Adam Rippon is officially the brightest star in galaxy!
The Olympic figure skater was crowned the winner of the inaugural season of FOX’s reality competition series Stars on Mars on Monday (August 28), which featured “celebronauts” going head-to-head in challenges while in a simulated area made to look like a space station and Mars.
“I had so much fun shooting ‘Stars on Mars,'” Rippon tells Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder exclusively in a virtual interview. “I think it was such a great experience. I met so many great people that I think I’m gonna be friends with for a really long time.”
It was a wild journey for Rippon, as he went from almost being eliminated in week one to properly assembling a satellite tower and broadcasting a personalized message from the simulated Mars across the Earth, which ultimately led him to beat out runner-up Tinashe for the highest honor. As to how he made his way to the very end, the 33-year-old tells CS that it was all thanks to his competitive mindset.
“I was in the bottom pretty often, so the trajectory doesn’t look like I’m gonna pull it off. But I really think that in a show like this — yes there’s a ‘survivor’ or ‘ninja warrior’ component to it with all of these physical things — but there is also this Big Brother social aspect to it,” he says.
“And I think that as you stay longer and longer, the hardest part about it is staying sane. You’ll go crazy there. I think the thing that helped me the most was I was already crazy before I got there, so I wasn’t gonna go anywhere,” he laughs.
“I just wanted to enjoy the whole experience. If I was gonna go [to ‘Mars’], I wanted to try to stay for the entire time that I could be there. There were moments where it was really challenging, but I made great friends there who, when I had really tough moments, stepped up and they were there for me. And it was great,” he concludes passionately.
And while he said that he’d never participate in challenges like these again (or wear the iconic spacesuit), Adam is grateful he signed up for the show as his relationships with the other celebronauts are some that will last a lifetime.
“I’ve kept in contact with a lot of people from the show. I’ve seen them a bunch of times and it’s been great, he says. “I think that when you have an experience like this where people see you at your best and at your worst, you get to know these people really well.”
“I think as you get older, there aren’t a lot of situations that you could put yourself in where you’re living in a bunk bed. I think when you have that, it’s like a bonding experience with these different people, and I think that’s why a lot of us have stayed in touch. Everybody from the show is connected to somebody in some way, and I think that really is the best part about it. You can’t control anything about the competition aspect except trying to do your best, but getting to know these people and connect was the best part.”
Other stars who competed on the show included professional cyclist Lance Armstrong, singer/songwriter Tinashe, comedian and actress Natasha Leggero, former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, Superbad star Christopher Mintz-Plasse, wrestler Ronda Rousey, Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz, NFL player Richard Sherman, entrepreneur and artist Tallulah Willis and Modern Family alum Ariel Winter.
For more on Adam’s journey on Stars on Mars, watch our full interview below.
You can connect with Adam by giving him a follow on Instagram at @adaripp and rewatch the whole season on FOX’s website with a cable provider here, Tubi and Hulu.
