‘AGT’ is no stranger to wild acts, but a man getting shot by a flaming arrow was not on our cards
Over the last couple of years, numerous contestants have performed death-defying stunts on the stage of 'America's Got Talent.' During a live episode of the NBC talent competition show, in August 2016, daredevil couple Ryan Stock and AmberLynn Walker's stunt went wrong. During their daring performance, Stock’s fiancé, Walker, accidentally shot him in the neck with a flaming arrow. Walker had been attempting to hit a small target attached to a long rod that Stock had swallowed, but her aim was off, and the arrow struck Stock's neck instead, creating a tense moment in their otherwise risky act.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, 'AGT' host Nick Cannon shed light on the jaw-dropping mishap and said, "It was crazy. Water fights and people getting shot with arrows, all types of stuff! It was quite interesting!" Cannon also stated that when the accident took place, he was "just hoping [Ryan] didn't get punctured. Because that would not be good for anyone." Cannon further elaborated, "Luckily the arrow did not go in. We got him checked by the medic afterward and he's totally fine." Furthermore, Cannon mentioned that Stock and Walker appeared extremely disappointed after their act ended poorly; however, "they were happy no one was injured."
On the other hand, Judge Simon Cowell was also taken aback by the frightening accident and described it as 'very stressful.' In addition to this, Cowell also mentioned, "I've done this show for 10 or 11 years, and this has never happened before." Heidi Klum was also left in shock after witnessing the near-death crossbow incident on the 'AGT' set. She expressed being "very worried" for Stock, revealing that she had been concerned about the stunt team's dangerously risky performances for quite a while.
"To be honest, I never really wanted them to be here in the live shows. Not because I don't like them as people, they're risking their lives and that's what they're doing, but I just don't ever want these kinds of things to happen," Klum shared at that time. When Howie Mandel was asked to comment on the horrifying incident, he explained, "It was like slow motion, watching that flaming arrow hit him in the neck. I thought I saw something tragic and terrible. My stomach dropped. I'm okay on live TV, I'm okay in front of an audience, but I have no desire to see somebody get hurt."
While chit-chatting with ET, some audience members also shared their thoughts on the incident. One audience member named Elizabeth Gephardt recounted, "My heart stopped. just hoped he was OK, but it just goes to show how much they put into the show and how much they really pour out their heart and soul to do the best that they can." Another member, Sharon Efron, affirmed that she first thought that the accident was a part of the routine "but then you realized in the look on [AmberLynn's] face, she was just like, 'Oh my goodness, what just happened?'"
Later on down the line, Stock took to his Facebook page and declared that the mishap occurred due to an equipment error. As per People magazine, Stock shared, “This was not Amber’s aim that was the problem. Her laser sight was on target. It appears as though the notch holding the arrow broke and sent the arrow sideways. Fortunately, because of how it hit, it wasn’t at full power, and I walked away with a minor injury.”