The new season of Dual Survival with barefooter extraordinaire Cody Lundin and super-military Joe Teti returns tonight.
But don’t get too excited.
This is one of the four shows that Cody did with Joe before Discovery’s producer fired Cody. The title is “No End in Sight — Part 1”, and has this description:
Survivalist Cody Lundin and Joe Teti are stranded in the mangrove swampts on the island nation of Sri Lanka, where they face waters overrun by crocodiles, jungles that are filled with leeches and a number of distresses elephants.
It premieres at 9:00pm EDT. There going to start showing some of last year’s shows at 5:00pm, and at 8:00pm they are showing an episode that is being portrayed as “new”. It’s clearly a reworking of the Atacama episode, with additional footage and commentary.
Discovery is really spinning the firing of Cody. You can look at a “sneak peek” of the new season here. It really tries to portray tension between Cody and Joe, and we see this (two screenshots put together by me).
That’s the teaser. And they have cherry-picked footage when Cody and Joe disagree.
Cody: Sometimes slowing down is what keeps you alive.
Joe: This is not the place or time to argue with your partner. All he’s doing is adding risk to a very risky situation.
Joe: Cody, stop! You’re compromising our mission!
They also portray Cody as the villain by picking out a time when he did a pouty-face.
Discovery does the same in their press-release about the upcoming season.
Can they make it out of one of the thickest jungles in the world? Build a shelter among glaciers and winds blowing at 50 miles-per-hour? Or navigate a crocodile infested lake without a boat? The stakes are higher than ever before and as a twist of events unravels throughout the season, one member of DUAL SURVIVAL will leave the show for good.
That makes is sound like one of the members (Cody) quits, which really pisses off Cody. He was fired for, as he puts it, “health and safety issues”. What that means is that the show was trying to make him do things he considered unsafe, and he refused to do them, both since they were unsafe, and because they were anti-survival.
It’s been clear for a while that those who run Dual Survival have been ramping it up to extremes. Even the hiring of Joe Teti to replace Dave Canterbury illustrates that.
Let me use two different words here, with a distinction I’m making up on the spot. There is “survival”, and then there is “survivalism”. To me, “survival” is what you learn at many of the survival schools, and it really is the sort of thing that one of us ordinary schmoes might have to use someday if things go wrong while we are out there. Cody is of this type. Heck, just look at his books: When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes and 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive. It’s about subtlety and blending in, using and preserving resources.
On the other hand, there is what I’m calling “survivalism”. That’s about the toys, about being badass, and conquering. That’s Joe’s shtick. You can see it in the gear and the fancy weapons. (And, I guess one could argue, the whole point of the show is to contrast “survival” with “survivalism”.) But Joe really doesn’t know, from what I can see, all that much about survival (though he picked stuff up for the show). He’s used to support. On military missions they are provided with support. Even if they don’t have active support, they are provided with all the gear they might need to support their military mission. I have my doubts, though, how he’d do in a real survival situation with minimal items on his person. What if you don’t have a knife? What if you really just get lost on a minimally-provisioned day hike?
That’s also true when something like Dual Survival is filmed. There’s a whole film crew out there, and you can be sure that the actors are getting supported. As Cody has pointed out, the shows are plotted (maybe lightly), but plotted they are, or they’d never get to show you the techniques.
And when they amp things up (clearly because they think that’s where the ratings are) the producers are also clearly making things more dangerous. Joe, in response, said
For the record, the safety of the crew and the hosts of any show are the most important issue for any production company or network. A show like Dual Survival is inherently dicey to shoot just by the sheer nature of it.
“Most important issue”? I have my doubts. If the mindset is to show how to survive, you don’t put your people into inherently dicey situations. Don’t forget, Joe lost a good friend when a different Discovery production, where safety was “the most important issue” got them killed. See 3 dead in helicopter crash on Discovery Channel reality TV set and Discovery Sued Over Reality TV Helicopter Crash. Again, if you really are for safety, you just don’t put people in those situations. You only do it if you think that the ratings require making Captain Americas out of your hosts.
Dave Canterbury, while also being badass (and he did like his toys), very clearly knew survival. After all, he’s taught classes in it at his Pathfinder School in my neck of the woods. While he and Cody would disagree, even about the relative safety of techniques, I never felt that Dave went over the edge. With Joe, even the thought of “don’t compromise the mission” shows a mindset that is in some ways anti-survival (after all, you expect that you can lose members from a military mission). If you are in a true survival situation, against nature, in reality you cannot conquer her—you don’t have the resources. All you can do, really, is bend to her and try to sneak out of her what you can to survive.
There are four episodes with Cody. The Sri Lanka one is obviously a two-parter, and the other two are in Oman and Norway.
After that they switch to a new host, Matt Graham from “Dude . . . You’re Screwed” and the True Nature Wilderness School. To tell you the truth, I’ve only watched (part of) the show once. Matt does espouse the same gentle-with-nature ideas that Cody does, so he probably is a good fit.
But he’s not a barefooter. I watched Dual Survival about 75% for the barefooting (which demonstrates just how possible things are while barefoot) and about 25% for the survival. So I really don’t know yet if I will continue to watch the show without Cody.
Additionally, while Matt is not a barefooter, he’s certainly not afraid of bare feet (you can tell that Joe would never be caught without his “army boots”). And Matt’s footwear, at least, can be styled “minimalist”.
We see him with homemade moccasins:
and huaraches
in this video
And in a different video in which he demonstrates the Solo Stove, we see him barefoot around camp.
