They say never meet your hero.
The warning exists for a reason. Legends are often larger than life, and reality has a way of chipping away at the image we build in our heads. But every once in a while, you meet someone who doesn’t just live up to the reputation — they redefine it.
Meeting EJ “Skullcrusher” Snyder did exactly that.
To millions of viewers, EJ Snyder is the unmistakable voice and relentless presence from Discovery Channel’s “Naked and Afraid,” where he survived some of the harshest environments on earth with nothing but primitive skills and an iron will. Others know him from “Dual Survival,” “First Man Out,” and other survival-based series where failure is common and quitting is always an option—just not for him.
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Behind the television fame is a life forged long before the cameras rolled. EJ is a 25-year U.S. Army veteran who served in elite Ranger and infantry units, retiring at the highest enlisted rank of Sergeant Major (E-9). A combat veteran of both the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom, he earned two Bronze Stars and numerous other decorations while leading from the front in some of the most demanding conditions imaginable.
That same intensity followed him into the wilderness. A master of primitive survival skills, from shelter building and tracking to navigation, trapping, and crafting weapons from raw materials, he earned the nickname “Skullcrusher” during his time as a drill sergeant. It’s a fitting title for Snyder: one born of toughness, discipline, and an unbreakable mindset. It is a mindset defined by his philosophy of living every day as if it were his last and of pushing through pain when others stop.
Today, his mission extends far beyond television. He is a motivational speaker, survival instructor, the gear designer behind the TOPS Knives Skullcrusher SXB, and a dedicated advocate for veterans and children. Whether teaching survival in the wild or resilience in everyday life, his purpose remains the same: to prepare others to endure, adapt, and overcome.
Talking with EJ Snyder is proof that sometimes you should meet your hero because occasionally, the man behind the legend is even stronger than the myth.
Origins
We Are The Mighty: EJ, looking at you now, tattoos, intense gaze, it’s hard to imagine anyone voluntarily messing with you. But I’ve read that growing up in New Jersey, you were actually a kid who got picked on. Do you think your future achievements and “Skullcrusher” persona you have now were built as a shield to protect that kid from Jersey?
EJ Snyder: Not really. Who you see now is the result of that very match being lit and the journey it propelled me on very young in life. That trajectory for my life is where my incredible mindset, grit, determination, and toughness began. As I went along, I just built upon it and sharpened it. That gaze that looks right through you and burns as cold as ice in your soul… that’s been developed through a lot of trials, suffering, and pain. That stern look and straightened jaw is from the courage needed to walk straight through Hell and slap demons in the face to get out of my way. That earned “Skullcrusher” nickname was donned from many fought battles in and out of the ring and sheer respect… or possibly fear.
It became my duty in life to protect that scared little boy deep inside me, and that meant not hiding, running, or paper walls… it meant building, learning, and acquiring all the skills to survive not just in the wild but in life. To keep pushing through challenges and pain, even when it hurts so bad that normal men would quit. Developing a unique mindset unmatched by anyone on Earth. And working hard day in and day out to hone all this, perfect it, and make it all instinctual. Yeah… I’m built different, and you won’t find an equal, let alone another EJ Snyder on this Earth. Truth!
His “Eureka” Moment
WATM: So you leave that environment and join the Army. A lot of people talk about the culture shock of Basic Training, but for you, it seemed like the opposite. Was there a specific moment early in your service where you looked around at the mud and the discipline and thought, “Finally, this is where I actually belong?”
EJ: I took to the Army very naturally. I was that Square Peg that was slammed into the round hole. Right from the start and the first days of skinning. With every single push-up, each time I rose up, a remembrance occurred, something very familiar to me, as if I’d been here before, and it felt right. As if I’ve always lived a Warrior’s Life… even in past lives. It wasn’t where I belonged… I came HOME! And I was very good at it!
Military Years
WATM: You spent time as a Ranger Instructor in the Florida swamps. That basically means your job was to be professionally miserable while teaching others how to survive. When you’re on “Naked and Afraid,” and your partner is making a mistake, how hard is it to turn off the “Drill Sergeant” mode and just be a supportive partner?
