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There are a number of MTV shows that have come and gone over the years and seem to have completely faded from the public’s consciousness. But "MTV Cribs," which launched in 2000, isn’t one of them. The series ended in 2009, to return with new episodes in 2021. For those unfamiliar with it: "MTV Cribs" follows all kinds of celebrities as they give tours of their stunning homes while showing off their fleet of luxury cars and other items that most people can’t afford to buy.
But of all the expensive things shown in the series, which ones were among the most expensive? Now it’s almost impossible to know the exact dollar amount each celebrity paid for their item, so in some cases it was necessary to put together an estimate. However, some of the stars revealed how much their item was worth, and they seemed eager to do so. So let’s take a look at people from the world of television, music, movies and sports to see who bought what and how those items compared in terms of cost.
Master P added bling to his ceiling
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In 2000, Master P was one of the biggest rappers in the world. Along with the likes of Sean "Diddy" Combs and Bryan "Birdman" Williams, he was part of a new generation of hip-hop acts that were as famous for their business success as they were for their music. All three men own record labels and have been associated with opulence. As for P, he upheld this image in his "MTV Cribs" episode that aired in 2000, showing off the golden blankets he had in his Louisiana living room. And we’re not talking gold paint here, this was 14-karat gold.
And if P’s neck ever hurt from staring at the ceiling all the time, he could still look down because he had his record label logo in 24-karat gold on the floor. But after a little age and a lot of reflection, the "Make ‘Em Say Ugh" creator said he regrets the expensive ceiling decision. "Bringing gold blankets into my house, that wasn’t the smartest thing I ever did," he told Men’s Health in 2021. "This is a bad investment because if you move, you will never get the money out this house." No word on how much P paid for the blankets, but since it wasn’t the cheap gilded variety, we had to include it on this list.
Melissa Joan Hart has a thing for Picasso
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You could probably say it wasn’t just the shiny objects celebrities displayed that made "MTV Cribs" such a hit; the peek behind the gilded curtain gave viewers tiny glimpses into the stars’ lives. Like Melissa Joan Hart, who mentioned that she was "obsessed" with Pablo Picasso during her episode while showing some coffee table books by the late artist. Then Hart casually said she had "tons of Picasso stuff" just before the camera panned to one of his works. Well, it didn’t specify if it was an original piece by the legendary Spanish artist, but it was encased in glass and had a gallery placard underneath, leading us to believe it was the real thing.
Assuming it’s an original Picasso, there’s a wide range of what a person might pay if they wanted to own one. ARTnews shows, for example, that one piece fetched $63 million at auction in 2016. But Hart’s piece looked like a drawing or sketch, and according to Art Radar, those can be had for an average price of nearly 100.000 US dollars to be bought.
But that’s not all. In 2014, the veteran television actor shared on Twitter that she has "a few" of Picasso’s drawings. As in more than one. So who knows how much expensive art she’s sitting on.
John Travolta showed his passion for airplanes
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In case you haven’t noticed, most "MTV Cribs" episodes have more or less the same sequence of events. Double doors are ripped open by a young famous person, his or her friends are seen on a leather couch while the celebrity collapses where this expensive looking item was purchased. John Travolta, however, went a different route for his episode, showing off the Boeing 707 airplane he owns and pilots.
At the beginning of his segment, Travolta says, the plane initially held 180 people, but after renovations, it only held 34. That’s because the space had to be made up for the posh-looking bedroom and brightly lit bathroom, which features a "James Bondy 007" shower. " the actor said. There’s also a lounge area that looks more like the inside of a trendy downtown restaurant. "I have to pinch myself to believe it," Travolta explains. "It’s not just cool to have the plane, it’s the plane you grew up with, the plane you loved."
So if you happen to have a successful acting career like Travolta and want to buy your own Boeing airplane, Aero Corner says you can own one for a cool $10.5 million. Unfortunately, it’s not clear how much the "Pulp Fiction" star paid for his plane, but let’s all assume it cost more than any of those weird statues featured in many "Cribs" episodes.
