Talk:Courtney Hansen

Unencyclopedic Comments
I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt, but this entire article appears to be a press release for Spike TV's Powerblock show block. Was this just a lazy attempt to get something put it as a placeholder, or is it just copied and pasted here from any Spike TV press releases?--293.xx.xxx.xx 08:38, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

I would have to completely agree with you. I don't even know if she's worth an article, but I looked her up to figure out who she is, and there was some relevant info in the article. I think I've pulled out all the promotional stuff now.

I got an e-mail from Courtney addressing the concerns. CC:

Hi XXXXX,

I don't think that came from Spike TV..but it looks like it could be a fan or someone from my team who took a piece of the Spike release or my bio and added ''to it.. I will ask around! The information is all'' ''correct, though. I'm okay with it being there, as long'' as you are.

Thank you for sharing that with me!

Courtney Hansen

So it seems that she is okay with it, and agrees that it was "bad." --293.xx.xxx.xx 08:13, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

Useful material
retrieved 2011-11-23 from http://www.superiorpics.com/courtney_hansen/

"Hot Rod Hostess

Background:

“I grew up in the automotive industry. It's in my blood. I haven't done any racing. I've never really gone for it myself, but I'm taking a class at Skip Barber and I'm a fantastic driver.” Courtney Hansen

Daughter of legendary racecar driver Jerry Hansen, TV personality, model and actress Courtney Hansen started out as the spokesperson for Dodge. She then emerged as the host of “Killer Golf” on the Travel channel before gaining more prominence as the co-host of the show “Overhaulin'” (2006), which airs on The TLC Network. Known as America's “Hot Rod Hostess,” Hansen has since hosted various shows on TLC and Spike TV and guest starred on TV talk shows like “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and “The Tyra Banks Show.” The brown-eyed beauty has also become a spokesmodel for the Rolls-Royce Motor Company.

In 2005, Hansen was handed a Life in Drive Award from Ford Fusion. One of FHM's “100 Sexiest Women in the World” in 2005, Hansen has her own clothing line called Auto Angel. She also wrote a book, “The Garage Girl's Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Your Car,” which hit stores in 2007, and had a column with FHM magazine called “Courtney Hansen: Full Throttle.” Talking about her column with FHM, she stated, “I think there are going to be a wide range of topics. It depends on how things go. We are expecting people to contact me and ask questions and take it from there. The first column was based on how to change your oil and how to prepare your car for the winter months. The one I wrote yesterday deals with the types of cars out there today. All of it is written by me verbatim.”

Hansen has participated in a number of charities. She volunteered for the Special Olympics for many years and served on the board for Painted Turtle Camps and the March of Dimes.

“The one closest to my heart is the Special Olympics because my Aunt Barbie, who is to me the most altruistic and amazing woman on the planet, has cerebral palsy. So (I'd say the) Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the Special Olympics are closest to my heart.” Courtney Hansen

Pit Kid

Childhood and Family:

Courtney Hansen was born in 1978 in Los Angeles, California, to racecar driver Jerry Hansen. Growing up in Orono, Minnesota, Courtney became a child model and developed a love for writing and entertaining early on. At age 15, she moved with her family to Florida where she competed in an international modeling contest and won three awards. It was after she performed a mock commercial that Courtney attracted the attention of a New York-based theatrical agency and was offered a contract, which she subsequently declined because of education reasons. Courtney later received a degree in marketing from Florida State University.

Courtney loves tennis, motor sports, yoga and water skiing. Raised in the world of auto racing, she is an automobile admirer.

“I drive a 2004 T-Bird that was actually overhauled that they did as a surprise for me with my dad. It's really cool because it is retro updated and it's got that old style and it performs really well. I love the old Mustangs. I am a Ford girl.” Courtney Hansen

Overhaulin'

Career:

Courtney Hansen began modeling when she was a child. As a teenager, she became a spokesperson for Dodge and appeared in over 20 commercials for the company. The winner of several international talent competition awards, Hansen turned down a contract from a major theatrical agency in New York to focus on her studies and later got a job as a marketing specialist for an investment firm. Her tenure in the corporate world proved brief when the unhappy Hansen decided to quit and return to show business.

Hansen worked for Wilhelmina in Miami and landed some commercial and hosting gigs, but it was not until she moved to Chicago that she landed a role as the host of a TV pilot, “Killer Golf,” and received encouragement from the producer to further pursue her career in Los Angeles. With no money and no connections, she subsequently packed her bag and headed to L.A. While waiting for her big break, Hansen supported herself by working in three restaurants simultaneously.

