Meet Our Expert Instructors

Learn from elite survival professionals with decades of combined field experience

Our instructors are the backbone of The Survival Games. Each brings real-world expertise from military service, search and rescue, wilderness guiding, and survival education. They don't just teach—they've lived it.

Survival Instructors

The Experts Leading the Challenges

Host

Joel Van Der Loon

Official Host • Alone Season 7

Alone Season 7 survivalist bringing grit, humor, and real wilderness experience to the Survival Games.

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Special Guest Jacks Genega, special guest instructor at the PNW Survival Games.

Jacks Genega

Special Guest Instructor • Alone Season 13 World Championship

Special guest instructor featured on the new Alone Season 13 World Championship.

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Instructor Ean Anderson, two-time PNW Survival Games champion and instructor.

Ean Anderson

Two-Time Survival Games Champion

Two-time Survival Games champion now helping competitors learn, adapt, and compete smarter.

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Instructor Dr. Natalie Bonthius, Emergency Medicine physician and wilderness medicine educator.

Dr. Natalie Bonthius

Survival Med — Medical Director

Emergency Medicine physician and wilderness medicine educator who's trained 30,000+ students—raising the floor of safety and skills at the Games.

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Instructor Portrait of Biko Wright, Alone Season 8 runner-up and survival instructor.

Biko Wright

Alone — Season 8 (Runner-Up)

Mountain-tough with contagious energy, Biko blends primitive skills, music, and mindset to push competitors past their comfort zones.

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Instructor Portrait of Dana Anderson, Wild Mountain Man Dan and primitive skills instructor.

Dana Anderson

Wild Mountain Man Dan

Six decades of frontier craft—from stone tools to backcountry lore—distilled into precise, memorable lessons.

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Instructor Portrait of Danny Graves, Naked and Afraid survivalist and instructor.

Danny Graves

Naked & Afraid - Season 12

Danny Graves is a seasoned wilderness survival expert, instructor, and former military professional known for his hands-on teaching style, tactical expertise, and ability to help others develop real-world survival skills in challenging environments.

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Instructor Sharon Ross, Afrovivalist, drawing a bow—poised and focused.

Sharon Ross

Afrovivalist

Southern Oregon-raised survivalist bringing cultural perspective, strong fundamentals, and empowering instruction to every challenge.

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Instructor Portrait of Karie Lee Knoke, Alone Season 9 finalist and wilderness instructor.

Kari Lee Knokes

Alone - Season 9 (Runner-Up)

Karie Lee Knokes is a wilderness survival instructor, herbalist, and Alone Season 9 finalist known for her deep connection to nature, traditional living skills, and holistic approach to self-reliance and sustainability.

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Learn From the Best

Join us for hands-on training with these elite survival professionals.