Local couple makes America's Got Talent debut with danger extreme act

When Pullman couple Tracy Skaer and Brad Byers met in 2009 and began dating, Byers didn't divulge his whole personality right away. While the couple enjoyed horseback riding and western dancing together, Byers was hiding a hobby a little more intense.

By happenstance, Skaer found her then-new boyfriend's website, where she revealed Byers was a sword swallower and entertainer, with multiple world records and an affinity for pushing his body to its limits.

"You take a guy in a band; they have reputations for getting the girls," said Byers, 66. "Sword swallowers are like the opposite of that, so I didn't want to be forthcoming with that information right off the bat before she got to know me."

Now married, Byers' theatrics that have awarded him the nickname "human toolbox" no longer scare his wife. In fact, she's part of the show.

Airing Tuesday at 8 p.m., Skaer, 65, and Byers will make their America's Got Talent debut in the season 21 premiere, where judges will decide if their act is extraordinary enough to move on to the next round. The episode will be available on NBC and Peacock.

While the couple performs a variety of acts across the world, where Skaer assists Byers in lying on beds of nails, inserting tools into his nostrils and swallowing tarantulas, among other shocking feats , the two didn't disclose the exact lineup of their segment.

"It's gonna be dangerous, we can tell you that," Byers said.

Skaer, who grew up in Nine Mile Falls, is a retired Washington State University professor emeritus in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, which is now located in Spokane. Byers grew up in Moscow, Idaho, where he worked flexible jobs at the University of Idaho, which allowed him to take off and do shows. The couple now live in Pullman.

However, in March 2018, Byers took a break from "show business" and retired from his position in the University of Idaho's Recycling and Surplus Department to take care of his aging parents. Byers' father has since died, and his mother is now in an adult family home.

"They just consumed all my time," Byers said. "I couldn't practice. I couldn't perform, but I don't have any regrets. I was happy I was there for them."

Skaer and Byers consider their appearance on America's Got Talent something of a comeback story after the years when they needed to focus on their family.

"Brad is still here, and he's still on top of his game," Skaer said. "Part of our story is all hands on deck and dropping everything to help his parents."

Byers began his show biz career in high school when his uncle taught him how to juggle. From there, he began juggling in the circus, where he challenged himself by switching out balls for a variety of bizarre objects and shapes. Byers is also versed in skill toys, like yoyos and novelty hula hoops.

But he's most known for his "danger extreme acts." Byers is a 73-time world record holder with Guinness and other record organizations, including records for swallowing the rear axle from a Model T truck and swallowing a giant corkscrew. Many of the other awards are for different sword swallowing feats.

"I swallow a curved sword," Byers said. "I swallow a coat hanger... I swallow a 2-foot-long serving spoon. I swallow a Middle Eastern long sword; it's 3 feet long. It's got wicked teeth on it... I give Tracy a piggyback ride while I walk barefoot across broken glass."

When Byers first got curious about adding more dangerous acts to his show, he began to pay attention to a friend's anatomy books to map out how a sword would fit in his throat. From there, Byers went to an Army Navy store, where he measured the swords available to see if they would fit in his esophagus.

Unwilling to buy an expensive sword without testing it out, Byers swallowed his first ever sword right there in the store. After surviving the attempt, Byers bought it.

"I'll never forget it," Byers said. "It was a cold blade, and the feel of that solid - now it feels like I was born to do it, but back then, that was a pretty foreign feeling."

Now a master at his craft, Byers has learned to tune out both the audience and the pain of his acts. While sword swallowing doesn't hurt, many of his other acts are incredibly painful.

Adrenaline doesn't play a role in gearing Byers up for a show. Instead, he said he enters with intense concentration and considers his show "an artist doing something creative." While Byers falls away from the world to be safe and mindful about what he's doing, Skaer said she stays in the moment to connect with the crowd.

"I just like to see my husband enjoying what he likes to do, and I want to support that," Skaer said.

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