You might imagine celebrities living it up with nearly endless resources and all the best and coolest homes and cars. But for many stars, it’s just not true! Except for the ones truly at the top, making millions upon millions every year, other celebs live quite normally. But that doesn’t mean they don’t lie about how their lives look, either. In the last couple of decades, the public has seen more of celebrity culture than we ever thought possible between MTV’s Cribs and Architectural Digest’s push to get inside stars’ homes and see how their daily life looks.

The only problem is that much of it turns out to be fake! In this list, we’ll take a hilarious and amazing look at ten celebrities who completely and boldly lied on their house tours. Whether totally fooling MTV over where they lived and how they lived or pushing out a phony persona to the folks at Architectural Digest, these celebs were shameless in lying! And they were shameless later on in admitting to those lies, too!

Related: Ten Kooky Celebrity Conspiracy Theories People Actually Believe

10 Ja Rule

When Ja Rule first appeared on MTV Cribs back in the day, he gave fans a tour of a massive Miami mansion filled to the brim with everything you would think a rapper would want to have around. Cars, clothes, money, girls, alcohol, boats, and all the flat-screen televisions you could handle!

The Cribs shoot was so out of control, in fact, that Ja Rule literally had a party at the place while MTV was filming! It was plenty of fun to watch at home. But there was just one problem: That wasn’t Ja Rule’s house to party in! And the party was so destructive that he ended up getting sued for it!

The owner of the massive five-bedroom mansion had previously rented it out to Ja Rule, thinking he would make a hefty monthly sum on rent payments. But when the home came up in the MTV episode, the owner was enraged. Parties weren’t allowed, based on the lease.

Even worse, Ja Rule’s party pals had severely damaged the house. They allegedly broke a ton of expensive stuff and even caused structural damage to the home itself! Frustrated at Ja Rule for both lying about “owning” the crib and wrecking it, the homeowner sued the rapper for $1 million to recoup the losses.^[1]

9 50 Cent

When it was 50 Cent’s turn to appear on MTV Cribs, he showed off a pretty standard set of things that by then were typical for celebrities, especially rappers. There was a mansion with incredible rooms and tons of tech equipment. There was also so much jewelry. And, of course, there were cars, all the luxury models and impressive sports cars you could ever want to have.

However, years later, 50 Cent admitted in court that the whole thing was fake! None of it had been his. Instead, he’d either borrowed or rented all the stuff to make good television when the folks from MTV showed up.

The rapper had been in court fighting separate allegations involving a sex tape when he took to the stand and was asked about his lifestyle. Speaking specifically about the Cribs episode, he testified under oath that all the jewelry was borrowed from jeweler pals and all the cars had been rented from dealerships. “It’s entertainment,” 50 Cent said of the episode. “Those cars were rented.”^[2]

8 Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey’s MTV Cribs episode was perhaps the most iconic of the entire bunch. During the exploration into her Manhattan penthouse, Carey very infamously got up on her treadmill and elliptical machines in heels. She claimed to fans that she always worked out in heels like that, just because she’s so glamorous.

Since it was Mariah Carey, the diva of all divas, the whole world pretty much took it as gospel. If anybody is going to work out in massive stiletto heels, it’d certainly be Mariah, right? Wrong! Over the years since that episode aired, Carey has posted several times to her social media accounts poking fun at the heels clip in her Cribs turn. The whole thing was faked, meant only to be a memorable moment for viewers—and it certainly was that!

In reality, she doesn’t work out in heels at all. After one playful spoof where she posted an Instagram picture of her supposedly exercising in platform shoes, Entertainment Tonight asked her about the original. Through laughter, Carey explained it had all been a lie: “I remember the first time I did this on Cribs, and everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, she’s working out in heels! What is she doing?’ I’m like, ‘yeah, like I’m being serious.’ And then I was just like, ‘Let me do this for laughs.’”^[3]

7 JoJo

When the singer JoJo was still a teenager and totally fresh in the music industry, she hosted a segment on MTV Cribs. During the show, she gave fans a chance to look at her family’s vacation home. There was just one problem: She had never lived in the home at any point in her life.

In fact, her immediate family didn’t even own it! In actuality, the house belonged to her uncle and his family. She just played it up like it was her home and made it seem like she was there regularly, even though she’d barely visited before doing the episode.

