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On the reality show Stars on Mars , celebrities from different fields were placed in an environment simulating life on the red planet and had to complete challenges until only one famous astronaut remained. But despite the focus on their space missions, the participants also discussed life on Earth. Cyclist Lance Armstrong brought up the debate about transgender athletes competing in sports, a conversation that ultimately led him to leave the series early . Now his Stars on Mars castmate, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon , revealed that viewers didn't see how long Armstrong dragged out the heated discussion and that it made Rippon "extremely uncomfortable" about not dropping the topic.

Read on to see what Armstrong said to upset some of his co-stars and what Rippon claims didn't air.

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On the July 10 episode of Stars on Mars , Armstrong struck up a conversation with a professional wrestler Ronda Rousey about when he was asked about " transgender stuff in sports " as a guest on a podcast.

"You want to transition, let's do it. You have your own category. We're going to have a whole new division. We'll celebrate you like we celebrate everyone else. Let's do it," the 51-year-old cyclist said. Rousey, he said in the interview. He added, "What's unfair in that?"

At this point, the singer Tinashe approached his two co-stars and said, "To me, I think we just have to worry about whether you're altering people. It's not good for their mental health." Armstrong asked what “othering” meant, and she responded, “Kind of excluding them from the same spaces and places as everyone else.” »

"Actually, no, we're not excluding anyone," Armstrong said. "And by the way, I look like a crazy right-winger. I'm not. I'm the most liberal person, but from a sporting point of view..."

In her confessional, Tinashe said, "I wasn't really shocked to hear his opinions, but I didn't really think he should be the spokesperson."

modern family star Ariel Winter also spoke up during the conversation saying, “You ostracize people who don’t fit into categories. »

As they sat alone, Rippon told Winter that Armstrong's comments were "so disheartening." In his confessional, the skater said, "These comments here in this experience completely changed the energy and completely shifted the focus, and I will never forget them."

As reported Weekly Entertainment , The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams tried to discourage Armstrong to continue talking about the subject. “That’s not the conversation you need to be having here,” she said. “You’re not at your kitchen table.”

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Rippon ended up winning Stars on Mars ; Armstrong self-eliminated during episode 9, meaning he effectively came in eighth place. In an interview with Weekly Entertainment after the final on August 28, Rippon said the argument Armstrong started about transgender athletes lasted much longer than what was shown in the episode. For him, it ruined the whole experience. ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

“That’s when everything changed, when Lance voiced his opinion on trans athletes and sports,” Rippon said. "On the show it only lasts a few minutes, but in reality it was a long conversation and it really changed the focus. It completely changed my experience. It wasn't the same after that ."

Rippon said he and Armstrong talked about the topic alone for 15 or 20 minutes. "It just wouldn't end," said the 33-year-old. "Every time I say something, I sing, like it's over, let's stop. He couldn't let go. And that made me extremely uncomfortable."

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Rippon, who publicly came out as gay in 2015, said he felt compelled to respond to Armstrong's views.

"I wanted to be a representation of the LGBTQ+ community and that's when I wanted to say something, but I don't know everything about being a trans person," the skater said. "I know a lot of things that were said that weren't on the show were very transphobic and I'm glad trans people didn't have to watch what was said. It wasn't friendly and it was not good in any way.“

Rippon said Weekly Entertainment that Armstrong argued that more research needed to be done on transgender athletes participating in sports. In response, he said, "Obviously there's a perfectly legitimate conversation to be had, but if you want the research, if you want the studies, [trans athletes] need to be allowed in those spaces." Rippon added: "The person talking about this is the most recognized cheater in all of sport. So it's just not the right time, he's not the right person."

Armstrong was famous stripped of his seven Tour de France victories in 2012 and his bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in 2013 after discovering he had used performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

In June, Armstrong announced he was launching a special series on his podcast, The attacker , focused on transgender athletes. His first guest was Caitlyn Jenner , the Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete, who came out as transgender in 2015. Jenner is a controversial figure within the trans community and has spoke out against transgender women compete in women's sports.

Announcement of the podcast, Armstrong tweeted "Have we really arrived at a time and place where heated debates are not only frowned upon, but feared? Where people's greatest concern is being fired, humiliated or canceled? As someone all too familiar with this phenomenon, I feel uniquely positioned to have these conversations.

As noted THIS , cyclist Véronique Ivy , who is a trans woman, wrote a response to Armstrong for MSNBC. "No, being banned for doping with doping substances doesn't mean you know anything about the physiology of trans women or the level of hate we have to put up with," she said.

Rippon said THIS he wasn't surprised to hear about Armstrong's podcast. "It just made sense because he couldn't let go the moment it was happening," the sports star said. "Everyone was like, 'Stop talking, please stop talking about this. Let's just focus on the mission. We're filming a show here about simulating being on Mars, let's focus us only on that.' … He was obsessed with not being able to have the last word.”

Better life reached out to Armstrong to comment on Rippon's interview.