‘America’s Got Talent: Extreme’ Injury Halts Production as Stuntman Continues Battling for Life

NBC has halted production on the new America’s Got Talent spinoff that features dangerous and unbelievable stunts after a stuntman nearly died during an accident Thursday. Jonathan Goodwin was filming a stunt for America’s Got Talent: Extreme at the Atlanta Motor Speedway when something went wrong and he fell on his head during rehearsals. The stuntman’s condition remains unknown, but he was reportedly responsive when he was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Jonathan Goodwin and his family as he continues to recover from his accident on Thursday,” an America’s Got Talent spokesperson told PEOPLE Sunday. “In order to focus on the wellbeing of our crew, we will be temporarily pausing production on America’s Got Talent: Extreme and will resume the last few days of filming at a later date. The health and safety of our cast and crew continue to be our priority.”

On Thursday, Goodwin was attempting a stunt where he was suspended about 70 feet in the air while wearing a straightjacket. He had two cars swinging on either side of him, and he had to escape the straightjacket, then drop to a mattress below before the two cars collided. Something went wrong though, and he wasn’t able to escape the path of the two cars in time. As seen in graphic video TMZ published, the two cars created a fireball when they collided. When Goodwin fell to the ground, he missed the mattress and landed on his head. TMZ did not share footage of him falling to the ground. Goodwin was airlifted to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery. His condition is unclear.

“During a rehearsal last evening for America’s Got Talent: Extreme, an accident occurred in which escape artist Jonathan Goodwin was injured while performing his act,” an America’s Got Talent spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly Friday. “He was responsive and was immediately taken to the hospital, where he is continuing to receive medical care. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family as we await further updates on his condition.”

AGT: Extreme is a new spinoff of the talent show, this time focusing on contestants with shocking acts that cannot be performed in a conventional theater. The winner will receive a $500,000 prize. Terry Crews is hosting, with Simon Cowell, WWE star Nikki Bella and motocross driver Travis Pastrana as the judges. NBC has not set a premiere date for the show.

Goodwin is an experienced daredevil, and has been featured on television in both the U.K. and the U.S. He competed on Britain’s Got Talent in 2019 and AGT in 2020. He had his own U.K. series, The Incredible Mr. Goodwin, and starred on Discovery’s One Way Out. He also performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2009 and hosted the Shark Week documentary How Not to Become Shark Bait in 2008.