Welcome back to Fat Bear Week! It’s halftime and things are really heating up. In yesterday’s matches, 602 was a hot Flotato and Biggie (128jr) could barely touch him. 32 Chunk and his humongous hero journey had 901 punching above her weight. Both boy bears put an end to the ladies’ winning streaks.
But hold on to your hats, adoring fans of flabulous, because defending Fat Bear Queen 128 Grazer competes today.
Match 7: 909 vs 128 Grazer
Spicy 909 goes muzzle to muzzle with reining Fat Bear champ, 128 Grazer. Grazer is a seasoned veteran on the bracket, and FBW champion for two years running. She is an older, wider, deeply-respected bear. She is a blonde barrel and a very big deal.
What I love about this match is the fierce femininity on both sides. Actually, if you couldn’t tell by their frequent knee jerk growls, 128 Grazer and 909 are related! These aren’t just any two broads — they’re some of the toughest and gruffest gals at the Falls, and fierce protectors of their family.
909 is part of the 909/910 clan that became known as The Beady Bunch. They raised their kids together as a blended family and were out running these streams like a girl gang.
There’s not much new I can say about the mighty nature of 128 Grazer, but it bears repeating that her reputation precedes her. You know you’re a legend when your name becomes a verb. e.g. “151 just got Grazered.”
One of the most assertive and powerful female bears in the Brooks River area, 128 Grazer has earned a high place on the hierarchy despite not being male. The respect is palpable. When Grazer walks by, she walks with confidence, and a path is parted for her. If a bear is smart, they try not to get on her bad side, or her good side, or any side – they leave a wide berth. “She is beauty, she is grace, she will bite you in the face,” is a common chorus amongst bear cam viewers.
Match 8: 910 vs 856
Fat Bear Week respects our elders and 856 is cashing in on the love. “Respect to grandpa,” someone wrote in the YouTube chat. 856 has taken a wildly demure disposition in his retirement, a reflection of his wisdom more than his weakness. Although 856 still makes attempts to reclaim some dominance, he does so with discretion. Physical changes in his body, whether it be old age or illness, has made 856 slow down and become more aware of his capacity. His spring pics have him looking like a wheat thin but by late summer he was a bread loaf of a boar. 856’s fatness represents a shift in not just his 2025 season, but a season of life. His size represents a nobility in knowing his limits.
856 faces 910: Daughter of 409 Beadnose, Niece of 408 Crooked Claw, Sister to 909, Mom to 910jr, Adopted mom/Auntie to 609, and I list all her relations because that’s how 910 would introduce herself. This, my friends, is your family girl.
Judging from 909’s more feisty nature, I imagine it was 910’s idea to blend families and raise their kids together in 2022. When 909 kicked her daughter out of the house, 910 took her in. Note that adoptions in the bear community are extremely rare. Then, 910 could have emancipated her daughter and niece the following summer, but she kept them in tow for an extra year. Personal human opinion here, but I think she likes when everybody is together. Most adult bears are more solitary than social, but we see that preference on a spectrum. 910 definitely swings social. She is a loyal, nurturing bear.
It was her first year as an empty nester after raising cubs for four straight years and 910 had herself a hot grrl summer. She danced her heart out at the beach, she played with her besties, she dated some big shots and she fished the lip with her sis. On the fatness scale, the pictures do more justice than my writing can. Words that have been used to describe 910 include “a rectangle” and a “cruise ship.” I call her a super-sized sweetheart, and she is pound for pound becoming one of my favorite bears.
May the fattest bear win. Voting is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. AKST at fatbearweek.org!
Correction: Grazer has actually won the competition twice.
