Okay, it's Tinfoil Hat Time

I've been watching this season of America's Got Talent, per usual, just not writing about it because last season I didn't have much to say besides "That was neat." I think it's no secret that I'm pretty biased towards the magic acts, though I do still love pretty much any act that's not a singer. So far I've been pretty happy with the acts that have been going through.

The other night, sideshow duo Ryan Stock and AmberLynn had a bit of a mishap during their live performance. The official AGT video cuts off the worst looking part, but this video on NBC's site shows the whole thing (skip ahead to about 1:45). Definitely some scary stuff and I'm very glad nobody was seriously hurt.

However.

What if they did that on purpose? Hear me out. I know it's infinitely more likely that they suffered mechanical issues and had an accident, especially considering how (rightfully) terrified Ryan looked when he got hit. But I think a case could be made that this is all just a well-crafted publicity stunt.

Even though I like their act, I think the smart bet is that they would never win the whole show. I think it's too shocking, gross, scary, whatever word you want to pick for mainstream America to vote for. I think it's amazing that they made it as far as they did, because in my limited memory of the show, acts like that usually get eliminated pretty early on. I think they might have realized that too and then made a decision.

Realizing that, in all likelihood, you're going home after this performance you can do one of two things. You can do your best, ramp it up, and hope that somehow you get the votes. Or you can accept the fact that you're going home and give the people something to talk about to keep your name in the news and really get a push in the press.

So maybe you swallow a couple swords and then get shot in the neck with a blunt arrow from a low-powered bow. Personally, I am more surprised that the legitimate stunt went wrong and just happened to not kill him than I would be to find out the guy who sticks drills and chainsaws in his face took one for the team.

So, again, it's much more likely that this is all just a legitimate accident that fortunately didn't leave anyone seriously hurt. But if somewhere down the line it turns out that they did it all on purpose, I would not be surprised in the least.

- Andster