Courtney and Duncan

This page is about the relationship between Duncan and Courtney.

Overview
Duncan and Courtney were polar opposites of each other, which caused a great deal of conflict between them during the competition. Later on, many contestants (mostly fellow Killer Bass teammates) would tease Courtney by pairing her up with him in challenges and outright saying that she liked him, which she would deny. Duncan, on the other hand, never denied that he was attracted to Courtney and often accused Courtney of wanting him in public. Duncan constantly flirted with her and gave her a pet name: "Princess". Over time, there were hints of a mutual attraction between the two which culminated in a kiss from Courtney in Basic Straining, which she was voted off afterwards, due to Harold. However, signs of the two having feelings for each other were shown in many episodes after Courtney's elimination. While their status as an official couple during the first season was a tad unclear (and possibly strained due to the events of the special), they have kissed on multiple occasions near the end of the season. In fact, not counting the unhealthy amount of kissing between Geoff and Bridgette, Courtney and Duncan kiss the most overall in the two seasons so far.

Theme song
In the Total Drama Island theme song, after DJ runs off screaming when the animals attack him, Duncan bursts out laughing but stops when he sees Courtney glaring at him.

Not So Happy Campers - Part 2
Duncan and Courtney didn't start off to a good start, as Courtney quickly annoyed the others with her militant leadership and frequent mentioning of her C.I.T. experience. When she and DJ refuse to jump off the cliff for the first challenge, they are forced to wear Chicken Hats for the rest of the day; their ineptitude played a large role in the Killer Bass team ultimately losing the first challenge and having to send someone home that night.

While discussing it over the table, Duncan personally suggested kicking off Courtney, finding DJ's strength and kindness to be more of an asset than Courtney's C.I.T. experience and bossiness. But considering who certain campers voted for, Duncan must have voted for Ezekiel in the end because Ezekiel began to make sexist comments about women, angering all of the female members of the Killer Bass, and making him the one voted off instead of Courtney.

Dodgebrawl
As Duncan was exhausted from the previous episode's challenge; the Awake-A-Thon, he refused to participate for most of the challenge. However, the Bass were put in a tight spot in a best 3 out of 5 game and already had two losses on their end. Courtney suggested they needed someone mean and fierce enough to give the team the strength to win, at which point everyone looked to the sleeping Duncan.

Unlike the others, Courtney was not afraid to wake him up (Duncan had made a death threat to the others before passing out on the bench) and collectively organized them all to awaken him with a stick. When the enraged Duncan woke up, Courtney came forward to explain their situation. When Duncan asked why he should help them, he called Courtney "darling". Courtney responded by saying if he refused to participate in the game, she would personally guarantee that he would be the one voted off the island if their team lost again, calling him "darling" in return. This is the first foreshadowing of a relationship between the two, and the threat was enough to coerce Duncan into playing.

The Sucky Outdoors
Duncan and Courtney conflict with each other for the leadership position during the Wilderness-Survival Challenge. When the map and compass are given to Duncan, he teases her silently about it. Courtney shoots him a dirty look. While Courtney is pitching a tent, Duncan walks up to her and mockingly asks her when dinner would be ready, calling her "woman" in a derogatory manner. Courtney is disgusted with this and refuses to dignify Duncan's question with a response.

Later on, Duncan scares the majority of his team with a horror story and a fake hook. Courtney especially is rattled, but pretends to shake off her fear by yelling at Duncan. She later calls him vile and asks if his parents even like him, to which he casually responds that he doesn't know, as he hasn't asked them lately. He also calls her "Jumpy McChicken", which further aggravates Courtney. A sudden wolf cry frightens Courtney and she automatically runs into Duncan's arms, which all of the guys notice; Duncan especially is pleased.