50 Cent had a designer chandelier
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50 Cent’s "MTV Cribs" episode aired in 2007, and at that time he was about four years old to be a global rap star. In 2003, he bought Mike Tyson’s Connecticut home, a 56-room mansion for which he paid $4.1 million, according to CBS News. And in best Hugh Hefner fashion, 50 started his "Cribs" tour in his bathrobe and walked into the dining room. Immediately, he told the audience that he had never eaten in the room before and had no idea what it felt like to dine at the super-long table. But one thing he did know was the price of the chandelier that hung above it, which he seemed happy to share.
"See this little red button here?" asked Fifty. "This shows you that it is baccarat crystal. That’s exactly 80.000 dollars. I could have bought a BMW instead." Now, it’s true that 50 and other celebs featured more expensive items on the show, but any light fixture that costs as much as a luxury vehicle is worth a special mention … and, you know, nearly six figures.
Richard Branson bought an island
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Sometimes a celebrity’s digs are so stunning that no matter what item they show on their "MTV Cribs" episode, it doesn’t outshine the crib itself. That was the case when billionaire businessman Richard Branson showed one of his homes in 2005. a place called Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. That’s right, he owns the entire island, which others can rent, provided the high cost doesn’t give them sticker shock. According to CNN, in 1979, Branson paid 180.000 dollars for it could easily be considered a bargain (According to Saving’s inflation calculator.org, in 2022, that would be less than 700.000 US dollars, which is still a bargain An entire island.) Then, five years later, he opened it up to others.
But back to the entrepreneur’s "MTV Cribs" episode, because it’s certainly one for the books. According to the show, Branson paid $80 million to beautify the island after he bought it. The EP has a beautiful beach, a stunning rock pool as well as the various lounge areas. Who happened to hang out in one of those lounge episodes while the MTV cameras were present? None other than Mariah Carey, of course. And when it comes to the view, oh boy, it’s beautiful enough to make you hold your breath. So once again, the sheer magnificence and price of getting Necker Island together is a bigger deal than any single item Branson could have shown off.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. built a town on his property
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When race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. In 2008, welcoming viewers of "Cribs" to his North Carolina home, viewers were likely impressed that he had a colorful collection of Corvettes, his own gas station, as well as a fleet of go-karts he could race on his own dirt track. But none of that compared to Earnhardt Jr., who showed off his own town, which was on his property. And if that’s what you had in mind, you don’t need to rub your eyes or clean your glasses because you read that correctly. The guy has his own old-fashioned Western town that looks like it came out of a grainy black-and-white movie.
The town, which he named Whiskey River, has statues of cowboys and horses, as well as several buildings like a post office, church, barbershop and, of course, a saloon. Earnhardt Jr. decided to keep the cost to the city for himself, but according to Texas Monthly, country icon Willie Nelson paid 800.000 dollars for his own Old West set, which might give you an idea of how much Jr. issued. (And yes, Nelson has Earnhardt Jr. Actually inspired to build his own Wild West town.)
"I wanted a place where me and my friends could hang out, and I didn’t want to destroy my house," Earnhardt Jr said. To Mary Carillo on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.". "We would drink a lot of beer and hang out and have fun and stay up all night." con
Mariah Carey collects shoes and lingerie
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You could say Mariah Carey’s "MTV Cribs" episode is almost as popular as her many chart-topping singles. While showing off her New York City penthouse in 2005, she also delivered several wardrobe changes, took a dip in her bathtub, worked out in stilettos and more. Viewers also got a look at several presumably expensive items, and Carey’s huge shoe closet seemed to do most of the talking. In the episode, the "Emotions" actress did not come up with famous brands, but she did mention designer Diego Dolcini. Years later, Vogue reported that Carey owned shoes from Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Giuseppe Zanotti – so you know she’s not exactly throwing around loose change. "There was a time in my life when I only had one pair of shoes," Carey shared on "MTV Cribs". I saved these shoes, but I can’t find them now. … The girl who had one shoe now has many."
She also showed off her lingerie closet, which looks like another apartment. And just like her shoes, Carey didn’t talk about designers of bedroom clothes, but when she showed some on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2008, she talked about collecting lingerie instead of casually buying it. Of course, you don’t have to be a fashion expert to know that the value of Carey’s shoe and lingerie collection is high.
