A trapeze act went dramatically wrong on Tuesday's "America's Got Talent," when a mishap caused an acrobat suspended in the air to plummet to the floor.
Salt Lake City husband and wife team, Duo Transcend, are no strangers to danger, having previously performed daring stunts in shows such as Cirque Du Soleil, according to their website.
However, not even they could have anticipated the minor slip that would lead to a near death during the first night of the "America's Got Talent" Judge Cuts round, Entertainment Tonight noted.
The acrobatic couple, Mary Ellen Wolfe and Tyce Nielsen, shined in their audition round and were determined to wow judges during their performance aired on Tuesday with a series of breathtaking trapeze moves made even more daring by the fact that Nielsen suffers from a progressive eye disease that has left him almost blind.
In video footage of the incident, tension mounted as the duo launched into a series of gravity-defying stunts.
As flames erupted on the stage, Wolfe fell backward for her husband to catch her by her ankle but his grip slipped and she plunged to the ground as members in the audience screamed and the camera panned to the couple's toddler who was sitting in the audience with his grandmother.
For several seconds it was unclear whether Wolfe was OK, however, she soon hopped to her feet and waved to the relieved crowd.
The couple then asked for a chance to redo their act, but the judges waved off the mishap, sending the duo through to the live rounds at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
"I don't think there's ever been a singer on any of our competitions who's been note-perfect," said Simon Cowell, according to Entertainment Tonight. "It doesn't make them not amazing, it makes them human."
He added that, in the trapeze couple's case, the consequences were slightly more severe.
"You nearly broke your neck," he added. "And the fact that you're nearly blind makes this incredible."
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