Jessie Holmes Net Worth 2024

Jessie Holmes Net Worth – $500,000

Introduction

If you’ve ever been caught up in the National Geographic hit show, Life Below Zero, then you’ve probably already seen Jessie Holmes in action.

Pushing himself past the limits of what should be comfortable for any human, Jessie Holmes embraces off-grid living in the harsh, sub-zero wilderness of Alaska—and he does it with a passion.

Holmes—a lover of sled dogging and proud owner of a staggering 40+ sled dogs—expertly navigates life in the Alaskan wilderness while caring for his pack and providing stellar entertainment to Nat Geo viewers around the world.

Life Below Zero shines a spotlight on a rotating cast of real people living real lives in unrealistically challenging conditions.

On air consistently since its inception back in 2013, the show has attracted a lot of fans and made a handful of hard-working, resilient Alaska residents household names—and none more so than Jessie Holmes.

But what do we know about the dog sledding reality television personality?

Read on to learn more about Jessie Holmes, and how he landed himself on Life Below Zero.

Biography

Jessie Holmes was born on February 20, 1982, in Odenville, Alabama.

With the hustle and bustle of Birmingham just minutes away, Jessie Holmes grew up about as far away from the wilderness as he could be.

But the call of the wild was strong, and after graduating from high school in 2000, Jessie packed up and headed out on an adventure with his trusty dog, Freedom.

The duo took a temporary detour to Montana, where Holmes worked as a carpenter for several years to earn money.

By 2004, though, the pair were back on the road and headed straight for Alaska.

”I wanted to live in the woods and the wilderness and be a mountain man like Jeremiah Johnson,” he recalled in an interview.

Jessie lived in Nenana in a dog yard once owned by Jerry Riley, the 1976 Iditarod champion.

A Whole New World

Moving from Jefferson County, Alabama—a metropolitan area with more than a million residents—to Nenana, Alaska—population 358 in 2020—should have been the worst kind of culture shock for Jessie Holmes.

Instead, he found himself in his element.

Holmes had always been an animal lover and was willing to give anything a go—including running dogs for someone else on a Yukon / Tanana River trap line.

Working closely with the dogs in such isolated surroundings had Jessie hooked.

Over the next decade, Jessie honed his skills with sled dogs and became a competitive musher.

In 2014, Holmes won the Equinox Ultramarathon 40 mile race.

”While running is still a big part of my life, I have yet to achieve being in that kind of race shape again,” Jessie confessed in December 2020. He added: ”But the beauty of running long distances is 38 years old ain’t that old, and I still have a chance to get it back!”

Kors

Jessie has over 40 dogs. To support himself and his dogs, Holmes catches an average of 3,000 Solomon fish during summer and fall. 

In 2005, Holmes bought his lead dog, Kors, from Jeff King.

”He is a great thousand-mile dog despite his hard-driving loping gait he always gives 100% and at 76 pounds is a pure powerhouse,” Jessie said in 2020 about Kors. ”He might be a super tough guy on the line, but he’s my sweet boy; he loves being inside, going for walks, play fighting (his favorite), and being co-pilot in a boat or a truck.”

Life Below Zero

Holmes was approached by the National Geographic network in late 2014 about appearing on Life Below Zero.

The show had been running for a couple of years at that point, and had already built a considerable fan following.

Jessie’s initial reaction was to turn the offer down. As he explained, “being on television goes against that off-the-grid mentality.”

On the show, he once joked that it was “okay” being on television because hardly anybody he knew watched TV, anyway.

Holmes’ down to earth nature is even reflected in how he views fame.

When asked about his claim to fame, he shared that his house in Nenana was once owned by 1976 Iditarod champion Jerry Riley.

In 2015, Jessie Holmes made his television debut—and he’s been a cast regular on every season of the show since then.

Holmes’ has become one of the show’s most popular characters, with many viewers fascinated by how he navigates the harsh Alaskan climate and a lifestyle that pushes local residents to their limits.

He shares valuable survival tips, races in the middle of blizzards, and always makes time to care for his staggeringly large pack of dogs.

The rest of the main cast of Life Below Zero includes:

• Ricko DeWilde;
• Andy Bassich;
• Erik Salitan;
• Sue Aikens;
• Glenn Villeneuve;
• Chip Hailstone;
• Agnes Hailstone.

In April 2017, he was the winner of Kobuk 440. ”I feel like this is a major breakthrough,” Jessie said.

In September 2018, Holmes received the Rookie of the Year award in the 46th running of the Iditarod, an annual long-distance sled dog race that began in 1973.

”I feel really good,” Jessie told ADN. He added: ”It was a pretty amazing experience coming these last 23 miles into here, just watching the dogs, how much they’ve grown as a team over this thousand miles.”

In August 2018, PETA sent a letter calling on Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner Amanda Price to launch an investigation into Holmes for an act of cruelty to his dogs rendered in a video.

In the video, several harnessed dogs are hauling a large metal carriage in neck-deep floodwaters.

One viewer commented: ”Shameful to abuse these dogs!” Another replied: ”You are misinformed with certainty. Their feet are touching the bottom… Dogs love it, and you need to understand what abuse actually means.”

Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations, said in a statement: ”These dogs were willfully placed in a cruel and dangerous situation, causing them distress and who knows what other consequences.”

In 2020, Jessie reached the ninth place at Iditarod with a total race time of 9d 21h 9m 28s.

In December 2020, Holmes finished his cabin on his property in Brushkana.

In early 2023, Holmes reached third place in the Copper Basin 300.

Another Brush with Danger

Jessie Holmes is used to danger.

He races dog sleds and lives in sub-zero temperatures without the creature comforts of city living. But even he is not immune to injury.

In September 2022, he was injured during a storm damage clean up along the western coast of Alaska.

The accident happened in Golovin, when debris from a collapsing building fell on the reality star.

Holmes had traveled to Golovin to help with the clean-up effort alongside defending Iditarod champ Brent Sass, and fellow competitors Richie Beattie and Jeff Deeter. The trio worked to pull Holmes from the debris.

He was flown to Nome for emergency treatment before being moved to Anchorage Hospital once stable.

Holmes was released the following day, to his new home in Brushkana, Alaska.

Jessie Holmes – Wife/Girlfriend

Jessie Holmes is not married. Also, there is no information about Jessie’s girlfriend.

Quotes

”I am so excited to be living my dream and want to wish the same to all of my fans and followers.”

”My backyard it’s the perfect playground for my dogs and the views never get old.”

”I grow happier each day I spend living my dream in the wilderness.”

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Jessie Holmes – Net Worth 2024

So, how much is Jessie Holmes worth? Holmes earned most of his wealth from appearing in the reality series Life Below Zero. Therefore, television personality Jessie Holmes has an estimated net worth of $500,000.

According to reports, Jessie Holmes makes about $4,500 per episode. At the time of writing, Holmes appeared in 132 episodes of Life Below Zero.

Holmes goes fur trapping in winter, typically for animals like lynx, muskrat, and wolverine. 

In the past, Jessie used to build cabins for other people. Jessie also makes some money from participating in long-distance sled dog races.

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