America’s Got Talent features plenty of danger acts, and sometimes they go wrong.
Ryan and AmberLynn are an act that features gross-out feats like sword and knife swallowing. The last time the couple took the stage, Ryan swallowed a live chain saw. The stunts are REALLY hard to watch, but considering the popularity of shows like MTV’s Jackass, there apparently is an audience for that sort of thing.
Ryan and AmberLynn’s latest act seemed to be going well last night until a flaming arrow she shot missed a target and hit Ryan in the neck. Making the situation even more dangerous: The target was affixed to what looked like a table lamp post that Ryan had swallowed. The flaming arrow didn’t puncture skin or catch Ryan’s clothes on fire, but the daredevil was clearly choking and gagging as the arrow missed its mark. If Ryan had swallowed a sharp object like a knife or sword, the injury could have been worse.
Backstage after the show, Ryan explained to reporters what went wrong:
“In the moment, I thought I had messed up horribly,” said AmberLynn. “[But] we reviewed the footage and my aim was on point.”
Equipment failure was actually the culprit.
“[AmberLynn’s] laser dot was actually on the target,” Ryan explained. “I thought she had missed too and then we looked, and the notch on the arrow, on the back end, had broken.”
“If she had just missed,” Ryan continued, “it actually would have gone probably through my neck but because of the way it slipped, it kinda came at an angle with less power.”
The mishap was shocking for the audience, but also for the couple. “Have you ever had a flaming arrow shot at you?” Ryan quipped. “It’s scary.”
AmberLynn added: “The arrow was supposed to go down the tube in his esophagus and it actually shoots pyrotechnics out of it. It’s an amazing, amazing stunt that’s never been done in the entire world.”
The couple will run the stunt again as soon as possible so they aren’t afraid of it and plan to post photos of it working properly.
Watch the stunt below. Warning: The act is NOT for the faint of heart! After the accident, the judges–Howie Mandel, Mel B., Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell–had a hard time keeping it together. Although Ryan insisted he was fine, Simon demanded he see a medic immediately. Other than a little bruising where the arrow hit, there were apparently no injuries.
