translation: calories equal survival, and if you’re pregnant, you’d better eat like it’s an Olympic sport.
Now immortalised in the Fat Bear Week Hall of Champions, Chunk joins a pantheon of absolute units celebrated for their commitment to carbs, salmon, and unapologetic body positivity.
Images: National Park Service
