Mandy Horvath

Photo: American Icon Ann Pellegreno hugs Mandy Horvath at Amelia Earhart Festival Luncheon. Courtesy of JD Benning at Benningcreative.com.

Photo: Mandy Horvath and her partner, Jonny Yates, pose outside of their shelter on their 21 day challenge on Naked and Afraid in the rainforest of Belize. Photo Courtesy of Discovery Network.
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MANDY HORVATH & TEAM
Ms. Horvath is an American bi-lateral above knee amputee, creative writer, public speaker, actress and mountaineer. She was struck by a locomotive in July of 2014, severing her lower extremities from her body above the knee.
Notable for climbing mountains and monuments for charity and conservation, Ms. Horvath is the first female bi-lateral amputee to summit the Manitou Incline, Pikes Peak (twice), the Statue of Liberty stairwell to the crown, Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, and the world's tallest natural pyramid in Colombia South America, Cerro Tusa. She did all of this without the use of prosthetic equipment- using her arms and hands to crawl. In July of 2022, she was awarded the Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award for her feats in mountaineering, an award given annually to women who exemplify the spirit of Amelia.
Mandy is also known for her candid insights to her life as an amputee in recovery from alcoholism, in television appearances, radio, press, film and creative writing.
Most recently, in 2025, she was featured in a People digital article announcing her participation as the first double amputee on Discovery's hit reality TV show, Naked and Afraid.
The season premiere of Naked and Afraid airs March 9th on Discovery Channel 8p EST & will be available next day on Discovery Plus.
The season's first episode, "No Legs No Problem," features Mandy taking on the jungles of Belize as the first double amputee survivalist, alongside her partner, Jonny Yates- an Army veteran. Together they battle torrential storms, deadly snakes, and relentless mosquitos. Pushing themselves to the limit for 21 days in one of the world's most unforgiving environments.