Years later, JoJo reflected on that lie in an interview. “It was so ridiculous,” she told HuffPost. “The thing is, we didn’t have a home at that point. My mom and I were living out of suitcases, and we were mostly in hotels. So that was actually my uncle’s house on the Cape. That wasn’t my house. That wasn’t my stuff. … I should’ve balled hard and been like, ‘Welcome to my crib, look at how luxurious it is,’ and I should have rented out a place. But no. I just used my uncle’s crib. So that was me lying on Cribs.”^[4]

6 Bow Wow

Back in 2008, Bow Wow hosted his own episode of MTV Cribs. During the show, he brashly showed off his long line of luxury vehicles. He claimed that the cars were his own, acted like he had deep pockets and big money, and portrayed the life of a 2000s rapper that everybody expected.

Of course, it was noteworthy because Bow Wow was so young at the time—he’d just turned 21 years old! But very quickly, fans became highly suspicious that he was actually the owner of the cars that appeared in the episode. What tipped viewers off was that many of the cars were branded with the word “prestige” in various places. People started to do some digging, and sure enough, they discovered the truth.

There was a company called Prestige Luxury Auto Rentals down in Miami with the very same branding. They even offered many of the exact makes and models that had appeared in Bow Wow’s Cribs episode. From then on, even though Bow Wow himself never admitted to it, everybody just kind of assumed that he was lying. Knowing how boldly all these other celebrities on this list have lied, maybe it’s not a bad assumption to make!^[5]

5 Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens took the time to give Architectural Digest a long look at the amazing interior of her Los Angeles home. She showed off all kinds of incredible things in her kitchen, her bedrooms, and the enclosed green space around her house. But one thing that appeared very prominently in the video, which was a total lie, was the piano!

During the video, she sat down at the piano and played a little bit for the camera. She also suggested that playing the piano and unwinding at home by making music is a regular thing for her. But that’s simply not the reality!

After the home tour video came out, Hudgens spoke to AD for a follow-up article shedding more light on the experience. During the article, she admitted that, in reality, the piano “doesn’t get used much.” And that’s because she doesn’t know how to read music or play at all! “The piano came from my previous house, but I don’t play,” she admitted in the interview. “I don’t read music, really. I’m great at faking it.”^[6]

4 Robbie Williams

In his early 20s, Robbie Williams was on top of the world. The British star had all the money he could ever dream of and the matching manor house to go along with it. At least, that’s what he wanted everyone to think when he appeared on MTV Cribs for the first time.

During that now-iconic episode, Williams showed off a massive manor house and accompanying countryside property in England. The house was stocked full of butlers and other assistants who were at Williams’s beck and call and would get him absolutely whatever he wanted at a moment’s notice. But that wasn’t his house, and they weren’t his staff!

In reality, he was actually only renting the house temporarily from Jane Seymour. He lived in it then, but the rental was only for a few months. And as for the butlers? Fake! Williams hired the butlers to make the Cribs episode sizzle. In truth, he didn’t have any butlers working on his payroll, and there was no service like that for the money he was making.

Thankfully, years later, he at least felt bad about faking it so boldly. His biggest regret? Not letting Jane Seymour in on what he was doing to her manor house. “We didn’t let [Jane] know that I was going to pretend it was my house,” Williams said on a radio station appearance years after the Cribs episode aired. “And because I was, like, 23 and full of spunk, I didn’t even consider other people’s thoughts or feelings, so I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Jane Seymour.” Well, isn’t that nice?^[7]

3 Dakota Johnson

In 2020, Dakota Johnson gave Architectural Digest a tour of her Los Angeles house, and immediately, fans fell in love. She had an incredible eye for interior design. The home was an oasis from the big city. And Johnson herself was captivating, genuine, and charismatic. But the tour was phony in many ways, too!

It’s just that fans didn’t learn about all that until more than a year later when Dakota finally decided to open up about it! Specifically, there was a moment during the tour where Johnson pointed out a bowl full of limes in the kitchen and how much she loved to both display them and use them in her food. There was just one problem with that: She’s terribly allergic to limes!

Speaking to late-night television host Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show more than a year after her AD tour was revealed to the world, Dakota explained, “I actually didn’t even know they were in there. I was giving the tour and went into the kitchen, and it was set dressing. I’m actually allergic to limes… Limes make my tongue itch. It was hard to ignore them, so I just lied. I went the full opposite direction.” Well, guess we’ve got to give her credit for thinking on her feet, then!^[8]

2 3LW

Former girl group 3LW unexpectedly got their turn on MTV Cribs back in the early 2000s after they blew up big. MTV was scrambling to get up-and-coming acts and celebrities on the show, and the women fit the bill perfectly after a few of their hits began to chart. So they hosted an episode.

