"When I look at all the pictures on the Bluestar website (and all through my google search) a majority of them show the island trim up against a wall with tile."

Not only this, but the salesman last week told me point-blank I can use the island trim against a tile wall there is no need for a backsplash. Fortunately I know he is FOS and I need a backguard. Bluestar really does need to do a better job at educating the sales force about the safety issues related to their appliances (or maybe the store, IDK -- but many people would trust that statement and end up with a potentially disastrous set-up).