Nik Wallenda will string a wire across pretty much anything and walk across it
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}High wire pro Nik Wallenda made history in June when he walked down a wire strung across the Grand Canyon -- without a net. Watched live by over 13 million people, his feat became the highest rated show ever on the Discovery Channel. FOX411 caught up with Wallenda and asked him about the death-defying stunt, his faith, and what he wants to string his wire to next.
FOX411: Has the popularity of the show sunk in yet? What do you think made it so special?
Nik Wallenda: Not really, it is amazing that 13 million people tuned in to watch and 1.5 million tweets went out about the show! I think what I do is so hard for people to understand that they are intrigued!
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FOX411: What was the scariest moment on the walk, bar none?
Wallenda: There wasn't really a scary moment for me, I've been walking on the wire since I was two years old and had been heavily training leading up to this walk. The winds were a little unpredictable but I trained in 90 mile-an-hour winds in Sarasota so I was prepared.
FOX411: You were talking to God – do you think God was helping?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wallenda: I'm always careful when I answer this question because I want people to understand where I am coming from. My faith in God is my life and defines who I am. When I talk with God in prayer on that wire, He brings me peace in the face of the challenges that arise. Many people look at it as testing God, but I disagree. I am not saying that God holds me on that cable. I believe that God gave me the talent to walk the wire, but it is up to me to practice extensively, design proper rigging, review the set-up and make decisions for my walks based on that.
FOX411: Do you ever think, why am I doing this? The world needs good accountants too!
Wallenda: Not really, this has been in my family for 7 generations and over 200 years. It's my passion. It is so normal to me to walk a wire that I could reverse the question and ask, "Why don't you walk the wire?"
FOX411: Because we're scared to. If the NYC wire walk you've been talking about doesn’t happen – do you have a back-up in mind?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wallenda: There are a ton of places - both cities and countries. When I look for a location for a wire walk, I picture the post card, something visually amazing, and it becomes my dream for a walk. I think a walk in NYC would be incredible, and I actually have a few ideas for locations. We'll work with NYC officials to do everything by the book. The motto I live by is never give up, and I won't!
FOX411: Is there a walk you have considered and then thought better of because it’s just too dangerous?
Wallenda: I'm going to say, "not yet." I'm always looking to raise the bar to another level, but I've done this long enough to know the realities of what is involved in a walk. When I get a dream to do a walk, it's with confidence that I can take on that challenge.