'America's Got Talent' Series Spinoff Canceled According to Simon Cowell
America's Got Talent mastermind Simon Cowell said the troubled latest spinoff of the competition, America's Got Talent: Extreme, will not return for a second season. Cowell seemingly made the decision, revealing in a resurfaced interview from September that he thought the show pushed death-defying stunts too far. The production was rocked by tragedy when veteran escape artist Jonathan Goodwin nearly died in a rehearsal accident. Goodwin survived but is now paralyzed from the waist down.
Before the AGT Season 17 finale, The Buzz asked Cowell if there would be a second season of Extreme. "No chance. That was, for me, the most nerve-wracking thing, I have ever done in my life," Cowell quickly replied, via The Sun. "I mean, I'm not kidding. I felt like a contestant. It was something we wanted to do, but I would never go through that again."
The interviewer asked Cowell if the stunts pushed the limits too far. "Too much," Cowell said. "It was way too much. This [regular season], I prefer."
Although AGT featured extreme stunts, it was nothing like the first season of Extreme, which only featured contestants who put their lives on the line for stunts. Cowell was joined by Nikki Bella and professional motocross racer Travis Pastrana at the judge's table and Terry Crews served as host. Only four episodes aired in February and March, with Alfredo Silva's Cage Riders crowned the winning act. In May, Deadline reported the show was "parked," meaning NBC had no immediate plans to make a second season, but they were not outright canceling the show.
If NBC really does bring Extreme back, Bella might be the only judge to return. In June, she told PopCulture.com that she really enjoyed the series. "I just connected whether it was the contestants or with my fellow judges or Terry," she said. "And it was just a really special place to be in. So I can't wait for the future of it and when it comes back and to be back on that stage again."
Extreme was filmed at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September and October 2021. The production was delayed at one point after Goodwin was crushed between two cars while trying to escape from a straightjacket. He plummeted to the ground and was in the hospital for months. He suffered third-degree burns, a broken spine, a severed spinal cord, and two broken shoulder blades. He also shattered his legs and lost a kidney. He was hospitalized for months and revealed in May that he is paralyzed from the waist down.
"6 months ago I went to rehearse something and left this little hairy monkey waiting patiently for me...he didn't see his dad again until just a couple of weeks ago and when he finally did, dad had new cool wheels," Goodwin wrote on Instagram. "A lot has changed in the last 6 months, but love is a constant, and I'm very very loved. Looking forward to my next chapters and being a roll model."