Backstage Report: Donny Osmond Wins 'Dancing With the Stars' Season 9

Posted 11/25/09, 1:00 AM GMT by Michael Maloney
Categories: Interviews

Donny Osmond has won more than just the coveted mirror ball trophy on Season 9 of 'Dancing With the Stars.' The popular entertainer now has permanent bragging rights over his sister Marie, who came in third when she danced in Season 5 of the reality competition series.

After an impressive Broadway-themed freestyle on Monday and an encore of their Argentine tango on Tuesday, Donny and his partner, Kym Johnson, were able to match the judges' scores of front-runner Mya and her partner Dmitry Chaplin. Donny's fan base, which dates back to the 1960s when he appeared with his singing brothers on The Andy Williams Show, helped propel him to the winner's circle.

As soon as he won, Osmond grabbed his wife, Debbie, and carried her onto the stage. Then, in the ultimate sign of brother-sister solidarity, Donny hugged sister Marie before accepting the trophy (no, she didn't faint).

AOL was right there on the dance floor immediately after the star-studded finale to talk to the winners, the finalists (including third place finisher Kelly Osbourne and her partner Louis Van Amstel), other Season 9 competitors and returning favorites to get their reactions.



Donny and Kym, how do you feel?
Donny: We did it! We did it!
Kym: I can't believe it.

When you tied Mya and Dmitry in scores from the judges, did you think maybe you'd win?
Donny: Yes. I thought maybe there's a chance. Mya's an amazing dancer. The fans pulled us through.
Kym: I think the freestyle was our breakthrough performance. It was a great time to have that happen. It all come together in the end.

Where will you keep the trophy?
Donny: I was joking that I might put it on the top of my house with a spotlight on it so that all of Utah can see it.

You brought Marie onto the floor after you won ...
Donny: Yes. There are three things I'll never forget when Tom [Bergeron] announced that we'd won -- first, the look on Kym's face, then when I grabbed my wife and kissed her and, lastly, when I brought Marie out to let her hold the trophy.

Kym, you'd been to the finals before. How does it feel to win?
Kym: I've been to the finals twice. To have it happen the third time is just amazing. I lost it. I was in tears. I am so proud of what Donny's achieved. It wasn't all smooth sailing. He's an amazing man.

Donny, does this change your billing when you appear in Las Vegas? ''Dancing With the Stars' winner Donny Osmond?'
Donny: (Smiling) Ya think?

Donny, you and Marie have enjoyed renewed popularity thanks to 'Dancing With the Stars.' Have you two thought about doing a variety special for TV?
Donny: You want to put more on my plate? We've talked about doing things like that. It's a matter of [having enough] time.

What are you plans now that the show is over?
Donny: We're going to New York [to do press]. I go back to Las Vegas to do a show. Then, Kym starts on 'Burn The Floor' this week.
Kym: I've had to pack up everything to bring it to New York. I need one more bag to take the trophy with me.

Donny, how has your body changed?
Donny: I've lost at least 20 pounds. Every part of my body hurts -- especially my broken toe. But that's okay. I've got the mirror ball!

Mya and Dmitry, how do you feel?
Mya: I feel great. I'm relieved, exhausted and sleepy. I"m so happy. We've come so far.
Dmitry: We've had three months of intense training.
Mya: We created something from nothing. Bringing it to life and sharing it with so many people ... it's been incredible.
Dmitry: I must say I feel really special having been Mya's first partner.

How do you feel about Donny winning?
Mya: Donny deserves this. He has a show every night in Las Vegas and flies right back to Los Angeles.

Are you guys dating?
Mya: (Laughs) When would we have time for that?
Dmitry: (Smiling) Us? No.

Louis, you were in tears in the finale ...
Louis: I made Kelly cry so much during this season. I pushed her to grow. It just got to me tonight. It's like a movie -- with a happy ending.
Kelly: People have come up to me asking me if I'm OK. I said, "I never f---ing thought I was going to win anyway. I'm on top of the world. I was in the finals!" I love the judges, but I do think I was unfairly judged with my tango.

