Dave Canterbury has finally addressed the ongoing Dual Survival hosting controversy, facing his fans and asking for forgiveness in a new YouTube video.
Dave Canterbury has finally addressed the public turmoil swirling around his disappearance from the popular Discovery Channel series Dual Survival.
Many people have speculated as to whether or not Dave lied on his resume, i.e. did he embellish his experience? Discovery Channel has never formally addressed the issue, which has done nothing but fuel the fires of online chats and message boards. And, many fans have angrily expressed their disappointment in the one-time reality star, others indicating hurt feelings and sadness over the situation—at least, the situation as it has been rumored to be to this point.
“I did,” Dave says honestly in a YouTube video posted on January 3, 2013, regarding whether or not he embellished some points on his resume. “I didn’t do it to hurt anyone,” he explains, “I didn’t do it to make things difficult for anyone in my family. I actually did it to, number one, better my family,” he says, “and, number two, to be able to bring the skills that I teach to a mass audience.”
Upon applying to be a part of the show and sending the resume to the Discovery Channel, Dave says that he thought it wasn’t a big deal. “There was nothing sinister in my plan,” he explains. “I was naïve to television, naïve to the entertainment industry, naïve to the way things work, and I just thought, ‘no harm, no foul.’”
Yes Harm, Yes Foul
Dave says emphatically that, yes, “Absolutely,” he regrets the embellishment. But, he goes on to add that he is not perfect—none of us are—and that he has “tried to live past it and live through it as best I can. In my school of thought, you don’t go backwards, you only go forward.”
In going forward, Dave has drawn heavily on his Christian beliefs to see him through the darker days. “I have asked forgiveness from God, from Jesus, I have asked forgiveness from my family, and now I’m asking forgiveness from my subscribers and from my friends.”
Dave Emphasizes Real-Life Experience
Fans are now wondering just how much actual outdoors/survivalist experience Dave actually has, but he indicates that he has been working in harsh, outdoors situations, on and off, since he left the military in 1988. “The reason I started the Pathfinder School to begin with was to help pass on some of the things that I have learned, and to learn along the way with the people on YouTube. That is why my motto has always been, ‘Let’s learn together,’” indicating that he learns from his YouTube subscribers every day.
It is clear that Dave is learning from his mistakes regarding the Dual Survival debacle, and is, hopefully, taking what he has learned with him as he goes forward and is putting it all into practice. Closing the video, he states, “I will strive every day for the rest of my life to be a better man, a better Christian.” Additionally, he thanks God and again apologizes for any wrongdoings he has done, and for any hurts he has caused along the way during this more-than-trying time.
Will Fans Forgive?
Many fans have been harsh, but others have been understanding of Dave's situation. Perhaps we should all ask ourselves at least one question: Who among us HASN’T embellished a resume at some point? If not for a formal work resume, shined ourselves up to make a better impression for some other important aspect of our lives? Perhaps, if we really think about his words, we will be better able to understand and maybe even forgive.
Just a thought.
Dual Survival airs on Tuesday nights on the Discovery Channel at 9/8c.
UPDATED: Did Cody, Joe turn trust-building corner in Hawaii?
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Comments
#1 is that u cody
Cody did u write that? Haha Cody ur a joke....put sum shoes on and do as ur told!!
#2 is that u cody
Cody did u write that? Haha Cody ur a joke....put sum shoes on and do as ur told!!
#3 So, what's your point?
So Cody is able to make fire rubbing two sticks together. That's great. But not every situation is the same. I remember an episode where the car broke down and Cody tried to make a fire using the spark from the car battery cable. He couldn't do it. Dave came along and started it right up. Dave also made a fire using a 9 volt battery and steel wool and another one using a camera lens. So, what's your point? Not every scenario was on an island. They were teaching us to use what was available. Cody was good at some things, Dave was with other things.
Dave also showed us how to make a slingshot, a bow and arrows, some neat snowshoes, hammocks and a boat among many other items, I also saw an episode where Cody spent 2 days hollowing out a dead tree to make a canoe. When it didn't float, who was it that came up with the idea of turning it over and making a catamaran? The point is, they worked as a team to figure out how to survive using only what they had on them and what nature provided them. It wasn't all about using "ancient skills".
If Dave were in that plane crash, I'm sure he could make a fire using what was in the plane. He could also find some things in the luggage that would help him survive or to signal for help (remember the car headlight and battery?). I'm also sure that he would be a lot smarter than the scenario yahoo's and not put himself in a situation where he couldn't make a fire or have some things packed to help him survive. I know I learned a lot from watching the show and now when I go hiking or whatever, I make sure to pack a small survival kit just in case.