While the team sleeps in their tent, Bridgette has to leave briefly to urinate. Being clumsy in nature, she accidentally kicks up an ember from their bonfire onto the tent after being blinded by a bat, which instantly incinerates their tent and leaves the Killer Bass with no shelter to sleep under. Courtney makes a big deal out of it, but Duncan tries to calm her down, saying it was no big deal and things were cool. Courtney shouts back that things could not possibly get worse, but right after saying that, it begins to rain. Courtney screams in frustration while Duncan smirks at her. The Killer Bass are forced to endure the thunderstorm with no shelter whatsoever. By morning, it is revealed that Courtney had subconsciously cuddled with Duncan in her sleep. When she wakes up, she is disgusted by what has happened. Courtney blames Duncan for it, but Duncan casually says he made no moves whatsoever and all of the cuddling was her doing. In the Confessional stall, Courtney states that since she was not conscious at the time of the "alleged cuddling", it should not be counted as making a move on Duncan and pretends it never happened.

The Killer Bass lose the challenge because Katie and Sadie were separated from the group and arrived after everyone else did, even though the rest of the Bass team made it back to the campsite before the Screaming Gophers. Since the Bass missed out on a Tuck Shop party, they voted Katie off the island. After the Campfire ceremony, Courtney is sitting outside her cabin, swatting away the gnats/mosquitoes until Duncan shows up and sits next to her. She angrily asks what he wants, and Duncan apologizes for scaring her with the horror story from the previous night. Courtney argues that she was not scared at all, but screams in terror when Duncan brings out his fake hook out of nowhere again, proving her wrong. Enraged, she stands up and stomps off, telling Duncan that she hates him. However, Duncan's certain that she doesn't mean what she says.

Phobia Factor
Starting off from the point where the last episode ended, the Gopher team arrives with gifts from their Tuck Shop party. This inadvertently spurs a conversation between both teams about their greatest fears. Courtney adamantly claims that she isn't afraid of anything, but no one - especially Duncan - believes her, as he reminds her about how badly he scared her last night. Courtney is quick to tell him to shut up, but also makes fun of Duncan when he reveals his worst fear: Celine Dion music store standees.

The challenge of this episode happens to be based on every camper facing his or her worst fear, earning points for every individual fear conquered. When Duncan has to face his fear (by hugging an actual standee of Celine Dion), Courtney suddenly acts empathetic towards him and takes his hand to cheer him up, saying it's okay if he can't do it (which greatly contrasts to previous incidents in the episode where Courtney pressures her other teammates, especially DJ, to conquer their fear to earn them the win). This assurance seems to greatly aid Duncan as he manages to conquer his fear and hug the standee. Courtney cheers and calls Duncan awesome. Duncan is amazed that he managed to pull it off while Courtney hugs him, only to quickly let go when the others gather around to congratulate him.

It is eventually revealed that Courtney does indeed have a phobia: green jelly. Duncan chastises Courtney for it, and she is quick to tell him to shut up and explaining that it's only because green jelly is like jiggly, sugary snot. The Killer Bass are desperate for Courtney to conquer her fear, as it is the only way for them to win the challenge. However, returning the favor from earlier, Duncan tells Courtney that it's okay if she can't do it, even though it'll result in a loss for their team (as well as an elimination). Courtney is unable to face her fear, causing the Killer Bass to lose the challenge.

During the campfire ceremony, Courtney is the one who receives the final Marshmallow even though she is the one who ultimately caused her team to lose. Instead, Tyler (who also failed to conquer his fear) is voted off the island. Due to the nature of this elimination, the popular theory is that Duncan urged his fellow teammates not to vote Courtney off because he was developing feelings for her, but at this point it only remains a theory.

Paintball Deer Hunter
Duncan and Courtney are designated as deer to be hunted for this episode's challenge, and they spend most of the episode apart from each other. Near the end of the episode, Courtney crosses paths with Duncan on her way back to Camp Wawanakwa. Following an argument about which way the campsite was, Duncan and Courtney's antler hats tangle together when they pass by each other. The two struggle to break free from each other's grasp (in a confessional, Duncan admits that he actually liked it and points out that they did not simply remove the antler hats because he suspected Courtney would tattle to Chris Mclean and have their team disqualified), but they remain stuck. After giving up, Courtney angrily asks what they're supposed to do next, which Duncan offers if she would like to make out with him. Courtney's face suddenly goes blank, having take her "answer" as a no-go.

