Drug cheater Lance Armstrong appears in new reality series Stars on Mars funded with Australian tax dollars – as local government admits to being ‘unaware’ of his participation
Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong recently headed to Australia to star in a new reality series called Stars on Mars.
The drug cheat, 51, is a contestant on the American reality show in which a group of American celebrities compete in a landscape designed to mimic the arid plains of Mars.
The series was filmed in the South Australian opal mining town of Coober Pedy and was funded in part by Australian tax dollars through the federal government’s location incentive.
This has recently been admitted to the South Australian Film Corporation, a government organization that finances local film productions 7News it was “unaware” that Armstrong would be appearing on the show.
Hosted by legendary Star Trek actor William Shatner, 92, Stars on Mars features a bevy of American stars, including wrestler Ronda Rousey, 36, and Modern Family star Ariel Winter, 25.
Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong (pictured) recently headed to Australia to star in a gripping new reality series called Stars on Mars
“It’s the most realistic simulation of a celebrity Mars colony ever made,” Shatner says in a trailer.
Seven-time Tour De France champion Armstrong was stripped of his titles in October 2012 after a lengthy investigation.
The American doping cheater finally admitted in 2013 that he had used performance-enhancing drugs for most of his career in an infamous interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
He was the only cyclist ever to win seven consecutive titles between 1999 and 2005 that now have no official winner after the doping revelations.
The series was filmed in the South Australian opal mining town of Coober Pedy and was funded in part by Australian tax dollars through the federal government’s location incentive. In the photo: host William Shatner
The South Australian Film Corporation, a government organization that funds local film productions, recently admitted to 7News that it “didn’t know” Armstrong would appear on the show. Pictured: Armstrong celebrates after winning the Tour de France in 2002. He was subsequently stripped of the title
Armstrong and his co-stars will be guided by Shatner in Mission Control, who will have them take part in a series of challenging tasks across the barren landscape.
Celebrities are eliminated one by one as the challenges get tougher, with only one winning the title of ‘brightest star in the galaxy’.
The series has already broken the record for the most expensive unscripted production ever filmed in SA and has created more than 250 jobs for the local population.
Hosted by legendary Star Trek actor William Shatner, 92, the series features a bevy of American stars, including wrestler Ronda Rousey, 36, and Modern Family star Ariel Winter, 25.
While Stars on Mars is the largest production shot in SA, it’s by no means the first with some of Hollywood’s classic cult films filmed there.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Pitch Black, and The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert all had sets in Coober Pedy.
Stars on Mars premieres on Fox in the US on Monday, June 5 – an Australian broadcaster has yet to be confirmed.
It features a bevy of American stars, including wrestler Ronda Rousey (pictured)