NBC

 

Nickname: "Hot Danny"
Age: 30
Occupation: Former "Days of Our Lives" Actor
Hometown: Alvin, TX
Audition City: New York

TRAINING:
Vocal: 12 years
Dance: 17 years
Acting: 12 years

FUN FACTS: He is a Gemini. He used to work as a carpenter. Self-confessed fitness freak.

  View Austin's Photo Gallery!

Austin, may be a self-described "tough nut to crack," but once cracked you will find a self-deprecating charmer who is extremely focused on making a success of himself. Growing up in a small-town an hour outside of Houston, TX, Austin was an overweight kid, who wore thick bottle-rimmed glasses, attended AP lessons and was picked on in between classes. Hiding the fact that he loved musical theatre, he secretly took dance classes, but nothing could keep his love of Michael Jackson hidden...especially after his two aunts made him bejewelled white socks and a white glove, which he wore to school.
Family is extremely important to Austin; he grew-up in a tight-knit extended clan. The eldest of five, he comes by his "bossy" nature naturally, since he has four younger sisters. His first jobs were working in the various family businesses: flipping burgers at his aunt's 1950's style drive-in burger joint and working as a carpenter for his uncle's construction business. His family also owns a feed store and at one point raised cattle. When the live shows starts, we should definitely expect a visit from the Millers, et al...in their grand ol' RV (his aunt is afraid to fly...so the family travels together by Winnebago.)

This former Catholic altar boy's life changed dramatically when he grew a foot and started wearing contacts. Austin may live in the big city now, but there are still traces of his small town life…he loves taking trips to Home Depot for no particular reason and reading Car Magazine.

Currently single, he dreams of becoming a huge stage and screen actor...the judges were concerned that he was a bit too nasally, which he's been working on. His secret passions / guilty pleasures are The Carpenters, Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond (can a do dead-on impression of him) and Paula Deen's cooking show on the Food Network. He loves scary movies and loves to scare people even more (he enjoys finding out what scares people and feeds on that).

To prepare for the Live Shows, Austin has created a list of things he must complete to get him TV ready and confident.

Thus far, Austin has been both thrilled and exhausted by the Grease experience. He said his heart was breaking for people whose shoulders were tapped during the second to last elimination and said that the final elimination was the longest thing he had ever had to sit through. His hope for this show is more exposure and opportunities.

FAVORITES:
What genre of movies do you enjoy? Horror - He considers himself a connoisseur of the genre.
Favorite TV show: "The Simpsons"
Favorite Actor: Johnny Depp and Jude Law
Favorite Actress: Nicole Kidman and Toni Collette
Favorite Singer: Jennifer Hudson
Favorite Performer: Prince
Favorite Group: Styx
Favorite Foods: Baked goods...does not discriminate
Favorite Color: Blue