Things didn't go according to plan on Tuesday's 'AGT' when one dangerous stunt led to a terrifying mishap.
When you're a married couple performing death-defying trapeze acts on the America's Got Talent stage in front of a huge audience, you've got to know things might not go according to plan.
On Tuesday's AGT, during the first night of the season's Judge Cuts round, acrobatic couple Mary and Tyce of Duo Transcend came out determined to wow the judges once again after their astounding performance in the audition round.
Tyce, who is nearly blind due to a progressive eye disease, and Mary have been married for six years, and share a 2-year-old son who was actually in the audience, with his grandma, to cheer them on.
While America's Got Talent always tries to amp up the tension, drama and suspense when trapeze artists or daredevils are risking life and limb in their acts, Mary and Tyce provided more real-life drama than you could ever need when their performance came to a terrifying and abrupt conclusion.
After completing a great deal of their gravity-defying trapeze act -- made all the more dangerous by Tyce's eye condition and the inherent danger of two people climbing all over each other while hanging from a bar -- gravity refused to be defied any longer, and after a slip-up, Mary plummeted to the floor.
Which is exactly when AGT went to commercial, leaving fans in mortal suspense until the show returned to the look of horror on Mary's mother's face in the crowd as she held the couple's baby in her arms.
Luckily, like all good trapeze acts, Tyce and Mary had taken some basic safety precautions and had a thick protective mat on the floor, softening the blow of her fall.
While she still hit the mat hard -- and had the bruises to show for it -- Mary triumphantly leapt to her feet and waved to the relieved crowd, letting them know she was OK.
The couple, clearly embarrassed by the mishap, asked the judges for a chance to do their act again.
"We would like to try the trick one more time," Mary asked.
"No! It's fine!" Mel B yelled immediately. "It's fine."
Guest host Ken Jeong comforted the concerned performers, explaining that, even though things didn't go flawlessly, it was clear how skilled they really are.
"This is not America's Got Perfection, it's America's Got Talent!" Jeong shared. "Nobody can do this. I mean, it's OK!"
"I don't think there's ever been a singer on any of our competitions who's been note-perfect," Simon Cowell said, reiterating Jeong's remarks. "It doesn't make them not amazing, it makes them human."
"Although the consequences of this are slightly worse than falling off-key, whereas you nearly broke your neck," Cowell added. "And the fact that you're nearly blind makes this incredible."
While the pair were understandably concerned that their mishap could spell the end of their AGT journey, they were overwhelmed when they were told they'd be moving on to the live rounds at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
"It means so much to us," Mary said through tears. "It's been such a long road to get here, and to be through to the live shows means we're one step closer to the dream."
America's Got Talent returns for its second night of Judge Cuts next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
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