Survivor's Shannon Elkins Speaks Out: I'm Not A Homophobe

The new season of Survivor Nicaragua is already causing controversy only two weeks in.

It all started when Shannon Elkins, a 30 year old pest control co. owner from Louisiana, decided to make some seemingly homophobic comments during his tribe’s tribal council meeting. During the meeting, Shannon decided to randomly accuse one of his fellow tribe members, Sash, of being gay before adding that New York is filled with a lot of gay people. Sash is from New York by the way.

In a new interview with PEOPLE, Shannon attempts to clear his name by stating he isn’t a homophobe or a sexist. He states he brought up Sash’s sexuality to prove that he wasn’t being honest about certain things. Shannon also believes he was the biggest threat in Nicaragua. Excerpts from his interview below –

What about going off like a loose cannon?

People think I dug my own grave but I knew I was going home. Anyone who has ever played Survivor will tell you that when one person can’t look you in the face, it’s you. It didn’t matter what I said . . . I tried to take down the two idiots with me.

Do you mean Chase and Sash?

Chase admitted he was playing both sides. He was playing The Bachelor out there with his aspiring country music singer sob story and waiting for Brenda to bring him a freaking rose. Chase did not change the vote out on the island, where I could have defended myself and tried to change the vote to NaOnka. He did it on the way to tribal when we weren’t supposed to be talking.

Your arguments against Sash and his sexuality seemed based on personal disapproval.

Did I stereotype Sash? Yes. That was wrong and I’m sorry. But you saw less than 40 percent of that tribal. There’s an edit. I didn’t straight up ask that dude if he was gay. I didn’t need to ask his preference. He showed it while he was out there.

But why even bring it up unless you thought it’d turn people against him?

The guy kept coming after me, calling me a liar. I said, “I lied to you because you lied to me.” He said, “When?” And I said, “When you told me you weren’t gay.” . . . I was simply trying to show people you can’t trust him because he wasn’t being honest about who he was. Why would you want to be in an alliance with, a liar and not me who shoots straight?

No pun intended?

I could give two craps what Sash does in his spare time. I’m not a homophobe. I didn’t bash gays. I bashed Sash as a person. I’m also not a damn sexist. I’m married to a woman and I’m voting for Sarah Palin in 2012. And I think a woman, Brenda, is the biggest threat. She’s athletic, sneaky and got Chase to fall in love day one.