Wildest one yet! Nik Wallenda, of the famous Flying Wallendas family, completed his most death-defying stunt yet! The former Ringling Brothers performer walked across the Orlando Eye observation wheel in Florida on Wednesday, April 29 — on live TV!
Wallenda, 36, was joined by Today show co-hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie via satellite for the crazy accomplishment, which only took a few minutes. While many viewers held their breath, it was Lauer who jokingly breathed into a brown paper bag.
“Wow, look at this beautiful view up here! You can see everything,” he said, while standing hundreds of feet above the ground. “It’s a long way down.”
Indeed, the 400-foot observation wheel is taller than the Statue of Liberty, which stands at 305 feet. Wallenda went without a harness and didn’t hold his trusty pole, which helps with balance.
Wallenda didn’t appear nervous, but did say it was windy before beginning the 30-meter trek. And just like that — in under five minutes(!) — he safely reached his goal.
“[You need] to stay as calm as possible because once you get scared the adrenaline takes over and then it can become very dangerous,” Wallenda said after the scary feat. “This is definitely a dream of mine. I’m living out what my family has done over 200 years.”
The daredevil previously completed a tightrope walk across Niagara Falls in February 2012. He did the same over the Grand Canyon in Arizona in June 2013.
Watch the amazing video above!