Chad Crittenden shocked viewers of Survivor: Vanuatu when the contestant revealed that he had only one leg.
About one year before the show, Chad had his leg amputated below the knee to remove a rare and deadly form of cancer. His recovery was miraculously quick—he completed a triathlon nine months after the surgery and made it through to the final rounds of the popular reality show. Today, he competes in triathlons on a regular basis, as well as mountain biking, snowboarding and has had a recent return to his true love, soccer.
Chad was communicative, professional, but more importantly, it is clear that he cares about his message—and that really makes his presentation authentic. We’ve had “reality TV” celebs before, and were not pleased because the presentation was all about the show. Chad, however, used his Survivor experience as a tool to engage the students—and took his presentation far past that one component.
Laura Bertonazzi, Regis College
It was the most interesting convocation that I have ever been to in my three years here and I was very intrigued the entire time. Thank you for bringing Chad in and I would highly recommend having him come again if possible. Everyone I talked to that went said that they thought he was a very interesting speaker and enjoyed his story and his message.
Marty Bledsoe (Student), Carroll University
Chad joined us for our SOUL Camp program, an extended Orientation experience aimed at new students. His message on starting the first-year off on the right foot was incredible. Students felt energized and are still talking about it. Chad was nice enough to stay around for our fear burning ceremony and shook hands with each of our students, which really made the experience much more powerful.
Paul Eaton, University of Louisiana, Lafayette
Chad provided inspiration to anyone who was there. He showed that despite overwhelming obstacles in his life, he is still able to battle through them and able to keep a positive mind set throughout. He definitely grabbed the audience's attention.
Joe Fish, Augustana College
Keynotes
- The First Year Experience: Getting Off on the Right Foot (Even if You Don’t Have One!)
- Discover the Will to Survive
- Acknowledging Diverse Minds, Bodies and Spirits
The First Year Experience: Getting Off on the Right Foot (Even if You Don’t Have One!)
From adjusting to college life to overcoming obstacles and achieving, Chad relates his experience on Survivor and shares skills he learned as a college student to help students survive their first year. Using clever strategies he calls “Conceptual Tools,” Chad outlines in detail the important concepts of Steps, Circumstances, Optimism, Risk and Experience to form SCORE—an acronym that provides students with something tangible to take with them into their first year and beyond.
Discover the Will to Survive
By telling students his story from surgery to Survivor, Chad helps them understand that overcoming obstacles is a normal part of life. By looking at obstacles as opportunities, he empowers students to keep a positive attitude when confronting challenges. His realistic optimism, confidence and self-assuredness serve as an example to individuals that are deterred by self-doubt. Chad also discusses the importance of taking risks, giving back to your community and discovering new opportunities to grow. His message and personal experience will show your students how they can “discover the will to survive.”
This keynote is suitable for conference keynotes, motivational programs, orientation, convocations and health and wellness programming.
Acknowledging Diverse Minds, Bodies and Spirits
Chad uses his Survivor experiences to supplement his own reality regarding the stereotypes and preconceived notions of those with physical challenges. Chad involves the audience in this hands-on keynote, with intriguing questions and hopefully, answers regarding an under acknowledged segment of the student body and society in general. Through his work with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and Adaptive Action Sports, Chad has worked to break down the stigmas associated with disabilities and physical challenges.
Chad's Bio
Growing up as a very active soccer player and athlete in Half Moon Bay, CA, Chad graduated from the University of California at Davis with major in International Relations and a minor in Spanish. After getting his teaching credential in Bilingual Education and teaching nine years at the elementary school level, he discovered a tumor on the bottom of his foot and was later diagnosed with a rare and deadly form of cancer called Synovial Sarcoma.
His recovery was miraculously quick, and he completed a triathlon nine months after the surgery. After many prostheses and much development, about a year after his surgery, he felt that he had almost reached his post-surgery athletic potential, and sent in a tape to CBS to appear on the hit reality show Survivor.
As he’d predicted, Chad realized his dreams of appearing on the show and had a great run. If you are reading this, you may have seen Survivor: Vanuatu (season 9), and know that Chad was voted off ninth as the result of a tribal merge. Chad fell victim to a strong female alliance and became the second member of the jury after 27 grueling days.
After his Survivor experience, Chad took a leave of absence from teaching to pursue all sorts of opportunities that awaited him while he stayed at home with his two children, Trevor and Clara. In the years since being a reality show star, Chad has competed in more than 12 triathlons, as well as several mountain bike and snowboarding competitions, the latter being the USASA Snowboard Nationals, where Chad picked up a bronze and a gold medal.
Most recently, Chad has been dividing his time between speaking, stay at home dad and training. His most recent, and, possibly most impressive endeavor was competing in the 2009 New York City Marathon.
Chad resides in Livermore, California, with his wife Dyann, and their two children.
Ask Us About This Speaker
Speakers & Topics Homepage
