'AGT': Retired couple Brad and Tracy's weird act on Season 21 auditions had judges looking away
'America's Got Talent' Season 21's second round of auditions aired on June 9, and saw the judges witnessing some mind-blowing performances that left them in awe. However, one particular act left them stunned for totally different reasons. When the soft-spoken retired couple, Brad Byers and his wife, Dr. Tracy, walked on stage hand-in-hand, no one knew what to expect from the unassuming duo. But as soon as Tracy picked up a hammer and Brad carried a 5-inch-long spike along with a plywood board to the center of the stage, the audience groaned in unison. Host Terry Crews also warned viewers not to try the stunt at home.
The crowd gasped, cheered, squirmed, and covered their eyes as Tracy and Brad proceeded to hammer the nail into the latter's face, swinging the piece of wood around. Mel B and Sofia, unlike Cowell and Mandel, turned their backs as they were unable to watch the scene. Mel pressed the X buzzer soon after to signal that she was done with the act. But Brad was nowhere near done as he proceeded to lie down on a bed of broken shards of glass. His wife stood on him and pressed his face deeper into the glass. Sofia screamed, "What is happening?" Even Crews couldn't stop himself from screaming, "His face is in the glass." But Brad stood up with just minor scratches on his forehead. Tracy then pulled out a sword, which Brad swallowed with such ease that it was hard to believe one's eyes.
As if one sword was not enough, Tracy brought seven 28-inch swords for their next act. Everyone braced themselves for what they knew was coming. Even Cowell and Mandel had to look away momentarily as Brad swallowed all seven swords before twisting them inside his mouth, creating a truly stomach-churning moment. Sofia exclaimed, "This is the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life." For the final act, Brad passed a long hook through one of his nostrils and pulled it out from his mouth. He attached a heavy anchor to the hook and then swung it back and forth as audience members jumped out of their seats.
The couple's Jackass-style stunts were truly hard to watch, but it was entertaining through and through. A stunned Cowell asked the couple from Moscow, Idaho, "Have you ever watched a film called Misery?" to draw a contrast between their simple demeanor and wild, grotesque stunts. Vergara felt the act was "one of the weirdest, weirdest things I've ever watched on AGT, for sure." Both Mandel and Cowell agreed, calling it one of the "favorites" on the show. All three voted yes for the couple; however, Mel was the lone dissenter. She explained her reason by saying, "I was looking at the audience, and they were horrified, so I'm gonna say no." Nevertheless, the pair bagged three yesses from the judges and progressed to the next round. 'America's Got Talent' Season 21 will return with its third round of auditions next Tuesday, June 16, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
