Kym Johnson’s DWTS Diary: How I Got Donny Osmond to Wear Velvet

Hi, everyone! Welcome to the sixth week of my OK! Dancing with the Stars blog! Well, as you all know, this week, Donny and I got a score of 25 out of 30 for a third place for our jive. Only Mya and Aaron Carter scored more, with 27 points each. I was so happy with our performance! Donny was, too, and told me he didn’t want the dance to end.

Monday night, we just wanted to have fun after working really hard for three days on the dance. Donny was drained by the end of rehearsals because it’s such a fast dance and of course he still had to do his Las Vegas show this week as usual. We did the hard work in rehearsals, and then came to the ballroom to enjoy it. It really paid off. I wasn’t sure what the judges were going to say, though. We had a guest judge in Baz Luhrmann and you never know how they are going to react. When the judges starting talking, though, all our doubts disappeared. Donny said it was like a weight being taken off his shoulders hearing all the praise.

I decided to have Donny wear a velvet suit for the dance, which was a bit of a gamble. I mean, doing the most energetic dance there is in velvet? Donny thought I made the right decision because he looked smart, but backstage, he admitted he was sweating bullets because it doesn’t breathe very well. Meanwhile, I loved my towering white boots, which were custom-made by the DWTS wardrobe department. That’s the first time they’ve had to make boots specifically for the show and they’re very elaborate with boning in the sides. I want to keep them! I don’t know if they’ll let me.

While I chose our costumes, the producers selected our music, “Secret Agent Man.” We originally were going to go for more of an Austin Powers theme, but since the judges criticized us a little for being too theatrical last week, we decided to tone it down and do more of a straight jive—but with a little ‘60s throwback vibe.

Me and Donny in Dress Rehearsal

I put together some 1960s choreography, and then in one of the rehearsals, Donny’s son Don suggested we put in that John Travolta, Pulp Fiction inspired V-sign move. Don looks like the spitting image of his father and he can take credit for that, as judge Bruno Tonioli praised us for the Travolta touch!

We weren’t disappointed at being behind Mya and Aaron, because we improved and the show is about improving each week.

I enjoyed having a fellow Aussie, Baz Luhrmann, as a guest judge this week. He’s one of the best things to come out of Australia. Of course he wouldn’t know this because my part was so small, but I was actually a dancing “extra” on his movie Strictly Ballroom when I was just 13 years old. I didn’t know at the time it would become such a huge hit movie—and there we both were again on Dancing with the Stars.

Me, LaToya and Donny!

Last week, as my blog photo shows, it was cool meeting LaToya Jackson, who is covering the show for TV and was in the audience. Donny has known all the Jackson family members for years; the two incredible family singing groups have stayed friends.

Well, hope you all keep watching and voting and I’ll talk to you next week!

Dancing with the Stars pro Kym Johnson has teamed up with OK! to update you every week on the triumphs and travails as she attempts to turn her celeb partner Donny Osmond into a ballroom champion!

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