Do young people know who Donny Osmond is? Sort of

Lottie Elizabeth Johnson
·4 min read
Donny Osmond made an appearance on a recent episode of “Generation Gap.”
Donny Osmond made an appearance on a recent episode of “Generation Gap.” | ABC

Recently on the ABC game show “Generation Gap,” which shows grandchildren teaming up with their grandparents to answer a wide range of pop culture questions, host Kelly Ripa revealed that she was going to bring out a mystery celebrity guest.

This person, Ripa said, would “be easy for the seniors to guess.”

So it was up to the grandchildren to figure it out.

As Donny Osmond stepped onto the stage, excitement emanated from the grandparents. The grandchildren, on the other hand, met the “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” star with blank stares.

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Donny Osmond appears on ‘Generation Gap’

In the segment of the game show called “Who Am I?” Osmond proceeded to read aloud a series of clues for the grandchildren to solve. Each question could earn up to $1,000. And ideally, each question would bring the younger generation closer to identifying him.

“Back in 1971, when I was a kid just like you, I had a No. 1 record, and it was called, ‘Go Away Little ____.’”

The word that came to 9-year-old Peyton’s mind? “Insect.”

Osmond laughed.

And then Peyton’s grandfather, Howard, confidently came in with the save. His correct response — “girl” — netted the team $500.

The second clue went to the other team, and it was a little less Osmond specific.

“Before Backstreet Boys, K-Pop ... I was in one of the very first boy _____ .”

Eleven-year-old Ruby was able to figure that one out, netting her team $1,000 with the answer “bands.”

The third clue was a stumper all around. Osmond shared that he’s played the lead in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and acted as Gaston on Broadway. He then asked the contestants to name the character he plays in “Mulan”: Captain ____.

To help out the players, Osmond started singing “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” And while Peyton clearly knew the words, she was unable to come up with his character’s name: Captain Shang.

Osmond didn’t seem too hurt by this, though, and asked Peyton to join him in singing the song.

“No thank you,” she said.

The next question was a bit easier: “At the end of my variety show back in the ’70s, my sister and I sang, ‘May Tomorrow Be a Perfect’ what?”

Ruby netted $1,000 for correctly guessing “day.” And just like that, she and her grandmother, Liz, were tied with Peyton and Howard at $2,750.

And then it came down to the final clue.

“I am no wizard, but my last name starts with Oz.”

In somewhat of a surprise, the two grandchildren more or less got it right — without help from their grandparents.

Peyton wrote down “Ozman,” which honestly could’ve been a lucky guess based on the final clue. Ruby, however, took it a step further and showed that she did in fact know the man who was standing before her: “Donny Ozman.”

Spelling wasn’t penalized here, and both answers were deemed correct.

But if the kids hadn’t figured it out, Osmond shouldn’t have felt too bad about it — earlier in the show, grandmother Liz was unable to identify Ron Weasley.

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People on ‘Claim to Fame’ don’t know who Donny Osmond is

This episode of “Generation Gap” was reportedly filmed last year for Season 1, but for whatever reason didn’t air until this past Thursday. But the timing is impeccable.

Currently, there’s another ABC show that features the same storyline: Do young people know who Donny Osmond is?

But unlike “Generation Gap,” things aren’t looking good for Osmond.

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On the reality competition show “Claim to Fame,” relatives of A-list celebrities are holed up in a mansion without access to the outside world, working tirelessly to solve puzzles and uncover clues about all of the mystery celebrity connections.

At this point in the season, all that’s left is the finale. Just about everything that could be said about Osmond has been said, and yet, somehow, a group of contestants in their 20s and 30s have been wildly off course the entire time.

The first official guess was Elvis. Speculation included John Mayer and Jim Carrey. And then on back-to-back episodes, contestants — largely latching on to a clue about an “amazing coloured dream coat” — guessed Elton John and Billy Idol.

At this rate, Osmond’s son, Chris, is definitely going to win Season 2 of “Claim to Fame.”

But if ABC were to do a crossover and bring Ruby and Peyton to the “Claim to Fame” mansion, Chris should think twice before he starts planning how to spend that $100,000 prize money.

How to watch ‘Generation Gap’ and ‘Claim to Fame’

The “Claim to Fame” Season 2 finale airs Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. MDT on ABC.

“Generation Gap” airs Thursdays at 7 p.m. on ABC, although it appears the network is airing re-runs for at least the next couple of weeks.