Prank wars between the two Judges were taken to spectacular measures during Season 16 of America’s Got Talent.
Season 16 of America’s Got Talent saw the Judges get caught up in an escalating prank war, and Simon Cowell nearly took it over the line when he convinced fellow Judge Sofía Vergara that she had actually killed him during a stunt gone wrong. Here’s what happened.
In order to mess with the actress, Cowell called back Season 11 Act Ryan Stock & AmberLynn, a sideshow duo who had previously had a (non-fatal) accident during a stunt on the AGT stage. With their help, he set up a situation in which Vergara, blindfolded, would believe she was releasing an arrow from a crossbow in attempt to pop a balloon. Meanwhile, Cowell positioned himself on the floor with an arrow intentionally made to look as if it was plunged into his chest. When Vergara let her arrow go, everyone reacted as if there was a huge emergency happeninh, screaming and gasping.
“We need a medic!” yelled Terry Crews, leaning in toward Cowell as he whispered his final words, which were, “Sofía… I gotcha!” Fellow Judges Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel were cracking up and the audience seemed to love it, but Vergara was not amused. “I’ve never seen her so angry in my life,” Cowell recalled.
Sofía Vergara got her revenge on AGT and then some
Never one to take an insult sitting down, Vergara took her opportunity for vengeance when it came around later that season. The Luxor in Las Vegas was having its grand opening and wanted to feature busts of the Judges and Host of AGT in its lobby, so Vergara worked with the artist creating the sculptures to make a fake one of Cowell that was, let’s be candid, bad and ugly. Then she set up a fake press conference that was being fake live-streamed around the globe so he’d have to be on his best behavior when he saw it for the first time.
Cowell couldn’t keep it together, calling the hideous sculpture, “Honestly the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I will happily pay whatever your name is to redo this one because this is not going in the lobby. Is this honestly live?” he asked, unable to contain his disdain. At the mic, Vergara called him out, saying, “We all know that Simon Cowell is really rude but at the end of the day that’s what he gets for messing with a Colombian.”
Immensely relieved, Cowell cracked a grin and responded, “Sofía Vergara, I hate you.” Looks like she killed him for real that time.
