Interview about safety wire
Wallenda tells The Daily Beast that it makes him more nervous to wear a safety tether, as he has to drag the clip and cable along the wire, and he hasn’t trained for the extra resistance:
It’s nerve-wracking wearing a tether. The truth is, the dangers are real—I know; I’ve trained for them, I’ve prepared for them, and everything I do is calculated. I’m doing this because I love what I do. I know it’s hard for people to comprehend.
None of the previous six generations of Wallendas have worn safety wires. He says the danger is part of the appeal:
That’s why people watch. There’ll be more hits on Facebook for an accident then there’ll ever be for making it safely, because that’s what people want to see. As much as they say they don’t, they’re fascinated with it and that’s why we break records every time I do these TV specials.