EJ: Great question. Because I have been an instructor long before the Army. I was a YMCA Day Camp Counselor, archery/nature instructor, and lifeguard with additional duty of swim instructor. And then a Drill Sergeant and Ranger Instructor in the Army, an NCO always training the troop, along with a survival instructor in and out of the Army, as well as a SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) instructor for a few years after… yeah… haha! That’s very hard for me to shut off.
I had to become very patient, and sometimes you have to allow folks to get after it, mess it up, and try again to get it right. And in that environment, you are dealing with a lot of egos, so I couldn’t let mine get in the way, too. So I always tried to offer support and advice when I could… sometimes it was appreciated and other times not so much, but hey, we haven’t had a cheeseburger in a while either, so we all can be testy and a little sensitive.
But it was definitely a challenge for me. Especially since I was always twice as old as most of my partners and vastly more experienced. But I always tried to remember to be that seasoned mentor and coach, like a Jedi Master, and to stay like Qui-Gon Jinn: humble, wise, understanding, and pointed when speaking.
WATM: You reached the rank of sergeant major, which is the highest enlisted rank you can get. That job usually involves a lot of yelling to get things done. Now that you’re a civilian, do you find it hard to “turn the volume down?” Like, do you accidentally use your “command voice” when you’re just asking for ketchup at a diner?
EJ: I have always been a loud and larger-than-life personality, so it’s always hard for me to tone it down. I developed a unique booming grizzled voice over the years. In my older years, I have worked hard to try to quiet the Army’s inner spirit so that it rises up more to the outside… and to speak with those six decades of worldly wisdom, without shaking the foundations of the camp! Unless I have to ask twice! Pass the damn @#&%$ salt already! Lol!
WATM: You earned two Bronze Stars and the Legion of Merit. What were the experiences behind those honors?
EJ: Earned through decisive leadership, courage, poise, and calm under very extremely harsh environments while leading from the front and by example in battle! And for the LOM was through a lifelong career of excellence, dedication, duty, and honor above and beyond what was expected—and a lot of hard work.
WATM: What lessons from airborne and survival instruction carry over into civilian life?
EJ: Mostly that it’s all about mindset in all you do in life, whether surviving a harsh Amazonian jungle, the druthers of life in the everyday, and all that is thrown at you, at your work or school, or those around you. All these demands that can sometimes seem so stressful and overwhelming can be conquered with a positive mindset, a ‘Can-Do’ Attitude, and never quitting. Quitting is easy; staying and fighting through discomfort is hard!
Remember, there is always one more thing you can do in a survival situation or in what you are facing. When life knocks you down, you get back up, wipe off the blood, dust off, and keep swinging, keep going, and push! Resiliency is key!
The TV Legend: Survival & Fame
WATM: We have to talk about the elephant in the room, or rather, the lack of pants in the room. You’ve done some of the hardest military training on earth, but then you went on TV and did it without boots or a uniform. What feels more vulnerable to you: walking into a combat zone with full gear, or walking into the jungle with absolutely nothing on?
EJ: I never have felt vulnerable in any situation I have ever walked into because my steps are counted, they are measured, and they have been directed from above. I always arrive where I am supposed to be because God has put me there for a purpose. So I just show up, and I go. No fear, no worry, no doubt. Everything I have faced in life, whether on the battlefield, naked in a swamp, on the gridiron, in the ring, or in the jaws of life. I have done it with a smile, joy, gratitude, and gave it my all! And also a bit of grace… well, not that one time I fell off the tree in the swamps and tore my manhood… but let’s not talk about that… next question! Haha!
WATM: You have one of the most distinctive voices in the world. It sounds like gravel in a blender. Do you find that fans recognize you by your voice before they even see your face? Has that ever happened in a funny situation?
EJ: The funny thing is I used to be a great singer… but God had other plans and made me a cadence-calling, private-chewing Drill Sergeant and then a giant in the swamps of Florida as an RI yelling at future leaders to get their gator-smelling arses up and stop feeling sorry for themselves before I put a 13-wide in their keesters! Only to hear the laughs of my RI counterparts over the whisper mics, saying: Don’t eat the Fe-Fi! Lol!” And they were 3 miles away. Lol!
