Some observers would think it absurd that when we have so little free time to read novels, attend concerts or learn foreign languages, many of us know just how long it takes on the StairMaster to burn off a Taco Bell Gordita. After years of calorie-counting, obsessive exercise and comparing ourselves to images we see in the media, most of us have accrued an almost encyclopedic know-how about dieting and getting in shape. Here, finally, was an opportunity for two contestants to apply all that expertise to an opposite goal: getting fat.

The Fat Project challenged them to gain 30 pounds in 30 days for $3,000. Site visitors could read project updates, consider "scientific" weight-gain charts, check out progressive photos of the contestants and chat on lively message boards. Conceived by TheSpark science editor Christian Rudder (whose previous investigations include the Stinky Feet Project), the Fat Project's Web-ready metamorphosis drew more than a million visitors to The Spark's site over the course of the Project's one-month run.

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