How could you not love MTV Cribs? Celebrities welcoming us into their homes, or in some cases, a rented home that isn't actually theirs, and giving us a side of themselves we normally don't see. You could just see the show was going to be a hit when it premiered in September of 2000, and after 185 celebrities showed off their homes over the course of 13 seasons, it definitely gathered a following.
Yes, Cribs still exists, but it ended as we knew it in 2009, 10 years ago. Today it's a successful Snapchat Discover show, but it's not quite the same. Some of the cult following reckon it's time for a true Cribs TV reboot, but with today's celebrities. MTV could make a killing if they brought a bunch of our favorites like Rock N' Jock Basketball and Road Rules back, but let's start with Cribs.
Let's look back at some of the most unforgettable Cribs moments ever...
Ice T's Roof
Before Ice T, Cribs was showing off semi-normal houses. They were still bigger, celebrity houses with endless rooms and fancy decor, but when Ice T made showed us his luxurious Hollywood, he immediately raised the bar. Not only was the entertainment system just next-level, but when he showed us his indoor pool, he displayed a whole new type of opulence.
An indoor pool is already extraordinary enough, but then Ice T decided to open up the roof of his home, and turn his indoor swim into an outdoor pool party. I've wanted a pool with a retractable roof ever since.
Master P's Gold Ceiling
Master P's story is well-known at this point, he turned a record store and his story into a billion-dollar music empire. His episode of Cribs bore the fruits of that labor, including 14 carat gold ceilings.
Yes, P showed off some immaculate chandeliers, offset by actual gold in his ceiling. Can you imagine a life where you decide to decorate your house with gold? This is some Game of Thrones type stuff, and P did it almost 20 years ago.
50 Cent's Chandelier
By the time 50 Cent made his Cribs appearance, the show was a phenomenon, but 50 went to a whole new place with his massive 52 bedroom crib. 50's gigantic Connecticut estate required an entire episode to itself, and 50 did not disappoint. Not only was the house incredible, but 50 himself was hilarious, making this one of the greatest episodes of Cribs ever.
So what's the wildest part of a house that has it's own lake, club and a few dozen bathrooms? Well, according to the man himself it was the $80,000 Baccarat crystal chandelier he had in a dining room he'd never even eaten in. "I could have bought a BMW instead of that," 50 said with a laugh.
Redman Dollar Box
Redman's Staten Island home wasn't the fanciest house you've ever seen, but it might just be the most legendary. While most celebrities cleaned their homes up and got real fancy when MTV came over, Red' literally just hopped out of bed and started showing the cameras around. It was hysterical, from his friend asleep on the floor, to the random clutter in the house and of course the doorbell that was really just two wires you have to rub together.
The coolest part of Redman's crib was definitely his "Dollar Box," a Jordan box stuffed with random cash on the top of his refrigerator. I know I'm not alone when I say I'm thinking of installing a dollar box at home.
Melissa Joan Hart's Picassos
Lots of celebrities lucky enough to make it onto Cribs flex by showing off their favorite pieces of art. Sometimes, the artwork is just a portrait of them (vanity piece,) and other times it's an original above their bed. Well, Melissa Joan Hart had multiple Picassos in her room and acted like it was all no big deal. I had no idea those Sabrina the Teenage Witch checks were THAT large.
Richard Branson's Island
When billionaire Virgin Media founder Richard Branson decided to record an episode of Cribs, you just knew he was going to flex like nobody before him. He might have exceeded expectations when he invited MTV to his private island estate. Yup, dude's crib is an entire island.
MTV eventually voted the massive tropical estate their "Priciest Pad" and it's easy to see why. Imagine your boy calling you and telling you to come chill at his house and you find out it's an entire island you need to take a boat to get to. Well, that's Richard Branson's episode of Cribs.
Cash Money Jacuzzi
Cash Money Records name alone says their Cribs episode is going to be as crazy as any others and they did not disappoint. Not only did they have a parking lot full of rides and a gigantic mansion, but they might have had the most unsafe and curious jacuzzi placement of all-time.
The crew decided to put a jacuzzi right in the middle of their living room, something that amused a young Lil Wayne to no end. Never mind that this miniature swimming pool was within feet of a TV, and everybody was one splash fight away from getting electrocuted, just imagine the parties you could have with that set up.
Fat Joe's Sneakers
Fat Joe showed us a garden variety of amenities you'd come to expect from a wealthy rapper on Cribs. He had the pool, the master bedroom "where the magic happens" and of course the refrigerator, but it was his very own sneaker room where the real magic happened.
Joe is a well-known sneaker connoisseur, so it wasn't really a surprise to see him with a nice collection of Jordans and Nikes, but it was when he decided to LICK the bottom of his shoes to show everybody that they were brand new and unworn that this episode officially gained iconic status. All these years later, sneakerheads are still licking their shoes as a flex and it's all thanks to Fat Joe on Cribs.
Naomi Campbell's Forest
I'm not exactly sure where I expected Naomi Campbell to live, but an ocean-side villa in Jamaica sounds just about right for a supermodel, I mean I wouldn't complain. The tranquil and mostly modest estate is what she called "The Ian Fleming property," because that's where the author wrote all of the James Bond books.
Along with a bunch of bars and some amazing views, the villa is situated alongside it's very own forest, and thanks to Naomi's dad all of the guests that visit plant their own trees there so they leave something as a memory of their visit.
Ja Rule's Fake Crib
Ja Rule's appearance on Cribs ended up being very controversial years later, as the owner of the home sued MTV and Ja for illegally filming inside the home. Now, Ja did admit on his episode the home was rented just for the party he threw, so that wasn't much of a surprise, but all of the star-studded guests who popped up were.
