LOS ANGELES (ABC 4 News) - An estimated seventeen million people watched the semi-finals on Dancing With The Stars tonight and they saw a Utahn fighting to get to the finals. But what that audience may not have seen, is who and what Donny Osmond calls his good luck charm, his reason to win. He shared that secret with us.
The line outside of Dancing With The Stars starts at about two o'clock in the afternoon. And this is what you hear, "I'm here to see Donny, he's my favorite." And, "Oh Donny, oh Donny! He's my age! If he can do it, why can't I? I've got to figure this out!"
It's not hard to figure out that Donny Osmond is the fan favorite. Five hundred people crowd into the Los Angeles sound stage on Monday and Tuesday nights and many of them are here to see the man who's been entertaining audiences for forty-six years.
"What a nice compliment. When people yell out your name and when they are voting for you. It's such a nice compliment to have that kind of support," Osmond says.
That support for Donny Osmond is everywhere you turn on the Dancing With The Stars set. From the woman who styles his hair raving about how he is willing to take chances, to the costumers upstairs in wardrobe.
"Donny will do whatever it takes to take on the character and sell that character. If it's rhinestones fine, if it's blue eyeshadow and red lipstick like we've seen, he'll do it," says costume designer Randall Christensen.
Doing anything for Donny Osmond includes dancing on a broken toe. It happened the third week of competition.
"Does it hurt every time?" we asked. "What do you think?" he says. "You just shut it off and dance, forget about it. When this is all over I'll do something about it then. But now I have no time."
Osmond is still splitting his time between Dancing With The Stars and his hit Las Vegas show with sister Marie.
"Is it wearing on him? Yes. Is he getting tired? Yes," Marie Osmond says. "You don't do this show if you are a wimp. You don't. I know he can do it. I know he can," she says.
He can do it, Donny says, because of one thing. And it's not because of a lucky bracelet like Kelly wears. Or a special glance like the ones Mya and her partner exchange. For Donny, it's his wife.
"She's my good luck charm. She's the reason we got through. She's my rock. She keeps me going," he says.
Donny and Debbie have been married now for thirty-one years. She's not at every show. Donny says she's been holding down the fort in Utah, but she's why he's here in Hollywood.
"I'm doing this for her. If we are lucky enough to win that trophy, Kym gets one and Debbie gets one."
Until then, Donny will continue to be the showman on the dance floor and the fan favorite. But most importantly, he is the man on a mission to get something very sparkly for his wife.
