Errol James "EJ" Snyder, Jr. (born December 3, 1965) is an American survivalist and television personality.

Biography

EJ Snyder was born in

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of Engle ...

. Following the divorce of his parents around 1975, he and his brother Jeff were brought up by their mother. He grew up in

North Jersey North Jersey, also known as Northern New Jersey, comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. As a distinct toponym, North Jersey is a colloquial one rather than an a ...

, where he experienced childhood bullying; this caused him to become interested in

strength training Strength training, also known as weight training or resistance training, is exercise designed to improve physical strength. It is often associated with the lifting of Weightlifting, weights. It can also incorporate techniques such as bodyweigh ...

and

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...

. Snyder joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

when he was 19 years old. In 1991, he fought in the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, and in 2004, the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

. During his career, he was awarded two

Bronze Stars The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

as well as the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

. He received the nickname “Skullcrusher” as a

drill sergeant A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Aust ...

. He also taught at the Florida Ranger Camp and the Special Warfare Center located in

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

. He retired in 2009 when he was a

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

. He currently lives in

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-Ameri ...

Entertainment career

Snyder first appeared on television on the show '' Lost'', portraying Redfern. In 2009 he appeared on the documentary series '' Patton 360°'' as himself. On 7 July 2013, Snyder appeared on ''

Naked and Afraid ''Naked and Afraid'' is an American reality series that airs on the Discovery Channel. Each episode chronicles the lives of two survivalists who meet for the first time naked and are given the task of surviving a stay in the wilderness for 21 ...

'' for the first time; paired with partner Kellie Nightlinger, the two survived for three weeks in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. Later in the same year, he was cast on '' 72 Hours'' and competed for $100,000 in the

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

an jungle. He went on to appear on ''Naked and Afraid'' for the second time in the episode “Man vs. Amazon”. In this episode he became the first man to successfully complete two challenges. On 12 July 2015, Snyder was on the first season of '' Naked and Afraid XL''. He was accompanied by eleven other survivalists. In 2016, Snyder hosted the ninth season of ''

Dual Survival ''Dual Survival'' was a United States reality television series that aired on the Discovery Channel. The show featured a pair of survival experts in predetermined survival scenarios while in challenging environments. For the first two seasons, ...

'' alongside fellow ''Naked and Afraid'' contestant Jeff Zausch''.'' Snyder also took the leading role of Max in ''Survival T.V. The Movie!''. In 2021, he competed on ''Naked and Afraid XL''´s 7th season again in the

Atchafalaya Basin The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp (; Louisiana French: ''Atchafalaya'', ), is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atch ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. During the season, Snyder sustained lacerations to his

scrotum In most terrestrial mammals, the scrotum (: scrotums or scrota; possibly from Latin ''scortum'', meaning "hide" or "skin") or scrotal sac is a part of the external male genitalia located at the base of the penis. It consists of a sac of skin ...

after falling from a tree, requiring eight stitches. The show's medical team found that the cut had not become infected and allowed him to continue the 60-day challenge. In 2022, he appeared on Naked and Afraid XL Season 8 in the Amazon; he was not a contestant, but a mentor yet underwent all the challenges as the regular contestants.

Filmography

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, EJ 1965 births Living people Survivalists American television personalities Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Englewood, New Jersey United States Army personnel of the Gulf War United States Army personnel of the Iraq War