Courtney Yates

Courtney Yates is a contestant from and .
During her initial run in China, Courtney made a name for herself with her sharp tongue and fiery attitude. This was especially true during her season-long rivalry with Jean-Robert Bellande. After aligning with Todd Herzog and Amanda Kimmel, the trio quickly took over the game and managed to reach the Final Tribal Council where Courtney narrowly lost to Todd in a 4-2-1 vote after the jury saw his strategic game more deserving than her own.
Courtney returned in Heroes vs. Villains and was quickly deemed the weak link on the Villains tribe for her lacking physical ability, though she was kept around as she proved to be a valued asset to Rob Mariano and his alliance against Russell Hantz. Following Rob's elimination, however, Courtney and close ally Sandra Diaz-Twine found themselves on the bottom, and, after the Villains lost the final Immunity Challenge before the merge, she was eliminated in a 5-1 vote due to the tribe's fear of her connections on the Heroes tribe.
==Profile==
Retrieved from CBS.com
<tabber>China=
Courtney Yates grew up in Boston, the only sister with three brothers, two older, one younger, all much bigger. She attended Suffolk University, studying at both the main Boston/Beacon Hill campus and the University's West African campus, located in Dakar, Senegal. She paid her way through college working nights as a passenger service agent for a major airline at Boston's Logan International Airport, spent time as a receptionist at a high-end hair salon, and has even worked as a "historical interpreter" (a tour guide in costume) at historic homes in Salem, Massachusetts. She graduated in May 2003, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Yates is currently a waitress in a popular restaurant in New York City's Union Square, where she enjoys the fast pace and the freedom her job affords her.
Yates' main hobbies include reading and learning new things. She loves history and enjoys keeping ongoing lists of things to look up whenever she comes across something new or interesting. Yates has a large and varied collection of friends with whom she loves going out, eating, drinking and, of course, gossiping, a long-practiced skill she hopes will serve her well on . Originally from Boston, her sport of choice is baseball, and despite now living just a few stops from Yankee Stadium, she remains a loyal member of Red Sox Nation.
Yates is best described as honest (sometimes interpreted as cruel), sarcastic (often interpreted as bitchy) and physically small. She is aware that people find her slight frame curious, and at times controversial, but she warns people against judging her on looks alone. She proclaims that her body weight (or lack thereof) is purely genetic, as both her parents are tall and thin as well. She claims to be tough as nails, both mentally and physically, and is ready for the challenge of Survivor.
Yates currently resides in New York City with her rescued, semi-reformed alley cat, Catullus (named for the poet). Her birth date is March 26, 1981.http://web.archive.org/web/20230603073315/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/20277/
==Survivor==
===China===
Courtney began the game on the Fei Long tribe. Over the course of the first few days, Courtney grew annoyed with Jean-Robert Bellande's laziness, annoying snoring, and overall creepiness towards the women of the tribe. She also formed an unlikely friendship with Leslie Nease, as the two were seen as the physically weakest and most misunderstood members of the tribe. At Fei Long's first Tribal Council on Day 9, Courtney voted with Leslie against Jean-Robert because of their conflict, but Leslie was voted out 6-2 instead due to concerns about her connections to the other tribe. 
Courtney remained on Fei Long following the Day 13 Tribe Switch. Soon after, she joined Amanda Kimmel and Todd Herzog's alliance alongside the rest of the original Fei Long members, but stated that she only did so because she disliked Amanda and Todd less than the rest of the group. Courtney also formed a friendship with original Zhan Hu member Sherea Lloyd and lobbied for her to be spared over Jean-Robert when Fei Long lost immunity on Day 18. In spite of her protests however, Sherea was voted out, with Courtney again voting against Jean-Robert. The following day, Courtney was upset with both Todd and Amanda, stating she didn't feel like they were her friends since they weren't yet willing to vote out Jean-Robert but instead the people she had grown closest with. 
On Day 20, the two tribes merged into Hae Da Fung. For the first few votes after the merge, Courtney remained loyal to her alliance, which mainly targeted the original Zhan Hu members. She also won individual immunity on Day 24 as she was able to keep herself relatively still on her barrel, surprising even herself. Courtney's fortunes continued that night, when her long-time rival Jean-Robert was finally voted out, much to her delight. Courtney's commitment to her allies was again tested on Day 27, when she sided with them to vote out her "Survivor boyfriend" Frosti Zernow in a unanimous vote, despite worries that she wouldn't.
