Stars On Mars Winner Adam Rippon Calls Out Lance Armstrong And Backs Trans Athletes In Sports
The Olympian shared his opinion on the season's controversial moment.
Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stars On Mars Season 1 finale "Brightest Star." Read at your own risk!
Stars On Mars brought several celebrities to "Mars" to try and see which could endure the various challenges of life on a space colony, and now we have an answer. While a number of celebrities willingly left the show after a time, some stuck it out, and one Olympian, Adam Rippon, stood above all others as the winner. CinemaBlend had a chance to speak to Rippon following the win and to get his thoughts on the season's most controversial moment involving Lance Armstrong and trans athletes.
Lance Armstrong had the habitat talking one day when he decided to share his belief that trans athletes should have a division entirely separate from men's and women's divisions. Armstrong's opinion didn't go over well with others in the habitat, including Rippon, a supporter of the trans community. I spoke with Rippon about the details of the incident and why he believed Armstrong was not the person to try and talk about these issues:
Adam Rippon is referring to the massive doping scandal that overshadowed a bulk of Lance Armstrong's professional cycling career and stripped him of every Tour de France title he ever won. Armstrong later commented on Stars On Mars that he felt isolated after the conversation, and days later, he voluntarily exited the show.
Lance Armstrong's comments were broadcast on Stars On Mars, but there's no denying the show wasn't able to appropriately platform a conversation about the issue. Adam Rippon continued to speak about the importance of having trans athletes continue to compete in professional sports, especially for those calling for more research:
Adam Rippon believes that more research is needed but that research can't happen when organizations are barring trans people from competing in athletics. It's safe to say the former Olympian is not a fan of the idea of separate divisions or other ideas that Lance Armstrong had about the issue.
The Stars On Mars winner, who outlasted celebrities like Ronda Rousey, former NBA superstar Paul Pierce, and many others, spoke about the importance of competitive sports in his own life. Adam Rippon shared the ways sports positively impacted him, saying:
The first winner of Stars On Mars has spoken, and as Rippon had already competed at the highest level of figure skating and Dancing with the Stars, I'd like to think he's an authority on the importance of sports. Now, if only we could really get him to continue his run of reality show dominance to Survivor or some other show! At this point, I'm just ready to see what his limit is.
Stars On Mars is done for the season, but anyone with a Hulu subscription can watch all of Season 1 right now. It's worth a watch for anyone feeling the strain of the lack of content during the WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strike, and pretty hilarious thanks to the always-entertaining Marshawn Lynch.
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Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.