Carmelo and La La Anthony like old wine
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If you use the search engine Wine-Searcher.com, you would see that an unopened bottle of 1929 Chateau Latour would average 4.365 $ costs. But how much would a whole barrel of wine from the same year cost you? Ah, if only this question came up during Carmelo and La La Anthony’s episode of "MTV Cribs". When the two showed off their Denver mansion, they took the cameras to their wine cellar, where Carmelo pulled a bottle of 1929 Chateau Latour from his ceiling-high closet. "Melo is the family wine collector," explained La La. However, she didn’t know about the 1929 wine barrel they were showing off, and said her now ex-husband informed her about the year before the shooting. Carmelo then noted that the barrel is "very expensive" and "worth a lot, a lot of money. Lots of money." "Exactly," La La followed up, just to make the point.
Carmelo’s love for wine hasn’t, uh, waned. He has a podcast called What’s in Your Glass?"started, appeared on the cover of "Wine Spectator" and has taken steps to enter the world of winemaking.
Criss Angel has some really old handcuffs
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If you were a basketball enthusiast, owning a pair of sneakers that used to belong to Michael Jordan would be a colossal deal. And for a drummer, imagine if he could buy a kit that once belonged to someone like, say, The Who’s Keith Moon? Magician Criss Angel knows exactly how that feels. On his "MTV Cribs" episode, he showed off handcuffs that belonged to and were worn by Harry Houdini, arguably the most famous escape artist and magician of all time. Angel also revealed that he owned one of Houdini’s keys and a door knocker, all of which were in his 22.000 square foot house in Las Vegas were hung.
The auction site Nate D Sanders shows that a pair of Houdini cuffs once cost more than 25.000 dollars it cost, but did not specify how much more. As for Angel’s cuffs, it’s not clear how old they are, so they could have been sold for a much higher price. He also owns the key and the door knocker, which adds to the total value.
It goes without saying, but Houdini’s legacy means a lot to the illusionist. "It’s been over 80 years since his death on Halloween in 1926 and he’s still synonymous with magic, and that’s because he left such an impression on people," Angel told People in 2020. "He was provocative, he was larger than life , he was pop culture. I try to stay as relevant as Houdini did for his time and age."
Travis Barker owns high-priced art
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A whopping $105.4 million. That’s how much an original piece by Andy Warhol sold for in 2013, according to CNN. And while the late artist’s work varies in price, it’s likely that Blink-182’s Travis Barker paid a coin for his, though he didn’t confirm the amount. In a 2008 episode of "MTV Cribs," he showed off a piece of Warhol hanging on the wall of his Corona, California, home. "He was a freak and had a different approach to art that obviously everyone can respect," Barker said of the legendary artist. Standing in front of Warhol’s depiction of Dracula, he noted that there were only 30 in the entire world.
It looks like the veteran percussionist got hold of more than one Warhol. In July 2021, Us Weekly reported that his ex-wife Shanna Moakler was hardly eager to sell one he had given her as a gift. A source told the outlet that she wanted to get rid of anything that reminded her of her four-year marriage, and that Warhol paintings happened to fall under that umbrella. The tipster noted that she was also hoping to auction off both her engagement ring and wedding band. The former couple was married from 2004 to 2008 and have two children together.
Ludacris kept warm with fur
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Let’s go back to 2002, because that was the year Ludacris’ "MTV Cribs" episode aired. The radio personality turned rapper had two major-label records under his belt at the time, and he certainly seemed to be doing well. By "Cribs" standards, good ol’ Luda’s house didn’t match some of the castle-like structures seen in other episodes, but he did display one particular object that stood out: a Russian sable fur blanket.
"This is a real German shepherd," Ludacris joked before telling viewers what the blanket is really made of. "[Russian sable fur] is more priceless than mink," he explained. However, the website Master Furrier gives a more accurate figure for such an item, 64.521 U.S. dollars, which was determined after British pounds were converted to dollars. Of course, we’d have to take everyone into account episode of "MTV Cribs" and do some calculations to be sure, but it’s entirely possible that Ludacris had the most expensive blanket in the show’s history.
After his episode aired, the rapper became even more successful, appearing in films such as the "Fast& Furious" movies and "Crash" appeared. Plus, celebrity net worth shows Ludacris is worth $25 million. So if he chose, he could buy enough Russian sable fur blankets to keep him warm for the rest of his days.