The "terrifying" moment an America's Got Talent stunt went horribly wrong.

It was the moment that shocked and shaken America’s Got Talent judges – and audience members – won’t be forgetting any time soon.

Husband and wife and acrobat duo, Mary Wolfe-Nielsen and Tyce Nielsen, were performing their trapeze routine during Tuesday night’s episode when Mary slipped through her partner’s fingers and crashed to the stage below. The stage that was in flames, by the way.

Thankfully, the experienced trapeze artist was okay. But for several “terrifying” seconds, Tyce, along with the US reality show’s horrified judges, feared the worst.

“I knew right away, I could feel her slipping through my hands and that feeling is just terrifying,” Tyce later said.

“It felt like it lasted so long. It was really uncomfortable.”

It was just as uncomfortable to watch, from the looks of the judge’s shocked expressions:

Tyce later explained how the accident occurred. In an effort to spice up their act, Duo Transcend had decided to introduce flames and blindfolds to their act.

With his eyes covered, the circus performer was relying on cues from the music to know just when to grasp at his wife’s feet, who dropped from above him. Dramatically, he missed the mark.

Mary got up quickly from the floor to indicate she was okay, and was apparently uninjured.

The couple wasn’t penalised for the accident and will continue in the competition. But (only after audience pleas) they won’t attempt the stunt again.