Survivor 42: Omar Zaheer on His Elimination & the Importance of Representation

YouTube Omar Zaheer on his "Survivor" elimination

On the Wednesday, May 18 episode of “Survivor,” fan-favorite Omar Zaheer became the sixth member of the jury after his ally, Maryanne Oketch, blindsided him.

Omar played a savvy social game on “Survivor.” He formed close friendships with multiple castaways, including Mike Turner and Lindsay Dolashewich. Omar’s likability turned out to be a double-edged sword. It made people trust him, but it also put a target on his back.

His fellow castaways worried they would not be able to beat him at final Tribal Council and therefore hatched a plan to get Omar out of the game.

Omar Zaheer on His ‘Survivor’ Elimination

Omar spoke to Parade after his elimination about what led to his “Survivor” downfall. The Ontario native took his elimination on the chin, admitting he made some mistakes along the way.

“I was an idiot the last few days,” he told the outlet. “There were so many warning signs that I missed.”

“I was actively avoiding being a paranoid player that was very irritating to me as a trait other people,” he said. “I should have been internally paranoid.”

Despite not making it to the final five, Omar had nothing but kind words to share about his time on “Survivor.”

“I had the time of my life,” he said. “It was the best experience I’ve ever had. And to play the game that I wanted to play, I can’t really complain.”

Omar also shared that he harbors no hard feelings toward his fellow castaways, stating, “If I were them, I would have done the same thing. So I don’t blame them at all for that.”

Omar Zaheer on the Importance of Representation

Omar spoke about his background as a Muslim on “Survivor” and received a great deal of support on social media for sharing his story.

The former castaway spoke to Parade about the importance of representation on television and feeling like an outcast.

“Growing up as an Indian and a Muslim, I didn’t really feel there was that representation on TV,” he told the publication. “Not just on ‘Survivor,’ but in really most shows.”

“In my childhood I would be like, ‘Wow, you really didn’t feel like you belong at all.’ I would just kind of go along to get along,” he continued. “I would never put my needs first. I would just mold into the background, because I always felt like I’m lucky to just be here.”

Omar went on to say that he hopes his story helped young viewers.

“It’s amazing to have this platform where people are so thankful to see somebody like them on TV. Hopefully little kids like me feel like they do belong,” he shared. “It’s very special. And I’m very thankful that “Survivor” shared that story on the show.”

Omar Zaheer on His Most Embarrassing Moment

Omar revealed his most embarrassing moment in a February 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The former castaway shared that an unfortunate incident happened during his training to become a vet.

“The most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me was when I was in vet school,” he began. “We had our lab to rectally palpate cows by sticking our arms up their butt to feel for pregnancy.”

Omar said something strange happened when he tried to insert his hand.

“I couldn’t go in! And I was like ‘What’s going on,'” he told the outlet. Then Omar came to a startling, yet funny, conclusion.

“And then I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m in the wrong hole,'” he said. “In front of my whole class.”

“Survivor 42” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS.

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