About Josh

Josh Bernstein (born February 24, 1971) is an American explorer, author, survival expert, and former TV host of The History Channel's Digging for the Truth.

He was born and raised in Manhattan, and attended the highly prestigious Horace Mann School. In 1989 went to Cornell University where he double majored in Anthropology and Psychology, and double minored in Native American and Near Eastern Studies.[1] He served two terms as president of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. After graduating from college, he spent a year in a post-graduate program in Jerusalem studying, among other things, mysticism and ancient texts. He is of Jewish heritage. His father was born in Jerusalem's Old City and his paternal grandparents and great-grandparents are buried in Israel.

Bernstein's father died of a heart attack six weeks before his 15th birthday. A year later, his three-year-old sister was killed in an automobile accident. Bernstein has a twin brother, Andrew.

Digging for the Truth is a History Channel program that follows the adventures of Josh as he travels around the world in search of archaeology's greatest mysteries. The series premiered in January, 2005 and quickly became the highest-rated series in the history of The History Channel. Season 3 premiered on January 22, 2007, again setting a record for the network with the highest-rated series/season premiere to date (over 2.1 million viewers). The April 16, 2007 episode marked Bernstein's final appearance as host of Digging for the Truth.

Digging for the Truth: One Man's Epic Adventure Exploring the World's Greatest Archaeological Mysteries is a print companion to the television series, authored by Bernstein, that reveals much more of the personal trials and challenges he faced making the series. It received critical acclaim and is scheduled for paperback release in the fall of 2007.

Bernstein is the president and CEO of BOSS, the Boulder Outdoor Survival School, the oldest and largest traditional living skills / survival school in the world.

Bernstein has appeared on NBC, ABC, and CBS News programs; the National Geographic Channel; and The Today Show as a survival expert. He appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on January 15, 2007. Bernstein is known for wearing many hats, mostly cowboy hats, which has led to him being likened to Indiana Jones. Although the History Channel played up the comparison in its promotion of Digging For The Truth, Bernstein frowns on this comparison, pointing out that he never wears a fedora (Indiana Jones' trademark cap), and his fashion sense has nothing to do with the fictional archaeologist.

He has also been featured in the premiere issue of Men’s Vogue magazine, the style section of The New York Times and dozens of adventure travel magazines. He is a member of The Explorers Club, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a professional photographer, with published credits in USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Men's Health Magazine, Self, Marie Claire, Men's Fitness, Outside, and Backpacker magazines.