You know when an act comes with a ‘Don’t try this at home’ pre-warning, things are about to get interesting – and that’s certainly one way of describing this Britain’s Got Talent act.

This weekend’s auditions saw Leroy Patterson take to the stage, having travelled over from Los Angeles, California, by himself to showcase his… talents.

Well, he admitted it was more a display of ‘stupidity’, with which angry viewers agreed after branding his performance ‘vile’ and ‘horrific’.

The auditionee didn’t divulge any details about what his act would contain beforehand, meaning judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, KSI, and stand-in Stacey Solomon were taken aback when he began stripping.

Standing in just his underpants, the 42-year-old explained that he was about to demonstrate ‘three very important safety tips’.

But these weren’t demonstrations on handwashing or crossing the road. Instead, Leroy took the first lesson as an opportunity to say: ‘If you find yourself in front of a pile of mousetraps, do not do this…’

He proceeded to, you guessed it, throw himself down stomach-first onto the traps, causing hosts Ant and Dec to wince and the audience to gasp.

Stacey immediately pressed her red buzzer, which didn’t faze Leroy, who moved onto his second demonstration – sitting down on a strip of carpet tacks.

He closed his eyes as he did so, visibly shaking afterwards and clearly in pain.

‘Why would you do that?’, asked Amanda, with Alesha exclaiming: ‘What is happening?’

For his big finish, Leroy made his way to a tunnel of wheat strimmers, which he turned on and ran through – but not before shoving a bunch of flowers into the blades to illustrate the danger.

‘Is he still alive?’, Ant McPartlin asked the camera afterwards while the crowd screamed and KSI groaned.

Leroy covered his body and was, as you’d expect, uncomfortable, but still made his way to centre stage to take a bow.

Surprisingly, he earned rapturous applause and was sent through to the next round, with boxer-turned-YouTuber KSI telling him he wanted something to ‘make [him] squirm’.

He might have to work harder to get the likes of Alesha on board, though, as the long-time judge gave an emphatic ‘no’, saying: ‘For me, it’s not entertaining.’

Alesha wasn’t the only one who had to watch through her fingers, as viewers took to social media during the episode to criticise the inclusion of a ‘self-harm’ act.

‘That was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen on this show’, wrote @RyanSoapKing25 on X.

‘What the hell was that? There was NO NEED’, raged @2001joe_mendy.

‘So we’ve just seen a man self-harm on #BritainsGotTalent & you are voting him in. This is all that’s wrong with the world right now’, vented @cookmandy, accusing ITV of becoming ‘desperate for ratings’ as numbers dwindle.

‘Absolutely vile that self harming act. Should be embarrassed’, echoed @kazuma_kir12053.

‘That was a serious OFCOM complaint performance. Horrific!’, @JackieA954 said.

Of course, this is far from the first time a dangerous act has appeared on BGT.

Over the last 20 years, millions have tuned in to see escapologists risk their lives and daredevil magicians defy all health and safety protocols in the hopes of winning a place at the Royal Variety Performance.

In 2010, gymnastics troupe Spellbound also won the show, having stunned viewers with their daring routines that involved risky flips and spins. Simon Cowell even called one of their performances ‘one of the most astonishing things [he] has ever seen’.

Other controversial acts included 2019’s Andrei Gomonov, who threw knives at a board while Simon stood in front, and 2023’s Andrew Stanton, who was called ‘disgusting’ after lifting Amanda up using his eye sockets.

Unfortunately, though, things don’t always go to plan.

Thrill-seeker Jonathan Goodwin made his debut on the talent show seven years ago, making it to the finals and becoming the first-ever act to be ‘buried alive’.

Also an America’s Got Talent star, Jonathan retired in 2021, having been hospitalised after sustaining serious injuries during a rehearsal for AGT: Extreme, which included a broken spine and third-degree burns.

After getting crushed between two cars as they caught fire, he was left paralysed from the waist down.

ITV has been contacted for comment.

Britain’s Got Talent continues next Saturday on ITV1 and ITVX.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE: Iconic ITV channel ‘ending for good’ over 40 years after launch

MORE: I’m A Celebrity star hits back at Gemma Collins over ‘WhatsApp leak’ claims

MORE: ITV casting trans woman to play ‘leading role’ in series about Queen Elizabeth I

Britain’s Got Talent returns tonight for the 2026 series – but Bruno Tonioli won’t be on the judging panel.

Instead, he’s been replaced by musician, YouTuber and former professional boxer KSI on a permanent basis, after he previously appeared as a guest judge.

The former Strictly Come Dancing judge hopped, skipped, and jumped from the BBC show over to the ITV reality competition series in 2023, where he took over for David Walliams, ultimately featuring in three seasons.

Alesha Dixon has been on the show since 2012, while both Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell have been on the show since it began in 2007.

The professional dancer, 69, had never watched the Ant and Dec-helmed talent competition before he came on board as part of the panel alongside Cowell, Holden, and Dixon, but quickly found his feet. So why did he decide to leave?

Why did Bruno Tonioli quit Britain’s Got Talent?

Speaking to his followers, Tonioli confirmed that his exit was due to scheduling conflicts with Dancing With The Stars in the US, which he has been involved in since 2005.

In a statement, Bruno said: ‘After three incredible series, I’ve sadly had to walk away from a job which has opened my eyes to so much incredible talent and step down as a judge on BGT.

‘And whilst I look forward to filming a new series of Dancing with the Stars in the US, I will miss the chaos and joy that BGT brings, as well as all the wonderful people I’ve had the privilege of working with.

‘They truly are a brilliant team who make brilliant television, and I know KSI will be a fantastic judge too, as he’s already proven this year.’

Fellow DWTS judge Derek Hough joked in the comments: ‘You’re all ours. Muahahahah.’ He is also joined by Carrie Ann Inaba and hosts  Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough on the show.

Why can’t Bruno Tolioni do Britain’s Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars?

Britain’s Got Talent will resume filming this year, with the next season launching on ITV in 2026. Meanwhile, the next season of DWTS starts on September 16 for season 34.

Bruno’s exit was first reported in July when The Sun shared that it was looking difficult to juggle both shows for him.

Last year, KSI stood in for Bruno for some auditions in order for him to make it over to the States for Dancing With The Stars.

This year, after auditions were rescheduled to autumn, the clash became simply unavoidable.

The departure echoes similar reasons for leaving Strictly a few years ago, after trying to balance both shows, both sides of the Atlantic became increasingly difficult.

He told Daily Mail at the time: ‘There is no animosity, it was a mutual decision with both of us saying, ‘Listen, this is not going to work like it used to.’

‘I just couldn’t do the flying anymore. I don’t know how I survived that schedule. To be honest, it’s a miracle.’

Celebrating his promotion, KSI (one of the sidemen boasting over 25 million subscribers on YouTube) said: ‘I’m so grateful and happy to be a part of the Britain’s Got Talent team for another season. I had such a good time last year, and I can’t wait to see some more top talent.

‘I’m full of energy, ready to go, and can’t wait to make this the most entertaining BGT season ever. Let’s do this.’

Not only is KSI popular among the younger demographic, but it was his golden buzzer recipient, magician Harry Moulding, who ultimately swept to victory in the latest season.

An earlier version of this article was originally published on September 3 2025.

Britain’s Got Talent returns tonight at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE: Britain’s Got Talent bosses forced to stop Simon Cowell from dropping ‘stink bombs’

MORE: Amanda Holden takes swipe at ‘boring’ Strictly Come Dancing presenter frontrunners

MORE: Britain’s Got Talent dancer Kerri-Anne Donaldson died by suicide after ‘accusation of child sex offending’