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Simon Cowell drinks wine from man’s nose in Britain’s Got Talent ‘horror’ act
The ITV talent show returns on Saturday 22 February
·Entertainment News Editor
Fri 14 February 2025 at 4:05 am GMT+7·3-min read
Simon Cowell drinks wine from a straw placed up a man’s nose on Britain’s Got Talent this year in scenes that are set to shock audiences when the ITV show returns.
Speaking about it, Cowell admits he is bracing himself for Ofcom complaints over one of the most shocking auditions in the show’s 18 year history.
Hair-raising scenes set to air revealed the judges watched on as one Britain’s Got Talent contestant put a corkscrew up his nose, which then came out through is mouth through the back of his throat.
In the second part of his act, the man put a see-through plastic straw through his nose and out his mouth before commanding Cowell to drink red wine through it which he did for a bit before stopping himself. Only Alesha Dixon pressed the red buzzer to stop the act, meaning it could continue.
Watch a trailer for this year’s BGT
The contestant then hooked himself to the lights above him on stage through his nose and mouth before hauling himself towards the ceiling in scenes judge KSI branded as “ridiculous”. Cowell almost pressed the red button.
At a private screening of the BGT highlights, Cowell was grilled over whether this act could be shown at the new time of 7pm before watershed and whether they expect Ofcom complaints.
Read more about BGT
Britain’s Got Talent returns to ITV1 at 7pm on Saturday, 22 February
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Cowell told Yahoo and other press: “We do have kids in the audience. I’m always looking behind, going do they like it? They actually, yeah they do. We probably will get some complaints, yeah.”
Showing off his sense of humour, Cowell joked: “I love it when they say don’t try this at home. Like we’ve all got screws just waiting to do that.”
The music mogul said his young son Eric will watch the scenes when it plays out on our screens. Of his son seeing it, Cowell said: “I think he’ll probably love it. I know he will actually. It’s what I call spooky horror. Fun horror where you don’t want to watch it but do want to watch it. That’s obviously why we showed it!”
Britain’s Got Talent has faced Ofcom complaints for acts in the past and often Amanda Holden’s outfits too spark outrage from the public. She cheekily quipped: “Well let’s hope [there will be complaints] cos I’ve kept fully dressed and covered up and wore a polo neck, we’re praying for OfCom.”
New judge KSI admitted he would have “thrown up” if he had been there to film instead of Bruno Tonioli on that day. Former Strictly star Tonioli half joked the TV judges “nearly ran off” after seeing the act.
KSI said: “To see the stuff I wasn’t there for was so funny. The guy with the screws. What the hell? It was ridiculous. I can’t believe you [Simon] drank from his face. I would have thrown up. I’m so glad I wasn’t there for that. It’s fantastic to watch. The whole thing was great.”
Alesha Dixon said it was the toughest act to endure this series. “By far it was the hardest audition to sit through but I found that fantastic to watch. It’s entertaining and funny. I think all our kids will love that,” she said.
The new series of Britain’s Got Talent kicks off on Saturday 22nd February at the earlier time of 7pm, on ITV1, ITVX and STV.
JPMorgan is about to spend $1 billion on hundreds of rental homes across the US on the way to becoming a megalandlord
Nov 17, 2022, 9:01 PM GMT+7ShareSave
- JPMorgan and Haven Realty Capital entered into a joint venture agreement on November 15.
- The companies plan to acquire up to $1 billion in build-to-rent properties, starting in Atlanta.
- Housing experts warn that it can take a long time to bring build-to-rent properties to market.
A new joint venture between one of America’s largest banks and a growing build-to-rent operator is the latest sign that big investors are undeterred by the volatile real estate market.
Haven Realty Capital and JPMorgan Chase’s asset management arm said they will invest up to $1 billion to develop build-to-rent single-family homes across the country, according to a November 15 announcement.
The duo plans to seed their investment with up to $415 million in equity. The first installment will include a purchase of 250 homes in three communities around the Atlanta metropolitan area, and the deal could close within the next 90 days, the statement said.
The partnership comes at a time when demand for new housing continues to slide, according to data from the Census Bureau. Meanwhile, the National Association of Homebuilders reports that builder confidence is at its lowest level since 2012 because of rising interest rates and construction material costs.
“The for-sale housing market has been significantly hampered by recession fears, inflation and rising interest rates placing a burden on homebuilders and their ability to add to the housing stock,” Haven’s founder Sudha Reddy said in the statement, adding that the partnership will allow the company to work with homebuilders who “are becoming increasingly comfortable selling entire communities to operators” like Haven.
Build-to-rent is a ‘useful response to the market’s needs’
The build-to-rent trend initially emerged during the Great Recession as a way for homebuilders to continue adding supply at a time when consumers were not buying homes. It refers to a process where developers construct an entire community of typically detached single-family homes that are later rented out by an operating partner.
The trend gained steam during the COVID-19 pandemic as demand for single-family homes and suburban living skyrocketed.
Haven Realty has emerged as a national leader in the space, with a portfolio of 35 build-to-rent communities valued at more than $1.2 billion. Similarly, JPMorgan is one of a handful of companies that are pioneering digital rent payment options for renters and landlords.
Institutional investors like Fundrise as well as pension funds, and public companies have been steadily acquiring single-family homes to rent for a profit. This has only increased competition for homes at a time when housing affordability is a primary concern for many.
However, some, like Tomasz Piskorski, a professor of real estate at Columbia Business School, believe that the build-to-rent model is more efficient than the traditional model of selling each newly built home to separate private individual buyers.
He told Insider in early November that the build-to-rent trend is a “useful response to the market’s needs.”
“Professional rental companies in some ways bring more efficiency and they might help solve affordability problems because of very high mortgage rates right now,” Piskorski said. “A lot of people simply cannot afford to buy a home.”
Not everybody agrees with Piskorski’s assessment.
Housing experts like John Burns, of the eponymous real estate consulting firm in Phoenix, Arizona, have cautioned developers against going “all-in” on build-to-rent because it can take a long time to bring those communities to market.
“We’re still very bullish overall, but not everything’s going to work out,” Burns told Insider in October.
