Britain’s Got Talent fans were left divided as stunt performers The Lazy Generation took to the stage with a series of dangerous challenges.
The British group have been sharing videos of their oddball stunts online for more than a decade. They previously appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2022 before being eliminated in the semi-finals.
The six-strong crew took a second shot at success as they auditioned for the Britain’s Got Talent judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Bruno Tonioli and Amanda Holden during Saturday’s (1 March) episode.
Before the performance, a warning flashed on the screen, telling viewers: “Do not try this at home”.
The Lazy Generation kicked off proceedings with a human long jump, with one member of the group attempting to leap over his fellow performers, who were lying in a line on the ground, before crash landing on top of them.
Things only got weirder from there as the group invited Simon Cowell to stretch a length of elastic, then release it so it snapped back onto their chests.
They then ran on treadmills while trying to dodge plastic balls and Lego bricks, then fell onto a pile of cacti.
“Don’t try this at home, ever!” presenter Ant McPartlin reiterated to viewers as the group went careering off the treadmills and onto the spiky plants.
These strange antics seemed to split the opinion of viewers watching at home, with some criticising the group’s participation in the show.
“What on earth were the producers and judges thinking of putting this dangerous, silly and painful act on TV?” one naysayer wrote on Twitter/X, while another scathingly declared: “It’s so embarrassing to think this is the epitome of British talent.”
“This is just madness - I didn't get it at all and didn't find it funny,” another chimed in, while a further social media user expressed their disbelief that “people actually watch this nonsense”.
Others pointed out similarities with the stunt series Jackass, describing the act as “Jackass British style” and “like Jackass UK”.
Some were less complimentary with the comparisons, however. “That knock-off Jackass group entirely misunderstood what makes Jackass funny,” read another comment. “I’m baffled by the judges eating it up.”
The group did manage to win over some BGT devotees, though, with one hailing their performance as “pure chaos, but brilliantly hilarious”.
Another said the audition “literally had me in stitches” while a third described them as “hilarious” and “definitely my winners”.
Britain’s Got Talent continues on ITV on Saturday evenings.