After struggling for four years, Hansen eventually scored a big breakthrough when she was hired as the host of “Overhaulin'” (2004), an automotive oriented show on TLC. In addition to hosting, she also helped with the disassembly, fabrication, mechanics and assembly of cars for the show. Hansen's work on “Overhaulin'” led to a co-hosting job on TLC's documentary series “Rides” (2004) and a role as a pregnant woman in the independent film “Mercy & Garce.”

“I just started an independent film called 'Mercy & Grace.' The director actually saw an episode of ‘Overhaulin' and thought I was perfect for this role, which is a big departure from my persona. Not only am I pregnant (in the film), but I am going through this grueling time. My husband is a loser and we hear the baby is born with abnormalities, so he goes off to find solace in drug abuse and alcoholism and has abandoned his life. I am at home dealing with the pregnancy, but also feel mental anguish that my husband leaves my side. In the end, I hate to give away endings, but it has an ending that involves redemption, mercy and love. The woman welcomes the husband back and they have a healthy baby. It was an amazing story, but I asked the director Steve Burton why he chose me. Tthis is the antithesis of what I represent on ‘Overhaulin.” He said that he liked my spirit, which is a compliment. He liked the spirit I projected.” Courtney Hansen

In 2005, Hansen appeared in “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and on “Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson.” She also became an award presenter on “G-Phoria 2005.” The following year found her presenting “Spike TV's 'Autorox Awards 2006” and hosting the action series “Destination Wild” on Fox Sports Net. As of January 2006, Hansen has been the host of “Powerblock” on Spike TV.

On January 9, 2007, Hansen appeared as a guest on “The Tyra Banks Show,” alongside Ève Salvail. During 2007 and 2008, she appeared in a few different television advertisements for TWC Time Warner Cable. Hansen has also been a spokesmodel for Rolls-Royce.

Hansen will play Rachel in the upcoming drama “The Hypocritic Oath” (2009), helmed by Pieter Gaspersz and written by Sabrina Gennarino. Among her costars in the film are Anya Benton, Diane Morgan Carpenter, Mindee de Lacey, Elena Eustache and Sabrina Gennarino.

Awards: Ford Fusion: Life in Drive Award, 2005" Roger491127 (talk) 11:02, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

And this: retrieved 2011-11-23 from http://www.autotraderclassics.com/car-article/Courtney+Hansen%3A+Under+The+Hood-74550.xhtml

"by Brian Medford

Getting into the nuts & bolts that make Courtney Hansen tick.

When I was asked to interview Courtney Hansen I honestly did not know what to expect. Sure I know her face and have seen her countless times on TV; but as I began my research I learned that not only is she far more complex than she appears; she is a true gear gal!

What is your favorite classic car?

1957 T-bird. I have a 2004 T-bird. I think it looks much better lowered. Chip lowered mine 3”. It sits low down and sexier. My dad is driving it now because we have been traveling so much.

What was your first car?

An IROC Z28 Camaro. It was fast! My dad said I had to get the Camaro.

Do you find that some men are intimidated by you?

I have found that men, surprisingly, are not intimidated. I feel like they embrace my knowledge and embrace my love of the car world. I feel very comfortable among men. I don’t feel like there is any chauvinistic thing going on.

Growing up traveling so much with your father (27 time SCCA champion Jerry Hansen), do you feel like that childhood experience prepared you for your life as you are now with television, press, media, and just how busy you are in general?

Totally. We were always traveling in our family motor home from race track to race track, getting to know different types of people. We were always on the road. I think that really did pave the way for where I am now. Nobody has ever asked me that, but I do feel comfortable on the road. People ask “are you comfortable traveling that much and being away from home that much?” I really do, it is the lifestyle that I love so it is probably because it is what I’ve known since I was little.

You really put a lot of work into preparing for your career. When you were studying mountains of car books and car magazines did anyone ask you why on earth you were reading so many car books?

Oh yeah. There was one time I was at the book store and I bought all of the car magazines on the rack. I had all of these magazines in my hands and this guy asked, “What the heck are you doing with all of these automotive magazines?” Even on the Overhaulin’ set I would always subscribe to Hot Rod, Motortrend, and Road & Track so I would have the magazines laying around with my name and address on them. All of the guys would say, “That is so cool that you subscribe to all these magazines,” because they were expecting Vogue or Mademoiselle. People definitely raised an eyebrow. I’d be on the beach or in the coffee shop reading, and I’d read something like “Auto Repair For Dummies”. It would catch people’s eye because it was a bright yellow book and they would ask, “Why are you reading that?” It was fun to be able to say that I’m trying to absorb as much as I can so I can participate on Overhaulin’ and the other shows I do, as well as write a book for women.

Was there ever a moment in your early career that you thought, “Maybe I made the wrong decision?”