Yeah. All that gave me the voice chosen by God for me. And YES… I will be just going about doing my thing in life, and it’s happened many times, in Walmarts, at sporting events, restaurants, all over. One time, I was in a crowded bar and grill in West Virginia with a client. I was consulting on their off-grid homestead. It was the only place around to grab a bite. I was chatting with the two clients, and I heard, ‘OMG! EJ SNYDER? What are you doing here in West Virginia? I heard your voice, and I was like, What is EJ doing here?’ She was floored.
Another time [it was] one of my soldiers I served with in the 25th ID. He was at home, and the family was gathering to watch “Naked and Afraid.” They just finished watching the rerun of the week’s prior first episode—season one, episode one—with Shane. And my episode, episode two’s first airing. He had excused himself to go get something from the kitchen and heard my voice, and he was like, ‘What the hell is Sergeant Major Snyder doing in my living room?’ Only to turn the corner and see my daughter on his 60-inch screen. He texted me shortly after and said, ‘Hey, Sergeant Major, how about warn a guy next time!’
Comfort Zone
WATM: We live in a time of convenience: heated seats, delivery apps, air conditioning. You’ve dedicated your life to the opposite of that. Why do you think it is so important for modern people to make themselves uncomfortable voluntarily? What do you get out of the struggle that you can’t get from comfort?
EJ: I teach my students in survival, ‘get comfortable being uncomfortable!’ Same in battle. And when you do… it never bothers you that much anymore because that becomes normal. And the ‘Embrace the Suck’ because it can always suck more! In suffering, you find out first who you truly are, what you are made of, and what your limits are if you have one [I haven’t found mine yet, 60 years and counting].
Pain-based learning is the greatest teacher because it stores that experience, that memory, that teaching in a different part of the brain, and you never forget it. What you get… well, hard times don’t last, but hard people do! If you live a cushy, coddled life, you will stay soft: physically, mentally, and spiritually. And you will possess a sh*tty mindset. You don’t do folks any favors by coddling them; they will be weak and fail!
When you are hardened and tough as nails, you won’t fail! It’ll be there waiting for you when you need it most. That adage, ‘only the strong will survive, and the weak will fall by the wayside!’ is true!
WATM: What’s Next? You never seem to slow down. Whether it’s your survival summits or your charity work, you’re always moving. What is the next mountain you’re trying to climb, and where can people follow along with you?
EJ: Very true, I am a perpetual moving force in life. I sleep very little. But life is for the living… So as it was said in the Movie “The Shawshank Redemption:” “Get busy living or get busy dying!” I choose LIFE! And then again, I am an all-Sagittarian male with a lunar Aries, so I am the ultimate fire sign adventurer! So for me, it’s still about finding TV options, both in front of the camera and as a producer on a few projects.
Still teaching survival and speaking at various events. I will be co-promoting and hosting the Uwharrie Bigfoot Survival Outdoor Festival, Oct. 9 through 11, 2026, at Camp Barnhardt, N.C. I have written and published two books and am working on three others. Both my books are available for purchase on Amazon: “The Emergency Home Preparedness Guide” and “Die Trying”. I am also scheduling many event appearances at various shows this year.
Go to the EJ Snyder website for info on any of this, link up with me on my social media, subscribe to my YouTube channel “Survive with EJ,” and lastly, I am full bore on several of my businesses and getting them to the final stages. The Big Dill is My Pickle Company “Freedom Pickles” America’s Pickle! The best tasting, crunchiest, and healthiest on the market [90 on Yuka].
We are a veteran-owned, handcrafted pickle with many flavors. We are truly taking our brand of Patriotic Pickles across the land! We have started a Special Pickle Club you can join, and will soon be offering a chance to own a piece of the Pickle and get in the Jar with US and join the Freedom Forces by investing in the company and purchasing shares. More to come and check us out at AMD, and follow us on IG and Facebook at @FreedomPicklesUSA. So that’s the DILL! Lol!
Never a dull moment in my life! But most importantly, I am taking a lot of time for me this year: more breaks, more trips for joy, and hikes with my boy Rocko! We are ramping up our training for our future goal of hiking the Appalachian Trail, TBD! Thanks for all of your continued support and for always being in my corner! Stay Strong! Stay Focused! Enjoy Life! Get Outside! Survive On!
