When "Dancing With the Stars" begins a new season today, Donny Osmond will be one of 16 competitors for the coveted mirror ball trophy. Sister Marie Osmond took third place in the ABC hit's fifth season, but can Donny dance?

He's getting ample practice at the Flamingo Las Vegas doing "Donny and Marie," a 90-minute show, following the format of their 1970s TV program.

"When you see (the Vegas show) you're going to say 'How do they have the energy to do that five times a week?' " Donny said in a phone interview.

"It's just a killer, because Marie and I decided, if we were going to put together the ultimate variety show, we've got to put so much in to it."

In the Flamingo Hotel, a classic Vegas-style showroom, booths and tables evoke a slice of nostalgia, their show is high-energy, their performances impressive, and both sing and dance with terrific stamina.

Hard to believe Donny Osmond is a grandfather. Aside from Hawai'i-born actor Mark Dacascos, Osmond also might be the "Dancing With the Stars" contestant with the closest and longest-standing ties to the Islands.

"I remember talking to our choreographer on 'The Andy Williams Show,' " Osmond said. "He was also the dance director at the Polynesian Cultural Center. His name was Jack Regis. He said, 'You have got to go over and check out the Polynesian Cultural Center."

That prompted the Osmonds' first trip in the 1960s. After concerts here at the height of their success in the 1970s, the family bought property.

"My parents had a condo back when it was called the Kahala Hilton. It was the condos right next to the hotel. I used to love going there. That was my favorite hang," Osmond said.

"There was also that epic movie we did (in Hawai'i) called 'Goin' Coconuts' " (released in 1978), Osmond joked. "But hey, it made money, so we can't complain too much. When you're making a movie for 10 dollars and 52 cents, it kind of recoups quickly."

While filming the movie, Donny proposed to his wife, Debbie, at the Mormon Temple in La'ie.

He also recalls, a few years later, in 1982, when Hurricane Iwa struck.

"I was on O'ahu. I remember thinking, 'This is kinda scary, but I'm having the time of my life,' " Osmond said, laughing. "I remember driving around the island; power lines were down, telephone poles and stuff. Yeah. I drove through all that."

He also has warm memories of that day with his wife and sons.

"We went down to Turtle Bay and had a sandwich because there was no power. So they made us a nice, cold sandwich on bread. It was just so polite," Osmond said.

Just as Iwa devastated some parts of the Islands, 1982 was a devastating year for the Osmonds. The Osmonds, as an ensemble act, had parted ways in 1980; two years later, they learned from financial advisers that their $58 million fortune had evaporated, reportedly due to bad investments.

The family sold everything they could to avoid filing for bankruptcy, including the Kahala apartment, and began work to start over.

After re-establishing himself as an entertainer, Donny Osmond was doing alright. Then, just five years ago, while bodysurfing with his son on the North Shore, Donny had an accident that could have ended his career.

"I'm riding this great wave and all of a sudden I hear 'crack' in my neck and I go headfirst into the shoreline. I'm lying on the beach and all of a sudden I lose all of the feeling in my right arm and I am thinking, 'I have just destroyed my life,' " he said.

Osmond later learned he had herniated two disks in his neck. He had to have surgery immediately, or run the risk of losing the use of his right arm. Yet having the operation meant he was risking permanent loss of the use of his voice.

"You know when you're dealing with something, you just deal with it?" Osmond said. "So when you have time to just sit and think about the seriousness of it, and what could have happened? It freaks me out."

He's not eager to jump back into the surf, but Hawai'i is still his favorite destination, hands down.

"Every single time I ask my wife, my kids, 'Where do want to go for vacation? Where's the best vacation place?' It's always Hawai'i," Osmond said.

While he's on "Dancing With the Stars," Osmond will continue his Vegas performances four nights a week, according to Jamie Nielsen, director of public relations at Harrah's Entertainment.

"I thought at 51, I would be slowing down," he said. Instead, he's never worked harder in his life.