NBC has temporarily stopped production on their new spinoff series, America's Got Talent: Extreme, due a stunt that went horribly and dangerously wrong last week.
The shutdown was announced after stuntman Jonathan Goodwin was airlifted to a nearby hospital from Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia, following an accident on Thursday night.
According to TMZ, the 41-year old underwent surgery and, at last check, remained in critical condition in the trauma ward.
Said a show spokesperson late last week:
"Our thoughts and prayers remain with Jonathan Goodwin and his family as he continues to recover from his accident on Thursday.
"In order to focus on the wellbeing of our crew, we will be temporarily pausing production on America's Got Talent: Extreme and will resume the last few days of filming at a later date.
"The health and safety of our cast and crew continue to be our priority."
In graphic footage of the stunt -- which we've posted on this page -- viewers can see Goodwin strapped in a straitjacket and suspended in the air... with two cars on each side of him.
The cars are rigged to crash into each other.
Although Goodwin unhooks himself to fall onto an airbag below, as the stunt calls for... the timing ends up being off and Goodwin winds up sandwiched between the vehicles.
This sets off a rigged explosive.
In 911 audio obtained by the aforementioned celebrity gossip site, an on-set medic explained that Goodwin "fell about 40 feet, missed the airbag, landed on his head."
This medic added that the contestant was having trouble breathing and was posturing from a traumatic brain injury.
Although he was initially unresponsive, Goodwin eventually woke up during the trip to the hospital.
A police spokesperson for the Henry County Sherriff’s Department told The Sun on Friday that Goodwin “suffered severe injuries to his legs and several lacerations, and was airlifted to Grady Hospital...
"He was transported in serious condition, but is currently alive, alert and well.”
On Saturday, meanwhile, Goodwin's friend and fellow escape artist Jonathon Bryce also shared a tribute to his pal Saturday on Instagram.
"Please keep my colleague and friend, @jonathangoodwinofficial in your prayers," he wrote.
"We don't know much other than a horrific accident took place while filming for AGT and Jonathan is currently in a trauma ward."
Concluded Bryce:
"We all signed onto the possibilities of a serious accident when we made the decision to become escape artists, but we all play it smart too and mitigate as much risk as humanly possible.
"But sometimes, the lady of good fortune is not on our side and we get hurt, sometimes bad. I've had my close calls, and thankfully they were just that, close calls.
Please keep Jonathan Goodwin in your prayers, his wife and kiddo as well… Much love brother! Get well!"
Goodwin is a longtime performer who previously appeared on America's Got Talent before joining the spinoff, which is scheduled to premiere in January.