'Blind' trapeze act ends in near-fatal fall
Mary Ellen Wolfe-Nielsen and her husband Tyce are competing on the current season of America's Got Talent with their couples' trapeze act. A recent routine of theirs left judges and viewers horrified.
Gravity-defying trapeze acts are always among the most compelling to watch during game shows like America's Got Talent and Duo Transcend is no exception.
Husband-and-wife trapeze artists Mary Ellen Wolfe-Nielsen and her husband Tyce Nielsen continued their tradition of bringing daring routines to the America's Got Talent stage in this week's "Judge Cuts" segment. While they were both suspended metres above the stage, Tyce upped the ante by donning a blindfold and attempting to catch his wife as she completed a manoeuvre.
The judges watched with gritted teeth as Tyce and Mary Ellen went through each of the scary steps of the routine, waiting to see if they would be able to pull it off. Simon Cowell exclaimed in disbelief when Tyce put on the blindfold, clearly not expecting that Duo Transcend could possibly add any more tension to their performance.
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But then they do: Mary Ellen, suspended upside down, lifts her legs from the ropes and lets herself fall. Tyce, whose arms are outstretched, fails to catch her and she hits the ground hard.
The judges and everyone in the audience, including two of the couple's family members, are horrified and wait to see if Mary Ellen will get up. The relief in the room is palpable as Mary Ellen gets up from the ground, where she had landed on a safety mat, and indicates that she is uninjured.
In a display of true passion and determination, Tyce and Mary Ellen offer to perform the routine again to give the judges a chance to evaluate them properly. Guest judge Ken Jeong told them: "This is not 'America’s Got Perfection' — it’s America’s Got Talent. No one can do this. I mean, it’s OK!"
Tyce, who is legally blind in his right eye, chose to challenge himself for this stunt by adding a blindfold to take his vision away completely. Mary Ellen, who must trust her husband deeply to allow him to take such a risk, is very lucky that she did not break her neck.
The judges gave Duo Transcend a pass into the next round, where they will no doubt raise the stakes even higher in their bid to win the $1 million prize money.