We Ranked the Best Houses From Reality TV
Reality TV shows have long been part of the pop culture and entertainment world—and it’s safe to say that no reality show is complete without showing viewers the homes in which its stars live. Below, House Beautiful has rounded up a list of the best houses of reality TV, including dwellings seen on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Real Housewives franchise, Jersey Shore, and more. Read on for our (un)official ranking.
10. Kris Jenner’s House From Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Everything is not what it seems, especially in the case of Kris Jenner’s home on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The Studio City, California home that appears to be the exterior of Jenner’s residence is actually not her house, which was done as a safety precaution. Known as the Iredell Estate, this property has also made appearances on American Horror Story, True Blood, and a Victoria’s Secret commercial. As for the interiors of Kris Jenner’s home on KUWTK, those are very much part of her actual house—a Los Angeles mansion with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms. A distinguishable feature of the real Kris Jenner house that we love is the black-and-white checkered floor of the entrance hall, a staple of both the show and of the Kardashian-Jenner clan’s Instagram photos over the years.
9. The Florence, Italy House From Season Four of Jersey Shore
Even though the place where Snooki and co. stayed for season four of Jersey Shore looks like an unsuspecting Italian dream home, it turns out that this place isn’t even a real house—it’s a bank. Yes, you read that right. In an interview with Bustle, the creator of Jersey Shore, SallyAnn Salsano, revealed, “We couldn’t find a place that could house us that was in the city, that had outdoor space, that had anything,” so they settled on a local bank, which was converted to look like a real home. Some design elements of the bank-turned-house that we love are the classic black-and-white checkered floors (much like the ones in Kris Jenner’s house!) in numerous rooms (including the jacuzzi room!) and the eclectic mix of Victorian-style furniture. Oh and the wall that Mike (AKA “The Situation”) rammed his own head into during a fight with Ronnie? That was made of concrete. Ouch.
8. The Martone Residence From Unpolished
The Long Island home of the Martone family—the stars of TLC’s Unpolished—is as over-the-top (in the best way!) as they are. The entrance of this Post-Modern Colonial house boasts two towering Corinthian columns, making way for the 7,000-8,000 square foot interior that features seven bathrooms and six bedrooms. You can even tour the glitzy dwelling from the comfort of your own home, thanks to a house tour video posted to TLC’s Instagram account last month. Expect to see a massive gold velvet throne-like chair that matriarch Jennifer Martone often lounges in, and the in-house nail and hair salons where sisters Lexi and Bria launched their business.
7. Melissa and Joey Gorga’s Mansion From The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Just like the Chrisleys, the Gorgas no longer own the home that is often shown on the show they star in—which, in this case, is a Montville, New Jersey mansion. Melissa and Joey Gorga purchased the property in 2007 for $950,000 and sold it in December of 2020 for $2.5 million. Some of our favorite parts of the home include a grand imperial staircase in the entry hall, an indoor Juliet balcony overlooking a sitting room, and a full basement that includes a walk-in wine cellar, movie room, gym, bar, recording studio, and a beauty salon. When can we move in?
6. The Chrisley Residence From Chrisley Knows Best
Although the Chrisley family has since sold their Roswell, Georgia mansion, it still lives on in Chrisley Knows Best. Built in 2004, this home boasts 9 bedrooms, 9 full bathrooms and 3 half bathrooms, 10 fireplaces, a wine cellar room, and matching wooden ceilings, walls, and flooring. There’s even a TV and a fireplace in front of a bathtub in one of the many bathrooms. The exterior of the former Chrisley residence has English Tudor elements, which differs from the current Chrisley residence—a 11,000-square-foot Georgian-style mansion in Nashville, Tennessee. We wouldn’t mind living in either house!
5. Villa Rosa, Lisa Vanderpump’s Mansion From Vanderpump Rules
Although Lisa Vanderpump is no longer part of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, fans and design lovers alike can still bask in the beauty of her Beverly Hills mansion in another hit series from Bravo: Vanderpump Rules. This abode, which is known as Villa Rosa, is best known for its glass exterior—which is so reflective that it takes on the enticing turquoise blue color of the home’s infinity pool. On Vanderpump Rules, you’ll often see Vanderpump herself hosting dinner parties at the expansive mansion—and we would absolutely attend if given the chance to. For now, we’ll just have to spend our time gawking at photos of Villa Rosa here.
4. Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky’s Home From The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
The Colonial-style Encino, California abode that Kyle Richards and her husband, Mauricio Umansky (Founder and CEO of real estate brokerage The Agency) call home is what we dream of when we think of our ideal old house. This property was built in 1912, and it counts music legend Smokey Robinson as one of its former owners. If that isn't impressive enough, a smaller version of the house was recently created for Richards’ many dogs, as part of the Quibi series Barkitecture. Given that Richards and Umansky dropped $8.2 million to purchase this house in 2017, we might just have to settle for the doghouse for now.
3. The Bachelor Mansion From The Bachelor and The Bachelorette
Located in Agoura Hills, California, the Bachelor Mansion is easily one of the most recognizable (and one of our favorite) houses on reality television—and, best of all, you can even rent it on Airbnb! Avid watchers of the show might recall that former Bachelor Peter Weber grew up near the famed Bachelor Mansion—and, on one occasion, he and a group of friends jumped the fence that surrounds the house back when they were teenagers. The Mediterranean-style mansion—which sits on an impressive 10 acres—is also known as Villa de la Vina, and it was built in the 1800s. You can check out its Airbnb listing here.
2. The Playboy Mansion From The Girls Next Door
Inside and out, the Playboy Mansion looks like something out of the English countryside. In actuality, this home is located in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California—a stark contrast from the lifestyle we imagine residing in the actual English countryside would actually entail. The architecture of the Playboy Mansion has a mix of Gothic and Tudor elements, while the interiors are swathed in hand-carved wooden wall panels and staircases, and exposed wooden beam ceilings. The home was built in 1927, and its most famous owner, Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, lived here from 1974 until his passing in 2017. It played a starring role in the E! series The Girls Next Door from 2005 to 2010.
1. Patricia Altschul's House From Southern Charm
Drumroll, please... We know it’s best not to play favorites, but Patricia Altschul’s Charleston home—which has us glued to the screen whenever it appears on Bravo’s Southern Charm—takes the top spot on our list. The dwelling, which is known as the Isaac Jenkins Mikell House, was once the Charleston Free Library—and now, it boasts Mario Buatta-designed interiors that likely make bevies of design lovers jealous, and rightfully so. (Fun fact: Altschul and Buatta were close friends for decades, up until his death in 2018.) This Greek Revival-style home was built in the 1850s, and it even features a Zuber wallpaper (pictured above) that’s similar to one that’s been on display in the White House for the past 60 years. You can watch a video tour of our dream house, er, Patricia’s house, here.
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