The two eventually make it back to camp, still attached to each other, where everyone is waiting. After Gwen and Owen make comments on the compromising position between the two, Duncan slyly claims that the girl can't keep her antlers off him. In response, Courtney kicks him in the crotch. Due to the fact that they were stuck together at the time, Duncan is especially reeling in pain since he can't even bend over.

If You Can't Take The Heat
During the cooking challenge, the Duncan and Courtney are paired for making the dessert of their Italian-themed three-course dinner: the Cannoli. Duncan happily complies while looking suggestively at Courtney, while Courtney refuses to participate if she has to work with Duncan. Geoff, the Head Chef, tries to appeal to Courtney as he and Duncan give her an innocent, pleading look, which causes Courtney to reluctantly accept. However, the confessional stalls reveal Courtney almost obsessively complaining about Duncan and all of his traits that annoy her. She talks about him so much that the production staff actually fast-forward through bits of her ranting. What can be gleaned from her tirade is that she finds him unmotivated, hates that he never washes his hands, finds him to be a delusional poser, and hates the style of his hair.

After a couple of minor insults while making the pastry and custard, Duncan tells Courtney that she would be much more fun to be with if she weren't so uptight. Courtney argues that she is the most easy-going person she knows. Duncan mocks her and sprays custard on her face. She is taken aback, but then responds by throwing the whole bowl of custard over his head, covering his face. She giggles and triumphantly wipes a fingertip of custard from Duncan's face, licks it off, and smirks at his "defeat". Duncan doesn't retaliate; he simply stares at her, annoyed.

Following the argument, another series of confessionals come up with Duncan admitting that Courtney creases him... but surprisingly, he is attracted to that trait of hers. Another Courtney confessional follows, this time about Courtney ranting about the unlikelihood of the two ever becoming a couple. She is interrupted by LeShawna from outside, who wishes to vent her own feelings (showing that Courtney has been hogging the confessional stall for most of the episode), but Courtney continues to say that a relationship with Duncan and her would never happen.

Afterwards, it is time for both teams to have their courses judged by Chris. As he samples the Cannoli from Duncan and Courtney, Courtney is shown to be a little anxious as she awaits the results. Duncan's eyes do not leave the judging table, but he puts a reassuring hand over Courtney's shoulder (somewhat similar to Courtney's reassuring gestures in Phobia Factor), after which the two look at each other and smile. The two are downtrodden when Chris gives them a mediocre grade of 6 out of 10 points. However, the Killer Bass ultimately win the challenge, Duncan wraps his arms around Courtney's waist and lifts her up to celebrate with the others. Courtney goes along with it for a short time, but then demands Duncan to put her down. Embarrassed by his sudden actions, Duncan does so.

Who Can You Trust?
As the campers are having breakfast, Duncan steals an extra coffee mug while getting a drink. Just as he turns around, Courtney is there, watching him like a hawk and tells him that she saw the whole thing. She asks how he could just go about stealing mugs; Duncan explains that they were cool-looking and he simply wanted one for himself. Courtney warns Duncan that he might get kicked off the island for stealing camp property. Flattered, Duncan tells Courtney that he didn't know she cared so much for his welfare. Courtney denies that, saying she simply does not want her team to lose another member. Duncan brushes it off, saying he knows she really likes him deep down. Courtney simply walks away then, too frustrated to argue with him any longer.

When Chris introduces the trust challenge for the day, he mentions the rivalries in the Screaming Gophers team, as well as something strange going on with certain Killer Bass campers. Duncan elbows Courtney suggestively (believing Chris is talking about the two of them), which results in her pushing him down.

Courtney is knocked unconscious during the Blind William Tell challenge when Sadie repeatedly pelts her with crabapples (unintentionally, of course). She wakes up in the infirmary tent and spots Duncan luring over a rabbit with a carrot. She wonders what Duncan's up to and investigates. Eventually, Courtney learns that Duncan was finding a new rabbit for DJ, whose first rabbit was eaten alive by a snake while it was under Geoff's care. Unable to admit the rabbit's true fate, Geoff claimed it simply hopped away somewhere, but DJ remained torn apart by the news. During the final challenge - the Blind Toboggan Race, the blindfolded DJ could not focus well on steering due to his depression. However, Duncan eventually caught the replacement rabbit and announced to DJ that he "found" his original rabbit. After taking off the blindfold for a moment to be sure Duncan wasn't messing with him, DJ was delighted and was then able to focus on the game. He and Geoff won the race, and Duncan happily "reunited" DJ with his rabbit.

