Miss USA Rima Fakih discusses stereotypes, wrestling and her future

The moment Rima Fakih’s Miss USA predecessor bobby-pinned the glorious diamond tiara to her head, she wondered when she would be stripped of it.

"I believed I lived in a free country," Fakih says, "but I knew there would be a lot of people who wouldn’t accept it."

She was right. There were people who didn’t accept a Miss USA of Middle Eastern descent. There were also people who couldn’t accept a woman, Miss USA or otherwise, claiming the Muslim religion while wearing a bikini. Most of those people were Muslim.

But Fakih, a Lebanese immigrant, was also right about living in a free country. The Miss USA organization ignored concerns regarding her ethnicity and religion and instead issued a statement about protests regarding a pole dancing competition she participated in three years prior. "The photos taken from our website are no more provocative than those on the Miss USA website," the organization affirmed.

Of the two major national pageants, Miss USA doesn’t feature a talent competition. Its prize package, unlike Miss America’s scholarship-focused payoff, consists of diamonds, a shoe collection, evening wear and other items the general public associates with a crown and sash.

One thing not typically associated with pageants? A full-nelson wrestling hold. That’s exactly why Fakih found herself doing just that as a WWE Diva in the "WWE Tough Enough" reality show competition.

"Everyone who said I couldn’t do it because I was a beauty queen, I was like, ‘Oh really? Watch this,’ ” she says. "I wanted to break that stereotype."

And she did. But the former Miss Michigan had to fracture three ribs to do it. Before getting cut in the fourth episode, Fakih managed to impress the show’s host, Steve "Stone Cold" Austin, after enduring a series of body slams.

The 25-year-old refers to her time on the show as "very painful," but it turns out a choke hold has a lot in common with a teary wave while holding long-stem roses. According to Fakih, the wrestling and pageant worlds aren’t too far removed. Both foster fierce competition, both make physical perfection paramount, both require excellent stage presence, and both reward winners with a big, shiny accessory.

When she isn’t busy disproving stereotypes, Fakih spends time with her boyfriend, Ricky Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays. Dating a professional athlete has meant sharing a spotlight that, for Fakih, could very well expire the same moment her reign does. The day after she passes the crown to her successor, Romero pitches against the Atlanta Braves. She’ll have her big moment and then turn around to watch his — as a former Miss USA.

The two "don’t know yet" if they will marry, but Fakih’s plans for her personal future include Hollywood aspirations. She realizes it’s not unusual for a pageant queen to hope she can trade a crown for a script, but acting is just part of her endeavors.

"I want to also be a positive figure (for the Arab community)," she says. "I’m trying to bridge something between the Middle East and the United States."

Her extensive traveling in the past year included a trip to Egypt and a meet-up with Bill Clinton. Shaking hands with a two-term president got the wheels turning for bigger, better things she could do with her title. Speaking with Middle Eastern fans who were thrilled to finally have an Arab role model in the news only reinforced her goal.

The news isn’t always good, though. Similar to the pole dancing debacle, Fakih made headlines last week for missing a CNN interview after a night of partying. Whether it’s another Tara Conner situation or simply a 25-year-old taking a grab at the freedom dangling in front of her remains to be seen.

For now, she’s busy making promotional appearances through Vegas with 51 women who want nothing more than to hear their name called just before the confetti falls Sunday night. Spending time with the Miss USA hopefuls has her reminiscing about her own run for the title.

Fakih was a nervous wreck going into competition. If her ethnic background didn’t block her from getting that crown, then her religious background definitely did. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. Right up to the moment she stood forehead to forehead with Miss Oklahoma, her runner-up, as they waited for the final results.

If she could go back and tell herself one thing? "It would be to just let go," she says. "Don’t be ashamed of who you are."

Watch the Miss USA 2011 pageant at 9 p.m. Sunday on KSNV-TV Channel 3.