Dancing with the Stars professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy isn't shy about why he thinks entertainer Marie Osmond is one of three celebrity participants still in the running for the fifth-season mirror ball trophy.
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The situations surrounding Osmond that Chmerkovskiy was referring to presumably include the fact that she fainted on-camera following an October 23 samba routine; saw her 90-year-old father George pass away during Week 7 of the competition; and then had her 16-year-old son Michael enter rehab for undisclosed treatment only several days before the semifinal round.
While all of Osmond's trials and tribulations during the show's fifth season have garnered media attention, Chmerkovskiy said his celebrity partner -- Spice Girl Melanie Brown -- has had her own personal issues she hasn't divulged, including her seven-month old child having chicken pox for two weeks.
"So you never know who the sympathy would have gone to if the public knew everybody's story," Chmerkovskiy told Extra. "We decided not to burden people with all our personal issues. We only come out and show them what we can do on Monday nights. I think that is why our fan base carries us through -- because they vote for our dancing, not whatever happens in our life."
Osmond and her professional partner Jonathan Roberts have been at the bottom of the judges' leader board following the last two Monday night performance episode broadcasts. However they've been saved when the judges' scores were combined with home viewer votes, and have made it to the finale.
"I think [former Beverly Hills 90210 actress Jennie Garth] was better than Marie," Chmerkovskiy told Extra about Garth, who was ousted in last week's results show. "Frankly, I think there are a lot of other people better than Marie. But it's about people's votes, and they wanted to see their favorites in the final."
Chmerkovskiy said he's unsure who will take home the mirror ball trophy, as he'll give it a go against Osmond and Roberts as well as IndyCar racer Helio Castroneves and professional partner Julianne Hough.
"I'm hoping that it is Mel and I, but I'm not sure that is going to happen," he told Extra. "History shows it's either a cute man or somebody with a huge fan base -- and I think Marie has both Helio and Mel's fan base combined times five."
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
