Talent Recap

Watch the Best Danger Acts to Audition For ‘America’s Got Talent’

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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Whats better than some good old fashioned danger? Along with magicians, danger acts will always have a special place on the America’s Got Talent Stage. Let’s take a look back at some of the most death-defying acts that have graced the AGT stage.


7. Nikki McBurnett

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This bad-ass grandma had been a professional daredevil for five years leading up to her America’s got Talent audition. The Austin, TX native auditioned for season 10 of the show, leaving the judges on the edge of their seats. In fact, her audition was so anxiety-inducing that Heidi Klum and Howard Stern couldn’t even manage to stay seated. In the season’s 6th episode, Nikki McBurnett took the AGT stage to the parking lot, to deliver her dangerous act.

After securing herself with a fire retardant body suit, she took a seat inside a limousine doused in gasoline. The vehicle was then blown up as McBurnett escaped from the smoke and flames. She caught fire herself, which took several fire extinguishers to calm the flames. In the end, she received three out of four yeses, sending her to the judge cuts round. 

6. Lord Nil

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This season 13 escape artist made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the show. In his audition, Lord Nil promised to deliver an act never before seen. He prefaced his performance by explaining the dangers of scorpions.


In his America’s got Talent package, he explains how close he comes to death with each performance. He shares that in 2015, he failed to escape from a straight jacket. While hanging 15 feet in the air from a burning rope, he was unable to escape in time and broke his arm and both hips.

He chose to redeem himself on the AGT stage. In his audition, he performed his most dangerous act. Here, Lord Nil had to free himself from a container around his head. With ten seconds to spare, he managed to cut himself free from zip ties before over 20 scorpions flooded the box. He received yeses from all four judges, sending him on to the next round. 

5. Bir Khalsa

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Bir Khalsa is a group of over 500 members. Their 20 official members are the best performers in Sikh martial arts. All trained by the group’s founder Kawaljit Singh, the fearless danger artists performed a variety of death-defying tricks in their season 14 audition.


In the high energy performance, one member had salt poured into his eyes and was blindfolded before taking on the dangerous stunts. In his first trick, he took a chainsaw and cut down a cucumber that was placed in the mouth of another group member.

He then took a sword and swiftly chopped a large block of ice that was placed across the body of the same member. Finally, In the most frightening stunt, the blindfolded daredevil took a sledgehammer, smashing watermelons that were placed next to the bodies of the other two members. It was truly terrifying. Their skillset earned them four yeses and catapulted them to the quarterfinals. 

4. Billy and Emily England

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This extreme rollerblade duo auditioned for season 12 of AGT. They first showcased their talents across the pond on Britain’s Got Talent, and decided to show what they’ve got on the American stage. In their audition, the pair continuously skated and spun on a circular platform atop the stage. While Billy England would spin profusely, he would hold on tightly to the legs or waist of his female counterpart.

The skill and danger level to this act is insane. On more than one instance, Emily England came just inches away from making hard contact with the stage floor. All four judges voted yes, sending the act on to the judge cuts. The duo made it all the way to the semi-finals and even returned for The Champions. Although they didn’t take the crown on AGT, they are still living out their Las Vegas dreams. The two currently headline their own show at Caesar’s Palace. 

3. Aaron Crow

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This mysterious conjurer of danger made his appearance on season 13 of America’s got Talent. This three in one, mentalist, magician, and danger act made it all the way to the semifinals that season. His audition required the assistance of two audience members, along with Howie Mandel.

This real life “fruit ninja” sliced and diced his way on stage, while heavily blindfolded. Building up great anticipation, he saved Mandel for last, chopping a pineapple in half with a sword on top of his head. All four judges sent the swift, but silent performer onto the next round. 

2. Jonathan Goodwin

This British daredevil took his Britain’s Got Talent act to the season 15 AGT stage. Simon Cowell even said that his act was the closest he has ever come to “seeing someone kill themselves on live television.” With limited time to prepare, Goodwin, took his opportunity to show America his special skills.

In his audition, he attempted to dodge three arrows shot from a crossbow, traveling at 120 feet per second. As if that isn’t challenging enough, this extreme danger enthusiast, raised the stakes and decided to do this stunt blindfolded. This high thrill act made it all the way to the semi-finals that season, becoming a fan favorite among the crowd. 

1. Matt Johnson

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This season features death defying escape artist, Matt Johnson. In his season 16 audition, Johnson had to escape from a straight jacket while hanging upside down. If he failed to escape before the two weighted containers fill up with liquid, two steel saws, would have been released, cutting Johnson in two.

He also made it a point to mention that this was his first attempt at the act. He wasn’t even confident as to when exactly the saws would be triggered. With just seconds to spare, the escape artist released himself before facing a fatal consequence. He received yeses across the board and will advance to the next stage in the competition.

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