Matt Wright is a battle-tested survival instructor, custom knife maker, and television personality known for proving his skills across the world’s harshest environments on Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid franchise. A U.S. Air Force veteran and Colorado native, Matt built his reputation on a simple standard: the wilderness doesn’t care what you meant to do—it rewards what you can do. That mindset led him to found Extreme Instinct in 2005 after mass-produced blades failed him in the field, launching a craft rooted in reliability, hard use, and tools designed to perform when comfort and backup plans disappear.

Over the years, Matt has become a familiar force on Naked and Afraid, Naked and Afraid XL, and Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing, earning nicknames like “The Juggernaut” for his relentless drive to hunt, adapt, and stay fed in the most punishing conditions. His on-screen track record includes extreme locations ranging from the Amazon and the Australian Outback to Africa and the Atchafalaya Basin—often under conditions where limited calories, relentless weather, and mounting risk demand more than toughness; they demand systems, strategy, and mental control. In addition to competing, he has also taken on mentorship-style challenges, guiding others through unforgiving terrain and helping them rise to the moment.

Matt’s work is inseparable from the tools he trusts. At Extreme Instinct, he and his wife, fellow outdoorswoman and Naked and Afraid veteran Brooke Benham Wright, test gear the way it’s meant to be tested—through real pressure, real consequence, and real time outdoors. Together they teach survival skills alongside the craft of dependable equipment, reinforcing the idea that a blade isn’t just a blade—it’s a lifeline when everything else strips away. Whether he’s forging, teaching, or tracking in the wild, Matt’s message is consistent: preparation is earned, confidence is built, and self-reliance is proven one decision at a time.

Matt’s legacy is defined by the intersection of craftsmanship and capability. He’s not interested in survival as a performance—he’s committed to survival as a discipline. Through instruction, experience, and hard-won lessons from the wild, he challenges others to sharpen their mindset, trust their hands, and become the kind of person who can stay steady when the world turns primitive.