Okay, let's try Fat Bear Week again

Our flag is still flying half mast for Bear 402—tragically murdered in Bear 469’s quest for fatness earlier this week—but the blubbery show must go on. Despite the setback, it’s officially Fat Bear Week, the roundest competition of them all. Forget about March Madness—this is the real bracket to throw your energy behind this year.

Every year, the National Park Service holds the tournament to cheer on the brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park—the hottest salmon fishing spot around—for bulking up the necessary body mass to survive their impending winter hibernation. In other words, it’s time to crown the portliest boy or girl of them all.

So let’s meet the competitors: There are 15 fat bears in competition this year, all fat in their own special ways. First, there’s the aptly-named Chunk (a.k.a. Bear 32), the Brooks River’s most dominant bear who the NPS estimates weighs about 1,200 pounds. (1,200!) He’ll face off against the winner of 856 vs. 504, two bears who don’t seem to have earned special fat-themed names yet, but might once they prove themselves against the best of the salmon gobblers.

Other bears in contention include 128 “Grazer”, a fierce (and fat) mother who defended her cubs from Chunk earlier this year, 151 “Walker”, a fiend who revels in one upping the competition by displacing other bears from their preferred fishing spots, and Bear 856, the river’s previous dominant bear who definitely has some kind of score to settle with Chunk. As in any good game show, there’s also a junior version of the competition with really cute children, who in this case, also happen to be really fat. Fat Bear Week Junior competitors include 806’s cub, 910’s 2.5 year-old, 910’s adopted niece (a little family rivalry!), and 128’s cub.

You can vote for your favorite fat bear here in a series of daily matchups. (Today, it’s 909 Jr. vs. 519 and 903 vs. 909.) Remember, in the words of the NPS, you should be voting for the bear “you believe best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears.” If you want to go really deep into each competitor’s salmon fishing stats and previous alliances, you can explore more here. Let the fat bear festivities commence!