Stars on Mars: The Reality Show Where Celebrities Go to Space Camp

Premiering on Fox on June 5, Stars on Mars is a reality show where 12 celebrities compete to see who is the strongest, bravest, brightest, and most competent crew member while pretending to be on Mars for 24 days. The celeb cast features various well-known names, with Marshawn Lynch stealing the show with his pure commentary gold. Lynch, who arrives on a Mars rover with former Seahawks teammate Richard Sherman, is always ready to hit a comedic beat and never fails to make the audience laugh.

The show follows the standard format of a meet-and-greet reality show, with each celebrity introduced as they arrive at the base and try to get used to the new surroundings and the HAL 9000-like “AI” that hosts them. While some of the celebrities express their thoughts about the show during talking-head interviews, Lynch delivers pure gold every time he appears on screen. In his segments, he highlights the nasty sleeping arrangements on Mars, volunteers to be the base commander and rescue the stranded 12th mate – who could be Beyoncé – and passes out in his private commander’s quarters.

Lynch has always had a knack for working the spotlight in his favor, with impressive performances on Murderville, Westworld, and The League, as well as a guest appearance on a Bear Grylls show. Whether he’s ragging on Lance Armstrong for not being a real athlete or making fellow Mars mate Natasha Leggero wonder how she’s supposed to be Mars’ resident comedian with him around, Lynch never fails to leave a lasting impression.

While Stars on Mars is a typical reality show with C-tier competition show thrills, it has the production values of the escape room of your dreams. The challenges are rather straightforward, and the celebrities pretend to be astronauts facing the “real” challenges of being on Mars. However, the show’s real test will be whether the challenges and celebrities manage to stand out as the herd gets thinned.

Whoever wins this space camp reality show competition is ultimately irrelevant. The true star of Stars on Mars is Marshawn Lynch, who manages to shine brighter than the rest with his charismatic personality and humorous commentary. Don’t miss out on the new episodes of Stars on Mars that air on Fox on Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT.

Image: Illfonic/Sony Interactive Entertainment