Survivor Stud Faces Religious Bias

For those Survivor: Palau fans keeping score at home, Ibrehem Rahman is the seventh Ulong tribe member in a row to get snuffed. At least his physically strong appearance and kindly demeanor saved the 27-year-old Alabaman for a few weeks, despite his poor performance in challenges. Here, TVGuide.com sits down with Ibrehem to discuss swimming with sharks like the bigoted James.

TVGuide.com: During her farewell testimonial, Ashlee said she wished she'd cuddled with you. Have you called her up?
Ibrehem Rahman: I haven't. I don't know if she was serious. I think she might have been just talking.

TVG: When I interviewed James, he seemed like quite a character. Was he really that way on the island or is he putting us on?
Ibrehem: He's interesting. He had a lot of stuff to say all the time. None of it ever made much sense, but he had a lot to say.

TVG: He made some snide comments about your Muslim faith. Did that upset you?
Ibrehem: It was just ignorance, ignorance, ignorance. It didn't make any difference to me. Things roll off my back so easily. I wasn't surprised about James being ignorant. I wasn't surprised about Stephanie being wishy-washy.

TVG: James also says he's never needed to own a coat. You're also from Alabama. Do you have one?
Ibrehem: I think I was smart enough to get a coat. It actually gets cold down there sometimes. It's not Miami. Maybe he stays in that part of Alabama where you don't need a coat. [Shrugs] It's James.

TVG: You seem very religious. Was it hard to maintain integrity with all the lying and backstabbing going on?
Ibrehem: Well, I didn't do any lying and backstabbing.

TVG: But you were surrounded by it.
Ibrehem: I don't think that much went on. If it did, I was kind of blind to it or na&#239ve toward it. I thought everybody was good people, but maybe that is what got me in the end. I trusted Bobby Jon to keep to what we had both agreed on at the beginning, that we were going to stick together. Didn't work out, man. Didn't happen.

TVG: Was it really like a family when it was you, Stephanie and Bobby Jon?
Ibrehem: It really was. I think we were all pretty good. I think Bobby Jon was good. Stephanie was a great player and really excelled at all the challenges. I felt like we needed everybody that we had when [we] got down to it.

TVG: The tattoo on your back is really cool looking.
Ibrehem: That wasn't a tattoo — I did it out there.

TVG: Really?
Ibrehem: [Laughs] No, I'm kidding. It was a tattoo.

TVG: What is the significance of it?
Ibrehem: It means truth in Arabic. That's why I had to tell the truth, girl.

TVG: You look like a strong guy, but you seemed to struggle with the challenges. What happened?
Ibrehem: I struggled a little with some of the water challenges, I think. You can go swim at the Y, but it is not like swimming in the ocean. I thought, "It's a TV show. It ain't gonna be that bad."

TVG: How hard was it to lose week after week?
Ibrehem: It was tough. I expected to win so much, especially when the tribes got picked. I looked at [the Koror] tribe, I was like, "We are about to kill these old people."

TVG: Which members of the "old people tribe" surprised you?
Ibrehem: He's not an old person, but Ian kind of surprised me. He looks pretty frail, but he's done good.

TVG: Finally, for fans who are curious, are you still single?
Ibrehem: Yes, I am.