Thousands of people audition for Britain’s Got Talent every year, and for most of them, the only thing on the line is their dream of becoming a star. Contestant Alex Magala, however, risked his life in the hopes of winning. You really have to watch his audition as it is both thrilling and terrifying at the same time.
When he arrives onstage he has a short sword with him, which seems a little ominous. When he starts his audition he places it on the floor and turns to a pole in the centre of the stage. In a mind-boggling show of physical strength, he holds onto the pole and then lifts his body so it is sideways like a flag!
This is impressive enough, but he proceeds to walk around the pole still horizontal. His core and arm strength must be out of this world.
Naturally, the crowd goes crazy but that is far from the most impressive part of the routine. Alex returns to his feet and picks up the sword. He wets it between his lips which is more than dangerous enough, it’s impossible not to wince. Once the prep is done, yes you guessed it, he swallows it. It’s scary but we’ve all seen sword swallowers before.
Alex is not done, though. In most sword-swallowing performances, the swallower remains completely still til the sword is removed. That is not good enough for Alex. First, he bends at the waist so his back is level with the floor. Presenters Ant and Dec almost shriek with surprise and delight. No one was prepared for what he did next.
Unless you watch the video you won’t believe it, but he does a backflip with the sword still down his throat! By this point, judge David Walliams seems genuinely terrified and is clinging to Alesha Dixon’s hand. Believe it or not, Alex still isn’t done. He now collects an even longer sword and swallows it. All the judges are looking away or shielding their faces, even Simon Cowell.
No backflips this time, instead he climbs the pole all the way to the top. Once there he falls backward and stays supported by just his feet. The judges, the audience and Ant & Dec are screaming. How has he not cut himself to ribbons? This is not just skill, it’s a total lack of fear. He’s winding up to the big finish and you could cut the tension with a knife.
For the climax of his audition, Alex lets himself fall down the pole, stopping himself with the hilt a couple of inches from the ground. It’s so scary, if he misjudged even slightly or slipped that would be the end of him. Thankfully, he doesn’t and his audition ends to applause and screams of relief.
Sadly, Alex was eliminated in the quarter-finals, but surely his audition will remain part of BGT history. No one who watches it could ever forget it. Maybe visitors to Las Vegas may see him in a show in future, it seems a big career of some kind is in his future.