The Family might be shrinking on Deal or No Deal Island, but the family drama continues.

On the March 11 episode, David Genat, Courtney “CK” Kim, Alexis Lete, Parvati Shallow, and Phillip Solomon reflected on the elimination of Dickson Wong, who David, 44, and Parvati, 42, considered their son, in the latest temple.   

“I thought final five would be better, but it feels kind of gross,” Phillip, 37, told the cameras.

Before the excursion, David approached Phillip about working together, claiming Dixon was his top ally in the game, which Phillip didn’t really believe. At the excursion, host Joe Manganiello explained that the contestants would have to hold onto a weight and the last one holding onto theirs would receive $75,000. The contestant who dropped their weight at the highest case would be the winner and choose someone to eliminate — and someone to play The Banker for a double elimination.

It came down to Philip and David, and Philip let the Australian Survivor champ win while the group fitness trainer held on the longest and took home the $75,000. David did not repay the favor, though and sent Phillip home.

Phillip tells PEOPLE he thinks David eliminated him “so that he would be up against females that are half his size” in the final leg of the show.

“Especially in knowing that in the excursion, I outperformed him,” Phillip continues. “So I get it. Being like, ‘If you really want to get this money, I am a roadblock.’ Don’t get me wrong, I am a beautiful chocolate roadblock, but a roadblock nonetheless.’

Phillip reflects on how he prepared for Deal or No Deal Island (floaties were involved!), crying “way more than I ever have in my whole life” and how it felt when Parvati took a personal tactic to convince him to eliminate Dr. Will Kirby.  

PEOPLE: How did you feel about David sending you home after you handed him the excursion win?

PHILLIP SOLOMON: At the end of the day, it’s not about winning, which is so not like me at all. But you take this moment where you stop and take a deep breath in and you look around and you’re like, “I’ve already won.” I am not going home the same person that I arrived. And I’m so thankful and grateful for every high and every low here.

Why did you want to come on the show?
As adults, especially as Millennials, we try to do what’s comfortable and we try to make a life for ourselves that is based around things that we love, things that we’re good at, people that support us no matter what. There’s not a lot of opportunities for adults to conquer things that they’re scared of. And I knew that in having the upbringing that I did, I was scared of a lot. I knew that I was afraid of heights, afraid of water, afraid of animals, afraid of pretty much everything.

What would you have done with the prize money had you won?
I would’ve started an organization that would go into schools and talk about fitness and wellness, especially in underprivileged neighborhoods. I think as a first generation American, the information isn’t always accessible to people of color. Fitness and nutrition was never a priority for me. My parents’ priority for me was to survive. So in using my past in education as well as my present in exercise, fitness and nutrition, I know that I get kids. Kids get me. I would love to go around the country, around the world and let them know that exercise is cool. Fruits and vegetables are cool sometimes.

How did you face your fears as they arose throughout the competition?
The easy answer is I cried. I cried a lot way more than I ever have in my whole life. But no matter what I always said, “You can do hard things,” because I say it in my class a lot. There are so many big mantras with this expensive language and advanced vocabulary and whatever else, and I think if you really look in at someone else, you look in the mirror and you just go, “You can do hard things.” You’re like, “Wait. I can.” And that’s really what got me through this entire experience.

Most people don’t want to put themselves in a position where they have to do hard things.
I’m going to tell you where that motivation stems from. I’ve had two important jobs in my life. I taught middle school for 12 years. Everyone always said, “How come you want to do middle school? They are the worst.” And I was like, “They are.” But I went back to teach middle school because age 12 and 7th grade was the worst year of my entire life. I was bullied. I was made fun of. I was overweight. I was the kid that was never really chosen by anyone. I was first generation American from Caribbean immigrants. I have a speech impediment. There’s so much that all came to fruition that year. And so for me, I’m a firm believer that the universe gives you an opportunity to do things again. And when given the opportunity to go back and be 12 again, I was like, “I’m going to do it to make sure these kids had the exact opposite experience.”

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Now you’re a fitness instructor.
I left the classroom in 2022 after 12 years, and now I am a group fitness instructor. I am the first Black male Barry’s instructor in the entire state of Texas. Which is insane, but I love it because now I get to teach adults to be the best version of themselves. So even though it’s not the same arena and it’s not the same setting, it smells the same. I’ve always taught people to be uncomfortable and embrace that discomfort and figure out what can I learn? How can I grow? How can I be a better version of me? And I felt like when this opportunity came up, I had to be the role model.

Did you feel like you had a physical advantage coming into the show?
So I took three weeks of swim lessons — a competitive bodybuilder wearing floaties! I need everyone to imagine that for five seconds. And I did all that I could to get ready for this experience. I knew that if I was going to do it, I had to be uncomfortable. And trust me, I was scared for 97% of this adventure, but I made it pretty much to the very end. I’m good.

Who did you come in thinking would be your biggest competition?
I think Parvati was going to be my biggest threat. That’s why I aligned with her from day 1. I’ve watched enough reality TV to know. I was like, “Well, you’re either for her or against her.” So I figured it would help.

Besides physical strength, what do you think helped get you to the final five?
I credit how far I made it in the game to my ability to build good social relationships, and I do that through vulnerability. I’m not afraid to tell people about my journey when it comes to weight loss, anxiety, depressions, health harm, speech impediment. I’ve been through it all. But in me being able to put all that out there, it’s really helped other people talk about their story and share who they are. At the end of the day, I always had to remind myself, these are competitors, but most of all, these are people. I had to really teach myself I’m not meeting anyone on page 1 of their story. And as long as I knew I was hopping in on page 49 or 237, I always remained interested in all the things that happened before I met them. And my rule is always to kind of leave people better than I found them. And that’s what I did until the very, very end.

Talk to me about navigating the moment when Parvati brought up some of those personal things you mentioned to trying to go after Dr. Will?
In talking to her like I did and really talking about our partners at home and her divorce and her daughter, and some really vulnerable things. In her quest to take out Dr. Will, she used something of my past to motivate me to take him out so she wouldn’t have to. The Survivor hat came on and I was like, “Oh, there we go.” It’s a hard conversation to have on camera, but I did it. That was a pivotal point for me in the experience because I got to say, “Hey, listen. This wasn’t cool and you hurt me in that moment. I do not believe you’re a bad person, but you have to know that that was ugly. That was not a good move for you.” And I was like, “After this game, you’re going to have to look in the mirror and be like, that was the opportunity that I had to exhibit probably the greatest lesson that I’ve learned on the island, which is to choose compassion.” I’m proud that I made that choice each and every day.

Are you surprised with who’s left now?
I think I’m only surprised at CK. She has been proven to have cheated. So my whole thing is, I don’t know if it would sit right with me to sit at home and knowing what I know and have that be a winner of the show, just because I think to be a winner, you have to prove yourself to be a good person. And so for me, whether she wins or loses, I get it. That’s how it works. But as someone that chooses to lead with their moral compass, it doesn’t really sit well with me.

Did thinking about how you would be perceived by viewers factor into your actions?
Of course. I know that in my job and where I thrive is really being the example and helping others. It was so hard for me to come on this show in knowing that there are very few positive Black males in reality TV. I know how America works, and I know that I’m going to have some hate and some unfriendly feedback just based on who I am. But I have to at least be able to play a game that I could look in the mirror and say, “I have been the most authentic version of me. I have led with my heart each and every day, and I am literally proud of every hour here.” I had the time of my life and I would do it all over again.

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Deal or No Deal Island airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.