Hunter Ellis
Encyclopedia
Hunter Ellis is an American
television personality. A former naval aviator, he was first noted for his participation in the Survivor Television series
before going on to host several television shows for the History Channel, including Tactical to Practical
; Man, Moment, Machine
; and Digging for the Truth
, before hosting The CW
reality show In Harm's Way
.
, Ellis is the grandson of Vice Admiral Donald D. Engen. Ellis graduated from the University of Southern California
with a bachelor's degree
in political science
, before entering the Navy as an aviator. He graduated first in his flight class, and during his ten-year military career, he amassed 433 carrier landings and more than two thousand hours of flight time in the F/A-18 Hornet
. After his discharge, Ellis worked for a time as a pilot for FedEx Corporation. Ellis is a member of the fraternity
Alpha Tau Omega
. People magazine
named Ellis one of the 20 sexiest men on cable television
.
, which was filmed in 2001 and aired in 2002. A member of the Maraamu tribe, Ellis was the third contestant voted off the show and was voted number 11 in list of the Top Ten Worst Survivor Players. They said of him: he was trying to tell everyone who to vote for, and when it didn't work, and any person not as cocky would've known they were on the line, he continued to tell people who to vote for, rather than trying to save himself. Then, when he was voted out, he was surprised. Subsequently, Ellis became the host of several nationally televised programs. The first of these was Tactical to Practical
(also known as Tactical to Practical With Hunter Ellis), which aired on The History Channel
as a program that took a historical look at the development of common consumer electronic products which originated as military research projects. It lasted for three seasons, with 38 episodes airing in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, he also began co-hosting "9 on the Town", a half-hour program airing five days a week on KCAL-TV
, an independent station in Los Angeles, California
. In 2005, he began hosting another show on The History Channel, called Man, Moment, Machine
. Episodes of this show focus on the historical consequences of the momentary interaction between a particular individual and a specific technology. In 2007, Ellis became the host of Digging for the Truth
, and in 2008 became host of In Harm's Way
.
for hosting Countdown to Survivor: The Amazon for KCBS
, and in 2006 he received a Los Angeles
Emmy Award
for hosting Hola! Survivor: Guatemala, also for KCBS. In an article published on December 1, 2003, People
magazine named him one of the 20 sexiest men on cable television
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television personality. A former naval aviator, he was first noted for his participation in the Survivor Television series
Survivor (TV series)
Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
before going on to host several television shows for the History Channel, including Tactical to Practical
Tactical to Practical
Tactical to Practical was a short-lived History Channel program that ran from 2003 to 2005. Each episode documented ways in which technologies utilized by the civilian public were originally developed to serve military purposes. The show was hosted by Hunter Ellis....
; Man, Moment, Machine
Man, Moment, Machine
Man, Moment, Machine is a documentary series which aired on The History Channel and was hosted by Hunter Ellis. It documents an important event in history and goes into detail about, as the title suggests, the man and his background, the machine and how it was made, and the outcome.-Season...
; and Digging for the Truth
Digging for the Truth
Digging for the Truth is a History Channel documentary television series. The first three seasons of the show focused on host Josh Bernstein, who journeyed on various explorations of historical icons and mysteries. Bernstein is the president and CEO of BOSS and has a degree in anthropology and...
, before hosting The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
reality show In Harm's Way
In Harm's Way (TV series)
In Harm's Way is a one-hour reality television series on The CW that looked at the lives of people who do dangerous jobs. Each unscripted episode followed the brave individuals who risk their lives in a multitude of life-threatening jobs, including war photographers, oil well cappers, the Alaskan...
.
Background
Part of a family with a strong tradition in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, Ellis is the grandson of Vice Admiral Donald D. Engen. Ellis graduated from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, before entering the Navy as an aviator. He graduated first in his flight class, and during his ten-year military career, he amassed 433 carrier landings and more than two thousand hours of flight time in the F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
. After his discharge, Ellis worked for a time as a pilot for FedEx Corporation. Ellis is a member of the fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Tau Omega is a secret American leadership and social fraternity.The Fraternity has more than 250 active and inactive chapters, more than 200,000 initiates, and over 7,000 active undergraduate members. The 200,000th member was initiated in early 2009...
. People magazine
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
named Ellis one of the 20 sexiest men on cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
.
