William "Bill" Rancic (/ˈræntsɪk/; born May 16, 1971)[citation needed] 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. As of 2011, he stars in the reality show Giuliana and Bill with his wife Giuliana Rancic, as well as hosting America Now with Leeza Gibbons.
William Bill Rancic | |
|---|---|
 Business Conference & Expo in Rogers, AR, August 2010 | |
| Born | May 16, 1971 |
| Education | BS (Loyola University Chicago) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, author, talk show host, professional speaker and humanitarian |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Edward Duke Rancic (b. 2012) |
| Website | www |
Rancic is a motivational speaker, humanitarian 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, Illinois, and grew up in the suburb of Orland Park in a family of Croatian (Rančić)[1][2] and Irish heritage. He attended St. Michael School in 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.[3] Rancic has three sisters, Beth, Katie and Karen.[4]
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, California. 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 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 for doing a very good job.
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.[5] He instead opted to remain part of the Trump Organization, and in some seasons filled in as a judge when regular judge George 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.[6][dead link] 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.[7]
In 2012, Rancic became a television spokesperson for the product Rogaine, appearing in national commercials detailing his experience with hair loss.[8]
Personal life
In December 2006, he became engaged to Giuliana and the couple wed in September 2007.
On April 23, 2012, Giuliana and Bill announced on The Today Show that they were expecting their first child, via gestational carrier, due in late summer.[9]
On August 29, 2012, the couple welcomed son, Edward Duke Rancic, in Denver, Colorado.[10]
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.[11]
Rancic had owned a home in Hinsdale, Illinois that was prominently featured on his reality show, but he sold it in February 2011, just a few months after moving in.[12][13]
References
- ^ Bill Rancic Croatian-American, Finalist on the "Apprentice" Template:Hr icon
- ^ "Splićanin u finalu reality showa Donalda Trumpa!". Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). April 10, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
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.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Bill Rancic Biography". The Apprentice Rules. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ "Bill Rancic Biography". Tvguide.com. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- ^ E! News – Apprentice Bill Fires Self
- ^ Bill Rancic In The Loop with iVillage Host
- ^ "New to WMBF News: America Now". WMBF-TV. NBC. October 27, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ http://hollywoodlife.com/2012/05/17/bill-rancic-rogaine-ambassador-interview/
- ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20589362,00.html
- ^ http://www.eonline.com/news/338760/Giuliana-and-Bill-Rancic-Welcome-a-Baby-Boy
- ^ Goldsborough, Bob (January 14, 2011). "Rancic flips Mag Mile condo". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Chicago Tribune staff (February 8, 2011). "Trump card: Bill and Giuliana Rancic's Hinsdale remodel". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Goldsborough, Bob (March 18, 2011). "Rancic sells Hinsdale mansion for $4.6 million". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
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