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Stars on Mars

lance armstrong

Ariel Winter Drops out of ‘Stars on Mars’: “It Was Like a Little Bit of Hell”

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Lance Armstrong Threatens to Leave ‘Stars on Mars’ After Clash with Ariel Winter Over Trans Athletes

‘Stars on Mars’: Disgraced Athlete Lance Armstrong Faces Backlash From Contestants for Saying Trans Athletes Should Have Their “Own Category”

Stars on Mars contestant Lance Armstrong surprised us all by volunteering to exit the Fox reality show after a considerably contentious season.

Armstrong seemed to be at the end of his rope by the start of Monday’s (Aug. 7) episode, when he told his fellow contestant Cat Cora, “I woke up today, and thought, ‘I’m going home today.'”

The cyclist was then paired with actress Ariel Winter for that episode’s challenge. Though they’ve been butting heads since the show began, they managed to successfully finish the mission without too much drama. But the pair later found themselves in the bottom three at the end of the episode — alongside NBA player Paul Pierce — where they faced the risk of being deemed the least “mission-critical” and getting sent home.

Armstrong willingly gave himself up, saying, “Life on Mars is not easy. You can’t put 12 different people together in a room and expect them to get along, and that’s what I’m struggling with.”

“I think going forward, that would be a liability, not just for myself but for the team,” he continued. “It’s been a hell of an honor, so I have decided to exit the project.”

Lance Armstrong in 'Stars on Mars' — Photo: FOX

While it might be surprising to see Armstrong throw in the towel like that, Stars on Mars viewers know he’s been talking about leaving the show for some time now.

Just a few weeks ago, the cyclist threatened to leave after he got into a heated debate with Winter and some of their fellow contestants over the topic of trans athletes competing in professional sports, a claim he has since doubled down on.

“Ariel, let me make this really simple: I don’t need the drama,” he said at the time. “I busted my ass for nine days, I’m gonna bust my ass on the tenth day, and I’m going to auto-select myself to leave.”

After Porsha Williams talked him down, Armstrong maintained that he wasn’t “living in this hab another day with certain people,” referring specifically to Winter.

We’re now nearing the end of Stars on Mars Season 1, with just three more episodes left in the season. Now that Armstrong is out, who will be named the brightest star in the galaxy?

Stars on Mars airs Mondays at 8/7c on Fox.