Buddyshipping

Buddyshipping is the slash ship between Dan Mandel and Chris Pearson from the Dan Vs. fandom.

Canon
Dan and Chris have a very close relationship and have been an important part of each other's lives since they were kids. Dan constantly fights with Elise for Chris' attention and complains that Chris never should have married her. Chris regularly drops whatever he's doing and runs to help Dan. The two of them have many common interests, and enjoy seeing movies together and even playing bingo. Here is a list of a few of the canon moments that could be suggestive of romantic interest between the two.

The Wolf-Man


 * When Dan and Chris get their belongings back at the police station, Dan notices that Chris has a locket with Elise's photo in it and exclaims, "Hey! That's not me!"

New Mexico


 * In an effort to make Chris eat more healthfully, Elise tells him they will have salad for dinner. Chris complains that Dan had promised him burgers instead. Elise then asks, "If Dan jumped off a cliff, would you?" Chris is unable to respond.

The Animal Shelter


 * Dan struggles to lug around Chris' semi-conscious body to get him medical attention. In frustration, Dan says, "Seriously, if this doesn't work, I'm leaving you." Upon realizing what he said, Dan looks guilty and whispers, "I would never leave you."
 * Dan has a conversation with an unconscious Chris where he puts words in Chris' mouth and makes him say, "I love you." Dan immediately looks embarrassed and says, "Um, I feel...somewhat warmly towards you. But to be honest, this conversation is making me uncomfortable." Notably, this mirrors the line Dan later tries to tell Hortense, a character he canonically had romantic feelings for. In the episode "The Wedding," Elise pushes Dan to confess his feelings to Hortense via skywriting, and he fights to change the message from "Hortense, I love you, don't marry him, Dan" to "Hortense, I feel warmly towards you."

Canada


 * Dan tells Chris that he's "so clean you could eat off [him]" and then gets offended when Chris says he won't.

The Salvation Armed Forces


 * Elise tells Chris to focus on preparing for their vacation instead of helping Dan. Chris lies to her by saying he's going out to buy a swimsuit and goes to help Dan anyway.

The Fancy Restaurant


 * Chris sneaks past the sleeping restroom attendant to help Dan, who got stuck in a vent in one of the stalls while trying to escape the dungeon under the restaurant. As Chris strains to pull him out, we cut to the attendant, who has woken up and looks confused about the ruckus coming from the stall. He looks surprised as Chris and Dan walk out together, disheveled, and Chris says, "Let's go home. You can help me think of how I can make this up to my lovely wife."

The Lemonade Stand Gang


 * After first being assaulted by the Lemonade Stand Gang, Dan tells Chris, "Crush them with your big, strong hands!"
 * When Dan and Chris are attacked again by the Lemonade Stand Gang, Chris is knocked to the ground and tells Dan, "Can't move. Save yourself!" Dan replies, "No! No man left behind!" and stays to help Chris to his feet.

The Family Thanksgiving


 * Dan and Chris spend Thanksgiving together every year. Dan compliments Chris' bacon-wrapped turducken, saying, "I may not care for the duck, but the bacon, tur, and ken are mellifluously delectable."

The Neighbors


 * Chris steps in the way of Dan's ballista. Dan says, "Get out of the way, Chris. This is life or death for me! You think I won't shoot you!?" But when Chris refuses to move, Dan backs down and says, "All right, you win."

The Bank


 * The bank manager asks if Dan and Chris have come to open a joint checking account together.

The Monster Under the Bed


 * There are scenes of Dan clinging to Chris' arm and of Chris cradling Dan after he collapses.

Stupidity


 * Dan encourages Chris to win the eating competition. "You absolutely have to do this! Not for Elise, because who cares about her, but for yourself. Listen, I've been watching you eat for more years than I care to remember. My friend, a gift like yours comes along once in a lifetime!"

The Telemarketer


 * Dan compliments Chris' hot cocoa. "Okay, that's really good!"

Chris


 * Even though their argument got pretty out of hand throughout the episode, Dan completely forgives Chris during their "Amok Time" inspired battle and lets everything go without Chris even having to apologize. This is especially meaningful because the idea of forgiving Elise's parents, even after they apologized, conflicted so heavily with his need for vengeance in "The Family Thanksgiving" that Dan actually fainted.
 * At the end, Chris gives Dan the death ray and returns his box of special memories. Dan is touched, and they make plans to see a movie together.

The Boss


 * Dan finally has the perfect job and the perfect demonic boss. But when she asks him to help eliminate Chris, he doesn't hesitate to make holy water to send her back to Hell. Dan and Chris walk out of her office with their arms wrapped around each other.

The Common Cold


 * The episode starts with Chris coming over to pick Dan up so they can go play bingo together.
 * Chris tries some home remedies to make Dan feel better and generally takes care of Dan while he's sick.
 * When Dan survives in the end, Chris hugs him tight.

The Family Cruise


 * Dan holds Chris' hand as they get pulled into the Catalina Parallelogram.
 * As they get pulled into the time warp, Chris calls Dan's name and tries to tell him something, but he just ends up saying, "I forgot what I was going to say."

Summer Camp


 * Even though Camp Atrocious was a terrible experience, Dan remembers it fondly because he met Chris there.
 * Dan and Chris first met as kids when Chris saved Dan from some bullies. The two of them stuck close together for the rest of camp.
 * Chris also saved Dan's teddy bear for him. Dan said, "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."
 * Dan refused to leave Chris behind. "You're the best friend I've got."
 * They vowed to be friends for life with a handshake and a hug.
 * Dan saw how much Chris wanted to win an award and make his parents proud, so he made Chris a "Best Sidekick Award."

Fanon
There are many pieces of fan art and fan fiction devoted to this pairing. There are fan fics written as early as 2011 when the first season was still airing. Many fans love the slow-burn, mutual pining, "best friends to lovers" dynamic of the ship. Even though the show has been off the air for years, people continue to post fan art somewhat regularly on sites like Tumblr.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

TUMBLR

Trivia

 * As the name of the pairing suggests, Dan and Chris (but especially Dan) commonly call each other "buddy."
 * Actual co-creator of the show, the real Dan Mandel, has joked about the ship on the official Dan Vs. Facebook page.