Britain’s Got Talent has found itself at the heart of a ‘fakery row’ after Simon Cowell was left ‘fearing for his life’ during a bizarre audition.

Producers intervened when contestant Kranthi Drillman, wielding a sledgehammer, ignored Simon’s desperate pleas to stop. Kranthi had instructed Simon to lie on stage in an angel position, surrounding him with watermelons and coconuts. He then blindfolded himself and began smashing the fruit wildly, continuing even when the audience appeared uncomfortable.

Simon later admitted he was genuinely worried for his safety during the act. However, many BGT viewers accused Kranthi of faking his intense performance. Fans claim to have spotted the secret behind his act, suggesting that his blindfold was actually see-through. One user wrote on X, formerly Twitter : “Obviously see through the blindfold.” Whilst another echoed: “He could obviously see through the scarf and he thinks he’s won.”

Britain’s Got Talent has sparked a ‘fakery row’ after Simon Cowell was left fearing for his life during a dramatic audition ( 
Image:
ITV)
A third penned: “You can tell the coconuts and the watermelons have been weakened and you could tell he could clearly see what he was doing when Simon was laid down.” A fourth wrote: “There is no way that hammer swinging idiot could not see.” Whilst a fifth said: “What a load of b******s! If that yoga teacher was totally blindfolded he wouldn’t hit a coconut or watermelon every single time with 100% accuracy.” A sixth said: “Yeah. He could see through the blindfold. Idiots, these people.” One eagled eyed viewer claimed that Kranthi locked eyes with a crew member penning: “For anybody wondering if he could see through the blindfold or not (fairly obvious though) take a look at the end when the stagehand puts his hand up in front of his face to tell him to stop.”

During the dangerous act, Simon, who was advised to stay still, didn’t listen and moved around, making the move extra risky. Alesha Dixon, 46, and Amanda Holden, 54, were keen for the act to stop as the sledgehammer landed centimetres from Simon’s face. “I genuinely thought my days were numbered,” admitted Simon.

Producers intervened when contestant Kranthi Drillman, wielding a sledgehammer, ignored Simon’s desperate pleas to stop ( 
Image:
ITV)

“The producers on this show just love my pain! There was one point, and I’m not lying, I genuinely thought, ‘That’s it. It’s over’. A guy nearly smashed my head in with a sledgehammer. He was slipping all over the place and sweating so much. That’s what freaked me out because when I got up close, I thought, ‘My god, his adrenaline’s on such a high, I shouldn’t be doing this’.”

He continued: “Amanda and Alesha were not happy. When I looked at them, they were really worried. I don’t want to push my luck, I did say at one point that I think I’m running out of lives here.” Kranthi is an Indian adventurer who has the Guinness World Record for stopping the most number of fans with his tongue, with 57.