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The Apprentice 1

Bill Rancic made $12,000 a month his first year with Trump, will earn more now.

by Andy Dehnart 19 Apr. 2005 | 7:00 am

Bill Rancic made $12,000 a month his first year with Trump, will earn more now.
Original Apprentice winner Bill Rancic recently came to the end of his year-long employment with the Trump Organization, but he negotiated with Donald Trump and will be sticking around for a second year. After taxes were taken out of his announced $250,000 a year salary, Bill tells TV Guide that he took home “About $6,000 every two weeks. But I don’t know if I want to publish that.” Oops! There it is, published anyway. Bill negotiated with Donald Trump, and although Donald wouldn’t budge by throwing out the first number, Bill says, “It’s safe to say I’ll be doing better than I did last year.” He’ll “continue to work on the Trump International Hotel & Tower project in Chicago and I’ll also be working on other projects, like Donald’s new golf club development in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.” And he insists that “only 10 percent of the job” is doing celebrity events and such.

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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