ABC dumps Donny Osmond-hosted TV show
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A new "reality" TV show hosted by onetime teen idol Donny Osmond, "The Great American Dream Vote," has been dumped from ABC's schedule after just two episodes proved to be a ratings nightmare.
The series, featuring contestants vying to have their life-long dreams fulfilled, ranked fifth in the major network pecking order for its time slot on Wednesday with a meager 4.5 million viewers tuning in.
Tuesday's debut episode following the popular show "Dancing with the Stars" did somewhat better, averaging 5.9 million viewers, but still ranked only third in its hour.
By coincidence, news that Osmond's latest ABC show was axed came as his sister and former TV co-host, Marie, announced that she was divorcing her husband of more than 20 years, music producer Brian Blosil.
The Walt Disney Co.-owned network did not say whether Osmond's show was canceled altogether, but a spokeswoman said on Friday there were no plans to bring the series back.
The winner of the first episode was a bald man who received $30,000 worth of hair transplant surgery. The second night's champion was a 43-year-old man who always wanted to play in the National Football League.
Edging out a woman whose dream was to launch a line of clothing for poodles, he was awarded a training camp stint with the San Francisco 49ers.
The misfire of "The Great American Dream Vote" comes days after Osmond, 49, said he and his siblings, who performed together in the 1970s as the Osmond Brothers, were planning a possible reunion TV special.
The Osmond Brothers scored a string of hits in the 1970s, including the breakthrough single "One Bad Apple," and Donny, the group's lead singer, went on to co-host a popular ABC variety show, "Donny and Marie," with his younger sister.
Donny and Marie teamed up again in the late 1990s for a syndicated TV talk program, and Donny Osmond later hosted the syndicated TV game show "Pyramid." He currently hosts a British version of that show.
Last year, he starred in Disney's Broadway musical production of "Beauty and the Beast," and the 55th album of his career, "Love Songs of the 70's," has gone gold in England.