And barefoot in his wikiup:
Here’s that second video:
After seeing these, I’m impressed. But it remains to be seen just how ridiculous the producers will be in ramping things up and whether Matt will have any push-back when what they are trying to do gets too dangerous.
Dear Robert the Bob, I found the “Atacama” link and I gave it a look. As you can remember, I wandered over there for months. The portrait of our desert doesn’t look exactly accurate š
Cody and Dave need to start there own show simple as that……….
“He was fired for, as he puts it, āhealth and safety issuesā. What that means is that the show was trying to make him do things he considered unsafe,”
That has to be a first for a barefooter. US playing the health and safety card? I never thought I’d see the day!
Lol… Like ur comment, esp 1st barefooter to play the health safety card, though I think Cody is refering to the more an more dangerous situation, pushing the limits a little to far, their making a tv show, not tryn to get killed
I never liked this show until Joe came on with Cody. With Joe gone – I probably won’t watch it anymore. I’m so sorry you made this decision. It was one of my favorite shows. Not anymore
I can’t stand Joes ” know it all” attitude! He thinks he’s smarter than Cody~~~~ NOT! I would feel safer with Cody than Joe especially if there’s a camera around! Oh my gosh all Joe does is show off to the cameras! If Cody is gone from the show…. I will no longer watch it!!!!! Joe makes me sick just watching him sho off! And talk big! It’s all for show with Joe! CODY IS THE REAL SURVIVALIST!!! Cody and Dave were the best together. Joe ruined the show. I mute it when Joe talks! Come on Cody make your own show!!
Teti isn’t a real combat veteran. He was a contract veteran. http://www.armytimes.com/article/20140429/OFFDUTY02/304290052/Discovery-Channel-reality-show-star-trades-fire-over-combat-experience
This article highlights a new feud between Teti and Man, Woman, Wild star Mykel Hawke.
Bryan—thanks for the link!
Yeah, I’m also disappointed that Cody will be gone! I feel the same way about Joe as some of you do. HE takes too many chances that one would not normally take if you were alone in the wild..ie. killing the cobra vs staying still and waiting for it to wander away! I will watch and see how Matt fills in….
Cody is the one that maintains his cool and thinks smart. Joe is just too full of himself and still of a warrior mindset. Not everything wild has to die in order to help you survive. Won’t be watching the show without Cody.
I was so angry when they got rid of Dave and now Cody? the real survivalist? No I wont be watching anymore..!!!!!
Cody is who makes this show, the show was better with Dave, because Cody & Dave got along better. Joe is just way to intense, “if this cobra doesn’t do something in 30 seconds I’m guna” really?? He thinks he’s on a military mission.. Like he’s a Sargent & Cody his cadet.. Guess I have 3 more episode til the end of dual survival for me.. But Goodluck to the both of them!!! Thanks!!
Good luck Cody. I hope to see you in your own show with legitimate survival tactics. You made the show for me from the very beginning.
No Cody the show is over for me.
THE SHOW SHOULD BE CALLED { G I JOE THE KILLING MACHINE SURVIVOR } THIS SHOW SUX NOW ITS ALL ABOUT KILL IT GET OUT TO GET A RIDE HOME,,,,,THIS SHOW IS SHOWING THINGS THAT WILL ONLY GET NORMAL PEOPLE KILLED IF THEY GET IN TROUBLE,,WITH CODY YOU COULD LEARN TO SURVIVE THE LONG HAUL IF IT CAME TO THAT,,,,IM DONE WATCHING AND PAYING TO MUCH TO WATCH ALL THIS B S TV FAKE SHOWS
Ew, they’re gonna lose soo many viewers.
I hĆ”te Joe and now they’re gonna pull Cody out, as well?
There goes my fav tvshow.
If Anyone would have been paired with Joe in the military I’m sure they would be coming home injured or dead either by Joes stupidity for not thinking stay calm and assess or his showing off even to the enemy. Why kill that cobra Joe? YOU ENTERED ITS DOMAIN! Stay still and let it go about its life. Stop talking your big mouth off and slowly back away. I’m so mad that they have taken Cody off the show! He’s what made the show interesting. His down to earth knowledge and his true genuine care for Mother Earth and all it’s creatures. His knowledge and experience would make anyone feel safe. He is a true warrior!!!
Joe , on the other hand , is a self centered lunatic thinking he knows everything and that just because he was in the military,he thinks he know it all. Well, I know people that have been in the military and they don’t go around with the stupid attitude Joe does!! His attitude makes me ashamed to know he was in our military! As long as Joes around and not Cody………they’ve lost another faithful viewer!! Cody I wish you all the best in your journeys! You’ll be missed!
You know the 2 words you came up with survival and survivalism. Are really defined by āWIll To Liveā thereās a difference between knowing how to live in the wilderness and living. I believe Dave and Cody both have that will to live mentality all the time. This is not a tv show this is something people are going to watch and if ever in a situation they can gather information from it. It would be very difficult to die of starvation in most places, more likely people will die from not wanting to kill something till itās too late then canāt. Or poisoned because they donāt test plants if they are safe editable or not. Or exposure Iām retired military and Iāve known some bad ass guys they can survive just fine but their will to live isnt as great as others. They donāt wear a seat belt or a helmet when riding a motorcycle. They donāt wash their hands I know itās stupid but they have all this survival experience but they think theyāre better then the rest of us. For me Cody and Dave has the will to live Codyās been in the desert Dave in Ohio teaching classes and if you want to perfect your skill teach someone.
I love Dave