Ever fantasize about sleeping in the bed Jersey Shore’s Ronnie threw out onto the deck that one night? Or cooking in the kitchen that the girls can never be bothered to clean? Perhaps you’d like to use the toilet that was so famously clogged by a wifebeater? Well, friend, The Daily is here to tell you that dreams really do come true: You, too, can live like a guido if you’re ready to throw down $2,500 to spend a night at the notorious six-bedroom, three-bathroom Seaside Heights house. Apparently, MTV rents the place out in the off season.
Call us ungrateful, but we probably wouldn’t be tempted to stay at the shore house even if it were free. The duck phone is cute and all, but we can’t imagine that the novelty of it all would outweigh the squickiness of laying our head in a place where so much hair gel-and-Bacardi-lubricated sex has taken place. Besides, although unscripted series have featured more than their share of tacky homes, there are plenty of gorgeous reality TV dwellings that we’d be thrilled to rent out (if only we had the money). Check out eight such houses after the jump.
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The Real World Philadelphia house
There are a couple dozen seasons’ worth of eye-popping Real World houses to choose from — but we’re suckers for repurposed urban architectural landmarks, so this century-old bank-turned-seafarers’ organization building is our pick. After a $3 million renovation, the 14,500-square-foot Greek Revival structure housed the cast of 2004’s Philadelphia season. These days, it’s been transformed yet again into TRUST, where it houses art exhibitions and special events.
Mary’s house, The Real Housewives of DC
Although all of Bravo’s Real Housewives stars have luxurious homes, many are so opulent as to be ostentatious. That’s why we find Mary Schmidt-Amons’ Washington, DC house so refreshing. Instead of overstuffed upholstery and heavy curtains, her simple, white mini-mansion is decorated in muted colors, with one or two bright, creative pieces serving as the focal point of each room. Even better, there are big windows everywhere — especially in the gorgeous art studio — and tons of cherry tree-filled outdoor space. You can take a virtual tour of the space here.
The Apprentice Season 6 house
Usually, contestants on The Apprentice pack into a fancy Trump Tower suite in New York. But in the show’s sixth season, the production relocated to Los Angeles, where they lived in the 9,000-square-foot California contemporary mansion — which they couldn’t move into until they earned their way out of “Tent City,” by winning a challenge. (There is an Occupy Wall Street joke to be made about Donald Trump’s role in this arrangement — please, someone funny, make it in the comments.) Aside from the obvious boatload of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the obligatory pool (see more photos here), the place also features no fewer than three reception rooms and four bars.
Edwardian Country House
The name says it all, doesn’t it? This British series, which appeared as Manor House on PBS, transported a contemporary family to a beautiful mansion in the Scottish countryside, where they lived like early-20th-century aristocrats. But the Olliff-Coopers weren’t alone in the house — 14 other normal Brits were cast on the show as their staff of servants. As much as we hate cleaning toilets, we may not have minded if it meant we got to live in this Downton Abbey-style relic.
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Kathy Griffin’s house, My Life on the D-List
She may claim to be on the D-list, but even if that’s true, we can’t see why it would bother her when her current level of success has brought with it such a beautiful house in the Hollywood Hills. The show’s most recent season, which aired in the summer of 2010, found Griffin enlisting the aid of designer Kenny Davis to remodel the light-flooded dwelling in a style she referred to as “Palm Springs Gay” — which involved a lot of bright color, mid-century modern furniture, and ample white space to ensure that the theme didn’t get too tacky.
Sarah Palin’s house, Sarah Palin’s Alaska
Yes, sure, Sarah Palin’s Alaska was some weird propaganda. Really the only reason to watch the show was that it featured some breathtaking Alaskan scenery — and Palin’s enviable house. Set on a secluded stretch of shoreline at Wasilla’s Lake Lucille, it’s spacious but not showy (probably because Mama Grizzly is a down-to-earth American hockey mom!), with lots of big windows… and a small airplane parked out back. As for the interior, we’re big fans of Palin’s giant, modern kitchen — which apparently no one but the kids actually uses.
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Jeff Lewis’ house, Flipping Out
It stands to reason that a guy who flips houses for a living would have a pretty sweet home of his own — and Flipping Out‘s temperamental Jeff Lewis certainly did. By now, you’ve probably gleaned that we have a thing for big windows (which is strange, considering that we also loathe most of New York City’s many identical glass-and-steel apartment buildings). But aside from those, we enjoy that the Los Angeles, with its wide, flat layout and perimeter-spanning balcony, evokes classic roadside motel architecture. The interior features another great kitchen, as well as some immaculate wood floors, and there’s a secluded pool out back. Of course, like any good flipper, Lewis eventually got antsy and unloaded the place about a year ago, for a cool $2,325,000.
Rachel and Roger’s house, The Rachel Zoe Project
Only in the world of reality TV would a woman who was set to give birth at any moment decide that it was a good idea to move out of a cozy condo and into an enormous new home — and just to make things extra tricky, throw in a styling gig that involves putting Oscars host Anne Hathaway in multiple outfits. Lucky for Rachel Zoe, her latest gay eye candy hire Jeremiah Brent actually knows a lot more about interior design than he does women’s fashion. He was only given 10 days to furnish the entire house, but you can’t tell it was a rush job; the results are very clean and modern — a super white palette coupled with lots of contemporary, masculine-shaped furniture. We’re just wondering how well a new baby is going to figure in to such a chic home environment. Check out some before and after pictures of the space here.
Jersey Shore house, Italy
The Seaside Heights residence might not do much for us, but we admit to coveting the Jersey Shore crew’s four-bedroom house in the heart of historic Florence. Although the MTV people got a bit heavy-handed with the Old World flourishes (we can appreciate a nice brocade, but wallpaper and curtains? Yikes!), we still love the multi-level rooms, the black-and-white parquet floors, the tile bathrooms, the rustic back porch, those hard, thick walls The Situation is always using to give himself concussions. Still, if we ever had the opportunity to stay there, we’d make sure the jacuzzi was bleached and the bed in the “smoosh room” burned first.