When it first aired back at the turn of the millennium, MTV’s Cribs gave kids a glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous that didn’t exist in an age largely lacking in celebrity food photos and bathroom mirror selfies. A beautiful fusion of tackiness and intimacy, it birthed iconic scenes including a pre-Trump endorsement Aaron Carter rocking a Tupac T-shirt in the Florida Keys (oh the irony) and Mariah Carey bathing beneath “guest chandeliers” in a giant jacuzzi. Even Paris Hilton’s assistant Kim Kardashian made an appearance.
Judging by the hundreds of millions of views clocked on YouTube uploads from the program’s eleven-year run, nostalgia is a powerful beast. So powerful, in fact, that not even Snapchat basically being Cribs anyway has diluted the show’s appeal. Now, in the ultimate 2016 move, MTV has announced plans to revive Cribs… on Snapchat. Mac Miller, Austin Mahone, and Travis Mills will be the first stars to tour us through their homes on their iPhones.
It’s not just Cribs that the channel is bringing back. The arguably-even-better 90s series Unplugged, which featured acoustic performances from acts including Nirvana, Aerosmith, and Elton John, will get a revival that reportedly makes full use of the multi-platform world we live in today. It all seems to suggest that MTV is giving a little more shine to the M in its name, which doesn’t actually stand for “mansion” or even “Mariah.”
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Text Hannah Ongley