We loved MTV Cribs for showing us the souped-up cars and the master bedrooms of our favorite celebrities (and some of our least-favorite ones as well.) But let’s be real: The defining moment of the show was always the peek into their fridges. There was no better way of learning what type of person we were dealing with. Cristal-poppin’ playboy? Mimosa-sippin’ fuccboi?
To parse out the highs and (hilarious) lows of this storied reveal, we asked Complex Pop Culture writer Frazier Tharpe to dig through the archives. From Trick Daddy’s “cunk fritters” to Steve-O’s kitchen half-pipe, here are his picks for the best best refrigerator moments in MTV Cribs history.
Carmelo Anthony’s Fridge Is “Nothing Major”
Who says bachelors maintain a steady diet of junk food? “Grapes, juice—it’s nothing major man.” Melo’s fridge in his Denver dwelling is full of healthy fluids and light snacks. Remember, this is pre-LaLa.
Lil Wayne Is Really About That Life
Call Wayne YG, because he really be drankin’. “Everybody shows their fridge and it’s some unopened bottle, but they’re all, ‘this is how we party!’” Pre-Carter III Weezy was already about that life: the proof is in the almost-empty bottle of Hypnotiq. The real highlight here, though, is that Wayne had to inspect the fridge before the camera crew was allowed to peer in. Consider every weirdo lyric Wayne’s rapped over the years, and let your mind wander: Refrigerated syrup and cake batter, maybe? What you up to, Weezy?
Rob Dyrdek Is Organic
Rob Dyrdek is hella healthy. The only items the homie can lay claim to in the fridge he and Big share are organic eggs—four cartons worth (very turbo, bro)—and flaxseed oil. Then again, he had his very own Redbull vending machine craned up to his second story kitchen. Clearly the dude’s dieting tendencies were at a crossroads.
Steve-O’s Kitchen Half Pipe
It’s hard to decide which is the bigger “of course” moment: that Steve-O’s fridge (cleaner than one would expect) is brimming with what Johnny Knoxville aptly describes as “stoner food” (e.g., Eggo waffles, Hungry-Man dinners, and kids’ cereal), or that he rearranged it to make room for a skate ramp running throughout his crib. The dude’s fridge is standing at an obtuse angle, so he can bust ollies with impunity.
Hulk Hogan Is True To Form
No Cristal in the Hogan household. The fridge’s contents are about as Suburban Basic as it gets. Only in this case, all the muscle milk and protein powder doesn’t belong to the 15 year-old son trying to bulk up. It’s all for the Man of the House, duh. How real is the diet? Try 24 boiled eggs a day.
Robbie Williams Is Lord Of The Carbs
This guy eats well—and apparently never eats out, either. Dude lives alone, and yet there’s enough food in his fridge to feed every Pitt-Jolie family member, and then some. He also goes full Smeagol/Gollum about his carbs. Stay fit, brother.
Naomi Campbell Keeps A Strict Diet
Hah! You didn’t think your girl Naomi was going to zigzag away from the mega-celebrity, supermodel trope, did you? No subversion for this top model. The fridge in her villa is literally all liquid—Pepsi and beer, to be exact. Oh, and a cucumber. Lunch? Dinner? Both? Who knows.
Leah Remini…???
What’s in Leah Remini’s fridge? The world will never know, because she ain’t showing. Why? “I never show my fridge because I don’t know if it’s clean.” Really though, what type of infernally filthy kitchen maintenance do you uphold that you’re embarrassed, nay, fearful, to even open the door? Now you have our imaginations running wild. Way to brick it, Leah.
Kelly Rowland (Mostly Empty)
So Kelly’s clearly spending all of that Destiny’s Child cash on dining out, because her fridge couldn’t even feed Naomi Campbell adequately—despite the fact that she’s got a Patti LaBelle cookbook on deck. The episode was worth it though, just for the amazing way she pronounces “butter.”
Melissa Joan Hart
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is far from magical in the kitchen—her fridge is basically empty and full of liquids. Points for having that Newman’s Own on hand though.
Chad Kroeger Was Almost A Fraud
Why is Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger a complete herb? Because dude admitted that he was going to fake a fridge and stock it with super-cool things to stunt for the cameras. The only reason he didn’t is because he got lazy. Be about this life, Chad, or don’t attempt at all.
Ludacris Is Exactly What He Says
Why is Ludacris a Real One? Because all he has in his fridge are his two life essentials: chicken (KFC) and beer (Corona). Simply amazing. This episode aired about a year before his album of the same name dropped. Is this an early, genius promo, or did Luda really just title his album after two things he holds near and dear in life? He’s really about his raps, boy.
Manny Pacquiao Doesn’t Eat Lightweight
Beef, chicken, a bowl of eggs, water, and Powerade. The diet of a champ.
Big Boy? More like Mama’s Boy
Salute Chico Dusty for keeping it one hundred: he still relies on Momdukes for a good, homecooked meal. As such, all you’ll find in his crib is milk, juice, and celery. Real Peter Pan like.
Romeo Has the Best Kid Fridge Ever
Wow, realest fridge ever. A 12-year-old Romeo is super bossed up with his own house, and yet has no pretenses about keeping it completely juvenile. The fridge is stocked with orange juice and butter—all the better for mom to cook with (moms > personal chefs). That freezer, though: Romeo prefaces the reveal with “You know, I’m a kid” and then unveils the most luxe collection of ice cream and frozen pops that would’ve made our pre-teen selves melt with envy. Float on, young man.
Ne-Yo’s Fridge is the Ultimate Anticlimax
Smfh, this dude even has the post-production boys throw on a pearly-gates effect when he opens the fridge door…and it’s the most basic contents of all time. Worse than basic, because the only thing he talks about is his salad dressing. If you want a chorus of angels singing your kitchen’s praises, we need to see a Costco-sized collection of Alize or something, my dude.
Lauren Conrad’s Appliance Game Is On Fleek
Leave it to the Queen of Laguna Beach to have the super chic mini-fridge pull-out drawers, including a master refrigerator. The Master Fridge™ has a built-in alarm system, lest you leave the door open too long Kind of cool, but mostly pointless? Must be a Cali thing.
Maroon 5 Are Basic Bros
Since they were single at the time, we can respect Maroon 5 for keeping it strictly bachelor—with no food in the fridge, save leftovers and Redbull. But then the camera pans down to a full stock of OJ and Cliquot, and Adam Levine is holding a mimosa in his hand, and everything just hit peak #caucasity too quickly. Watch this episode and you may blackout, only to reawaken at a bottomless mimosa brunch.
Trick Daddy is a National Treasure
Trick Daddy may be the most ebullient Cribs guest of all time. Dude is just so damn gassed to welcome everyone into his abode that he even cooks a “cunk [conch] fritter straight from the Goon Bay” and breaks Gatorade off with a free ad.
Xzibit is an Ice Cream Fiend
You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Xzibit open his fridge/freezer (adorned with drawings from his kid, which, ‘awww’) and wax poetic on the value of Ben and Jerry’s Super Fudge Chunk. It doesn’t matter that there’s one solitary apple in the fridge. The ice cream is all he needs.
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