Getty Lava oozing down a volcano during an eruption.
At 8 p.m. Eastern, aerialist Nik Wallenda will perform a high wire walk over a live volcano on ABC’s “Volcano Live! with Nik Wallenda.”
The aerialist will walk across an 1,800-foot high wire that spans the active Masaya volcano in Nicaragua. ABC will broadcast the event live. Chris Harrison, host of ABC’s The Bachelor franchise is the official host of “Volcano Live! with Nik Wallenda.” Joining him as co-host is television personality and ESPN anchor Sage Steele.
Nik Wallenda is the first person to embark on a highwire walk over the volcano. Wallenda comes from a family of high wire walkers including great-grandfather Karl Wallenda and mom Delilah Wallenda. Nik adds his volcano walk to his list of tightrope walks that include Niagara Falls, Times Square and more.
“Volcano Live! with Nik Wallenda” is a live two-hour event tonight, Wednesday, March 4 (8-10 p.m. Eastern). This is Nik’s longest and highest highwire walk ever attempted.
Here’s what we know about “Volcano Live! with Nik Wallenda”:
Nik Wallenda Trained for Severe Weather Conditions
Wallenda told ET Canada that he found “the best volcano.” One with winds and gasses that adds to the drama and the danger of the stunt. He trained in a room with a blindfold on with winds at 90 miles an hour. He will be wearing a gas mask and says, “we’re doing it live. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like. When it’s go time, it’s go time.”
ABC reported that host Chris Harrison said ”Nik Wallenda and his family are legendary. I’m extremely honored and also a little nervous to watch this death-defying walk over a live volcano. I’m proud to bring this live event to the world along with my friend and co-host Sage Steele.”
Steele told ABC, ”I have been a fan of Nik Wallenda for years and am beyond thrilled to be part of his next feat. I am so excited to be reunited with my good friend Chris Harrison for what I know will be an unforgettable night for the world to see!”
The Mayasa Volcano Is Nicknamed “The Mouth of Hell”
The seventh generation wire walker from The Flying Wallendas has walked over the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and 25 stories above Times Square. This is Wallenda’s longest and highest walk attempt to date on a one-inch-thick wire, reported Good Morning America.
Wallenda told Good Morning America, ”I have never until this morning walked on a cable of this diameter,” Wallenda said the day before his stunt.
The acrobat predicts the 1,800-foot walk over the volcano, dubbed “The mouth of Hell”,” could take him 30 to 35 minutes. The volcano contains a lava lake within its crater that boils at over 2,000 degrees F.
“For the last week I’ve been waking up in cold sweats because of this walk,” Wallenda told Good Morning America. “Every step is dangerous, but I will become more and more relaxed as I get through that gas for sure.”
The Masaya Volcano has one of just eight lava lakes on the planet.
READ NEXT: Read more about Nik Wallenda.