How do you feel about Donny winning?
Kelly: I'm so happy he won. He worked so hard. He was in Las Vegas doing his show [at the same time] he was coming here. I'm 25 and I say this with the greatest respect -- Donny's a lot older than I am. This was his last big hurrah and I am so glad that he won. I'm so glad.

How did it feel to have the studio audience respond so positively to you?
Kelly: I couldn't believe it!
Louis: That has never happened before in any season.
Kelly: That in itself ...
Louis: That was a "10" right there.

Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo, what did you think of Donny winning?
Natalie: I thought he was going to win. You could have made an argument for any of them. But Donny's freestyle was amazing. I didn't understand it when Len [Goodman] said there was "the good, the bad and the ugly," I thought, "What is he talking about? There wasn't a single ugly dance." But I guess he meant his Adam Ant '80s dance. But Donny was great from start to finish. He deserves to win.
Alec: I think he deserved it. He pulled it off with his freestyle. Kym's a great choreographer. I think Mya's a great dancer and Kelly's a great personality. It was tough. It was a toss-up. But the freestyle is what separates everyone.

Do you think the votes split for the two women -- Mya and Kelly -- which allowed Donny to win?
Alec: Maybe. I'm sure there are conspiracy theories everywhere.

Well, the fact that Cloris Leachman didn't win her group dance tonight...
Alec: (Smiles) We're definitely appealing that one.

Alec, you won the first mirror ball trophy. Where do you keep it?
Alec: My parents have it actually, It's in their living room.

Will you and your wife Edyta Sliwinska be back for Season 10?
Alec: We're going to take it one step at a time. Maybe, maybe not. Edyta and I are doing 'Burn The Floor' starting in January. It's the closing run of the show.

Mark Ballas, what did you think about Donny winning?
Mark: I thought it was great. I assume it was going to happen after his performances on Monday night. Your freestyle is your last chance to show everything that you've learned over the 15 weeks. If you don't nail that round you could be in trouble.

Cloris Leachman, what was it like coming back and dancing again with Corky [Ballas]?
Just wonderful. They ask you to do it and you just do. We met on Saturday to practice.

There's an old adage in Hollywood -- don't work with children, pets or Muppets. What was it like working with Miss Piggy?
Cloris: Oh, it's just a guy sitting on the floor with her and talking. It's fun. Great fun.

Anna Trebunskaya, what was it like when you stopped dancing with Chuck Liddell?
Anna: I definitely feel attached to every celebrity I dance with. It's like they're my older brothers. I'm personally upset each time my partner is voted off. I emailed Chuck and said, "I don't want to be pushy, but can I text you sometime?"
Chuck: It's weird. You work with someone for two months and then you stop. I feel the same way. You either love each other or hate each other. It was great to come back one last time and dance with Anna.
Anna: And not be judged!

Louie Vito, how'd it feel to dance with Chelsie Hightower again?
Louie: Fantastic. I never really left. I kind of hung out [after I was voted off]. Tonight was like my first dance all over again. It was so cool to have Donny Osmond sing while I danced. I know a lot of ladies who would die for that.
Chelsie: i remember seeing Donny on stage in 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.' I loved hearing him sing. I never would have imagined that I would be dancing to him singing on national television.

Will you be back for Season 10?
Chelsie: I hope so. We never know until right before the show. We'll see.

Samantha Harris, what did you think of Donny winning?
Samantha: I love it. I love that he won because he's the consummate showman. What a feat to be almost twice the age of your competitors and to win the whole thing.

What was it like getting a karate chop from Miss Piggy?
Samantha: It'll go down as one of my daughter's favorite moments as well as a career highlight for me. I loved it! When I heard the Muppets were going to be here, I said, "Please, let me get karate-chopped by Miss Piggy."

Tom Bergeron quickly ad-libbed "Have I mentioned that our show is live?" when there was technical snafu at the beginning of the show ...
Samantha: He's fantastic. What I love about working with Tom is getting to watch him and seeing how he handles situations [like this]. I was still making my way down the stairs. I heard in my ear piece "Tom! Tom! Are you there?" Thankfully, he saved the day.

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