# Mari Takahashi
**Mari Takahashi** (高橋 茉莉子; born 1984) is a Japanese-American YouTuber, actor, host, and former professional ballerina, known online as AtomicMari. She spent ten years with the comedy channel Smosh, where she co-founded the gaming channel [Smosh Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/smosh-games), and later competed on the 33rd season of the American reality series *Survivor*.[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi) • [2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Mariko "Mari" Takahashi, born 1984 in California[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi) |
| Smosh tenure | About ten years; creator and host of Smosh Pit Weekly, co-founder of Smosh Games, departed in early 2020[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4506750/) |
| Awards | One Webby Award and two Streamy Awards during her Smosh tenure[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4506750/) |
| Signature shows | Maricraft (47 million+ views), Smosh Pit Weekly (120 million+ views), Operation: Open World[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4506750/) |
| Survivor | Contestant on *Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X* (2016), finished 19th of 20, voted out on day 7[4](https://survivor.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi) |
| Training | Conservatory graduate of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute; BA in Performing Arts, St. Mary's College of California[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4506750/) |
| Advocacy | Co-owner of Spacestation Gaming; annual congressional lobbying for NASA funding alongside Bill Nye[2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about) |
## Ballet and training
Takahashi trained and worked as a professional ballerina for about 25 years before moving into online video. In her *Survivor* contestant profile she described summiting [Mount Kilimanjaro](https://www.edgepedia.org/mount-kilimanjaro) as marking her transition from "the ballet world I dedicated 25 years to" into an entertainment career built around video games.[4](https://survivor.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi) The Ayako School of Ballet, where she trained, lists her as a former principal dancer with Oakland Ballet, Moving Arts Dance Company, and Peninsula Ballet Theatre, with additional performances for Diablo Ballet and industrial credits including [Siegfried & Roy](https://www.edgepedia.org/siegfried-and-roy)'s *Voice of Magic* and Fox Television's *So You Think You Can Dance*.[5](https://www.ayakoschool.com/alumni_staff/mariko-takahashi/)
She later added formal acting training, graduating from the conservatory program of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute and earning a [Bachelor of Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-arts) in Performing Arts from St. Mary's College of California; she has continued voice-acting study at The Voice Actors Studio.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4506750/) • [2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about)
## Smosh and Smosh Games
Takahashi joined the Smosh channel around 2010 and became its first female member. Her first appearance was in the *Ian is Bored* episode "Worst Audition Ever!", in which she demonstrated her flexibility by doing the splits while standing.[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi) She created and hosted *Smosh Pit Weekly* for its original run and for the first four months of its 2017 revival, and although she rarely appeared in main-channel videos, fan sources describe her as the third most recognized Smosh member after founders [Ian Hecox](https://www.edgepedia.org/ian-hecox) and [Anthony Padilla](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-padilla) until the main cast expanded.[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi)
**Smosh Games.** In 2012 she co-founded the gaming channel Smosh Games, a joint venture between Smosh and ClevverGames under then-common owner Alloy Digital. She hosted her own series on the channel, including *Super Mari Fun Time* and *Maricraft*, and appeared in *Smosh Game Bang* and *Gamer Nation*.[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi) Smosh Games won "Best Gaming Channel" at the [Streamy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/streamy-awards) in 2014 and 2017, and by the later date had about 7.1 million subscribers.[6](https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/how-this-former-ballerina-became-a-top-host-and-producer-at/308981)
Across her decade with Smosh she won a Webby Award and two Streamy Awards, executive produced shows including *Smosh Pit Weekly*, *Maricraft*, and *Operation: Open World*, and her associated content accumulated more than two billion YouTube views according to her own biography.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4506750/) • [2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about) She left Smosh in early 2020 to pursue a solo career.[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi)
## Survivor
In 2016 Takahashi competed on *Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X*, the 33rd season of the CBS series, as a member of the Vanua ([Millennials](https://www.edgepedia.org/millennials)) tribe, listed as a professional gamer.[4](https://survivor.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi) She positioned herself well within the tribe but was blindsided at its first Tribal Council after misjudging the vote: she had targeted Figgy Figueroa, but other tribemates saw her as a strategic threat and eliminated her in a 7-3 vote on day 7, placing 19th of 20.[4](https://survivor.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi)
## Acting, hosting, and solo work
After leaving Smosh, Takahashi built an acting and hosting portfolio bridging digital and traditional media. She played Pepper Yamane in the Emmy-winning series *Artificial* and has appeared in *Action! Action!* and various short films; her commercial credits include Verizon, Ericsson, McDonald's, and Lacoste.[2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about) Her hosting clients have included Netflix, Polygon, Paramount, Google, Comic-Con, FailArmy, and PopSci, and she competed on [Disney XD](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-xd)'s *Clash of Karts* in addition to *Survivor*.[2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about) She hosts the series *50 vs. 50* on FailArmy's free ad-supported television networks.[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi)
She runs her own YouTube channel, AtomicMari, for storytelling and filmmaking projects, and founded the production company Rebel Atom, which has produced original narrative short films and commercial campaigns.[2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4506750/) In 2020 she also moved to Las Vegas and became a co-owner of the esports organization Spacestation Gaming, which she has described as a place for candid community conversation on topics from mental health to violence against Asians.[7](https://bleedingcool.com/games/interview-spacestation-gaming-co-owner-mari-takahashi/)
## Advocacy
Takahashi describes herself as an advocate for Asian American and [Pacific Islander](https://www.edgepedia.org/pacific-islander) communities, women in STEM, and space exploration. For four consecutive years she traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress alongside science educator [Bill Nye](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-nye) for government funding of NASA, and she is an active member of [The Planetary Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-planetary-society).[2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about) She has spoken on STEM panels with the Ad Council, the ESA, and McDonald's Education Workshop, and her Twitch community has raised over $25,000 for organizations including Girls Who Code, AbleGamers, Stand Up To Cancer, and the Aldrin Foundation.[2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about)
She has framed her unconventional path, from ballet to gaming content to space advocacy, as a deliberate example for young women, saying she hopes it will "encourage young women to go after their dreams, push boundaries, and disrupt the status quo."[2](https://www.atomicmari.com/about)
## Personal life
Takahashi married Peter Kitch in 2018 in a traditional Japanese ceremony held in Japan.[1](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi)
## References
1. [Mari Takahashi, Smosh Wiki (Fandom)](https://smosh.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi)
2. [About, AtomicMari Takahashi (official site)](https://www.atomicmari.com/about)
3. [Mari Takahashi, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4506750/)
4. [Mari Takahashi, Survivor Wiki (Fandom)](https://survivor.fandom.com/wiki/Mari_Takahashi)
5. [Mariko Takahashi, Ayako School of Ballet alumni page](https://www.ayakoschool.com/alumni_staff/mariko-takahashi/)
6. [How This Former Ballerina Became a Top Host and Producer at Leading YouTube Brand Smosh, Entrepreneur](https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/how-this-former-ballerina-became-a-top-host-and-producer-at/308981)
7. [Interview: Spacestation Gaming Co-Owner Mari Takahashi, Bleeding Cool](https://bleedingcool.com/games/interview-spacestation-gaming-co-owner-mari-takahashi/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Online creators and internet personalities › Gaming content creators*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license