During it, the girls claimed they’d bought a house together while working on their second album and were all living together in perfect peace and harmony in Los Angeles during production. Except that was all a lie! Not only was the house shown on the Cribs tour not their home, but they also didn’t live together at all! In fact, some of the girls didn’t even have any home, in LA or otherwise!

In 2021, former member Naturi Naughton recalled how phony the Cribs episode really was. “MTV did the Cribs back when 3LW was hot,” she explained during an appearance on the popular drivetime radio show “The Breakfast Club.” “We had to pretend. But I didn’t have a car, I didn’t have a house, I didn’t have any of those things… but we did MTV Cribs. I had to clean the house by 7 o’clock to give it back to the owner. We had to clean up all of our stuff, we had to get a cleaning person.” Ouch! The brutal realities of show business.^[9]

1 Ashley Tisdale

Ashley Tisdale is the proud owner of perhaps the most candid lie in celebrity home tour history. Architectural Digest came by her house to do a video of how the former Disney Channel star now lives with her husband and children.

In vintage AD fashion, Ashley showed them around a series of magnificently appointed rooms with impeccable design touches. The living room had a wonderfully large bookcase filled top to bottom with books. But the books weren’t hers at all! She’d never read a single one. She didn’t even know what they were!

Tisdale admitted that just a few days before that, her husband had gone out to a used bookstore to buy a ton of books to make it seem like the couple was well-read. And Ashley just openly admitted to it right while the AD video tour was taking place! “These bookshelves, I have to be honest, did not actually have books in them a couple of days ago,” she shared on camera. “I had my husband go to a bookstore, and I was like, ‘You need to get 400 books.’ Obviously, my husband’s like, ‘We should be collecting books over time and putting them on the shelves.’ And I was like, ‘No, no, no, no. Not when AD comes.’” Hey, at least she was honest, right?^[10]

Every year, thousands of people travel the world, booking tours that offer thrilling and exciting experiences while often completely unaware of the dangers they may present. When we think of guided tours, we imagine a fun and informative experience. What most of us do not picture is a life-threatening situation. Of course, everything in life comes with some level of risk, but when we’re in the care of experienced individuals whose job is to create a safe and exciting environment in which we can learn and experience what the world has to offer, we trust that the excursions we’re spending our hard-earned money on won’t endanger our lives.

There are so many insane tour companies offering very unique experiences, from chasing tornadoes in the United States to mining with dynamite in a mountain that has claimed a countless number of lives throughout history. All the tours featured in this list are extremely dangerous. Fortunately, many of them haven’t had fatal accidents; however, the risk of such an incident is very real in every case. Here are ten insane tours that are extremely dangerous.

10 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Tours

One of the largest and most iconic nuclear disasters happened at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located in Northern Ukraine, on April 26, 1986. Today, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is a great place for tourists to get a taste of a post-apocalyptic world experience. However, the area has not been deemed safe, and it is unclear how long the Zone will continue to be dangerous. Over the years, levels of radiation have diminished enough for the Ukrainian government to allow guided tours. There are many prohibited activities, however, including smoking, eating, or drinking in the open air as well touching buildings, plants, and trees. Attire is restricted to clothing that covers as much skin as possible when touring.

The website of a business called Chernobyl Tours claims that the level of radiation tourists are exposed to is relatively small, less than we experience when flying. The guided tours avoid areas where radiation is in high concentration, and there is a low chance of tourists inhaling contaminated air in dangerous amounts, resulting in radiation sickness.^[1] Although the risk is low, it is not absent, and the possibility of coming into contact with a lethal amount of radiation is constantly present, especially when not following the safety precautions given by the tour guides.

9 Lightning Tours

Lightning is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena that Mother Nature has to offer. Every day, thousands of us marvel at the incredible light shows thunderstorms put on, captivated like a moth drawn to bright light. These light shows are nothing like what can be witnessed in Venezuela where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo, a mysterious place known as the unofficial lightning capital of the world and home to the “everlasting storm.” Here, magnificent tours are available that take tourists on sightseeing trips to local villages, night safaris to see alligators, snakes, and birds, a chance to see some dolphins, and, of course, the main event—lightning! It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of witnessing something special and forget the dangers that accompany such an experience.

