Christian Nik Wallenda's Untethered Chicago Tightrope Walk Set for Sunday, Nov. 2

By Lauren D’Avolio
Nik Wallenda
Nik Wallenda

A date has been set for Christian Nik Wallenda's Chicago tightrope walk: Sunday, Nov. 2.

A follow-up to his successful Skywire Live With Nik Wallenda walk across the Grand Canyon in 2013, "The King of the Highwire" will attempt to walk across the Chicago skyline untethered - as first announced in April as part of the cable network's new slate.

The live event will be broadcast around the world in more than 220 countries starting at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on Discovery. NBC News' Willie Geist and Natalie Morales and The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore will host, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

This is an incredible opportunity to support one of our brothers in Christ. Wallenda is a committed Christian who has demonstrated his faith in many ways throughout the years. God's given him a remarkable gifting and he uses it to entertain the world. There have been few other people in history who have taken this kind of death-defying challenge. There have been fewer who have done it over and over and over. Pray for Wallenda and his time on this tightrope. It seems he would be the first to say he would need it.

Dozens of cameras will be positioned across Chicago and on helicopters, capturing Wallenda's two-part walk in the evening in one of the windiest sections of the city. First, Wallenda will attempt to walk more than two city blocks, with a 15-degree uphill climb, from the Marina City's west tower to the Leo Burnett Building more than 50 stories above the Chicago River. The second part of the walk will have Wallenda going from Marina City's west tower to the east tower.

"This is going to be the most incredible tightrope walk of my career," Wallenda said. "I can't think of a better city to do it. I have fond memories of spending time performing in Chicago and the Midwest with my family. Besides, it's the 'Windy City' and there's nothing like doing this during winter in Chicago. That's a challenge for me, and I love to push myself to do things that most people think are impossible," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

In June 2013, Wallenda was the first person to successfully cross the Grand Canyon on a tightrope and Discovery's live telecast broke ratings records, peaking at 13 million viewers, making it the highest-rated live event to date.

"Discovery Channel delivers the most talked-about series and live events on television," said Marjorie Kaplan, group president of Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet. "We are excited about shifting from the natural backdrop of the Grand Canyon to the urban environment of Chicago. It is an iconic American city that presents a number of extreme conditions and challenges that Nik has yet to attempt on such a grand scale," , according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Skyscraper Live With Nik Wallenda is produced by Peacock Productions. Gretchen Eisele, Colleen Halpin, Knute Walker, Benjamin Ringe, Betsy Wagner, Howard Swartz, Wallenda, David Simone, Winston Simone and Shelley Ross are executive producers.

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