Rachel Uchitel is an American nightclub manager, hostess, and TV correspondent. She first encountered publicity when, following the September 11 attacks, a photo of her holding a picture of her fiancé, who worked in the World Trade Center, was published by the New York Post and circulated worldwide. She made headlines again in 2010 as one of golfer Tiger Woods' alleged mistresses. In 2010, she appeared in the fourth season of the Americanreality television seriesCelebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
Early life
Uchitel is the granddaughter of Maurice Uchitel, a Ukrainian-born Jewish American restaurant and nightclub owner in the 1950s and 1960s, including the El Morocco club. When Uchitel was 15, her father died, which according to her, required her to mature quickly, and which she claims was one of the incidents in her life that led to her own addictions later. She graduated from Millbrook School in 1992 and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1996 with a degree in psychology. She spent five years after college as a news producer in New York for Bloomberg Television.
Career
Television
Uchitel began her career after college working in television and film, with a five-year stint as a producer in the Bloomberg News television division, a period in which she became "engaged to a man who died in the 9/11 attacks." Uchitel has served as a special correspondent on nightlife for Extra.
VIP hosting
In 2005, Uchitel moved to Las Vegas where, in 2005–06, she was a VIP hostess at the Tao in Las Vegas, Nevada, whose ownership included occasional boyfriend Jason Strauss. She said, "In a random career move and a life-changing experience, I found myself living in Las Vegas to launch Tao nightclub and restaurant.... Two years later, I was back in New York to oversee VIP operations for all of their companies and venues, such as Stanton Social, Marquee, Tao Bistro, and Dune. Uchitel ran the VIP section of "some of the most successful clubs in New York." As of 2009, Uchitel was living in Las Vegas, but was self-described as being "too old for being a VIP host anymore".
Other endeavors
In December 2013, Uchitel opened a children's boutique on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The store is named Wyatt Lily, after her 2-year-old daughter, and was named "Best Kids Birthday Presents" in New York magazine's annual Best Of issue in 2015.
Media appearances
Uchitel was a cast member in the fourth season of the VH1reality television program Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which documents notable persons being treated for substance abuse; in her case, she was treated for addictions to alcohol, opiates, and benzodiazepine drugs. Dr. Drew Pinsky, who normally is not involved with casting for the series, reportedly visited Uchitel personally in order to convince her to be cast onthe show, for which she was paid $500,000 to appear, double the amount initially offered to her by producers.
Personal life
Uchitel had been engaged toJames Andrew O'Grady, an investment banker, who was killed in the September 11 attacks of the World Trade Center. A few days later, she appeared on the front page of the New York Post holding a picture of O'Grady, which was republished worldwide. Uchitel and her fiancé's family subsequently debated the disposition of his estate. In 2004 Uchitel married Wall Street trader and childhood friend Steven Ehrenkranz. Their marriage lasted four months. In late 2009, The National Enquirer published a story that alleged that Uchitel had had an affair with Tiger Woods at the Australian Masters, an allegation Uchitel denied to the Associated Press. In 2010 actor David Boreanaz admitted to having an affair with Uchitel. At the time of the affair, Boreanaz's wife was pregnant. Shortly after Boreanaz's admission of the affair, text messages emerged on the Internet confirming that the affair was sexual in nature.
On October 2, 2011, she married insurance underwriter and former Penn Statefullback Matt Hahn. In May 2012, Uchitel gave birth to a daughter. Hahn filed for divorce from Uchitel in 2013. The divorce was finalized in January 2014.
