Most televised award shows celebrate accomplished actors and performers, but for one very special night, CNN will honor everyday people, who are making extraordinary strides in their communities to make the world a better place, during their fifth annual 'CNN Heroes' broadcast.

"I've never gone through a whole show without tearing up backstage somewhere," host Anderson Cooper revealed in this exclusive behind the scenes clip. "When you tune in to watch 'Heroes,' you really are transported and transformed in a way."

Joining Cooper will be 'Dancing With the Stars' Season 13 winner, J.R. Martinez, who will co-host the pre-show of 'CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute' on Dec. 11. Before joining the cast of ABC's 'All My Children,' Martinez, an United States Army infantryman, was badly injured when his Humvee truck ran over a landmine in Iraq. He suffered a coma and intense burns on over 40 percent of his body, lost most of the hair on his head and one of his ears.