I liked watching Heather's plans unfold and then seeing how the other characters reacted. Then when she got hurt, or picked on by the other characters, I didn't really care that much.

Courtney, the opposite, and I know I'm going to love watching her downfall, or atleast when she's finally eliminated.

People hated Heather because she was a good villain. Breaking up Trent/Gwen, stabbing Lindsay in the back, it was her actions that made us dislike her. Even with all her strategy though you never got the feeling that she was "invincible" or "Untouchable" because more than likely some characters always managed to get her back one way or another and she didn't win every challenge.

In the case of Courtney not only has she developed an unlikable personality (for non Courtney fans) but writers has also developed this annoying habit of letting Courtney win every.single.challenge while having everything played into her field. Of course, like any other tv cliche, she's being played up as the spoiled princess right now, so it's fairly obvious she's going to eventually get knocked down to earth.

Heather.

Heather was a strategist, and her better-than-you attitude made you love to hate her.She wasn't really that great at challenges in themselves, but won through her intelligence. She was something of a bully, but she got her comeuppance. Every episode, one way or another. I cannot remember her ever actually cheating.

Courtney was just a bossy, inconsiderate bully in season 1. She was pretty human in ability. Now that she's the villain, she almost never gets any comeuppance(what she gets is horribly underpowered, too), she sudden developed mad physical skills out of the blue(while Heather used her brain), and now she's a "master manipulator" too(this I can blame on her competitors being morons, however).

Hmm. Seldom gets any comeuppance, suddenly gained superb physical abilities, just happens to be great at singing, supposedly very attractive with several boys falling for her.

The ONLY things saving her from being a Jerk Sue(See link below) is the fact that we really know she'll fall and fall hard, and that the creators are obviously intending her to be villainous.

Heather was the intelligent, scheming type of villain we love to hate. Courtney's the brawny borderline Jerk Sue that we just find aggravating.

Another thing is the determination and tactical differences between the two.

Heather was willing to suck jelly from Owen's dirty bellybutton, eat his toejam, shave her head (until change of heart), get mud on her head, freeze to death, break up relationships by manipulating them and using two 'mindless' people to your advantage by being undercover (for the most part anyway). She was smart, like you said but she was also very determined for the money.

Courtney might want the money but she only shows it by anger, self-centering herself or mentioning her lawsuit. She didn't even want to risk being stuck in puke for a few seconds for heaven's sake! ANYONE would have done that for money, let alone THAT much money. She busts up with her 'alliance members' because of her big ego. If Beth won immunity by doing that I would have personally praised her for standing up to me and winning an immunity, thus keeping MY alliance member in the game and voting someone else off instead. But she decided to go solo instead of that and she lost a VITAL member to her team at this stage of the game. That should be a turning point for her, just to prove to the viewers that being selfish in important situations is bad for you and that will teach that nagging egostrical girl that she should had grown a grip and let it go.