Why everyone loves Fat Bear Week

Fat Bear Week is an annual competition, nay, celebration, of fat bears everywhere -- and there a number of reasons why the occasion stirs up mass excitement on the internet.

Fat Bear Week is an annual competition, nay, celebration, of fat bears everywhere -- although in this case, really just the ones in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. As the brown bears in the park prepare for hibernation, the bears gorge themselves on salmon running through the Brooks River, which helps them gain weight and get ready for a winter of rest.

That means that for a brief moment in time, the park is filled with fat bears. And the park, in collaboration with Explore.org and the Katmai Conservancy, pits different bears against each other in a playoff-esque bracket, where fat bear fans vote on their faves, until a victor is announced on October 5.