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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteBear 32 “Chunk” won Fat Bear Week 2025. He defeated Bear 856 in the September 30 final. ABC News Australia reported the final tally as 96,362 votes for Chunk and 63,729 for 856.
It was Chunk’s first Fat Bear Week championship after previous runner-up finishes. The competition ran September 23–30, 2025, as a head-to-head bracket, and two-time defending champion 128 Grazer was eliminated in the semifinal.
Fat Bear Week 2025 at a glance
- Main champion: 32 “Chunk”
- Runner-up: 856
- Final date: September 30, 2025
- Final score: Chunk 96,362; 856 63,729, according to ABC News Australia
- Competition dates: September 23–30, 2025
- Fat Bear Junior champion: 128’s Yearling
The annual public vote features brown bears seen around Brooks River in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. The National Park Service describes the event as a partnership involving the National Park Service, Explore.org, and Katmai Conservancy.
Explore.org’s official results page lists matchup results.
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Complete Fat Bear Junior 2025 results
Fat Bear Junior took place before the main tournament. 128’s Yearling, identified as Grazer’s yearling cub, won the junior title.
| Date | Matchup | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| September 18 | 128’s Yearling — 25,630; 803’s 2.5-year-old — 6,985 | 128’s Yearling |
| September 18 | 26’s Female Cub — 19,908; 26’s Male Cub — 10,566 | 26’s Female Cub |
| September 19, final | 128’s Yearling — 20,793; 26’s Female Cub — 10,867 | 128’s Yearling |
The Fat Bear Junior winner also appeared in the main Fat Bear Week bracket, which is why 128’s Yearling appears in both sets of results.
Complete Fat Bear Week 2025 bracket results
| Date | Matchup | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| September 23 | 128’s Yearling — 96,154; 609 — 62,747 | 128’s Yearling |
| September 23 | 901 — 143,426; 503 — 12,930 | 901 |
| September 24 | 909 — 161,264; 26 — 16,723 | 909 |
| September 24 | 856 — 119,213; 99 — 55,811 | 856 |
| September 25 | 602 — 117,284; 128’s Yearling — 33,271 | 602 |
| September 25 | 32 Chunk — 108,482; 901 — 45,929 | 32 Chunk |
| September 26 | 128 Grazer — 90,944; 909 — 38,594 | 128 Grazer |
| September 26 | 856 — 101,913; 910 — 23,811 | 856 |
| September 29, semifinal | 32 Chunk — 82,913; 602 — 36,258 | 32 Chunk |
| September 29, semifinal | 856 — 76,665; 128 Grazer — 36,730 | 856 |
| September 30, final | 32 Chunk — 96,362; 856 — 63,729, according to ABC News Australia | 32 Chunk |
The National Park Service describes the competition as a head-to-head bracket. The semifinals were held on September 29, followed by the final on September 30.
View the completed official 2025 bracket graphic from Explore.org.
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Why Chunk’s victory was remarkable
Chunk returned to Brooks River in 2025 with a broken jaw and adapted how he fished and ate. Reporting by ABC News Australia and the Associated Press describes the injury as likely resulting from a fight, but the precise cause is not settled in the sources.
Despite the injury, Chunk continued feeding on salmon. Explore.org naturalist Mike Fitz said, “Despite his broken jaw, he remains one of the biggest, baddest bears at Brooks River,” as quoted by the Associated Press.
Rank #2
Chunk’s weight was estimated at 1,200 pounds, according to the Associated Press. This is an estimate, not a contest weigh-in: bears are not weighed during Fat Bear Week for safety reasons. The Associated Press notes that LIDAR density scans have been used in past years to bolster weight estimates.
Before 2025, Chunk had finished as runner-up multiple times. His 2025 final win gave him his first championship.
How 856 reached the final
856 was identified simply as 856 in the 2025 contestant materials.
Explore.org’s bear profiles provide background on the Brooks River bears. In the 2025 bracket, 856 advanced to the final against Chunk.
His route to the final included wins over 99 and 910, followed by a semifinal win over 128 Grazer.
What happened to 128 Grazer?
Grazer entered the 2025 contest as a two-time defending champion. She had made Fat Bear Week history as the first female bear to win back-to-back titles and the first mother bear to win the competition.
Her 2025 run ended in the semifinal, where 856 advanced to the final. Grazer was a semifinalist, not the runner-up. 856 faced Chunk in the September 30 final.
Why 128’s Yearling appears in both competitions
128’s Yearling won Fat Bear Junior and then appeared in the main Fat Bear Week bracket. The yearling defeated 609 in the opening round before losing to 602 in the next round.
Its appearance in the senior bracket was not a duplicate listing: the 2025 format allowed the Fat Bear Junior winner to compete in the main event as well.
What Fat Bear Week actually measures
Fat Bear Week is not an objective ranking by measured body weight. There is no official contest weigh-in, and voters are not choosing from a scientifically measured list of the fattest bears.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsExplore.org describes the vote as subjective. Voters choose the bear they believe best represents “fatness and success,” which can involve size, seasonal weight gain, fishing success, or survival through challenges.
In Chunk’s case, voters saw a large bear that continued feeding and adapted after a serious jaw injury. The vote is a public celebration of the bears and their seasonal preparation for winter, rather than a scientific measurement.
Rank #4
Why bears need to become so fat
Katmai’s brown bears eat intensively in summer and early fall to build fat reserves before winter. The National Park Service says salmon are an important food source at Brooks River, available roughly from late June through September.
Those reserves help bears through hibernation. According to the National Park Service’s Fat Bear Week history, bears may lose up to one-third of their body weight during hibernation. Fat reserves also support females through reproduction and cub-rearing.
Fat Bear Week also draws attention to the Brooks River ecosystem and the salmon runs that sustain its bears. The National Park Service’s Brooks River bear information explains more about the bears and their seasonal food supply.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How many people voted?
The Associated Press reported that the 2025 contest attracted more than 1.5 million votes. This is the reported rounded total; the exact event-wide total is not established by the research cited here.
ABC News Australia reported the final as 96,362 votes for Chunk and 63,729 for 856. These are the final-round figures, not a total for the whole event.
Was 2025 the 11th or 12th Fat Bear Week?
Both descriptions can be correct, depending on what is being counted. The first event was a one-day Fat Bear Tuesday held on September 30, 2014. The first full Fat Bear Week took place in 2015.
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Counting the inaugural one-day event, 2025 was the 12th overall event. Counting only full-week competitions beginning in 2015, it was the 11th full Fat Bear Week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Fat Bear Week 2025?
Bear 32 “Chunk” won the 2025 title, defeating Bear 856 in the September 30 final.
What was the Fat Bear Week 2025 final score?
ABC News Australia reported 96,362 votes for Chunk and 63,729 for 856.
Was Chunk actually weighed at 1,200 pounds?
No. The Associated Press reported an estimated weight of 1,200 pounds. Bears are not weighed during the contest for safety reasons.
Why did 128’s Yearling appear in both Fat Bear Junior and the main tournament?
128’s Yearling won Fat Bear Junior and then competed in the main Fat Bear Week bracket, where it lost to 602 in the next round.
Does Fat Bear Week identify the objectively fattest bear?
No. It is a subjective public vote, not a ranking by official weigh-in. Explore.org describes the choice in terms of “fatness and success.”
The Bottom Line
32 “Chunk” won Fat Bear Week 2025. ABC News Australia reported that he defeated 856 by 96,362 votes to 63,729. Chunk earned his first title, while two-time defending champion Grazer was eliminated in the semifinal.
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