Courtney was witness to the whole thing and despite her initial belief, she realized that Duncan was actually a nice guy deep down and told him so. Duncan tried to brush it off, claiming the rabbit followed him, but broke down when Courtney cornered him with the truth that he could not deny. While he didn't say why, he admitted to it and made Courtney promise not to tell anyone about what he did, not wanting the other campers to get the idea that he was a nice guy. Courtney assured Duncan that his secret was safe with her (though later on, she would end up telling other people about it anyway).

Basic Straining
Like the previous episode, Courtney is constantly on Duncan's case when he misbehaves during Chef Hatchet's grueling challenges. Again, Duncan teases Courtney by saying she must really like him to be so insistent on him following the rules, but Courtney uses the same rebuttal as before: the simply doesn't want her team to lose the challenge. When Duncan and the other guys prank Harold, she calls them immature, but Duncan blows it off by accusing Courtney that she actually likes him and everyone knows. He says that he might even let her kiss him if she wants. Due to this, Courtney comes close to spilling Duncan's secret from the previous episode, but takes it back and assures Duncan's peers that he's every bit as nasty and mean as he wants others to believe.

During the obstacle course challenge, Duncan angers Chef to the point where Duncan is punished harshly: solitary confinement in the boathouse. The others are fearful, but Duncan doesn't understand what the big deal is until he's actually inside, surrounded by several sharp and spooky objects. While eating her meal, Courtney becomes concerned for Duncan and decides to go check on him. Geoff accuses Courtney of liking him, which she vehemently disagrees with. She lists all of his annoying qualities in an attempt to prove to Geoff that she can't stand Duncan, but after she leaves to go check on him, Geoff is shown in the Confessional stall, still believing that Courtney is attracted to Duncan.

Courtney arrives at the boathouse with a bowl of mush for Duncan to eat, saying even pigs deserve a meal after Duncan asks if she's come to claim the kiss. Duncan respectfully declines the offer while Courtney explains that it's all Chef would serve them. She then asks Duncan why he insists on egging on Chef when he knows he'll only get in trouble. Duncan rebuts by asking Courtney why she has to be so uptight all the time, accusing her of always following the rules. Courtney counters by accusing Duncan of always having to break the rules, but he says he only breaks the rules he chooses to. Courtney admits that she does follow the rules and asks Duncan if he sees her as a loser because of that. Duncan gives her a simple "maybe" answer (which irritates her), then asks Courtney why she does follow the rules all the time. Angrily, Courtney explains that not following the rules results in suffering consequences such as being locked in solitary confinement in a fish cabin. Duncan notes that he is in the fish cabin, but with her.

They both smile suggestively at each other as Duncan asks Courtney if she'd like to ditch the boathouse with him to get some real food. The exhausted and starved Courtney says she would love to, but brings up the fact that Chef would never give it to them. Duncan points out that that's the flaw with her thinking, and she shouldn't ask for it in the first place. Courtney asks if Duncan has any of Chef's food, which he says he doesn't, but happens to know where to find some. He warns Courtney that it will involve breaking some rules, but after a moment of consideration, Courtney agrees to work with Duncan.

A new side of Courtney is awakened when they successfully sneak into Chef's refrigerator and steal an abundance of food for themselves and all of the other campers to share. To stick it to Chef, Courtney leaves behind a dead fish in the fridge after gathering the food, considering it a little "present" from the Killer Bass. Impressed with her methods, Duncan compliments her and they both manage to sneak out back to their cabins with an abundance of food, bringing relief and sustenance to all of their fellow competitors from both teams. Caught up in the moment, Courtney eats too much and ends up vomiting. Duncan is witness to this, noticing the "Princess" has a "dark side" to her. Courtney admits to Duncan that doing something bad was so invigorating for her that she just wanted more and more. Duncan brings up the kiss offer again, saying that would be bad. Courtney teases Duncan by saying he still isn't her type and hopes he will enjoy prison, but suddenly after that, Courtney suddenly steals a kiss from Duncan, which Duncan happily complies to.

