'America's Got Talent' contestant plunges to ground before audience

Husband and wife trapeze performers Mary and Tyce, known as "Duo Transcend," were performing their routine when she slipped through his hands and fell to the ground.

Even before the fall, the couple already had judges -- including guest judge actor Ken Jeong -- on edge as they performed their acrobatics high above the stage. Adding to the difficulty? Tyce is legally blind in one eye due to a progressive eye disease.

The couple began their routine with Tyce holding Mary suspended by her neck as she posed with her legs outstretched.

They then went through a series of acrobatic moves, including her dangling by her legs as he held her, suspended from the trapeze. At one point the pair even added some fire to turn the heat up a bit.

But things went wrong during the final trick where a blindfolded Tyce attempted to catch his wife after she dropped from above him.

Mary plunged to the floor after he lost grip on her ankles. The judges and audience reacted with horror, and Mary's mother, in the audience with the couple's two-year-old son Jaxx, recoiled.

Mary's fall was buffeted by a safety mat on the ground and she soon stood to show the audience she was not hurt.

But when she asked if they could attempt the trick again, she was rebuffed by the audience.

"This is not 'America's Got Perfection,'" Jeong said. "It's 'America's Got Talent.' Nobody can do this."

According to the duo's website, the couple met while performing as high divers in a cliff diving show.

After the performance on "America's Got Talent," Mary said they are competing because a residency in Las Vegas -- part of the grand prize -- would mean they wouldn't have to be on the road away from their young son.

They will get the opportunity as they will be competing this season, despite the fall.