‘America’s Got Talent’ Contestant Plummets off Trapeze to Judges’ Horror

An exhilarating trapeze act almost turned deadly on America’s Got Talent Tuesday night after a husband and wife duo attempted to perform a blindfolded free-fall trick.

Tyce and Mary, a husband and wife trapeze team, wowed the judges at first with their gravity-defying stunts high above the stage, which was on fire during their act. For the performance’s grand finale, Tyce, who is legally blind in his right eye due to a progressive eye disease, donned a blindfold.

As Tyce hung upside down from the trapeze and prepared to catch his wife, who was balancing on his legs and the trapeze bar, he lost his grip. Mary’s legs and feet slipped through Tyce’s grasp and she plummeted to the ground below.

The accident was made more horrifying by the fact that Mary’s mother and their 2-year-old son, Jaxx, were watching from the audience. The visibly distressed grandmother grabbed the little boy close before covering her face after Mary fell to the ground.

Fortunately, a heavy mat laid on the stage at the end of Mary’s long fall. The mat broke her fall, and the stunned audience sat in silence for a few long seconds before she stood up and revealed that she was not seriously injured.

Tyce, hanging by his feet in mid-air, was lowered and then jumped to the ground, giving his wife a kiss. Although the duo were shaken, they asked to try the catch again — but the judges refused.

“No, it’s fine!” yelled Mel B. “It’s fine.”

Actor Ken Jeong, who was guest hosting, made it clear performing again would not be necessary. “This is not America’s Got Perfection, it’s America’s Got Talent, nobody can do this,” he said.

Even tough-as-nails judge Simon Cowell echoed Jeong and Mel B’s sentiments.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a singer on any of our competitions who’s been perfect. It certainly doesn’t make them not amazing. It makes them human,” he said, adding that the “consequences on this are slightly worse than falling off key, whereas you nearly broke your neck.”

Despite the mishap, the judges praised the act and the pair advanced through to the show’s live rounds at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

“Everything about it, the music, the suspense, the fire, just incredible!” yelled Mel B.

“You almost got hurt very badly and your first thought was, ‘Let me do that again,’” Howie Mandell said. “Only on America’s Got Talent does that happen.”

The two burst into tears upon receiving the happy news, explaining that the traveling nature of their jobs requires them to be away from their son most of the time — but advancing in the competition means they’re one step closer to securing their dream.

“We work on the road a lot and we have a 2-year-old son and we have to leave him at home most of the time,” Mary explained. “So the dream is to be in Vegas so that our family can be together.”

America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.