The Untold Truth Of Yellowstone's Teeter

Teeter (Jennifer Landon) has proven to be quite a popular dynamo on the Paramount Network's hourlong western drama "Yellowstone." Her sense of humor, her fearless ways, and her willingness to fight for and stand up to the Duttons have made her a fan favorite. Men's Health dubbed Teeter as the most fun character on "Yellowstone" in 2021, and Teeter is popular enough that the official Yellowstone YouTube channel has created an entire video dedicated to her most memorable moments. 

She can fight and rope with the best of the bunkhouse crew, and though she's come close to losing her job due to her gender, her integrity and determination kept her on the Dutton dole. Since she seems to consider ranch work, the men in the bunkhouse, and the Duttons her real family, that's definitely a good thing. Her relationship with Colby Mayfield (Denim Richards), meanwhile, continues to be quite a bumpy one as the twosome try to figure out where they stand with each other. 

Follow us as we explore Teeter and unearth a few untold truths about her.

According to an IMDb Pro interview, Jennifer Landon was wholeheartedly convinced that she'd "tanked" her audition to play Teeter. On top of that, she made a less-than-graceful exit from the reading. "[W]hen I was on my way out of the room my head went blank and instead of saying 'thank you' to the casting director, I said 'I love you,'" she revealed. "Perfect way to add a touch of crazy to what I already thought was a mess of a session."

Yet, Landon's audition apparently impressed "Yellowstone" creator and producer Taylor Sheridan who, per a behind-the-scenes video posted to the official "Yellowstone" YouTube page, showed various cast members her audition tape before giving her the official nod. 

Perhaps it was all meant to be after all. Landon definitely has a general affinity for her tough-talking, hard-drinking character. "I think I am Teeter. Deep down. I think so. I think I'm a feral, s***-kicking, little weirdo," the actor said during an episode of the cast chat show "Stories from the Bunkhouse." Call it fate or careful casting, but she has definitely left an impression.

Teeter's accent is both one of the show's most easily recognizable and most confusing elements. Fans posting to the "Yellowstone" subreddit regularly compare her slightly mush-mouthed, Southern-tinged, and rapid voice to that of Boomhauer (Mike Judge) from Fox's animated program "King of the Hill." But the show itself has planted Teeter firmly north of Boomhauer's Texas roots.

During Episode 2 of Season 4, "Phantom Pain," Teeter declares she's from north of the Red River, which would put her roots roughly in Arkansas or Oklahoma. The show's writing staff and Jennifer Landon have said little else since then to dispel the notion that Teeter's not a Texan. Per Landon's statement on a YouTube video posted to the official "Yellowstone" account, Teeter's dialogue is written out phonetically in the show's scripts so every syllable lands the way the writers want them to. "She just speaks the way her family speaks," she added. 

The actor told Decider that Teeter speaks that way because her family has lived together on a sheep farm in the deep country for years. Wonder why the accent sounds so unique? According to Landon, while crafting Teeter's backstory, she and Taylor Sheridan decided, "only her family speaks that way because they've spent generations on that same farm." 

Teeter and Colby have had a complicated relationship during Seasons 3 and 4 of "Yellowstone." While he initially resists her somewhat aggressive advances, Teeter eventually coaxes him into going skinny dipping with her. Unfortunately, they are immediately ambushed and attacked by enemies of the Duttons. When they survive, Colby kisses Teeter, and she wryly remarks that he should have made a move "while I still had a face, but that's all right, we'll work on your timing."

Per a 2021 TV Insider interview with Denim Richards, Teeter and Colby have a relationship that's "complicated" in "the best way." Richards points out that the kiss is not about physical attraction at all but about bonding after a shared traumatic experience, "even though you may not necessarily be attracted to [the other person]."

Richards added that after the kiss, Colby feels "responsible" for Teeter to a degree. Since Teeter's closest relationship on the show is definitely with Colby as of the Season 4 finale, she likely feels a degree of responsibility toward him, too. Considering their relationship has a "theme song" now — courtesy of Walker (Ryan Bingham) in Season 4, Episode 6, "I Want to Be Him"  — they seem to be heading toward being official. Fans will have to check out Season 5 to find out how that sense of responsibility pans out for her.

Even the most casual of "Yellowstone" fans likely know that Teeter is the only female ranch hand we've seen to ever bear the Dutton family brand upon her body. She was awarded that honor back in the Season 3 finale "The World is Purple" after she and Colby survived their trampling. It's a mark of conduct she worked hard for, and one she takes great pride in. Her brand is what saves her from being fired from the ranch in the wake of John Dutton's (Kevin Costner) edict dismissing all women from his bunkhouse in Season 4. Dutton had never been informed of Teeter's branding, and when she makes the case for why she should stay by pointing out that she takes the permanence of the brand seriously, he is impressed by her loyalty. But did you know she's the only the second female ranch hand in the show's history?

The other ranch hand is, naturally, Avery (Tanaya Beatty). Fans met Avery back in the show's first season, but she left in the middle of its second season, only to abruptly reappear in Season 4. 

Avery's inability to stick with life at the Dutton ranch only goes to show how determined Teeter is, and how unique her position with the Dutton family remains. 

Speaking of Teeter's brand, fans who populate the "Yellowstone" subreddit have noticed something interesting: it keeps disappearing and reappearing out of the blue. Fans of the show have paused and replayed her scenes to try and figure out where the y-shaped marking — which is low enough on Teeter's collarbone that it could easily be hidden by shirts — has gone. Since all manner of dangerous and spooky things keep happening at the ranch, might it be possible that Sheridan is setting up a plot point? Or is the problem much more simple?

Indeed, while the branding isn't always visible on Teeter's collarbone throughout the show, it appears that the marking is there. It's likely that costuming, make-up, or lighting keeps the mark from being as noticeable as it could be from shot to shot. Might it be a makeup chair error? A continuity foul-up? Either way, fans have been having fun trying to spot the brand since Teeter received it.

Per a Decider interview with Jennifer Landon, the character of Teeter — specifically her pink hair — is based on someone Taylor Sheridan knows. The actor added that the character is "gender-defying in a lot of ways" connected to her comportment. To TV Insider, Landon noted, "while she's a dude internally in so many ways, she still is a woman who is vulnerable."

That dichotomy exists because Landon and Sheridan have concocted a backstory for Teeter that's rather tragic: the character grew up motherless. "Her dad raised her, and she had three or four older brothers. And I think I always imagined that since she left home, she's always been a wanderer," the actor added. In the Duttons, she has found a fresh home for herself — and it's one she's willing to put her life on the line to bravely defend. Fans will have to keep watching "Yellowstone" to find out how that works out for Teeter.