Heidi Klum couldn’t watch as an escape artist risked his own life on ‘America's Got Talent’
'America’s Got Talent' is known for episodes that have had the judges squirming in their seats. However, when Matt Johnson appeared in season 16, he took the level up a notch with his act. Johnson, originally from London and living in Canada for 23 years, introduced himself as an “escape artist” and immediately caught Howie Mandel’s attention with his prop. Mandel called, “I’m looking at this thing behind you; it already looks scary.” Ahead of his performance, Johnson told the judges his wife had stopped him from doing such stunts, and then he added with a smile, “I didn’t pay attention in school, so this is what I do for a living.”
When Madel asked him if he had ever pulled this stunt before, Johnson replied, “Never.” The tension in the room shot up, which led Heidi Klum to say, “This is fingers and toes crossed,” and prompted Mandel to say, “I hope we have the EMTs ready... I’m really scared.” Taking a deep breath, Johnson began explaining his act: “So judges, I’m going to be strapped into a regulation straitjacket. I will then be locked by my ankles to the board on this device and flipped upside down. I will have to escape this jacket to use my arms to flip myself the right way up.”
He continued, “That becomes dangerous when you realize that hanging above me are two circular saws that spin at 2000 revolutions a minute. They are attached to that counterweight. When the escape starts, the clear box will begin to fill with water.” He further explained, as all the judges listened closely, “When the water reaches one of those pink lines, it will trip those saws right to the point where I’m hanging.” Johnson also said that he had to escape before the saws fell. The judges held on to their seats as the act proceeded and water started filling up. Mandel exclaimed, “Look how fast the water is filling up.” Sofia Vergara turned her eyes away from Johnson, seemingly scared. As the water started rising higher and higher, the judges couldn’t sit still. Klum screamed, and Simon Cowell’s jaw dropped. Soon, the escapist made it and released himself from the jacket and flipped right out of the device.
View this post on Instagram
Speaking of the act, Simon Cowell said, “What did you think? I mean, anyone who puts himself in this position... because you know the trouble is things go wrong...and that could have been catastrophic.” He then added, “But you are brilliant. Respect!” Next up, Vergara said, “It's insane; that looks so dangerous. I mean, my stomach still hurts because I was, like, so nervous for you.” Klum also added, “It was so close...it came down, almost like it knocked you out of the chair. It was crazy. You should probably listen to your wife a little bit.” And Mandel said, “I’m speechless. Because I have never been more scared. And listening to the amount of time you haven’t rehearsed. It’s just crazy.” However, he gave Johnson a “yes.” Followed by the yeses of all three other judges.
This wasn’t the first time Johnson had put his life in danger on national TV. According to RadioTimes, he also appeared on 'Britain’s Got Talent,' leaving the judges and the audiences on the edge of their seats as he escaped from a closed water tank mysteriously. Per the outlet, Johnson had done the same act before on BGT in season 17; however, things went wrong as the water tank in which he was broke suddenly, leading to a flooding situation on the stage.