There aren't too many people who could survive like Cody, I'll give you that. But Dave was closer to the everyday person and that's why many of us could relate to him better. It was easier to put yourself in his shoes than Cody's especially since Cody didn't wear shoes :O
#4 Missing Dave, not liking his replacement
Who cares what he embellished, he showed his ability and skill on every show. The new guy has a real bad attitude and super macho approach that leaves me upset when I see him. I miss Dave and am considering giving up watching the show even though I do like Cody.
#5 So what?
Who hasn't lied about something in their lifetime? It's not like he didn't tell people something was risky if he was going to do something unusual in that scenario. Whether he lied on his resume or not, he did a hell of a job on that show. That's all anyone should really care about.
#6 I agree ... I don't care what Dave lied about
Dave was a better fit for the job.. Joe is like one red shoe that doesn't fit and I'm really trying to see if I can get use to the guy.. I have watched unbraided and episode one and two again just to try. But Joe is like nails on a chalkboard. Joe talks down to you like you have no idea in the world... When they got the fish that he didn't have enough since wack with his spear instead of throwing at it.. He told cody you make fire my way or no way at all . I thought to myself "really " your gonna talk to a guy who just got you something to eat like that ..The constant" I know more then you "chip on Joe's shoulder has left a bad taste in mouth every time I watch him. Discovery should hold a contest between Joe and Dave , then let the fans vote to see how stays or goes.. Dave would have my vote and my wife's vote. And Joe.. Put a shirt on ... You walking around shirtless is not going to help your ratings... As far as what Dave lied about, I keep thinking about this... I would rather have a guy knows a heck a lot more about survival and being in the woods, then a guy that acts like hot head, drinks his own pee, plays with dead rotten cows and has no idea how to kill a fish.. Did I leave anything out?
#7 Discovery
This is coming from the same company that said at least the first season of Man Vs Wild was real. Until the internet figured out most of it was staged and he got lots of help. Yet they kept that show for many series with no problems. Then just added a disclaimer at the beginning. I really don't think the new person will keep on the show. And I don't think Dual Survival will stay around. I tried watching the show and really was not a fan of it.
#8 Discovery
This is coming from the same company that said at least the first season of Man Vs Wild was real. Until the internet figured out most of it was staged and he got lots of help. Yet they kept that show for many series with no problems. Then just added a disclaimer at the beginning. I really don't think the new person will keep on the show. And I don't think Dual Survival will stay around. I tried watching the show and really was not a fan of it.
#9 Why mess with a good thing?
This was one of the only shows on Discovery that I ever watched. Not anymore. I know it's unlikely, but I'm still hoping they bring Dave back.
#10 Dave Canterbury - Guilty of Being Human
Most of us only know Dave Canterbury through his Pathfinder School YouTube videos and Discovery's Dual Survival TV show. Viewers developed confidence in Dave, and rightfully so. Now comes this bump in the road, and we discover Dave succumbed to the all-too-human temptation to over-state his experience to achieve a dream job. How many of us would pass that test?
Should we value integrity and honesty? Certainly. We should also practice what we claim to value and be honest with ourselves when we review our daily interactions. How do we measure up every day in the honesty department?
Those who have been critical of Dave's honesty and integrity must be very strict with themselves, and therefore know the challenges of being totally honest all the time. They should also be more understanding and forgiving when others fail, especially when they fail publicly.
Put yourself in his position: he has lost a fantastic job, which he surely loved. He has endured public humiliation and has damaged his all-important reputation. To his credit he has acknowledged his error, indicated he has corrected his course, and has asked for understanding and forgiveness from his family, friends and fans. Assuming he is genuinely sorry about this (and I think he is) it is our duty to forgive the man and allow him to move on to rebuild his damaged reputation. To do less than that is hypocritical.
I think Dave Canterbury proved his credentials as a qualified outdoorsman; he demonstrated he is capable of keeping a "can-do" attitude during tough situations, and displayed his knowledge in improvising and overcoming obstacles to survival. I learned a lot from him.
Dave also proved he is human by making a poor decision when competing for a job that promised fame and fortune, and security for his family.
We have an opportunity to exercise empathy and charity by granting Dave a pardon in this matter. I think most us will do so.
It remains to be seen, however, if his most ardent critics will be honest enough with themselves to recognize the beam in their own eye.