Duncan's fellow men congratulate him on finally winning Courtney over, with Duncan casually saying he knew all along that Courtney wanted him. Harold was also witness to this scene and became enraged, but was interrupted by Chef's announcement of the next level of training beginning in a few hours. The final test was to hang upside-down from a tree as long as one possibly could. As Chef began to describe the pain and torment the body goes through after being held upside-down for so long, Duncan falls out of the tree in a daze, making Courtney call for him out of concern. However, Bridgette checked on him and he turned out to be alright. Soon after, Courtney started to laugh hysterically out of nowhere (possibly out of amusement as she watched Chef, knowing that she had stolen something from him and got away with it) and fell out of the tree as she was unable to control her laughter. She tells Chef to take a chill pill before joining Duncan arm-in-arm, shocking everyone else but her romantic interest. However, when it came down to the final two, Geoff is unable to outlast Gwen, making the Killer Bass the losers of the night.

During the campfire ceremony, Courtney and Duncan look at each other with adoring eyes as Chris explains the elimination progress and hands out the marshmallows. The final two are Harold and Courtney; Courtney looks rather confident, but is outraged when the last marshmallow goes to Harold instead of her. As Harold claims it, Duncan, Geoff, and DJ look on, dumbfounded. All three of them did not vote Courtney off, and Courtney did not vote for herself (resulting in at least 4 out of 6 votes in her favor), making it mathematically impossible for Courtney to be eliminated. Duncan and the others try to appeal, but Chris and Chef ignore it and toss Courtney onto the Boat of Losers. Duncan angrily complains that the situation sucks, but manages to throw a present over to Courtney before the boat takes her too far away. It's a carved wooden skull, which Courtney finds weird and creepy. Regardless, she loves it, and waves to Duncan; promising she would never forget him.

At the end of the episode, it was revealed that Harold tampered with the votes to get back at Duncan, who had pranked and tormented him several times throughout the series. He figured the best way to get back at Duncan would be to mess with his love life. Duncan himself would not find out who caused Courtney's elimination until much later on.

X-Treme Torture
Gwen and Bridgette find a love poem in the form of a haiku and they both try to find out who wrote it and who it was addressed to for the entire episode. They both dismiss Duncan as a candidate, as they both knew Duncan liked Courtney, and Courtney was already eliminated by this point.

No Pain, No Game
Though most campers voted Eva off the island right after her surprise return, Duncan was one of the few who did not. He voted for Heather instead, suspecting her being the one behind Courtney's elimination. He gives her a shout-out afterwards, saying he misses her and calls her "babe". Unfortunately for Duncan, he pinned the blame on the wrong person, as Heather had nothing to do with Courtney's elimination.

Trial by Tri-Armed Triathlon
The final six campers are paired up in three groups of two and handcuffed together. Duncan is handcuffed to LeShawna, and the two do not mesh very well. LeShawna eventually corners Duncan about his hidden softer side, which Duncan vehemently denies. LeShawna brings up his relationship with Courtney, which Duncan scoffs at, saying that meant nothing because he simply thinks she's hot. However, LeShawna mentions that Courtney told her about the situation with DJ's bunny (something Courtney originally promised to keep a secret), leaving Duncan with no choice but to explain his reasoning and his softer side.

During the last challenge, the campers had to make a totem pole using carved wooden heads of all the past losers from the beginning to the present day and stack them in order from the first camper eliminated to the most recent camper eliminated. Duncan panics when Chris takes a wooden head of Courtney, which Duncan carved a heart with "D+C" inscribed within it on the back of the wooden head. Chris makes fun of Duncan for it and calls him soft, but LeShawna knocks out Chris with another wooden head in Duncan's defense, saying there's no need to be tough all the time.

Haut Camp-ture
Courtney admits to the cameramen that she hoped Duncan would win the competition and that she really likes him; something that everyone else overhears and teases Courtney for, considering that she went so long denying her feelings for him. Later on in the episode, Courtney gets revenge on Harold for tearing her and Duncan apart by beating him senseless with a lamppost. Courtney also forces Harold to vote for Duncan to win (though it is obvious he doesn't plan on doing so).

