When good TV goes bad: how Blue’s Antony Costa closed the door on MTV Cribs

Once an insight into Mariah and Missy’s mansions, the show soon turned into tours of four-bed semis, complete with Spurs posters on the bedroom door

Think back to the innocent times of the early 00s. Back then, Snapchat and Instagram Stories didn’t exist, so the only way that celebs could display the ostentatious and tacky ways they’d decided to decorate their million-dollar mansions was to invite a camera crew from MTV Cribs into their homes.

And it was fascinating. It didn’t matter that every week the episode played out in exactly the same format: a suspiciously tidy fridge; A-list mates coincidentally hanging around; musical instruments placed strategically around the house so the celeb could pick them up for an “impromptu” jam; the “hilarious” part at the end where the star throws the film-makers off the property. Viewers just couldn’t get enough of the formula. Because, back then, it was the only way to see how stars really lived.

MTV somehow managed to get huge names to give what was essentially a guided tour of their property to potential burglars every single week. Missy Elliott slept in a race-car bed. Fat Joe licked the bottom of his trainers to prove he only ever wore them once. Beyoncé gave us a tour of her Arabian Nights-themed bedroom (“with these really cool clouds painted on the ceiling!”) and revealed that little sister Solange lived in the garage. And Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains told us he slaughtered his own cows and stored the meat in a huge fridge that stood right in the middle of his living room. Week after week, everyone would open the bedroom door and say: “This is where the magic happens!” The biggest names in music and celebrity let cameras on to their properties and MTV edited this unparalleled access down to a snappy seven minutes.

The most iconic episode was the hour-long special tour of Mariah Carey’s New York apartment in 2002. You know the one: Mariah goes on the treadmill in her home gym in heels. She refuses to show the camera crew a piano once owned by Marilyn Monroe and won’t explain why. She shows off her spare bedroom, which is literally covered in butterfly print, from the bed to the walls to the curtains. And then she gets in the bath in front of the camera crew, wrapped in a towel. The show is the most rewatched and replayed episode ever, according to MTV.

Then it started going downhill. They ran out of amazing mansions. Steve-O from Jackass’s house looked worse than a student flat – it was covered in beer cans and he slept on a mattress on the floor. A-list names and celebs struggled to live up to the hype. The rapper 50 Cent had to admit he didn’t actually own the three Ferraris on his drive; he’d just rented them. JoJo revealed the suspiciously empty house she’d taken cameras around was actually her uncle’s holiday house. Robbie Williams pretended he lived in Jane Seymour’s mansion. The true rock bottom, however, was when Blue appeared on the show and Antony Costa sheepishly showed the crew around his mum and dad’s four-bed semi, complete with Spurs posters Blu-Tacked to the bedroom door. It was over. We’d seen behind the curtain and it was a bit too real. Blue: you ruined this for everyone.

Contributor

Issy Sampson

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
Beyoncé: 10 of the best deep cuts, rarities and Bey-sides
As the superstar returns to the UK, here’s a sample of her lesser-known hits, featuring Solange and Dixie Chicks – plus how Lemonade changed the game

Claudia Rankine and Sam Wolfson

16, Jun, 2018 @9:00 AM

Article image
Arthur Jafa: the go-to video artist for Jay Z and the Knowles sisters
You may not know the name, but you’ll recognise his work with Beyoncé. Now, thanks to a new London show, his ‘radical’ art is getting the exposure it deserves

Lauren Cochrane

13, Jun, 2017 @8:00 AM

Article image
When good TV goes bad: when Hannibal started to chew the scenery
Bryan Fuller’s adaptation of Thomas Harris’s novels was gruesome, smart, sexy, terrifying and brilliant. Until Eddie Izzard turned the silliness up to 11

Pete Cashmore

11, Jun, 2018 @11:59 AM

Article image
When good TV goes bad: how Popworld's bubble burst
In a new column pinpointing the moments great TV shows jumped the shark, we remember Simon Amstell and Miquita Oliver’s irrepressible double act – and the ship that sank without them

Michael Cragg

20, Feb, 2017 @1:00 PM

Article image
When good TV goes bad: how MOTD went OTT
The sporting staple once presented nothing but the best of the week’s togger. Then watching it became like taking a Science of Football course in the future

Gavin Newsham

28, Aug, 2017 @12:00 PM

Article image
When good TV goes bad: when Broadchurch denied its fans fresh blood
As viewers awaited engrossing storylines, even the compelling Olivia Colman and David Tennant double act couldn’t save series two from walking off a cliff

James Donaghy

09, Apr, 2018 @12:00 PM

Article image
When good TV goes bad: how Red Dwarf’s star faded
With the departure of co-creator Rob Grant after series six, the show lurched into comedy-drama, navel-gazing and, eventually, utter smegging ineptitude

Gabriel Tate

18, Sep, 2017 @12:00 PM

Article image
When good TV goes bad: how 24 became torturous viewing
Kiefer Sutherland’s action show was ahead of its time, tackling terrorism on telly in the aftermath of 9/11. But by series six it had become obsolete

Andy Welch

31, Jul, 2017 @12:00 PM

Article image
When good TV goes bad: how Frasier Crane destroyed Cheers
How far can you stretch a will-they, won’t-they couple, before they edge towards tedium?

Stephen Kelly

28, May, 2018 @12:00 PM

Article image
Mariah’s World: stilettos and meme-friendly meltdowns
Between the stilettos, sofa soliloquies and meme-friendly meltdowns, Mariah Carey’s new fly-on-the-wall show is rewriting the rules of reality television

Hannah Verdier

06, Dec, 2016 @9:00 AM