Bill Rancic

Bill Rancic
Born William Rancic
(1971-05-16) May 16, 1971
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education Loyola University Chicago
Occupation Entrepreneur, author, talk show host, professional speaker, Builder
Spouse(s) Giuliana Rancic (m. 2007)
Children Edward Duke Rancic (b. 2012)
Website www.billrancic.com

William "Bill" Rancic (/ˈræntsɪk/; born May 16, 1971)[1] is an American entrepreneur who was the first candidate hired by The Trump Organization at the conclusion of the first season of Donald Trump's reality television show, The Apprentice. He starred in the reality show Giuliana and Bill with his wife Giuliana Rancic, and hosted America Now with Leeza Gibbons. In 2014, he starred as host of the Food Network's new cooking competition show Kitchen Casino.

Rancic is a motivational speaker and a Chicago real estate developer.

Rancic was instrumental in helping found FabFitFun, a woman's website focused on health, beauty, and fashion.

Early life and education

Rancic was born in Chicago and grew up in the suburb of Orland Park, Illinois in a family of Croatian heritage.[2][3]

Rancic attended St. Michael's School (Orland Park) and graduated from Carl Sandburg High School. He earned a B.S. from Loyola University Chicago. His mother is Gail Rancic; his father Edward Rancic died of cancer in 1999.[4] He has three sisters, Beth, Katie and Karen.[5]

The Apprentice

Rancic was one of the job applicants in The Apprentice 1 during the spring of 2004, as one of 16 contestants. Rancic was hired at the conclusion of the 14-week job interview after Donald Trump selected him over finalist Kwame Jackson.

Rancic was the first reality TV star to be hired on national television. He elected to take charge of the construction of the Trump Tower Chicago in his native Chicago, Illinois, on the site of the demolished Chicago Sun-Times building. His other option was to oversee and manage a new Trump National Golf Course and resort in Los Angeles. The Trump National course was a potential site for season 6 of the show.

For the final challenge against competitor Kwame Jackson, Trump gave Rancic the task of running a celebrity golf outing at Trump National Golf Club Westchester in Briarcliff Manor, NY, while Jackson was tasked to manage a Jessica Simpson concert. At the final board meeting, Jackson remarked that running a golf outing was the easier of the two tasks, which brought a disagreement from Trump VP Carolyn Kepcher, who was managing a golf course when Trump hired her. Trump hired Rancic.

Career after The Apprentice

As an Apprentice

Originally, Rancic said that after his one-year contract as being Donald Trump's Apprentice expired, he would leave the job and start his own company.[6] He instead opted to remain part of the Trump Organization, and in some seasons filled in as a judge when regular judge George H. Ross was away on business.

Work outside of Trump

In September 2007, Rancic co-hosted iVillage's In the Loop with iVillage, a TV show and webcast produced by NBC Universal. NBC commissioned a set at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.[7] In September 2008, Rancic began as host for the A&E reality show We Mean Business, in which small business owners undergo business make-overs.

In 2008, Rancic and his wife, TV host Giuliana Rancic (née DePandi), started a joint television production company, You and I Productions, which produces reality and scripted programming for television. In 2010, Rancic started hosting a news program called America Now, which is broadcast across the United States on stations owned by Raycom Media. The following year, "America Now" was brought back for a second season, with Leeza Gibbons joining Bill Rancic. Originally, the show was on every weekend, but when Leeza Gibbons joined the show, it moved to a Monday through Friday timeslot.[8]

In 2012, Rancic became a television spokesperson for the product Rogaine, appearing in national commercials detailing his experience with hair loss.[9] In April 2014, Rancic began hosting the Food Network competitive cooking series Kitchen Casino, where chefs participate in three casino-themed challenges in an attempt to win up to $30,000.

In 2016, Rancic published his first novel, First Light.

Personal life

In December 2006, he became engaged to Giuliana DePandi, and the couple wed in September 2007 in Chiesa di Santa Sofia, Capri.

On April 23, 2012, Giuliana and Bill announced on The Today Show that they were expecting their first child via gestational carrier.[10] On August 29, 2012, the couple welcomed a son, Edward Duke Rancic, in Denver, Colorado.[11]

Real estate

Rancic owned a condo on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, which he sold less than 20 months after purchasing the unit on the 50th floor of the Park Tower building.[12]

Rancic had owned a home in Hinsdale, Illinois which prominently featured on his reality show. He sold it in February 2011.[13][14] He also owns a villa on the Croatian island of Korčula.

Published works

References

  1. ↑ "Bill Rancic Biography". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Bill Rancic Croatian-American, Finalist on The Apprentice"; accessed February 5, 2016. (Croatian)
  3. ↑ "Splićanin u finalu reality showa Donalda Trumpa!" [A Split native in the Donald Trump reality show final!]. Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). April 10, 2004. Retrieved 2012-10-19. U razgovoru za Slobodnu Dalmaciju, ranije ovoga tjedna, Bill Rancic je ispričao kako se njegov djed Nikola Rančić iz Splita doselio u Sjedinjene Države, te da i on sam planira posjetiti zemlju svojih predaka
  4. ↑ "Bill Rancic profile". The Apprentice Rules. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  5. ↑ "Bill Rancic biography". Tvguide.com. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  6. ↑ "Apprentice Bill Fires Self". E! Online. 2005-09-08. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  7. ↑ Bill Rancic In The Loop with iVillage Host Archived October 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "New to WMBF News: America Now". WMBF-TV. NBC. October 27, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  9. ↑ Nicole Karlis (2012-05-17). "[INTERVIEW] Bill Rancic Rogaine Ambassador — Exclusive Deets On Hair-Raising Ads". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  10. ↑ Nudd, Tim (2012-04-23). "Giuliana Rancic, Bill Rancic to Be Parents". People.com. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  11. ↑ "Giuliana and Bill Rancic Welcome a Baby Boy!". E! Online. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  12. ↑ Goldsborough, Bob (January 14, 2011). "Rancic flips Mag Mile condo". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
  13. ↑ Chicago Tribune staff (February 8, 2011). "Trump card: Bill and Giuliana Rancic's Hinsdale remodel". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
  14. ↑ Goldsborough, Bob (March 18, 2011). "Rancic sells Hinsdale mansion for $4.6 million". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-10-17.

External links

Preceded by
None		 The Apprentice Winners
Season 1 		Succeeded by
Kelly Perdew
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