Lightning has been known to strike from miles away, and this tour takes you right into the heart of the all the action; the town of Maracaibo can receive more than 1,000 lightning strikes an hour. However, lightning is not the only weather phenomenon that Maracaibo residents are familiar with, as hurricanes and tornadoes are known to occur as well.^[2] Tornadoes are born from thunderstorms, and with 260 stormy days a year, the chance of one forming increases dramatically. The storms are volatile and can shift direction in less than a minute. This tour is certainly as dangerous as it is beautiful.

8 Tornado Tours

With growing popularity due to the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers, tornado tours have become a booming business. Every year, extreme weather enthusiasts flock to America’s Tornado Alley in hopes of pursuing their dreams of witnessing one of Mother Nature’s most destructive works of art. Tornado Alley is an area in the center of the United States, named for the frequency of tornadoes due to dry air from both Canada and the Mexican Plateau colliding with moist air from the Gulf of Mexico to make favorable conditions for the development of supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Tornado tours are designed to take paying passengers on the ride of a lifetime, but this doesn’t come without a severe risk to safety. Due to the growing demand for these kinds of tours, more than a dozen companies have emerged in the last 20 years, adding to the amount of vehicles on the road, increasing congestion and putting passengers and storm chasers in very dangerous situations that worry both safety experts and law enforcement.

The tour companies have a strong emphasis on safety, but even the most experienced professionals can find themselves in life-threatening situations, such as with the case of three chasers in Oklahoma during a storm in 2013 and three more in Texas during a 2017 storm.^[3] There is no safety when tornadoes can change direction without warning. Lightning and golf ball-sized hail are also a major safety concern during severe weather. As the saying goes: When thunder roars, go indoors.

7 Lava Boat Tours

Watching lava flow is a satisfying sight to see, and the ability to see it flowing into the sea up close would catch anyone’s attention. In Hawaii, there are lava boat tours that take you close enough to hear and feel the heat of the lava as it pours into the water and cools. This tour sounds absolutely fascinating but also comes with its own risks that not everyone may be aware of.

It’s obvious that lava is dangerous, and it’s silly to be within a close distance of the melting destruction it brings. Being aboard a boat when things go wrong is not the ideal scenario, and incidents have happened in the past. In July 2018, an explosion sent molten rock raining down on a boat, injuring 23 tourists as it melted its way through the roof of the vessel. Despite the disastrous turn of events, the tour company has continued their tours while sticking to the revised policy of the Coast Guard.^[4]

6 War Zone Tours

War zone tours take thrill-seekers to a whole new battlefield of excitement with life-threatening sightseeing expeditions through destinations that are or were once war zones and extremely dangerous. Tourists are able to witness firsthand the effects of war, including live action and explosions in some places. With tours taking place in many different areas, including Iraq, Mexico, and Africa, there are many opportunities for extreme thrill-seekers to experience a dangerous adventure. A company appropriately called War Zone Tours (WZT) has conducted excursions in over 50 different countries since they were founded in 1993.^[5]

All the tours are developed and planned specifically for your desired experience and are led by high-risk environment guides who are highly trained security professionals, according to WZT’s website. However, this does little to help in the case of missiles, as with an incident in 2016 where eight tourists were nearly killed when their tour bus was hit by a rocket in Afghanistan. Most of these tours take place where travel is highly ill-advised.

5 Bungee Jumping Over Crocodile-Infested Waters

Bungee jumping is a very popular extreme sport, but it’s a whole different thing when you’re nose-diving 111 meters (364 ft) toward crocodile-infested waters with your feet bound tight. At the Victoria Falls Bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia, this exact experience is offered, but not without taking a very dangerous risk. Accidents can happen at any time, even when safety precautions are in place. No one wants to pay for the leap of a lifetime, only to have the bungee cord snap on the way down.

This is exactly what happened to Erin Langworthy, an Australian woman on vacation during New Year’s Eve 2011. Fortunately, she survived with minor injuries, despite having to swim with her feet tied together and having to free the cord at one point when it became caught on some rocks.^[6] This thrilling jump is absolutely as terrifying as it is dangerous.

4 Volcano Boarding

Volcanoes are brilliant and scary, and the idea of boarding down the side of an active one is terrifying and dangerous in its own right. Now considered an extreme sport, volcano boarding was invented by an Australian thrill-seeker named Daryn Webb in 2004.

