America’s Got Talent is one of the wilder talent competitions, as contestants can perform anything from songs, to comedy acts, to magic acts. The judges might have thought they’d seen it all, but a recent performance had Simon Cowell squirming in his seat.
Testa’s Dangerous Stunts Horrify Cowell
The contestant, Testa, took to the stage to perform his acts of “danger.” The daredevil started his act by putting his bare foot into a flame, and the judges and audience cringed as his foot turned black.
While all the judges—Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Howie Mandel—appeared uncomfortable, the American Idol alum was clearly the most grossed out. Things only got worse when Testa moved on to his next trick: walking up a ladder made of machetes.
Cowell’s eyes bugged out of his head as Testa performed, eventually closing his eyes and leaning as far back in his seat as possible. Testa turned up the heat when he then rested his chin on a sharp machete and dangled his full body weight on the knife.
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The audience and judges screamed, and Cowell had to put his hands over his eyes. Luckily, Testa finished his performance safely, but he had clearly made his mark on the judges—particularly Cowell.
Fan Reactions To Testa’s Tricks
The judge posted a clip from Testa’s performance to his Instagram account, writing, “This was like watching a horror movie.” The comment section soon filled with others who were just as horrified by Testa’s acts of danger.
“I can’t watch this,” one person wrote. Another commented, “Yeah…. no thanks. I can’t imagine what it would have been like had this gone horribly horribly wrong…” Someone else told Cowell, “Simon you need to stop this!”
While most were horrified, others took the chance to share their explanations as to how Testa performed such a dangerous stunt. “Only the top of the blade is sharp….” one person wrote. Another agreed, writing, “Only the ends are sharp.”
Was Testa Really In Danger?
While the tricks appeared death-defying, it’s safe to assume that Testa was never in any danger. In an interview with world-famous magicians Penn & Teller, they shared the truth behind their dangerous tricks.
“We don’t do danger,” Penn explained. “Yes our tricks look dangerous—they’re supposed to. That’s why it’s a trick. You go on a rollercoaster to have your guts think you’re going to die but intellectually you know you’re safe. And magic should be the same way. People shouldn’t be hurt for show business. There is stuff you can’t avoid but you shouldn’t be doing stuff where dipsh*ts starve themselves to death or drown or something. That’s not magic, that’s just being an a**hole.”
Even though the America’s Got Talent judges were horrified by Testa’s performance, they also admitted they wanted to see more of his terrifying stunts and moved him on to the next round. Fans of dangerous tricks can’t wait to see more of Testa’s tricks!