The Very Last Episode, Really!
Duncan and Courtney side with Owen during the final competition and sit next to each other. They, along with a couple of other Owen-supporters, follow Gwen and Owen as they race through highly-dangerous obstacles. Duncan compliments Chris on his idea for Owen and Gwen having to fight off angry eagle parents while carrying eagle eggs from a steep cliff, and Courtney asks why he likes it so much. In the confessional stall, she says that boys are stupid to like death and bodily functions, but then confesses that she thinks danger is hot, and they kiss after Courtney tells Duncan that he still isn't her type. Duncan retorts by telling Courtney that she makes him sick before they kiss once more.

Total Drama, Drama, Drama, Drama Island!
During the celebration at Playa Des Losers, Courtney is embarrassed at Duncan's horrible dancing moves and tells him to stop. Duncan wonders why she's in such a bad mood, and Courtney explains how she lost the competition and the lawsuit she filed against the TDI producers for unfair termination of competition and now just wants to go home to study for her LSATs and work her class president campaign. Duncan calls her a downer and tells her to relax since the crazy adventure is almost over, and Courtney angrily yells that she is happy (though she certainly doesn't look happy).

Suddenly, Chris comes by with an offer for all campers to compete for a million dollars (ten times the amount Owen had won in the previous episode) if Owen would forfeit his prize money. He does so, and the game is on. Courtney's mood greatly improves, saying that things just got interesting again. Courtney teams up with Duncan to win the million dollars and split it 50/50. Pumped up and enthusiastic, Courtney pulls Duncan over to her and kisses him deeply. Duncan is amazed with Courtney's revived spirit and happily goes along with her. Throughout the episode they call each other pet names such as, "honey", and "hot stuff" (oddly enough, "Princess" is never used).

Unfortunately for Duncan, Courtney is shown to be more interested in winning the money than anything else, since she is quick to abandon Duncan after he injures his ankle after tripping over a rock, using the excuse that she can't have him slowing her down (even though he just wrestled an alligator for her moments ago) even if he does mean the world to her. After she runs off, Noah appears, metaphorically kicking Duncan while he's down as he mocks him due to Courtney's betrayal. An enraged Duncan is still able to rip Noah's pants off in retaliation. As Courtney ran off with the money, Izzy lands on her out of nowhere and takes the money. Courtney screams and runs after Izzy and her teammates, declaring that no one will steal the money that she stole, prompting Duncan to casually remark that he "loves that woman".

Later, Courtney steals the case in a hot air balloon and sees Duncan fending off a moose that attempted to chase him. Admiring his bravery, she cheers him on, but Duncan responded that he would come for her next in an almost-threatening and vengeful tone. By the end of the episode, a 14-way tie is made after a shark eats the suitcase with the money. The 14-campers in the tie are the ones who get to participate in the show's second season. However, while Duncan qualified, Courtney did not. They are once again separated (though only temporarily) and their personal situation is left unresolved.

Theme Song
In the Total Drama Action version of the theme song, Courtney first scowls at Duncan for shooting Harold with seagulls, but then makes out with him, and pulls away grinning deviously at Harold's misfortune while Duncan appears both happy and shaken/suprised.

Riot On Set
It is revealed by Gwen that Duncan keeps a picture of Courtney under his pillow, strongly indicating that he still has feelings for her.

3:10 to Crazytown
Duncan mentions that the reason he continues to relentlessly pick on Harold this season is because Harold is the reason Courtney was sent home last season, meaning Duncan has finally found out why Courtney was voted off in Basic Straining and holds a grudge on Harold because of that.

The Aftermath: I
Courtney grows jealous when Trent reveals that Gwen and Duncan have been hanging out. Trent has had similar feelings, directing his anger at Duncan, but so far Courtney seems to also be angry at Duncan rather than Gwen.

Ocean's Eight - Or Nine
It had been confirmed that Courtney would return in this episode due to a successful lawsuit, and be on the opposite team as Duncan, creating a strain in their relationship.