Fox 2 "Good Day Detroit" co-anchor Ryan Ermanni broke into uncontrollable laughter on live television Thursday after co-host Deena Centofanti innocently asked whether he could "eat beaver", a question about the History Channel survival show "Alone" that landed far differently than she intended.
Centofanti had been discussing the show's contestants and their reliance on wild game for survival when the exchange went sideways. She and meteorologist Derek Kevra were talking through the nutritional value of beaver meat, specifically its fat content, when Centofanti turned to Ermanni with the question that set him off.
"And, um, you're looking for fat in the beaver," Centofanti told Kevra during the segment. "The beaver is the, the beaver is the most sought-after."
Kevra played it straight. "It is," he confirmed. Then Centofanti pivoted to Ermanni.
"Ryan, would you, do you think you could eat beaver? 'Cause it's fat and then it's meat."
Ermanni tried to hold it together. He managed a reply about the show's contestants getting sick from the food before the apparent double entendre overtook him. He put his head in his hands and laughed, finally steering the conversation to safer ground.
"Oh. Oh, God. What about a moose?" he offered, trying to recover.
Centofanti appeared oblivious to why her co-anchor had come undone. Ermanni, still laughing, gave up trying to discuss the show's survival mechanics.
"I don't know. I don't know anything about this show, Deena, but you're really funny," he said. "You are a really funny gal."
Centofanti's reply was a simple "Okay", the response of someone who genuinely did not understand what had just happened.
Ermanni posted the clip to his X account on August 15, writing, "I had no idea eating beaver was such a big part of the show 'Alone'", followed by a beaver emoji and a laughing-crying face. Centofanti, for her part, wrote on Facebook after the broadcast that "you learn stuff" while watching "Alone." No indication she ever caught on.
The moment is the kind of unscripted television gold that no producer can plan and no anchor can survive with dignity. Centofanti was earnestly discussing a wilderness survival program. Ermanni heard something else entirely. Kevra sat between them and chose neutrality. The clip did what clips like this always do, it traveled.
In an era of tightly managed media, overly rehearsed talking points, and news broadcasts that sometimes feel like they were written by committee, a moment of genuine, helpless, human laughter on live television is worth more than most segments that actually go according to plan.
