Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Stars On Mars episode "Evil AI." Read at your own risk!
Stars On Mars has said goodbye to a lot of celebrities at this point, but some have been more shocking than others. Tom Schwartz's elimination was completely justified, for example, after his massive counting fail, and even in less extreme cases there was always some reason to vote someone out. It wasn't until recently we saw someone as "mission critical" to a successful operation as Ronda Rousey get sent packing, but there was a good explanation for doing so. So, what was the reason for losing one of the game's top competitors after a successful mission?
Ronda Rousey was thrilled to participate in Stars On Mars, and the competitor in her seemingly wanted to push on and make it to the end. She was in a good position to make it to the finale as well, but something outside of the game pulled her out of the running. Rousey realized she missed her eighteen-month-old daughter La'akea back home.
When it came to the Bottom Three, mission commander Andy Richter had to nominate three people. Rousey volunteered herself as the third option after Paul Pierce and Cat Cora were also nominated and encouraged her crew members to send her home. The intimidating but lovable former UFC champion-turned-WWE superstar was able to make a quick exit from there, but the ripple of her sudden departure will make some waves in the remaining episodes to come.
Ronda Rousey's Exit Kept Andy Richter's New Enemy In The Game
Andy Richter might've liked to know Ronda Rousey was leaving before he made his nominations for Bottom 3. The Stars On Mars newcomer made an enemy in Cat Cora after his decision to nominate her as one of the lowest-performing celebs. Cora was heated when Richter put her and fellow new addition Paul Pierce in the hot seat after their performance in the mission, which, as mentioned, was successful. Richter pointed out that the success of the mission meant he had to make the hard call to put someone up who contributed the least despite the success, and Cora and Pierce were the most obvious choices.
Cat Cora was in tears even after knowing she was in the clear, and it seemed clear she was not in a place to forgive Andy Richter. That may come back to bite him if she's left in charge of the next mission and wants to get a little vengeance on him. We'll see if the Stars On Mars celebrity gets a chance for that in the following episode on Fox or if you're streaming with your Hulu subscription.
Lance Armstrong Will Struggle Without Ronda Rousey
Lance Armstrong has been on the outs with many Stars On Mars celebrities following his comments made about trans athletes. Ronda Rousey's exit means he's down one more person who will regularly converse with him, which could further alienate him from the others as well. I had the sense that Armstrong nearly removed himself from the game in this episode, so I wouldn't be surprised if it happens before the season is up.
Ultimately, these are the two biggest takeaways from Ronda Rousey's exit from Stars On Mars. I do appreciate seeing another athlete leave, however, as it seemingly gives the less athletic celebrities a better shot at making it to the end. We'll see who stands tall in these remaining five episodes, which could be the most exciting we've seen yet, given this big shakeup.
Stars On Mars airs on Fox on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. There's still some time to catch up on this exciting series if before we reach the Season 1 finale in late August, so be sure to check it out if interested.
