Portrait of Courtney Yates

Courtney Yates

This isn't welfare. She doesn't deserve it just because she sucks at life. Survivor 15, E14

Played on

63 days played

Game record

Vote alignment64%of 14 ballots

39th percentile of 423 castaways

Immunity record1career immunity win

77th percentile of 751 castaways

Jury vote share29%of 7 jury votes

50th percentile of 125 finalists

Occupation at casting Waitress Hometown New York City, New York

Played with 32 castaways across 2 seasons See every connection ↓

Yates has shared a beach with thirty-two other castaways.

Biography

Courtney Yates was the sardonic, whip-tongued New York waitress whose dry commentary made her one of Survivor's most quotable characters. On Survivor: China (Season 15), the slight, self-deprecating Courtney rode her alliance with Todd Herzog and Amanda Kimmel all the way to the final three, finishing runner-up.

Her razor-sharp confessionals and unbothered attitude earned her a devoted following and a return on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (Season 20). Few players have delivered more memorable one-liners.

Though the million eluded her, Courtney Yates endures as a fan favorite, the acid-witted underdog whose personality outshone her tiny frame and made her one of the funniest castaways the show has produced.

Get to know Courtney Yates

Courtney Yates's own answers from the pre-game cast profile CBS published before the season aired.

Claim to fame
"Punctuality."
Inspiration
"The laughter of children."

Alliances fans have named

Survivor never names an alliance on screen. These names, and who counts as a member, are how the fan community records the game rather than an official record of it.

Birthplace, pre-game profile and alliance facts adapted from Survivor Fandom and Wikipedia, retrieved 2026-07-21. Licensed CC BY-SA.

Fan poll Players

Survivor Hall of Fame: is Courtney Yates in or out?

Tap to vote and see what fans think

Seasons

Season Result Days Tribes Votes against Confessionals
China Season 15, 2007 Fei Long Hae Da Fung 0 23
Heroes vs. Villains Season 20, 2010 10th voted out Villains 9 4

Castaway network

Courtney Yates’s connections

The strongest overlaps are surfaced first; every castmate is organized by season below.

32
castaway connections
18
tribemates
2
repeat castmates
7
winners

Connections worth exploring

Repeat pairings, other-show overlaps, tribe overlap, winners and Survivor veterans rise to the top.

Survivor 15 & 20

Amanda Kimmel

3 Survivor seasons

2 seasons together Shared a tribe

Survivor 15 & 20

James Clement

3 Survivor seasons

2 seasons together Shared a tribe

Survivor 20

Rob Mariano

5 Survivor seasons

Shared a tribe Winner

Every castaway, by season

Open a season for the complete cast list and the context behind each connection.

China Season 15, 2007 15 castaways 1 winner 3 returning players View cast

Explore the full China cast →

Heroes vs. Villains Season 20, 2010 19 castaways 6 winners 19 returning players View cast

Explore the full Heroes vs. Villains cast →

Explore Courtney Yates in the graph → Find a path from Courtney Yates Show me another castaway