Nicaragua’s Cerro Negro, Central America’s youngest volcano, last erupted in 1999 and is the world’s hot spot for this bizarre sport. This exciting adventure takes endurance; the-hour long hike through 32-degree-Celsius (90 °F) temperatures up the ash-covered side of the volcano and past sulfur-spitting craters serves as a reminder that this volcano could erupt at any time.^[7] Once you reach the top and are equipped with a metal-reinforced wooden board with ropes to steer and an orange jumpsuit for protection, you’re all set for the ride of a lifetime.

This young volcano has more than 20 eruptions under its belt since its birth in April 1850 and is considered the region’s most active volcano, featuring occasional lava flows and powerful explosions. Recently, as of October 2018, increased earthquake activity has been noted, which may only put thrill-seeking tourists at an even higher risk.

3 Death Road Tours

Bolivia’s Yungas Road, dubbed “Death Road,” is regarded as the most dangerous road in the world and has claimed numerous lives over the years. It is no surprise that it has become a hot stop for thrill-seeking tourists from all around the world for a mountain biking adventure and a “I survived my ride on the world’s most dangerous road” T-shirt.^[8]

Although the road has become safer over the years, it still holds its risk factors and is to be respected as a dangerous tour to go on. The high-elevation trip down 64 kilometers (40 mi) of mostly narrow road lacking guardrails, with the ever-present danger of passing cars and steep drops, is no bike ride through the park. Nevertheless, Death Road still serves as the mountain biking adventure of a lifetime for more than 25,000 thrill-seekers annually.

It is very important to do research on the tour companies offering Death Road tours, as many are available, and they’re far from equal. It is also imperative that you are always comfortable with the bike you’re riding in such a dangerous place.

2 Kayaking With Hippos, Crocodiles, And Bull Sharks

Everybody wants to get close to wildlife, but kayaking with animals that can kill you is something many of us might not have on our bucket list. For the ultimate thrill-seekers, however, the opportunity to kayak with hippos, crocodiles, and even bull sharks exists in the St Lucia Estuary in South Africa and is described as a fantastic way to get up close and personal with nature. You are bound to encounter some breathtaking birds and man-eating predators.

This not a tour for those who are seeking a calming experience with nature and can hardly be considered safe. The tour is not conducted in a controlled environment, and the guides aren’t hesitant to withhold information regarding the dangers of the area, including deaths that have occurred due to animal attacks. It is important to be very careful while on the tour, staying alert at all times and keeping body parts out of the water, so it’s surprising that tourists of all skill levels are permitted to kayak the potentially deadly waters of this estuary.^[9] It is not an unknown occurrence to have a hippo surface right in front of one’s kayak.

1 Mining With Dynamite In Bolivia

This tour is one that is hard to believe exists and is the perfect opportunity to experience what life in the mines is actually like. It is as dangerous as it is unbelievable. Near Potosi, Bolivia, sits Cerro Rico (“Rich Mountain”). It has been dubbed “The Mountain that Eats Men” for good reason; Cerro Rico’s silver mine has claimed the lives of many people. With a shrine to the Devil located inside that the miners give offerings to for protection, this tour is definitely not for the faint of heart, or those who value safety in general.

After everyone suits up in the provided safety equipment consisting of a hardhat, boots, and overalls, the multiple-hour tour begins with a trip to a miner’s market, where tourists are encouraged to purchase tobacco, alcohol, live dynamite, and other gifts to offer the workers they will encounter in the mine. At the entrance into the mine, the guide will list off a quick rundown of safety precautions, like not falling into holes, watching out for passing mine carts, and not lighting your dynamite, pretty self-explanatory stuff.^[10] Then the tourists venture down into the tight, winding, dark tunnels.

Conditions inside are less than favorable, dark, hot, and dusty, the very same unbearable conditions that African slaves and indigenous people were forced to withstand for weeks on end, with few lucky enough to return to the surface. Once the gift of dynamite is offered to the workers inside the mine, they will detonate it for the terrifying experience of watching the walls trembling and debris falling from the ceilings all around.

In recent years, the condition of the silver mine has become increasingly unstable as the site continues to degrade due to uncontrolled mining operations conducted in the past. While the risk of a collapse is lowered as long as miners conduct their work above the 4,400-meter (14,400 ft) mark in the labyrinth of tunnels, and with some safety measures put in place, the summit persistently sinks by a few centimeters each year, making the mine’s tours among the most dangerous available.