Nik Wallenda Defy Gravity – And Death – On Danger By Design

Nik Wallenda doesn't want to die. It just looks that way sometimes. He's seventh generation of the legendary acrobatic family The Flying Wallendas, and is on a mission to bring his famous family's skill, passion and showmanship to a new 21st century audience on Discovery Channel's brand new six-part series Danger By Design, profiling Nik and his incredible family. Also, this June 15, Nik will attempt a historic walk across Niagara Falls and will be the first person in more than 100 years to do so. Danger By Design premieres every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. starting July 11. Encores every Thursday at 12:00 a.m. (midnight), and Monday at 4:00 p.m.

Danger By Design shows how, through the help of his entire family, Nik creates spectacular acts that cheat death through science, skill and discipline. The success of any of Nik's acts – and, indeed, his very life – is dependent upon meticulous preparations that include engineering and wind speed analysis, conducted with a crew that includes his chief engineer (his uncle Mike) and his safety coordinator (his father Terry).

Sparks fly frequently between father and son, as Terry is more of a traditionalist when it comes to rigging and safety. As Nik says, "He has his ideas and I have mine. Just because it's been done for generations doesn't mean something new won't make it easier or quicker or faster." Wife Erendira is the eighth generation of a circus family as well, and she and their three children travel the world with Nik.

Nik and his mother Delilah made headlines around the world as they successfully walked a high wire in Puerto Rico – a walk that infamously killed Nik's great grandfather Karl in 1978. Says Nik, "People ask me all the time – why do you do this? Why do you risk your life? My family has been doing this for seven generations. I was born doing it; it's really all I know. It's in my blood, it's who I am and I can't imagine doing anything else."

In the premiere episode of Danger By Design, we witness Nik's attempts to break two world records in the Bahamas by traversing a wire between two towers at the Atlantis resort. But the strain of planning and executing two incredibly dangerous walks in the boiling heat proves to be too much for one member of the family, as they collapse and are rushed to the hospital. Nik faces a tough choice – to continue what he started or to be by his loved one's side in their time of need.