Entertainment

Reality TV to stardom

Bill Rancic (Freelance)

Tim Gunn (© Bravo)

Jennifer Hudson (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Reality television personalities get into the business to “make it” and launch their “real” careers. Few, as it turns out, actually do. They milk their 15 minutes of fame and spend the rest of their days touting the fact that they once appeared on Random XYZ Show.

Do you know the name of the Littlest Groom? What about the fifth-place contestants on the 2005 season of “The Amazing Race.” If you do, we simultaneously salute and pity you).

A select group has actually managed to break out of the patented fame ball mold to achieve legitimate success that veers away from their reality roots. We picked three stars who fit the “made it” bill in one way or another, spring-loading the reality TV platform for the highest possible bounce. Let’s get to it.

ELISABETH HASSELBECK

Hasselbeck first appeared on TV in “Survivor: The Australian Outback” in 2001, where she finished in fourth place. She played smart and fair, unlike her strategic-but-back-stabbing (and sometimes more successful) competitors.

After that, Hasselbeck was selected in 2003 to replace Lisa Ling on “The View.” She turned down the opportunity to appear in “Survivor: All-Stars” to focus on her new gig. Hasselbeck and her co-hosts won a daytime Emmy in August 2009 for Outstanding Talk Show Host, and “The View” ranks among the top daytime programs.

When Hasselbeck is involved in particularly ugly debates, she turns on the waterworks, a skill that she practiced on “Survivor” when she was feeling ill and frustrated.

Renowned for her conservative viewpoints, Hasselbeck is frequently the subject of good-natured satire on “Saturday Night Live,” where series regular Kristin Wiig mocks her emphatic and emotional diatribes — a sure sign that “The View” co-host has truly “made it.”

BILL RANCIC

It’s not surprising that Bill Rancic has found success since winning the first season of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” in 2004.

His prize, after all, was a plum gig with the Trump Organization overseeing the construction of the Trump Tower in Chicago.

Yet while other “Apprentice” winners have vanished, Rancic continued to demonstrate his entrepreneurial spirit. Even after his one-year contract with Trump was up, he remained with the company and appeared as a judge on later seasons of “The Apprentice.”

Rancic currently develops real estate in Chicago and does motivational speaking engagements about succeeding in business and in life. He also egularly pops up on “Rachael Ray” as her financial advice guru.

The reality-TV parasite has not entirely been eradicated from his body, however. Rancic and his wife, E! network personality Guiliana Rancic, star as their sort-of newly wedded selves on the Style Network’s “Guiliana and Bill.” The couple founded You and I Productions in 2008.

TIM GUNN

Tim Gunn’s best reality TV days may still lie ahead.

Still going strong as the impeccably attired sage of “Project Runway,” viewers and contestants alike have come to realize what the fashion world has known for a long time: Gunn is the consummate teacher.

To be sure, Gunn had an accomplished career before the “Runway” made him a silver-haired star. He served on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design from 1982 until 2007 and served as Chair of Fashion Design for seven years until he left Parsons to join Liz Claiborne, Inc. as Chief Creative Officer.

In 2004, “Runway” introduced Gunn to fans who admired his critical eye and avuncular demeanor. He introduced the catchphrase “Make it work” into the lexicon.

While the spin-off, “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style” never gained momentum, Gunn authored a book on style sensibilities and has appeared as a guest star on sitcoms like “Ugly Betty” and “How I Met Your Mother.”

JENNIFER HUDSON

When you’re among the final group on a smash singing talent show like “American Idol,” you’re expected to pursue your vocal aspirations afterwards and try to sell a few records.

When Jennifer Hudson came in seventh place on the show in 2004, that just wasn’t enough.

She took the opportunity to branch out in a way that winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood did not, trying her hand at real acting.

Hudson has a way of getting it right the first time out of the gate. In 2007, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the saucy Effie in “Dreamgirls.” Next up: a starring role opposite Terrence Howard as Winnie Mandela in a biopic about the former wife of South African President Nelson Mandela.

Even though she has an Oscar, Hudson wants to stay in business with the networks. Last year, her first Christmas special aired on ABC. Hudson is also a spokesperson for WeightWatchers and promotes the “Lose for Good” charity campaign.