Professional Regurgitator Swallows $500,000 Ring and Brings It Back — Attached to a Lock — on 'America's Got Talent'

What do a lock, a key, a billiard ball and a $500,000 diamond ring have in common? They were all in and out of the belly of "Professional Regurgitator" Stevie Starr on Episode 17 of America's Got Talent.

The 52-year-old Scotsman has dedicated his life to swallowing — and regurgitating — a wide variety of items, from coins and lightbulbs to balloons and goldfish.

During his America's Got Talent appearance, Starr asked to borrow judge Heidi Klum's $500,000 diamond pinky ring. A reluctant Klum reminded the performer that the ring was borrowed from celebrity jeweler Lorraine Schwartz and needed to be returned "without a scratch."

Starr placed the ring between his lips and sucked it down his throat and presumably into his belly. All we know for sure was that it was gone in an instant.

Then he produced a small padlock and key, and asked judge Howie Mandel to confirm that the lock was firmly closed. Once again, Starr placed each one into his mouth and sucked them down.

Starr earned a standing ovations from three of the four judges when — after doing some stomach contortions — he was able to regurgitate the ring now secured in the lock. Starr convinced the audience that he used his stomach to unlock the lock with the key, put the ring in the lock, lock the lock, and regurgitate the lock with Heidi's ring around it.

Then, if that wasn't amazing enough, Starr dislodged the key that was still "stuck" in his belly by swallowing a yellow billiard ball. Starr said that the ball allowed the key to float up so that Heidi could unlock her ring. He later regurgitated the billiard ball.

The spectacular performance helped propel Starr to the finals, where he finished in fourth place.

Remarkably, the Professional Regurgitator also placed fourth on Britain's Got Talent in 2010. There, too, he performed the ring/padlock routine with the bling reluctantly donated by actress Amanda Holden.

It's hard to believe that the items that Starr swallows actually get into his belly because they are bone dry when they are regurgitated. Critics contend that Starr is an illusionist and nothing is ever swallowed. Still, it is hard to explain how he could put a billiard ball in his mouth, make it disappear and then have it emerge from his mouth on command.

If you didn't see the show when it first aired, here's a second chance to be astonished...

Screen captures via YouTube.com.