‘Titans of Tub’: A rundown on Fat Bear Week and its candidates

It’s that time of year again: where people open a browser tab on their computer to rank some thicc boys and girls.

Fat Bear Week has returned for its eighth year, imploring anyone on the internet to appreciate a clan of chonky brown bears, vote for their favorite, and eventually forget about this week entirely until next year. There may be a lot going on, but Fat Bear Week marks a time when we can all stop what we’re doing and appreciate some absolute units.

The Fat Bear Week tournament launched in 2014 and gives anyone online the opportunity to decide which bear they think will gain the most weight as they prep for their winter hibernation. Some of the bears will start at 600 to 900 pounds and end up weighing more than 1,000. The bracket is hosted online by Alaska’s Katmai National Park and has evolved into a chance for general non-bear enthusiasts to learn about the animals and how they live.

Rachel Metz, vice president of animal well-being at the Philadelphia Zoo, says she is fascinated by Fat Bear Week’s draw and has followed it for a “quite some time.”

“It is heartening to see so much attention given to these fascinating and highly adaptable animals as I know it creates a sense of empathy and appreciation for the bears, our national parks, wildlife and wild places in general,” she said. “While the brown bear’s habitat is shrinking and they are facing localized declines across their range, they are listed as species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.”

» READ MORE: Choose your starter: Comparing Eagles players to all 12 Fat Bear Week contenders

Metz said that some of the brown bears’ relatives aren’t doing as well. Grizzly bears, for example, are listed as a threatened species. Brown and black bears are the only bear species that are not classified as threatened. Locally, the Philadelphia Zoo’s collection includes an Andean bear and a pair of sloth bears.

“The attention garnered by Fat Bear Week can only help foster an appreciation for all bear species,” she said.

There’s even a live camera feed where you can keep tabs on your favorites and watch them roam, catch fish and hang out.

Participants can vote daily, now through Oct. 11, until the single-elimination bracket ultimately whittles the competitors down to one sole Honky Chonk Beardonkadonk.

On the Katmai National Park’s page, participants can meet the 12 bears facing off. Favorites so far include Chunk, who has been described as “consistently one of the largest and most dominant” bears. He can fish but will often wait for other bears’ leftovers.

There’s Grazer, a fierce mama bear with fluffy blonde ears. She’s considered one of the more dominant female bears and is described as “defensive and assertive” when she’s fishing. “She has been known to push other bears away when they get too close.”

And don’t forget Holly, who captured the hearts of many in her journey through motherhood — raising cubs, including one she adopted after he was abandoned. Holly’s back this year and was able to put on some pounds now that her kids are out of the way and she can focus on herself. We love that for Holly.

Lest we forget reigning champion, Otis, who is believed to be about 26 years old.

Competing bears are as young as about 4, though most are in their teens. Otis’ age — which could sometimes be interpreted through hind leg issues and other tells — became a sticking point with viewers. He received 51,000 votes last year, or 53% of the 96,000 cast.

The event has inspired fan art, campaign posters, and even merch — including a calendar and T-shirts.

A history professor at Francis Marion University tweeted that she gave her students extra credit in exchange for writing a campaign ad for their favorite bear.

Campaign posters on the national park’s website show a fan base divided: “480, the King of Fat,” says one, “910′s cub is a total chub,” says another.

Charles Anneberg Weingarten, who founded Explore.org — the site that hosts the live feed and partners with Katmai National Park to host Fat Bear Week, told Smithsonian Magazine that what makes this week special is how people can take a liking to a specific bear and follow its journey for years to come.

“Every year the fans return to Katmai virtually, and it’s like they’re seeing these long lost relatives return, and it fills their hearts with joy,” Annenberg Weingarten said. “We have fallen in love with them.”

To learn more information or to vote, visit fatbearweek.org.