Not only did Jay Z arrive to the party on a yacht, but Ja's Fast and the Furious co-stars Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel made appearances as well. Nice cars and a pool are cool, but super famous friends? That's the ultimate flex.
Mariah Carey's VersaClimber
When Mariah Carey showed off her New York penthouse, she had a few outfit changes, took a dip in her Jacuzzi and showed us one of the most ridiculous closets you'll ever witness, a crib fit for a proper Diva.
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It was in her own personal gym that things got interesting, because Mariah decided to get in a quick workout in, wearing a nice dress and some very expensive heels. Undeterred, Mariah got in some reps on a VersaClimber, in her heels, before hopping off to continue showing off the rest of her fabulous home, as you do.
Tony Hawk's Skateboard
Tony Hawk is a legend, so it's only right he appeared on Cribs three separate times. Yeah, the originator of the 900 showed off three houses on the show, and it was at his Colorado vacation home where he unveiled to us his first ever skateboard. If that thing ever hit eBay, it would fetch quite the fortune, but Tony keeps it on a shelf at some home he probably visits twice a year.
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According to Tony, his brother gave it to him when he was 9 years old, and that makes it so ancient he calls it an "artifact." It's not everyday you can visit someone's house and see a priceless artifact of history on a shelf, but Tony's vacation crib has just that.
Lil Wayne's Jewelry
Lil Wayne made another appearance on Cribs all by his lonesome, showing off his somewhat modest New Orleans home. He showed his daughter's room, his Scarface couch and did the refrigerator thing like everybody else, but it was his outlandish bedroom that stole the spotlight here.
Wayne was quick to remind us he was the originator of the term "Bling Bling," and he showed just why when he flashed his collection of jewelry on his nightstand. The mountain of diamonds and gold was the type of thing you'd see in a royal palace, not in Lil Wayne's master bedroom.
T-Pain's Arcade
T-Pain's Atlanta estate looks almost normal on the outside, if not for the gigantic truck and Lamborghini he displays to start the episode. The crib was luxurious though, and his whole family got some of the spotlight while he toured the home.
There were Grammy awards, personal chefs, humongous TVs and all of the amazing stuff you'd expect to see in T-Pain's house. He even had a secret door that opened up to a whole new portion of the house, a studio, a club with a fiber optic stripper pole, but it was the arcade that really stood out. Pain's arcade wasn't just a few games, it was a little gamer's paradise so big you'd get lost.
Kim Kardashian's Closet
Kim Kardashian's Cribs segment (at her mom Kris' home) was everything you thought it would be. She proclaimed herself a princess, showed off a stripper pole in her room and proudly declared "I love clothes." Things haven't changed that much since.
It was in her immaculate closet where she made that declaration and showed off enough Louis Vuitton to make her own store, including a rare green bag she was especially proud of. On top of that she had tons of priceless clothing that she's definitely only worn once, making this an episode to remember.
Destiny's Child's Missing Room
The Destiny's Child episode of Cribs is jarring. Not because it's bad or anything, but mostly because it's amazing to see Beyonce be a goofball. But if you pay close attention you start to notice that not everybody in the group lives there, and it becomes clear that Michelle Williams is giving a tour of a home she doesn't actually have a room in.
Yes, the house is clearly the Knowles family home, and since Kelly is family she has a room as well. That's fine, I'm guessing Michelle enjoys her own personal space, but it does make for awkward viewing.
Shaggy's Platinum Plaque
Shaggy's 4-bedroom home is about as modest as you could expect from an ultra successful musician like himself. Sure, it's immaculately decorated, and it has all the extra features you'd expect from a lavish crib, but it doesn't reach MTV Cribs status until we're invited downstairs into his "dungeon."
It's there where Shaggy pulls out the big guns, including his diamond plaque for selling over 10 million copies of an album or song. He's quick to remind us that it ain't platinum and it ain't gold, and honestly I don't blame him. If I had a diamond plaque I'd be wearing it around my neck at all times.
Floyd Mayweather's Money
Floyd's massive Las Vegas mansion has a huge pool, a closet so large it has several isles, 30-foot ceilings and all the makings of the digs for a man who calls himself Money. Of course he shows off a few cars worth a couple hundred thousand dollars, maybe a couple million-dollar watches all with extra custom features to make them unique to Floyd.
But it's when he says goodbye that things get crazy, because Floyd doesn't kick MTV out, he welcomes them back into his home and showers them with money. Yup, Floyd made it rain on his Cribs episode, letting you know that his nickname is actually his reality as well. Today, Floyd is stil rockin' that the same Money attitude.
Rick Ross' Escalade Maybach
Yeah, you read that right, Rick Ross has an Escalade Maybach. Rozay got his escalade customized to feature Mercedes Maybach seating in the back, including two reclining seats and a few TV's so he can relax in luxury, even when he takes his truck out.
I don't know if this is the only Escalade Maybach in the world, and this was a few years ago, but I'm certain it's the only one I've ever seen. I didn't even know you could mix and match two cars up like that, but Ross did it over 10 years ago so he was clearly ahead of his time.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's' Town
It's one thing to have a few extensions built on your home, or you know, maybe even a guest house. Well, Dale Earnhardt Jr went an extra mile, quite literally. On his sprawling, 200-acre estate in North Carolina, Dale installed an entire town. Not just any town either, but a massive, old Western-style town. It came complete with a barber shop, a bank, a post office, a general store, a sheriff's office, a church with a 75-foot steeple and of course, a saloon.
This episode aired back when Dale was a bachelor, so it was full of women, and clearly this is where he did his partying, and if anybody got rowdy he had a jail in the town, just in case.