Sometimes, here at PopCrunch, we can’t help but feel dissatisfied with our lot. It’s not that scrutinising the lives of celebrities isn’t a riot, that following their failure is not fun, and marvelling at their weight gain not an excellent way to pass the time; it’s that sometimes we wouldn’t mind trading in our gossiping malfeasance for a wardrobe malfunction. That is, we’re jealous. And never more so than when we see how the other half live. To console ourselves, we say the extravagant palaces of the rich and famous are tacky, distasteful, ostentatious. Here are a few of the worst. We’d hate to live like this.

Britney Spears

Here’s Britney’s pad. Disgusting isn’t it? It’s called Chateau Suenos, which translates as House of Dreams. Situated in the quiet yet star-studded neighbourhood of Calabasas, just outside Los Angeles, it’s a $10.5 million mansion housing a cinema, swimming pool and spa. It might look like a house for life, but for Britney it’s a stopgap. She just rents this dive while building her real dream house in the area.

John Travolta

John Travolta lives in an airport. At night, when no one is looking, he rides the baggage carousel for fun.

Will Smith

Will Smith allegedly suffered ‘House-Building Stress’ when building this barrack. Back in 2004, when his modest family home was but a pile of expectant rubble, he said in an interview: ‘Listen everybody; I’m into having a good, powerful, bustling American economy, but don’t build no house!’ Should have gone for a one-up two-down.

Candy Spelling

This is Candy Spelling’s home. She recently put it on the market for $150 million, making it the most expensive house in the world. Why’s she selling up? ‘As you get older, you know, it’s a lot to walk.’ We sympathize.

Shaquille O’Neal

Basketball player, actor and rapper Shaquille O’Neal has more than one gargantuan mansion to his name. Here’s the inside of one of his homes, situated on the appropriately named Star Island. Cosy.

J Lo and Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez live here. Big isn’t it? It looks like two houses; and boasting nine bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a gym, a recording studio and more, they need never see each other ever again.

Oprah

Oprah’s got a house or two. She owns a pad in New Jersey, an apartment in Chicago, an estate on Fisher Island, a house in Georgia, a ski house in Colorado, a property in Hawaii, and a home in Antigua. Then there’s the one pictured, in Montecito, California, which she calls ‘The Promised Land’. Ew.

Rod Stewart

This is Rod Stewart’s Beverly Hills behemoth. Pictures of its interior reveal it’s as yellow on the inside as it is on the outside, and that he’s got a penchant for a naked bust.

Beckingham Palace, US

This is Beckingham Palace, Beverly Hills, belonging to David and Victoria Beckham. Priced at $22 million dollars, the six-bedroom, nine-bathroom house is in a 13,000 square foot plot with ocean views: the ultimate trophy estate.

Ira Rennert

The homes on this list are but McMansions compared to Ira Rennert’s enormous digs. The self-made billionaire is as famous for his home as he is for his self-made billions. His massive waterfront compound, which is thought to be the largest house in the US, contains two bowling alleys, two tennis courts, two squash courts, game rooms, a basketball court and at least 21 bedrooms: all this for just Rennert and his family. Monstrous!

Written by Julian on May 17th, 2010 | Tagged as: Popular Culture