The Most Expensive Things Ever Shown On MTV Cribs
There are a bunch of MTV shows that have come and gone over the years and have seemingly disappeared from the public's consciousness entirely. But "MTV Cribs," which started in 2000, isn't one of them. The series ended in 2009, only to return in 2021 with new episodes. For those not familiar with it, "MTV Cribs" follows all kinds of celebrities as they give tours of their mind-blowing homes while showing off their fleet of luxury cars and other items most people can't afford.
But out of all the expensive things shown on the series, which were among the priciest? Now, it's nearly impossible to know the exact dollar amount each celeb paid for their item, so in some cases putting together a guestimate was necessary. However, some of the stars revealed just how much their item is worth and they seemed eager to do so. So, let's take a look at people from the world of TV, music, film, and sports to see who bought what, and how those items compared to each other in terms of cost.
Master P put bling on his ceiling
In the year 2000, Master P was one of the biggest rappers in the world. Along with people like Sean "Diddy" Combs and Bryan "Birdman" Williams, he was part of a new breed of hip-hop acts, ones that were just as famous for their business success as their music. All three men own record labels and have been associated with opulence. As for P, he kept that image going in his "MTV Cribs" episode, which aired in 2000, by showing the gold ceilings that he had in his Louisiana living room. And we're not talking gold paint here, this was 14-karat gold.
Plus, if P's neck ever started hurting from constantly looking at the ceiling, he could always gaze downward because he had his record label logo on the floor in 24-karat gold. But after a little age and a lot of reflection, the "Make 'Em Say Ugh" creator said he regretted the pricey ceiling decision. "Putting gold ceilings in my house, that wasn't the smartest thing that I've ever done," he told Men's Health in 2021. "That's a bad investment 'cause when you move, you'll never get the money out of that house." No word on how much P paid for the ceilings but since it wasn't the inexpensive gold plated variety, we had to include it on this list.
Melissa Joan Hart is into Picasso
One could probably say that it wasn't just the shiny items that celebrities have shown 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 of the late artist. Then casually, Hart said she has "tons of Picasso stuff," right before the camera panned to one of his works. Now, she didn't specify whether it's an original piece by the legendary Spanish artist, but it certainly appeared to be, since it was clearly torn from a spiral-bound sketchbook.
So, assuming it is an original Picasso, there's a wide range of what a person could pay if they wanted to own one. ARTnews, for example, shows that one piece went for $63 million in a 2016 auction. But Hart's piece looked like a drawing or sketch, and according to Art Radar, those can be bought for an average price of nearly $100,000.
Oh, but that's not all. In 2014, the veteran TV actor shared on Twitter that she has "a few" of Picasso's drawings. As in, more than one. So who knows how much pricey art she's sitting on.
John Travolta showed his passion for planes
If you haven't noticed, most "MTV Cribs" episodes have more or less the same flow. Double doors get flung open by a young famous person, his or her friends are seen lounging on a leather couch, while the celeb breaks down where that expensive looking item was bought. John Travolta, however, went another route for his episode and showed off his Boeing 707 airplane, which he owns and pilots.
At the start of his segment, Travolta says the plane initially held 180 people but after renovations it only held 34. That's because the room had to be made for the plush looking bedroom and brightly lit bathroom that's complete with a "James Bondy 007 shower," according to the actor. There's also a lounge area that looks more like the inside of a trendy downtown eatery. "I have to pinch myself to believe it," explains Travolta. "It's not just having the plane that's cool, it's having the plane that you grew up with, that you loved."
So if you happen to have a successful acting career like Travolta and want to buy your own Boeing aircraft, 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 airplane, but let us all assume it cost more than any of those odd statues that appear in many "Cribs" episodes.
50 Cent had a designer chandelier
50 Cent's "MTV Cribs" episode aired in 2007, and by that time he was about four years into being a global rap star. In 2003, he bought Mike Tyson's Connecticut home, a 56-room mansion that he paid $4.1 million for, according to CBS News. And doing his best Hugh Hefner impression, 50 started his "Cribs" tour in a bathrobe and headed to the dining room. Right away, he told viewers that he's never eaten in that room before and had no idea how it felt to dine at the super long table. But one thing he did know was the price of the chandelier that hung over it, which he seemed happy to share.
"See this little red button right here?" asked Fifty. "This indicates to you this is Baccarat crystal. That's $80,000 right there. I could've bought a BMW instead of that." Now, it's true that 50 and other celebs showed more expensive items on the show, but any light fixture that costs the same as a luxury vehicle is worth a special mention... and, you know, nearly six figures.
Richard Branson purchased an island
Sometimes a celebrity's digs are so breathtaking, that regardless of what item they show in 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, located in the British Virgin Islands. That's right, he owns the entire island, which others can rent assuming the high cost doesn't give them sticker shock. Per CNN, Branson paid $180,000 for it in 1979, which could easily be considered a steal. (According to Saving.org's inflation calculator, that'd be under $700,000 in 2022, which is still a steal for a whole island.) Then five years later, he opened it to others.
But let's get 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 spruce up the island after he bought it. The ep features a gorgeous beach, a stunning rock pool, as well the various lounging areas. Who happened to be hanging out in one of those lounging episode while the MTV cameras were present? None other than Mariah Carey, of course. And when it comes to the vistas, oh boy, they're beautiful enough to suspend one's breathing. So again, the sheer magnificence and price of getting Necker Island together is a bigger deal than any single item that Branson could've shown.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a town on his property
When race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. welcomed "Cribs" viewers into his North Carolina home in 2008, viewers were probably impressed that he had a colorful collection of Corvettes, his very own gas station, as well as a fleet of go-karts that he could race on his own dirt track. But none of those things compared to Earnhardt Jr. showing off his own town that sat on his property. And in case you were planning to do so, there's no 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 film.
