Will Wallenda have a harness for his Grand Canyon walk?

Nik Wallenda, the high-wire artist who walked across Niagara Falls in February of 2012, will attempt to walk the Grand Canyon tonight. He will walk at a height of 1,500 feet above the Little Colorado River, and walk a distance nearly the same, at 1,400 feet. Estimated winds for the walk could be up to 40 mph.

Wallenda walked Niagara Falls last year with the support of a safety harness. The harness did nothing to aid in the actual walk, being there only for a worst case scenario. ABC, who aired the event live, made the decision to make Wallenda wear the harness despite his objection. While the event was spectacular, and showcased an impressive amount of skill, the harness did remove any kind of daredevil aspect.  

Discovery will show the live walk tonight with coverage starting at 8pm Eastern. The coverage will include all the preparation that went into making sure the walk will be a success.

Unlike ABC, Discovery will not force Wallenda to wear a safety harness this time. They will show the event on a 10-second delay just in case anything should happen.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wallenda admitted that the element of danger plays into a lot of people wanting to watch the event live.  "You’re watching, hoping there’s not an accident, but if there is, you want to see it. And I think that’s a lure as well.”