#11 Bring Dave Canterbury back to Dual Survival
I don't care that Dave embellished his record. There are millions and millions of people in human history without any formal training that have drastically outperformed "the professionals". Einstein wasn't even a tenured professor of physics, he was working in a patent office in Austria when he overturned classical Newtonian physics with his Relativity theories and forever changed how we understand the universe. The professionals are usually roadblocks to change and because they already have all the answers, they usually are what we have to overcome to solve problems in the present and past history of human civilization.
Dave proved he was a skilled survivor on the first two seasons of Dual Survival. Time after time he dominated each episode and proved to anyone watching that he was a much better survivor than Cody. Discovery most likely had a problem with the fact that he was so dominant as an alpha male. Discovery probably prefers Cody's more earth hugging, pacifistic, and feminine form of survival. Cody has a lot of skills but on countless occasions, Cody would defer to Dave as the alpha male leader. Joe is not a better survivor than Dave. He is a special ops soldier whose main skill is non-traditional warfare. How does that have anything to do with surviving and finding food and water with basically nothing but your ingenuity? Joe proved to the world tonight that he is no match for Dave in the rattlesnake kill. Dave would have killed that rattlesnake in about 10 seconds. Joe looked like such an amateur and then said he'd never killed a snake before. Then Discovery arrogantly says before the show: "These are highly trained professionals...do not attempt this on your own." What a load of B.S.
Dave is a great character and should be put back on TV with some type of outdoors survival show. He is enthusiastic
and very knowledgable and also very intelligent with common sense and knows how to figure out solutions in the problem of survival. Plus he is very brave and courageous which just makes the show so much more riveting. Having two very hesitant and cautious "survivors" like Cody and Joe just isn't as fun to watch.
That's one of the main problems with America nowadays. There are so many regulations and legalisms which keep people from being able to manifest their true potentials and creativity and problem solving skills. Professionals are very important but so are the out of nowhere upstarts who embellish their records to get a chance to prove to the world what they're made of. I truly wonder how much of our entire human civilization has benefitted from people who bent the rules, embellished, and deceived to be able to manifest their personal power. Probably more than we could ever even imagine.
#12 joe
i usto watch dave and cody every week and reruns all the time.who cares if he lied its t.v. people you are supposed to watch it and be entertained not run out in the mountains and do it. do you have the lowest iq in the world. i have watched 2 of the new season shows still like cody HATE HATE HATE JOEnot watching anymorei want to see rambo i will rent the dvd i dont want to see it on tv.joe is just plain stupid with his macho military stuff yeah too bad it was a really good show LOST THIS VIEWER
#13 Why oh why did I do a google search
I'm only on the 1st ever episode and I'm really enjoying it and like the dynamics of these two guys. So I'm curious to Cody's background and want to do a search on him, I'm interested in the guy! So I can't remember his last name but I remember what the show is called and type it in and it brought us this lying controversy and has just totally ruined it for me!! I was impressed by Dave and truth be told I'm even more impressed with the guy and I don't judge people. RESPECT DAVE. Do what you gotta do brother.
#14 Just for the record, and I
Just for the record, and I know this for a fact. It was all Cody that Dave is not on the show anymore. He gave Discovery the ultimatum. Him or Dave, and they chose Cody, and blamed it on Dave's resume. Look at the beginning of season 1 and season 2. Of course Discovery didn't like what Dave had done, but they were ok with it, and that's why things were changed in season 2. Cody is the one that didn't like it. Dave was getting way too much attention, and Cody didn't like it. Especially after shark week. Now everyone criticizes Joe and thinks Cody is the best thing since sliced bread.
#15 Discovery made a huge mistake
The Dual Survivor chemistry has disappeared along with Dave. This Joe guy irritates me. I don't care about the resume thing. Bring back Dave, Discovery!
#16 Dave
Program needs Dave he made program.dave and Cody were a tag team, discovery channel has any form of understanding of a fan base for a program they would get Dave back, get Dave back,get Dave back!!!!!
#17 Dave
Program needs Dave he made program.dave and Cody were a tag team, discovery channel has any form of understanding of a fan base for a program they would get Dave back, get Dave back,get Dave back!!!!!
#18 Get Dave back on dual survival
Show isn't the best it can be please get Dave back.With Dave and Cody best survival show on air.Dave and Cody go together like peanut butter and jelly,please get Dave back please
#19 Get Dave back!!!
Dave and Cody are like peanut butter and jelly get Dave back please!!!!!