Career
Ellis was a participant in the reality TV program Survivor: MarquesasSurvivor: Marquesas
Survivor: Marquesas is the fourth season of the United States reality show Survivor. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it aired from February 28 - May 19, 2002 on CBS. Thirteen episodes aired, plus a mid-season recap and live interview with Rosie O'Donnell...
, which was filmed in 2001 and aired in 2002. A member of the Maraamu tribe, Ellis was the third contestant voted off the show and was voted number 11 in list of the Top Ten Worst Survivor Players. They said of him: he was trying to tell everyone who to vote for, and when it didn't work, and any person not as cocky would've known they were on the line, he continued to tell people who to vote for, rather than trying to save himself. Then, when he was voted out, he was surprised. Subsequently, Ellis became the host of several nationally televised programs. The first of these was Tactical to Practical
Tactical to Practical
Tactical to Practical was a short-lived History Channel program that ran from 2003 to 2005. Each episode documented ways in which technologies utilized by the civilian public were originally developed to serve military purposes. The show was hosted by Hunter Ellis....
(also known as Tactical to Practical With Hunter Ellis), which aired on The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
as a program that took a historical look at the development of common consumer electronic products which originated as military research projects. It lasted for three seasons, with 38 episodes airing in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, he also began co-hosting "9 on the Town", a half-hour program airing five days a week on KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
, an independent station in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. In 2005, he began hosting another show on The History Channel, called Man, Moment, Machine
Man, Moment, Machine
Man, Moment, Machine is a documentary series which aired on The History Channel and was hosted by Hunter Ellis. It documents an important event in history and goes into detail about, as the title suggests, the man and his background, the machine and how it was made, and the outcome.-Season...
. Episodes of this show focus on the historical consequences of the momentary interaction between a particular individual and a specific technology. In 2007, Ellis became the host of Digging for the Truth
Digging for the Truth
Digging for the Truth is a History Channel documentary television series. The first three seasons of the show focused on host Josh Bernstein, who journeyed on various explorations of historical icons and mysteries. Bernstein is the president and CEO of BOSS and has a degree in anthropology and...
, and in 2008 became host of In Harm's Way
In Harm's Way (TV series)
In Harm's Way is a one-hour reality television series on The CW that looked at the lives of people who do dangerous jobs. Each unscripted episode followed the brave individuals who risk their lives in a multitude of life-threatening jobs, including war photographers, oil well cappers, the Alaskan...
.
Filmography
- SurvivorSurvivor (TV series)Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
(14 episodes, 2002–2003) - Tactical to PracticalTactical to PracticalTactical to Practical was a short-lived History Channel program that ran from 2003 to 2005. Each episode documented ways in which technologies utilized by the civilian public were originally developed to serve military purposes. The show was hosted by Hunter Ellis....
(2003) (TV) - 9 on the Town (2004) (TV)
- Test Drive (1 episode, 2005) (TV)
- Man, Moment, MachineMan, Moment, MachineMan, Moment, Machine is a documentary series which aired on The History Channel and was hosted by Hunter Ellis. It documents an important event in history and goes into detail about, as the title suggests, the man and his background, the machine and how it was made, and the outcome.-Season...
(13 episodes, 2005–2007) - Extreme Yachts (2006) (TV)
- Digging for the TruthDigging for the TruthDigging for the Truth is a History Channel documentary television series. The first three seasons of the show focused on host Josh Bernstein, who journeyed on various explorations of historical icons and mysteries. Bernstein is the president and CEO of BOSS and has a degree in anthropology and...
(8 episodes, 2007) - In Harm's WayIn Harm's Way (TV series)In Harm's Way is a one-hour reality television series on The CW that looked at the lives of people who do dangerous jobs. Each unscripted episode followed the brave individuals who risk their lives in a multitude of life-threatening jobs, including war photographers, oil well cappers, the Alaskan...
(2008) (TV)
Awards & recognition
In 2003 Ellis received an Emmy nominationEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for hosting Countdown to Survivor: The Amazon for KCBS
KCBS
KCBS may refer to:* KCBS-TV, a television station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States* KCBS-FM, a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States...
, and in 2006 he received a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for hosting Hola! Survivor: Guatemala, also for KCBS. In an article published on December 1, 2003, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine named him one of the 20 sexiest men on cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
.