“America’s Got Talent: Extreme” has been suspended by NBC after one of the show’s stuntmen was critically injured when he was crushed between two cars in a stunt gone terribly wrong last week, the network announced on Sunday.
Daredevil Jonathan Goodwin barely survived after he was sandwiched between two vehicles suspended 70 feet in the air, horrifying video of the accident shows.
“In order to focus on the wellbeing of our crew, we will be temporarily pausing production on ‘America’s Got Talent: Extreme’ and will resume the last few days of filming at a later date, a spokesperson for the NBC series told TODAY on Sunday. “The health and safety of our cast and crew continue to be our priority.”
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Jonathan Goodwin and his family as he continues to recover from his accident on Thursday,” the Network said.
The near-fatal accident happened at Atlanta Motor Speedway during rehearsal for the spinoff of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” according to local news outlet 11 Alive.
Goodwin was supposed to free himself from a straight jacket while dangling from his feet between the two swinging cars, TMZ reported. Instead, the cars slammed into the stuntman before exploding into a ball of fire. Goodwin then fell, hitting his head.
Crew members on set thought Goodwin was dead, according to TMZ.
The Welsh thrill-seeker was airlifted to a hospital where authorities said he was responsive but in critical condition. His current condition is not known.
“AGT: Extreme” began filming its first season earlier this month.
According to an NBC press release, the series “will showcase the most outrageous, unique and jaw-dropping acts of enormous scale and magnitude.”
The winner of the spinoff — judged by WWE star Nikki Bella, X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana and executive producer Simon Cowell — will receive a grand prize of $500,000. No premiere date has been announced.
Goodwin was a semi-finalist on season 15 of “America’s Got Talent” in 2020. In 2019, he finished eighth in “Britain’s Got Talent.”