To prepare, Wallenda practiced in his home town of Sarasota, Florida in heavy winds, including during Tropical Storm Andrea.

The show also generated a lot of interest of social media, with Wallenda's public display of his Christian faith being a focal point.

The feat aired live on ABC who, much to the dismay of Wallenda, decided at the last minute that he would have to wear a safety harness for the event.

In 2011, Yves "Jetman" Rossy used a custom made jet suit to glide above the Hualapai reservation for eight minutes.

[3] Nik Wallenda originally secured permits to walk across "the Grand Canyon" in 2008, and planned to make the trip as early as 2009.

His agent, Winston Simone, commented "There's no electricity [at the planned location], there's no hotels, and for the last half-hour there are no paved roads.

"[5] Additionally, at a then-estimated distance of 5,000 feet (1,500 m), the feat would be the longest walk of Wallenda's career by a significant margin.

[9] Additionally, Discovery emphasized its international footprint and promised Wallenda that he would not have to wear a safety device.

[11] To prepare, Wallenda walked a 1,000-foot (300 m) wire twice daily along the banks of a Sarasota river with fans watching.

[11] On June 19, Discovery aired a special episode of MythBusters titled "Duct Tape Canyon" to coincide with Wallenda's walk.

On the episode, Wallenda appears to the show's team as a hallucination as they attempt to survive in the desert using only duct tape.

[10] The location was outside Grand Canyon National Park's borders, about 40 miles east of the main tourist facilities.

[12][14] In its official press release, Discovery previewed the feat "Nik Wallenda ... will traverse the majestic Grand Canyon".

[19] It was produced by NBC through its cable arm Peacock Productions and hosted by Natalie Morales and Willie Geist.

[20] During the event, viewers were able to select from five different camera angles online at SkywireLive.com, including one attached to his chest that faced straight down.

[10] Members of the press were required to sign a waiver saying they would not sue for post-traumatic stress disorder in the event that Wallenda fell.

[22] As the walk began at 7:38pm MDT, Wallenda realized the wire had become slippery due to gathered dust.

[15] The Navajos did not charge for the use of the site, but Discovery did pay for the paving of a new road and parking lot to accommodate spectators.

"[16] Skywire Live With Nik Wallenda drew an average of 10.7 million viewers in the United States, making it the highest rated program of the night.

[23] To capitalize on the program's success, Discovery aired a follow-up interview, Skywire: Nik Talks the Walk, on June 30.

[26] Commentary by Sally Jenkins published by the Washington Post called Wallenda "The ultimate athlete, free of all law except gravity ...

"[27] Comparing Wallenda and Baumgartner's record skydive that also aired on Discovery, she speculated that the emergence of online media combined with "stale, stupid predictability" of television shows has led the re-emergence of interest in daredevil activity.

Conservative talk show host Dana Loesch tweeted "Evangelism via entertainment on a tightrope and a major cable network.

"[28] In contrast comedian and noted atheist Ricky Gervais poked fun saying "Well done Jesus for getting that bloke across the Grand Canyon safely.

"[28] Interviewing Joel Osteen after Wallenda's walk, Piers Morgan called the event "an advertisement for the power of prayer and Christianity in America".

To celebrate, they erected a billboard showing a picture of the walk and reading "Dear Nik, Thanks for taking us to new heights.