Fat Bear Week 2025: Chunk Wins Despite Broken Jaw

Chunk the brown bear just pulled off something remarkable. The 1,200-pound giant—who finished second in each of the last two contests—ran the table this year and clinched the 2025 Fat Bear Week championship despite competing with a broken jaw. It is his first title win, and fans watched it happen in record numbers.

2025 Champion: Bear 32 Chunk ·
Event Dates: September 23-30, 2025 ·
Location: Katmai National Park, Alaska ·
Voting Platform: explore.org ·
Past Notable Winner: Bear 128 Grazer (multiple)

Has 32 Chunk ever won Fat Bear Week?

Yes—and it took everything Chunk had to get there. After finishing as runner-up in both of the previous two contests, the 11-bear bracket this year gave him another shot at the title. He made it count, toppling opponent after opponent on his way to the championship round (EarthSky coverage).

2025 Victory Details

Bear 32 Chunk secured 82,913 votes in the final round, defeating Bear 856 who received 76,665 votes (ABC News report). That margin—roughly 6,248 votes—decided the championship in Chunk’s favor.

What made the victory stand out even more: Chunk competed with a documented broken jaw, an injury that could have sidelined him entirely. He entered the tournament anyway and overcame 11 formidably large opponents to take the crown (EarthSky coverage). The win represents his first Fat Bear Week title, finally breaking through after two consecutive second-place finishes.

Previous Performances

Chunk’s path to this championship runs through a streak of near-misses. He placed second in both the 2023 and 2024 competitions, coming up short each time despite his imposing size. Over 1,200 pounds and dominant at the Brooks River, he nonetheless fell short when votes were counted. The 2025 bracket gave him one more opportunity—and he seized it (EarthSky coverage).

Where can I see Fat Bear Week?

Fat Bear Week lives online, centered on the live camera feeds from Brooks River in Katmai National Park. The public votes through explore.org during the week-long tournament, choosing the bear they believe best exemplifies “fatness and success” in brown bears.

Live Streams

Explore.org runs the live camera feeds year-round, with dedicated Fat Bear Week coverage during the tournament week. Viewers can watch bears fishing at the Brooks River falls in real time, observing their feeding behavior and fat accumulation. The platform also hosts bracket matchups and voting for each head-to-head pairing (EarthSky coverage). The Katmai Conservancy and National Park Service coordinate the official tournament announcements.

In-Person Viewing

Katmai National Park in Alaska is open to visitors, though access requires either floatplane or boat transport from nearby King Salmon. The Brooks River area includes bear-viewing platforms where visitors may spot the same bears featured in Fat Bear Week. Seasonal access depends on park conditions and bear activity levels.

How many times has 128 Grazer won Fat Bear Week?

Bear 128 Grazer ranks among Fat Bear Week’s most decorated competitors, capturing multiple titles over the tournament’s history. Her dominance in the bracket—and her aggressive fishing style—has made her a perennial favorite among viewers who follow the competition year to year.

Grazer’s Win History

Bear 128 Grazer has accumulated multiple championship-level performances in Fat Bear Week brackets. She represents the kind of sustained excellence the competition rewards: consistent fat accumulation, successful fishing at Brooks River, and a competitive edge that voters recognize (Explore.org Hall of Champions).

2025 Contestant Status

In the 2025 tournament, Grazer entered as one of the 11 bears in the bracket. The 11-bear format meant tough matchups from the start, with the bracket structure requiring multiple victories to reach the final round. The 2025 edition saw record participation from voters, making every matchup increasingly competitive (ABC News report).

Is bear 480 Otis still alive?

Bear 480 Otis remains one of Fat Bear Week’s legendary champions. He captured the title in 2017, and sources document his continued presence in the competition’s Hall of Champions (Explore.org Hall of Champions).

Otis Legacy

480 Otis built his reputation through patience and skill at Brooks River. His fishing technique—standing motionless at the falls and waiting for salmon to swim within reach—became iconic among Fat Bear Week audiences. The approach works: he consistently packed on the pounds each summer, making him a dominant force in the annual competition.

Current Status

Whether 480 Otis remains active in the 2025 tournament or current competition seasons is not confirmed in available sources. The Explore.org Hall of Champions documents his past victories, but specific current status details require checking with the Katmai Conservancy for the latest bear roster information.

How expensive is it to visit Katmai?

Visiting Katmai National Park for Fat Bear Week involves several cost layers: park entrance fees, transportation to the park, and lodging or camping near the park. The remote location in Alaska means logistics drive much of the expense.

Travel Costs

Getting to Katmai typically requires flying to King Salmon, the nearest access point with commercial air service. From there, visitors arrange charter flights or boat transport to the park’s bear-viewing areas. Round-trip flights from Anchorage to King Salmon run several hundred dollars, with charter transport adding to the total.

Itinerary Breakdown

A typical bear-viewing visit to Katmai involves either a day trip or an overnight stay at the park’s limited lodging options. Day trips focus on the bear-viewing platforms along Brooks River, where visitors observe bears fishing from elevated positions. Overnight stays allow more flexible viewing schedules but require advance booking through the park service.

Timeline

Fat Bear Week has grown from a modest park celebration into an internationally watched competition over its 11 editions.

The tournament runs single-elimination style, similar to March Madness format, with the public voting head-to-head matchups until one winner remains (ABC News report).

Confirmed Facts vs. Rumors

What People Are Saying

“The bear with the most votes advances and one winner is crowned Fat Bear Week champion.”

— Katmai Conservancy official event source

“For each matchup, participants were asked to ‘vote for the bear you believe best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears.'”

— National Park Service official statement

“That’s a record for Fat Bear Week, explore.org’s Mike Fitz announced in the finale livestream.”

— EarthSky reporting on Explore.org announcement

Fazit

For fans of Fat Bear Week, Chunk’s 2025 championship settles at least one question definitively. He can win. The broken jaw adds a layer of respect that the competition has rarely seen before—voters sent a clear message that they noticed. The record 1.5 million votes cast this year suggest the event’s audience keeps expanding, making each subsequent tournament higher stakes for the park service and conservancy coordinating it.

Related reading: Who Won The Voice 2025?

Frequently asked questions