Two circus artists from Vietnam had the judges on a recent episode of Britain’s Got Talent cheering for their "incredible" head-to-head balancing stunt.
Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep brought the act that won them world record recognition in 2016 to the talent show's stage on April 21, and had the audience on the edge of their seats.
The duo performed “The Strength of Hands,” balancing on each other's arms, before the thrilling finale when they walked down a set of stairs together, head-to-head.
Just when everyone thought the performance was over, they proceeded to walk backwards.
"Oh no," said one man in the audience.
Their performance ended in a mixture of applause and relief from the crowd, and all four coaches were on their feet.
"This for me was like watching the Olympics. Not a talent show," said notoriously tough judge Simon Cowell. "I’m gonna remember this audition for the rest of my life. It was honestly amazing."
MC Amanda Holden said: "It was utterly incredible."
And they're through to the next round.
The performance went viral and received 250,000 views on the fan page of Britain’s Got Talent within hours.
Co said their performance was recorded on the show a month ago. The brothers said they had some difficulties adapting to the weather in U.K., and Nghiep's neck injury had not fully recovered.
Co said they had received an invitation from America’s Got Talent but turned it down because they didn’t want to be in a competition after they had set their world record. But they changed their minds when they got the chance to compete on Britain’s Got Talent. The two brothers said that despite having advanced to the next round, they don’t have any intention of going all the way to the final because their main focus is still Vietnam, where they perform regularly.
Co, 33, and Nghiep, 28, became famous in December 2016 after setting a new world record for walking up 90 steps in 52 seconds head to head at the Cathedral of Girona, Spain. They beat the previous record set in September 2014 by Chinese couple Tang Tao and Su Zengxian, who climbed 26 stairs in a minute.