Cade Courtley was born in Columbus, Ohio and raised in Boulder, Colorado. He spent most of his young adult life in the outdoors and upon graduation from the University of San Diego he was immediately commissioned as an Officer in the United States Navy and began Navy SEAL training (BUD/S). After several intense tours as a Platoon Commander that had him operating around the world, Cade decided to leave the SEAL teams to pursue other challenges. He was the host of the Spike TV and Discovery Channel show Surviving Disaster and appears as a regular commentator on CNN and Fox News.