As the numbers dwindled, Courtney remained in lock-step with Todd and Amanda, who were able to blindside James Clement and vote out Erik and Peih Gee, the final two members of the original Zhan Hu tribe. Courtney stated that she believed that it would be most beneficial for all of them to go to the Final Three together as a trio, as they had angered most of the same people on the jury. On Day 38, Amanda once again won immunity, but Courtney found herself in a safe spot as Todd and Denise Martin were gunning for each other, leaving her and Amanda to decide who to send home. Ultimately, the two remained loyal to their Final 3 agreement with Todd, making Denise the final member of the jury. 
At the Final Tribal Council, Courtney highlighted that she wasn't a lifelong fan of the show and learned to survive on her own in a highly physical game. She also claimed to have found her footing around the merge, specifically referencing her immunity win and that a girl of her stature was still there on Day 39. However, she was largely ignored by the jury, who mainly focused on Todd and Amanda. Although she was appreciated by some as a more honest person than Todd and Amanda and someone who overcame the most odds, she was criticized by several jurors for seemingly taking a back seat strategically and her inability to criticize Todd's game. When the final vote was revealed, Courtney finished second to Todd, receiving the votes of Denise and James.
<tabber>Challenge History=
Episode 	TribeAffiliation 	Challenge 	Challenge Type 	Sit-Out?	Result
1 	rowspan=10 	Dragon Dance	Reward/Immunity	No 	
2 	Chinese Checkers 	Reward 	No 	 	
2 	Gatecrasher 	Immunity 	Yes 	 	
3 	Clear the Deck 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
3 	Blade Runner 	Immunity 	No 	 	
4 	Great Balls of Fire 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
4 	Warrior's Duel 	Immunity 	No 	 	
5 	Plunge, Pull, Pop 	Immunity 	Yes 	 	
6 	Search and Decode 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
6 	Survivor Smorgasbord 	Immunity 	No 	 	
colspan="6"	 	 	 	 	
7 	rowspan=13 	Memory Feast	Immunity 	 	
8 	The Bucket Stops Here 	Reward 	 	 	
8 	Dragon Rider 	Immunity 	 	 	
9 	Drum Roll 	Reward 	 	 	
9 	Chinese Zodiac Symbols	Immunity 	 	 	
11 	Confucius Said 	Reward 	 	 	
11 	Star Struck 	Immunity 	 	 	
12 	Marco Polo 	Reward 	 	 	
12 	Swamp Donkey 	Immunity 	 	 	
13 	Zen Archery 	Reward 	 	 	
13 	Chinese Leftovers 	Immunity 	 	 	
14 	Great Wall of Zhelin 	Reward 	 	 	
14 	Broken China 	Immunity 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
|-|Voting History=
Episode 	Courtney'sVotes	Voted AgainstCourtney
1 	 	
2 	 	
3 	 	
4 	 	
5 	 	
6 	 	
7 	 	
8 	 	
9 	 	
11 	 	
12 	 	
13 	 	
14 	 	
Jury Votesfor Courtney	colspan="2" 	
 	 	
</tabber>
===Heroes vs. Villains===
For her sharp-tongued and fiery attitude, Courtney entered the game as a member of the Villains tribe. Early in the game, Courtney was recruited into Rob Mariano's majority alliance, where she would form a special bond with Sandra Diaz-Twine, as they would often be sat out challenges together. When Jeff Probst revealed on Day 15 that both tribes would vote someone out in a Double Tribal Council, Courtney's alliance planned to split their votes 3-3 between Russell Hantz and Parvati Shallow to flush out any potential Hidden Immunity Idol. However, due to the combination of Tyson Apostol casting a fourth vote for Parvati and an idol play on her from Russell, Tyson was eliminated instead. 
Following Tyson's elimination, Courtney's alliance would continue to fracture. Coach Wade swore his allegiance to both Rob and Russell, and pushed to vote out Courtney when the Villains lost immunity on Day 18. At the same time, Jerri Manthey defected to Russell's alliance, causing Rob's elimination. Now on the outs alongside Sandra, Courtney appeared next in line to be voted out after the Villains lost again on Day 21. However, she was narrowly spared in a 4-3 vote after Sandra tricked Russell into believing Coach was planning to vote him out. 
In spite of this reprieve, when the Villains lost immunity for a third consecutive time, Courtney was targeted once more, specifically due to her connection with Amanda Kimmel from the Heroes tribe. Despite her best efforts to turn the vote onto Jerri, Courtney was voted out unanimously at Tribal Council on Day 24, becoming the second member of the jury. 
At the Final Tribal Council, Courtney did not address Russell, but complimented Parvati for her athleticism and also highlighted Sandra's loyalty, which she viewed as an underestimated quality. In the end, Courtney joined all of the original Heroes in voting for Sandra to win the game, who defeated Parvati and Russell in a 6-3-0 vote.
