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

Stars on Mars lost yet another contestant due to self-elimination this week in actress Ariel Winter.

The Fox reality show, currently in its first season, follows a dozen celebrity contestants who live together in a camp that simulates life on Mars and complete missions that result in an elimination of the weakest link each week, known as the least “mission-critical” player.

Winter is the seventh contestant to voluntarily leave in what has shaped up to be a heated and controversial competition. She follows cyclist Lance Armstrong, whom she quarreled with throughout the season, and who quit the show after struggling to get along with other members of the cast, Winter included. 

In Monday’s (Aug. 14) episode, NBA star Paul Pierce was elected the Base Commander, and, in addition to overseeing this week’s mission and receiving immunity from elimination, was responsible for helping to select the bottom three of the week. Winter struggled in this week’s challenge and found herself in the bottom along with NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and Bravo favorite Porsha Williams.

However, instead of waiting for the group to decide who to extract from base and send back to Earth, Winter said she felt she deserved to go, as she was the least “mission critical” that week. Williams and Lynch were deemed safe, and Pierce sent Winter home. Though her exit was emotional, she seemed to be grateful for her experience in her reasoning.

“I’ve overcome a lot of things. I never thought I would repel down a cliff. Absolutely not. But I loved being on this team,” she said. “I even enjoyed missions, even hard ones, in a stupid ass suit. But as you know, I love the word fair. I was not mission critical today and I feel like I deserve to go.”

Winter shared that despite the challenges of the show, she was happy with the outcome. “I’m very happy I did this even though it was like a little bit of hell,” she said in her confessional interview. “And now I feel like I’m open and ready for anything. I definitely feel at peace. I’m good to go.”

Following Winter’s self-elimination, six contestants are left. Who will be the last one standing when the dust settles at the end of the season?

Or, better question: with all these self-eliminations, will there be any life left on Mars by the time the season finishes?

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