Nik Wallenda returns with his newest death-defying challenge — a tightrope walk between skyscrapers in Chicago — for Discovery on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. ET.
Hosted by NBC News’ Willie Geist, Natalie Morales and The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, more than 220 countries will be able to watch the telecast simultaneously as the highwire pro tackles “The Windy City” spectacle without any safety tethers or a net.
The production will install dozens of cameras across the city and on helicopters, which will roll as Wallenda, a seventh-generation member of famed “Flying Wallenda’s, attempts the two-part walk.
Also read: Nik Wallenda’s Chicago ‘Skyscraper Live’ Anchors Discovery’s Adrenaline-Fueled Slate
“I’m always looking for the next major hurdle and doing something that the world has never seen,” said Wallenda, who will be joined in Chicago by his wife and three children, his close friends and an engineering team led by his father Terry Troffer.
“I want my family to be there to see history in the making. And feel comforted knowing that they’ll be praying along with me.”
Here’s the challenge according to Discovery:
[Part 1] of the first part of the tightrope crossing, Wallenda will walk further than two city blocks – uphill rising to a 15-degree angle – from the iconic Marina City’s west tower to the Leo Burnett Building at more than 50 stories high above the Chicago River. Not only will this be the highest skyscraper walk in the history of the “Flying Wallenda” family, it will be the first time that he has ever attempted it at such a steep angle. The second part of the walk will span from the Marina City’s west tower to the east tower.
Also read: Nik Wallenda Canyon Walk Earns 13M Viewers
In June of last year, Discovery aired Wallenda’s successful Grand Canyon challenge. It earned him the title of the first man to traverse the natural wonder. It also earned the cable networks’ highest-rated live event ever with 13 million viewers. Additionally, the live event generated 1.3 million tweets.
Discovery’s group president for TLC and Animal Planet, Marjorie Kaplan, said, “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.”
Produced by Peacock Productions, Gretchen Eisele, Colleen Halpin, Knute Walker, Benjamin Ringe, Betsy Wagner, Discovery’s Howard Swartz, Nik Wallenda, David Simone, Winston Simone and Shelley Ross.