1. 

   1.Claim your spot

   Ask Jess Novak to join, then sign up with your email and a display name. We'll send a quick confirmation email — click it and you're in the pool.

2. 

   2.Chart your chonk

   Study the sixteen bears and fill every one of the 15 matchups before picks lock September 22 at noon ET. Pick quarterfinals, semifinals and the final up front — your winners carry forward automatically.

3. 

   3.Watch the river

   The homepage streams the live Brooks Falls bear cam, with each day's real matchups and a countdown to the next update at 1:00 AM ET. Cheering is mandatory; snacks encouraged.

4. 

   4.Rack up points

   Every correct pick scores that round's points — 1, 2, 3, then 4 for the championship, 32 points for a perfect bracket. The leaderboard refreshes as results come in, and badges go to the hot start.

Want the fine print? Read the pool rules.