I don’t think there was ever a time that I thought this wasn’t a good idea. I knew I wanted to be a host. I’m a very determined person so I’m going to do that. When it did happen to converge with the automotive world I thought, “This is really cool because this is my life, this is my background, where I come from.” I saw it also as an opportunity as a businesswoman to brand myself, to have a niche that I was passionate about and completely enjoyed but also happened to be a cool marketing/branding business opportunity. So I don’t think there was ever a time where I thought “Uh oh, I don’t know about this” but I never wanted to pigeonhole myself so I try to be as well rounded as possible and dive into other interests and passions. That is why I’ve done travel adventure and stuff with fashion. I love car space and so I’ve embraced it since day one.

As one of the power women in the automotive media, are there any women you credit with being an inspiration to you in the industry?

Danica Patrick comes to mind. She hosted PowerBlock and I took over for her and I appreciate her being this tenacious, ambitious woman in the automotive space; being a pioneer among women and really inspiring other women out there who have an interest in the automotive space. So I would definitely say Danica in a huge way.

And then, actually, my mom because my mom was always so incredibly supportive of my dad and his racing. A lot of wives might be freaking out, or not happy with the idea of their husband being behind the wheel in a race car going 200mph with little kids at home. But she was always very supportive and very trusting, we were always decked out in our orange & blue colors at the track, supporting my dad, sitting on top of the motor home watching the races. I feel that my mom was a huge inspiration to me.

In addition to your father’s racing career your family also owned a race track. What was it like growing up with, quite possibly, the most amazing playground ever?

It was killer. That was my playground, that was my jungle gym. It was so neat to be exposed to racing, to be able to go into the garages and watch the mechanics at work, to be able to watch our dad race, and then to be able to drive anything with an engine since I was a little kid. I’ve literally been driving go-karts, motorcycles, golf carts, snowmobiles, boats, cars, motorhomes, everything since I could hold the wheel. So here I was 2-years old sitting on my dad’s lap driving. It was really cool to build our confidence in that way and to be exposed to all those fun adventurous motorsports. I loved it. I don’t think there is any better playground than a race track.

I broke my arm though one time. My dad once told me never get on the back of anything with anyone else. Never get on the back of a motorcycle or snowmobile or anything. You may know how to drive but this person might not. Unless it is Mario Andretti or Paul Newman, do not get on the back of anything with anyone. I went against his advice and I got on the back of a motorcycle when I was 13. This girl didn’t know how to drive and was going way too fast the wrong way around the race track so the embankments were wrong. There are only a few good female drivers out there and we wrecked badly. Thankfully I only broke my arm in six places but it could have been a whole lot worse. That was the one story of the race track that was not fun but the rest of the memories are all wonderful.

Is there any advice you would like to give to all the young people out there who want to follow in your footsteps?

Follow your passion. Follow your genuine passion whatever it is. If you want to be a movie star, a mechanic, a teacher, whatever it is that drives you go for it but you have to be 100% committed. You have to be devoted. There were times I sacrificed a lot of fun so that I could be taking my classes, getting my rest so I can look nice for my audition or photoshoot the next day. To make it look like I was already a TV host I would go out and fake footage, to make a demo reel, when I didn’t have a show. I poured everything I had into making it happen. I’d say that you have to be ready to be 100% devoted but if you are and you follow your passion you can do anything you want to do. There were times when I was getting rejections and people were saying “No, no, no,” but I was saying “Yes, yes, yes,” I’m going to make this happen despite losing out on 150 auditions. I was still determined to make it happen and believed in myself. You really have to believe in yourself. Stay strong, stay determined. Don’t ever let anyone tell you “No”. They can tell you ,“No,” but you’re going to keep working towards “Yes.”

What do you want your automotive legacy to be?

I would love to be remembered as someone who inspired women. I’d love to be remembered for having written a book that catered to women and hopefully empowers them. I would love to be remembered as a woman who was low maintenance, not afraid to get in there and get dirty like participating in the builds on OverHaulin’ or any of the shows I’ve done. Not fearless but confident in this world that has always been dominated by men. I would love to inspire just one person, but hopefully many more than that!

Who has more tools, you or your husband?

Me. I have more tools. I know more about cars. I know more about engines. But he’s actually surprised me. He lived in New York prior to meeting me and he grew up in communist Russia. His family was on waiting list until his dad was 42 before they could even get a car, and the car was a Lada which is worth like $500. It is the infamous most horrible car you can have on the planet. So he didn’t grow up knowing a lot about cars or being exposed to cars, and living in New York he never had a car. It surprises me how much he knows maybe because he has been passionate in recent days, reading all the magazines, checking what’s out there. I definitely have more tools and definitely work more on cars than he does. But he is growing every day; he’s getting more and more passionate and acclimated to the automotive world." Roger491127 (talk) 11:16, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

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