Photo by: Justin Lubin/NBC
Escape Artist Lord Nil has defied death, being almost eaten my alligators and nearly stung by a bunch of venomous scorpions on the stage of America’s Got Talent 2018. But, being an escape artist hasn’t always worked well for him. According to Newsweek, in 2015, he tried to escape from a straight jacket while hanging upside down from burning ropes, 15 feet above the ground. Nil didn’t end up escaping in time, which resulted in his shattering bones in his arm, breaking his hips and hurting his head. That same year, Nil broke his wrist while performing a stunt.
Fortunately, Nil was only hanging 3 feet from the ground when he injured himself, according to 2Paragraphs. He wrote on Facebook about the incident, explaining, “I lost my grip and fell into the void.”
NBC reported that, in his entire career, Nil has suffered two serious accidents with his tricks. He also apparently suffers from PTSD, which he battles by using hypnotic techniques.
Nil’s NBC bio reads, “From a young age, Lord Nil has been fascinated by escape art. He started his professional career in 2007 and lived and worked in many countries, including Spain, Belgium, France and Greece. He also spent two years in China, where he immersed himself in the culture and trained in combat and extreme sports. In 2011, a woman named Maya who has a background in performing and professional dancing joined Lord Nil in his experiments … The need to constantly challenge death is his way of celebrating life. He says he has learned more from his failures than from his successes. “Study hard and train harder” is his mantra; luck is not always on your side.”
In the past, Nil has performed with a company called First Class Entertainment and he is promoted via the company to book gigs. To entice people to hire him, the company writes, “He always lives on the edge, in an ever ending quest of his limits as Death seeks his soul but Death has yet to find satisfaction. We are witnesses of his fearless and reckless actions: he was dropped from a waterfall in a cage imprisoned under 20ft of water inside a plexiglass box, and buried alive with no possibility to escape … But he emerged, undisturbed, untouched by madness, alive … He performs in theatres, on television and at special events all over the world. Are you ready for the challenge? Lord Nil is waiting for you. Magic belongs to Nobody. It’s his world. His power. Our Knowledge.”
Entering the live quarter finals on AGT 2018, Nil is sure to bring an exciting and scary performance to the stage. Previously, judge Mel B hit her buzzer because she was too afraid to watch his act. But, will America be too frightened to vote him through to the next round? The other acts going into part 1 of the quarter finals, alongside Nil, are singer Amanda Mena, the Angel City Chorale choir, singer Courtney Hadwin, rapper Flau’jae, novelty act Human Fountains, dance group Junior New System, diabolo juggler Mochi, the PAC Dance Team, magician Shin Lim, comedian Vicki Barbolak and the family band We Three. To vote for Lord Nil during the quarter finals, there are several voting methods, but if you would like to vote for him, his designated voting phone number is 1-866-602-4808.