Dual Survival

I literally have not watched television in 8 years, I had found no reason within that time to watch it with all the garbage on it nowadays. I was at a friends house and was left alone with the TV on for a few minutes and low and behold Duel Survivor was on. Within the depths of very possible unlucky survivor circumstances Dave and Cody are placed in areas of the world in which someone may or has been stranded, crashed, sunk, abandoned, wounded, all in all left to survive with only your wits. These two guys are fantastic, Dave being the Military more gung ho and always in need of a greater challenge at times adrenaline junky survival expert (more of the risk taker) is always a joy to see what he will do next. Cody is the Naturalist survival expert, the way I tend to view Cody is more laid back than Dave. Cody being the one with the more level head and eye on safety brings a terrific balance to the two man survival team. Even though Cody and Dave don't always see eye to eye, both of their individual skills that are much different from each other in survival more than compensate from the little bickering that occurs, as they know they will need the other one to help survive their trials.

The survival Techniques used are completely amazing to me at times, the circumstances they endure and the ways they go about figuring out natures puzzles are oust-anding.

Its not like other shows where the host will just drag you along and point out specific plants, animals, dangers but not go into the danger, like a short documentary. No these guys are in the danger while explaining at a moments notice what they will do next , there's no reading from a script here. Anything from scaling mountains, cliffs, swamps, molten lava rocks, desert - you name it.

This is the show that has me watching TV again, well the only show i watch on TV :) Fantastic 100%

I really love this show, you get to know a lot of useful information that can help you not only in a "survival" situation, but also in everyday situations (camping in the woods, hiking etc.).

What makes this show awesome, is that you don't have only one person showing you how to survive in different environments, but two experts - one, that has military training and most people can relate to (at least in his way of thinking) and second, who is a minimalist, has experience in primitive survival techniques and is walking around almost half naked (in shorts and barefoot, no matter of the environment), which most people with me along, can't / couldn't understand. With this combination you can see how each of them manages different situations, different techniques of surviving etc. and who knows, one day even someone among us could find him self in a "survival" situation half naked.

Also I really like that they don't always agree or have different views of situations and that makes them special. You can see how each of them deals with a different situation and also how they help each other.

So if you like survival shows, like Man vs. Wild with B.G., you will definitely like this show!

I haven't given a ranking, because I have no way of judging how accurate the survival information presented is. Which is what the program is supposed to be about. But it's actually about personal conflict. (More about that later.)

As human beings have become increasingly effete (the word means weak, not effeminate), programs about "survival in the wild" have become increasingly popular. Discovery has three or four shows about "making it" in Alaska alone.

I find it "quaint" that viewers actually believe the participants are in real danger. Only in "Naked and Afraid" do they seem to run any real risk, mostly because they're dumped in areas where there's little or no fresh water or food. Accidents can occur and mistakes made, but the producers aren't stupid enough to take chances. Serious injury or death could result in embarrassing lawsuits, regardless of how cleverly written the contracts are.

The underlying purpose of these shows is to create conflict -- people arguing with each other. The survivalists aren't chosen solely for their varying perspectives on survival skills, but (as when making a fire) how much "heat" can be generated by friction between them.

This was obvious from the start. Cody Lundin and Dave Canterbury made an irritating odd couple. This viewer found Lundin especially annoying. Though obviously heterosexual, there was something unmanly -- castrato-like -- about the guy. If I were a woman, I wouldn't let him within 10m (33') of me. Canterbury probably felt the same way.

Joe Teti and Matt Graham were the opposite. It's hard to believe Graham isn't homosexual (his offer to make Teti a suede loin cloth was charmingly hilarious). Though they argued (especially about Graham's proclivity to hang out and soak up the environment), Graham was often amiable about accepting Teti's way of doing things. It was this general lack of friction (it's surprising they haven't announced their engagement!) that likely explains the short run of their partnership.

The current pair comprises Bill McConnell and Grady Powell. They're probably the closest to what the producers had in mind from the start. Powell thinks McConnell is a braggart, but forgives him when he can't start a fire in an impossibly damp environment. (How much of this is real and how much dictated by the producers isn't clear.)

Which brings me to what provoked this series review (and the Summary line). McConnell and Powell are forced to spend the night without fire in a cold, damp cave. And get this -- they sleep apart.

Who's kidding whom? Are these guys so homophobic they won't lie together to keep warm? Or are the producers afraid of offending viewers?

Cowboys spread their bed rolls right next to each other. (Wanna see a photo?) It was mostly to conserve heat, as cloudless nights on the plain got very cold.

If you're trying to show people how to avoid freezing to death, you don't reject the simplest and most-obvious solution.

The Odd Couple meets Man versus Wild. This was my favorite of all the man v. Nature shows popping up in the late 2000s and early 2010s. A middle-aged alpha male veteran and no-nonsense hippie (both of whom have extensive survival skills) must put their differences aside and learn to coexist in harsh environments. Both of these guys were a pleasure to watch, even when they were in vehement disagreement.

I'm slightly surprised to be the first reviewer for what I consider one of the better reality shows on the air, but I am glad that I caught this show by accident. Dual Survivior is basically about a military guy(Dave Canterbury)and an ex hippie who used to live in a commune(Cody Lundin)who are placed in situations where their expertise in survival is required. Dave does more of the physical stuff like hunt, while Cody, who walks barefoot mostly, uses his knowledge of the land to create current remedies for the situation at hand. It's an interesting combination of brawn vs. brains, even though Dave is also very wise when facing survival and is a great hunter. He and Cody sometimes have differing opinions on how to best gauge their predicament, but it all works out in the end. I'm normally not a fan of reality shows, but Dual Survivor works for me because of the characters and their surroundings.