PASADENA, Calif. -- William Collins, who stirred up controversy as a "Big Brother" contestant, proved as feisty Sunday outside the confines of the CBS reality-TV show.
In Collins' first news conference since he was voted off the show Thursday, the Philadelphia youth counselor said he was prepared for any threats.
"I believe in my God and I believe in my gun," Collins told the Television Critics Association, noting that he had a permit to carry a weapon.
Collins riled his fellow contestants by playing pranks on them and engaging in heated discussions on race. He created headlines outside of the house because of his connection with the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.
Wearing the floppy orange hat he sported on "Big Brother" and carrying a Bible, Collins dodged questions about his political beliefs but spoke at length about his religious devotion.
"You've seen me with my gun, but you haven't seen me with my God," said Collins, apparently referring to a photo showing him armed at a 1998 rally held in Texas to protest the dragging death of a black man.
Collins said he believed his verbal confrontations with his fellow housemates, which include whites, a black woman and an Asian-American man, were valuable.
He helped them reassess their ideas about blacks and to consider the idea that minorities should be a respected part of the American melting pot, Collins said.
He complained that "Big Brother" failed to show him as a complete person, excluding shots of his devoted prayers while making hay out of his conflicts.
Series executive producer Paul Romer defended the series' editing, saying that 24 hours of footage had to be boiled down to the most compelling 22 minutes for each episode.
During a "Big Brother" interview Thursday, Collins said he had been a member of the New Black Panther Party. The group is headed by Khalid Abdul Muhammad, who was ousted by the Nation of Islam for calling Jews "bloodsuckers."
Collins refused to discuss his own political stance or his relationship with Muhammad, saying "I don't want the press to play Don King between me and brother minister (Muhammad)."
Most of the "Survivor" castoffs and series producer Mark Burnett also made an appearance Sunday before the TV critics group. Both Collins and the "Survivor" group were shielded by security guards while offstage.
Asked about the bodyguards for Collins, network spokesman Chris Ender said "We're not aware of any threats, but we took extra precautions."
For the "Survivor" contestants, mum was the word when it came to discussing the show's $1 million winner to be revealed in the Aug. 23 finale.
"Everybody already knows who the winner is ... Mr. Burnett and CBS," joked Gretchen Cordy. The series has been a summer hit for the network and a sequel set in Australia is planned for January.
More than 6,200 applications for "Survivor II" have been received in a quarter of the time it took for the first show to reach that number, Burnett said.
