Ashley Laconetti Haibon had less than 48 hours to report to the land down under. FOX transformed the Australian outback into unfamiliar territory – Mars.
The networking giant released a new series titled Stars on Mars, a recently released (June 5) celebrity game show hosted by William Shatner. The star-studded cast comprised of Haibon, Lance Armstrong, Natasha Leggero, Marshawn Lynch, Porsha Williams, Ariel Winter, and more are required to live together in a base camp.
While tucked away in “another universe,” they are assigned missions around the compound. The attention–grabbing reality series is divided into rounds coordinated by the “Base Commander” and “Mission Specialist.” Following each space-themed task, the two leaders are forced to select two or three celebrities that fell short and weren’t “mission critical.” The group then collectively decides on a star to eliminate from Mars.
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“It was pretty crazy. I got the call to go to Mars 48 hours before I had to be on the plane,” Haibon told Celeb Secrets. “It was a whirlwind. I had to be willing to leave my toddler – that was definitely the most stressful thing and very nerve-wracking.”
In early 2022, Haibon and her husband, Jared Haibon, welcomed their first child – Dawson Demitri. The happy couple fell in love on Season 5 of Bachelor In Paradise. After Haibon popped the question in Sayulita, Mexico, they tied the knot in Rhode Island, where they currently reside.
Haibon mentioned that joining the jaw-dropping cast was a no-brainer and revealed that she was blown away by the state–of–the–art set.
“It looked like a huge blockbuster movie,” said the reality star about the high–budget set. “It was truly incredible. Then walking into that cast, I was a little bit starstruck. I got to know who the cast was prior to getting there, because it had already been announced. I was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to live with these people.’ I knew I had to take it.”
Haibon said the tension was high when she first joined. She came on the heels of a heated human rights debate between Armstrong and Winter. The controversy became the talk of the house, leaving several members to voice their concerns. Although the two placed their differences aside and completed the mission without a hiccup, Haibon declared that the energy was unsettling.
“It was a weird vibe, not the warm and fuzzy that I am used to with The Bachelor,” Haibon pointed out. “These people have already been socializing for over a week – They’re already friends. I felt really awkward when we first walked in.”
When it was time to tackle a mission, Haibon was pleasantly surprised by the teamwork displayed. Winter stepped in as Base Commander, making her the most powerful team member with decision-making capabilities.
“They truly cut off all their personal disagreements, and they just went into the mission and rocked it,” said Haibon about the previous drama between the A-listers. “It’s good TV because you’re like, ‘How is this going to work?’ It was hilarious being a newbie, listening to them try to figure out who’s being Base Commander and then taking it so darn seriously.”
Their impeccable work ethic was displayed during the latest episode (July 17), when the astronauts had to save their base camp from the harsh conditions of the red planet. A fictional meteorite shower created holes in the base camp, leaving the oxygen to leak out. While sporting proper gear, each celebrity had to plug the tears with their bodies.
Luckily, Haibon received the lowest and easiest hole. With her finger over the rip for nearly two hours, she kicked back and waited for the “endurance” mission to be over. Although she completed the task successfully, she was eliminated from the show.
“It would’ve been nice if nobody was eliminated, but I understand it had to happen,” she said. “I was the least mission critical, which I tell people. I tell people, ‘I’m coming home. I was the least mission-critical,’ and everybody cracks up.”
Although Haibon was sent back to earth, she did not hesitate to give the upcoming contestants advice.
“It’s obviously a silly concept. Have fun with it. Make sure you go into it knowing it’s like half personality and half physical. Anybody who’s relatively in shape and coordinated can do it,” she admitted. “I’ve got my mom muscles. I’m always moving around with that kid.”
Haibon was eliminated alongside Natasha Leggero, Tallulah Willis, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Richard Sherman. Stars on Mars airs every Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