The town, which he named Whisky River, has statues of cowboys and horses, as well as several buildings like a post office, a church, a barbershop, and, of course, a saloon. Earnhardt Jr. chose to keep the cost of the town to himself, but according to Texas Monthly, country icon Willie Nelson paid $800,000 for his own Old West set, so that might give some idea of how much Jr. forked over. (And yes, Nelson did indeed inspire Earnhardt Jr. to create his very own Wild West town.)
"I wanted a place for me and my friends to hang out and I didn't want to destroy my house," Earnhardt Jr. told 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." Giddy-up.
Mariah Carey collects shoes and lingerie
One might say that 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 multiple wardrobe changes, took a dip in her bathtub, worked out in stilettos, and more. Viewers also got a glimpse of several presumably pricey items, and Carey's massive shoe closet seemed to generate the most talk. In the episode, the "Emotions" performer didn't get into name brands but she did mention the designer Diego Dolcini. Years later, Vogue reported Carey owned shoes from Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, and Giuseppe Zanotti — so you know, she's not exactly throwing around chump change. "There was a time in my life when I only had one pair of shoes," Carey shared on "MTV Cribs." I saved those shoes but I can't find them now. ... The girl who had one shoe now has many."
She showed off her lingerie closet as well, which looks like another apartment. And just like her shoes, Carey didn't talk about designers of the bedroom attire, but while showing some on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2008, she talked about collecting lingerie, as opposed to buying it casually. Clearly, one doesn't have to be a fashion expert to know that the value of Carey's shoe and lingerie collection is up there.
Carmelo and La La Anthony like old wine
If you were to use the search engine Wine-Searcher.com, you would see that an unopened bottle of 1929 Chateau Latour runs $4,365 on average. But how much would a whole barrel of wine from that same year set you back? Ah, if only that 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 out a bottle of Igneous from his ceiling-to-floor cabinet. "Melo is the wine collector of the family," La La explained. However, she didn't know about the 1929 barrel of wine that they showed off, saying that her now ex-husband informed her of the year before filming. Carmelo then noted that the barrel is "Very expensive" and "worth a lot, a lot of bucks. Big bucks." "Exactly," La La followed, just to drive the point home.
Carmelo's love of wine has not wined, er, waned. He's launched a podcast called "What's in Your Glass?", appeared on the cover of Wine Spectator, and has made moves to get into the world of winemaking.
Criss Angel has some really old handcuffs
If one were a basketball enthusiast, possessing a pair of sneakers formerly owned by Michael Jordan would be a colossal-sized deal. And for a drummer, just imagine if they were able to buy a kit that once belonged to someone like, say, The Who's Keith Moon? Magician Criss Angel sure knows what that feels like. On his "MTV Cribs" episode, he showed handcuffs that were owned and 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 was hung up in his 22,000-square foot Las Vegas home.
The auction site Nate D Sanders shows that one pair of Houdini cuffs once went for more than $25,000 but didn't specify how much more. As for Angel's cuffs, it's not clear how old they are so they might've sold for a much higher price. Plus, he owns the key and door knocker, which adds even more overall value.
It goes without saying, but Houdini's legacy means a lot to the illusionist. "It's been like 80 plus 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 remain relevant as Houdini did for his day and age."
Travis Barker possesses some high priced art
A whopping $105.4 million. That's how much an original Andy Warhol piece sold for in 2013, according to CNN. And although the late artist's work varies in price, it's likely that Blink-182's Travis Barker paid a mint for his, although he didn't confirm the amount. In a 2008 episode of "MTV Cribs," he showed off a Warhol piece that sat on the wall of his Corona, California, home. "He was a freak and he had a different approach to art, which obviously everyone can respect," Barker said of the legendary artist. Standing in front of Warhol's rendering of Dracula, he noted that there were only 30 proofs in the entire world.
It looks like the veteran percussionist has scooped up more than one Warhol. In July 2021, Us Weekly reported that his ex-wife Shanna Moakler was raring to sell one that he gifted her. A source told the outlet that she wanted to get rid of everything that reminded her of their four-year marriage, and that Warhol painting happened to fall under that umbrella. The tipster noted that she also hoped to auction off both her engagement ring and wedding ring. The former couple were married from 2004 to 2008 and have two children together.
Ludacris kept warm with fur
Let's take it all the way back to 2002, for that was the year Ludacris' "MTV Cribs" episode aired. The radio personality turned rapper had two major label records under his belt at that point, and he sure seemed to be doing well for himself. Now by "Cribs" standards, good old Luda's house didn't measure up to some of the castle-like structures that were seen in other episodes, but he showed one particular item that stood out: a Russian sable fur blanket.
"This right here is genuine German Shepherd," joked Ludacris, before telling viewers what the blanket is really made of. "[Russian sable fur] is more priceless than mink," he stated. However, the site Master Furrier gives a more specific number for such an item, which is $64,521, which was determined after converting British pounds to dollars. Of course, we'd have to consider every episode of "MTV Cribs" and do some figuring to be sure, but it's quite possible that Ludacris had the priciest blanket in the show's history.
After his episode aired, the rapper became even more successful since he appeared in movies like the "Fast & Furious" films and "Crash." Plus, Celebrity Net Worth shows that 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.