<tabber>Challenge History=
Episode 	TribeAffiliation 	Challenge 	Challenge Type 	Sit-Out? 	Result
1 	rowspan=16 	Battle Dig 	Reward 	No 	
1 	Lock, Load and Light 	Immunity 	No 	 	
2 	A Crate Idea 	Reward/Immunity 	Yes 	 	
3 	Sumo in Mud 	Reward/Immunity 	Yes 	 	
4 	Slip, Slide & Score 	Reward 	No 	 	
4 	Roll With It 	Immunity 	Yes 	 	
5 	Schmergen Brawl 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
5 	Blind Cube Crisis 	Immunity 	No 	 	
6 	Rope-a-Dope 	Immunity 	No 	 	
6 	Rope-a-Dope 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
7 	Basket Brawl 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
7 	Caught in the Web 	Immunity 	No 	 	
8 	Fauxconut Bowling 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
8 	Mud Slide 	Immunity 	No 	 	
9 	Chimney Sweep 	Reward 	No 	 	
9 	Strung Out 	Immunity 	No 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
Notes: The tribes competed in separate individual Immunity Challenges where the winners from both tribes competed against each other for tribal reward.	Notes: The tribes competed in separate individual Immunity Challenges where the winners from both tribes competed against each other for tribal reward.	Notes: The tribes competed in separate individual Immunity Challenges where the winners from both tribes competed against each other for tribal reward.	Notes: The tribes competed in separate individual Immunity Challenges where the winners from both tribes competed against each other for tribal reward.	Notes: The tribes competed in separate individual Immunity Challenges where the winners from both tribes competed against each other for tribal reward.	Notes: The tribes competed in separate individual Immunity Challenges where the winners from both tribes competed against each other for tribal reward.
|-|Voting History=
Episode 	Courtney'sVotes	Voted AgainstCourtney
1 	 	
2 	 	
3 	 	
4 	 	
5 	 	
6 	 	
7 	 	
8 	 	
9 	 	
 	 	
Voted forSole Survivor	colspan="2" 	
 In , Parvati used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Courtney's vote against her.</tabber>
==Post-Survivor==
* Courtney previously dated  contestant Stephen Fishbach and is close with tribemate Todd Herzog.
* On January 9, 2010, Courtney attended Survivor's 10-year anniversary party along with all of her cast mates.
* On March 9, 2017, Courtney, along with Sophie Clarke, appeared on an episode of Pen Fan Forum hosted by Andrea Boehlke to discuss the first two episodes of .https://twitter.com/andreaboehlke/status/839843233362554880 She appeared in another episode on May 3, 2017 along with Reed Kelly to discuss the eleventh episode of Game Changers.https://twitter.com/CourtneyHYates/status/859928871050903552
==Trivia==
* Courtney was recruited to compete on when a casting agent noticed her at her job. Courtney also had not watched Survivor before competing and originally expected to be the first person voted out.http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-courtney-yates-dishes-on-survivor-china-runner-up-ride-6294.php
* Courtney and fellow Fei Long Alliance member Amanda Kimmel both received no votes against them in . They are the first pair of runners-up to both receive no elimination votes.
* Courtney is the first of three contestants to finish in second place outright in a Final Three with all finalists getting jury votes. She was followed by Jaclyn Schultz in  and Chrissy Hofbeck in .
* Courtney was offered to compete on , but she declined.https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/ayh8nh/coby_archa_ama/ei16h4n/
* In both of Courtney's seasons, she was on a red starting tribe, and the merged tribe was black.
* In , Courtney wore Todd Herzog's hat that he wore in China.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhTWps0REBA
* Courtney lost 7 lbs, in China, and 4 lbs. in Heroes vs. Villains.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgad1AGwsaY
* After arriving at Ponderosa after her elimination in Heroes vs. Villains, Courtney formed a musical band with Coach Wade and J.T. Thomas. They called themselves "The Dragonz."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk-DqvZNaxc
* Courtney is the only Villain to vote for Sandra Diaz-Twine to win in Heroes vs. Villains.
==References==
Category:Contestants
Category:Female Contestants
Category:Contestants Appearing in Multiple Seasons
Category:China Contestants
Category:Heroes vs. Villains Contestants
Category:Finalists
Category:Heroes vs. Villains Jury Members
Category:Fei Long Tribe
Category:Hae Da Fung Tribe
Category:Villains Tribe
Category:2nd Place
Category:11th Place
Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Survivor (U.S.) Contestants
Category:Survivor: China
Category:Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Category:1981 births
Category:Living people