First Man Out: Meet the Competitors

Age 51, from North Carolina
Extreme Survivalist, adventurer and retired army combat vet

EJ is an Army combat veteran with 25 years’ military service under his belt. Joining the Army at 19, he moved up the ranks quickly, seeing combat in both the Gulf War in 1991 and a 15-month tour during Operation Iraqi Freedom 2. Growing up in Northern New Jersey, EJ learnt many outdoor skills. His love for the wilderness grew when his father would take him and his late brother Jeff camping,
hiking, hunting, fishing and trapping.

EJ will be battling against Ed in the jungles of Northern Thailand.

From Utah
TV Survival consultant and primitive skills teacher

Cat was born and raised in Utah and her childhood was anything but normal, as she spent much of her time hanging out in a tepee and exploring the Wasatch Mountains. Cat learnt several of her skills from her Grandfather - a trapper who taught her how to trap and skin beaver. Her Father used to teach Cat very similar skills as a hunter, allowing her as a youngster to have to the confidence to disappear into the mountains and to live off the land with only a few amenities. Her childhood experiences led her to the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (the top survival school in the US) in 2000 where she began work as a survival and primitive skills instructor.

Cat will be taking on Ed in the island paradise of Palau in the South Pacific.

Age 46, from Utah
Primitive skills teacher

Matt is the Stone Age "shaman" who has more than two decades of experience living off the land. Matt went for a walk one day and ended up spending six months on his own in the wild. He lives in a remote area of southern Utah where he primarily sleeps in primitive structures. Matt trained as a triathlete and rock climber, proving his amazing athletic endurance as a runner when he ran the Pacific Crest Trail - 1,700 miles crossing the length of the California crest in 58 days. Matt has been teaching primitive skills for the past 20 years, including at the Boulder (Utah) Outdoor Survival School and guiding llama packing trips while continuing to compete as an endurance athlete. Matt is also a world class master of the atlatl hunting tool and started competing three years ago against world champions.

Ed is paired against Matt in Mongolia's Gobi Desert.

From South Korea
Former Lieutenant Republic of Korea, Underwater Demolition Team

Ken Rhee was born in Korea and educated in the United States. He returned home to enlist in the Underwater Demolition Team in South Korea. The UDT are an elite water based special forces unit, deployed on antipiracy and infiltration missions into North Korea. Ken spent 8 years operating in Korean UDT/Seals and after 7 years operating he eventually became an instructor before enrolling in an exchange programme with the US Navy Seals. Ken spent a further two years training with the unit in the United States before returning to Korea to continue instruction.

Ken will be up against Ed in the national parks of Kazakhstan.

Age 38, from Scotland
Royal Marine Survival Consultant for TV & Film

Aldo has led an extremely adventurous life, he joined the Royal Marines at the age of 16 and became one of the youngest Elite Snipers. His time as a Commando Sniper took him around the globe several times, where he became an expert in Survival and Operations in all environments – jungle, desert, arctic and mountains. Aldo spent 10 years operating as a Sniper before leaving and specialising in climbing. He now runs a Rope Access and Safety company which provides services to TV & Film. Aldo and his team used their skills to become the first ever to descend all the way to the bottom of one of the most dangerous volcanoes on Earth.

Aldo challenges Ed in the Mangrove swamps of Borneo.

From Cornwall, UK
Chief instructor at the UK Military School, survival expert and writer

John is the UK military’s chief survival instructor. When John started learning to fly in the RAF, he really enjoyed their survival training, sparking an interest that has become a lifelong passion. John now trains the instructors for the RAF Advanced Survival training course, SERE. Skilled in Jungle survival, John created the SERE manual for the UK forces and has trained both British soldiers and allies in the desert, cold weather and jungle combat. A co-founder of survival wisdom, John educates civilians on specialist survival training. John is not only skilled in keeping the body functioning in adverse conditions but also in the psychology that will ensure survival success.

John will be racing Ed across the top of the monster mountains of the Himalayas in India.