STAGE TUBE: Nik Wallenda Tight Rope Walks Across Niagara Falls on ABC

On June 15, Nik Wallenda walked approximately 1,550 feet on a tightrope wire, suspended 173 feet above the raging waters of Niagara Falls, from the U.S. to Canada -- an unprecedented feat that has been banned for over 125 years.  ABC had the exclusive worldwide broadcast rights, which were secured by Lincoln Square Productions, for Wallenda's long-planned stunt to air live. The "Megastunts" ABC special was part of a two-part, three-hour event that included an hour devoted to the greatest stunts of all time and culminated in Wallenda's walk. Watch the unprecendented stunt below!

Wallenda's tightrope walk over Horseshoe Falls, the biggest of the three falls that make up Niagara Falls, is unprecedented and was a culmination of a life's work for him and his entire daredevil family."It's very exciting. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time," says Wallenda, a seventh-generation member of the legendary Great Wallendas, a travelling family circus troupe dating back to 1780. "It's been a dream I've had since I was six years old, when I first visited the falls with my parents. I remember looking across ... and thinking, it would be cool to be the first person in the world to do this."

Crossing the Niagara River on a tightrope has been banned since 1890. Thirteen tightrope artists have traversed the gorge throughout history -- notably the Great Blondin -- but Wallenda discovered in his research that no tightrope artist had ever before walked directly over the awesome and raging cascades. Wallenda, who holds six Guinness World Records -- including the longest bicycle ride on a tightrope without a safety net and the largest human pyramid on a high wire -- set his sights on the unprecedented feat.

In November 2011, Wallenda approached officials in the U.S. and Canada with a proposal to cross directly over Horseshoe Falls, from Goat Island on the U.S. side to Table Rock on the Canadian side. Park Commissions in New York and Ontario, Canada were extremely skeptical about permitting a high-wire stunt like this, citing worries about the cost, copycats, security, not to mention Wallenda's safety, and initially rejected the idea. But Wallenda was determined and made it his mission to secure the permissions to achieve this life-long dream.

"I am very challenge-driven person," he said. "Don't tell me, 'It can't be done,' because I'll find a way to do it." After months of work and a time-consuming negotiation, the Ontario Parks Commission approved a one-time exemption in February to allow Wallenda to attempt a single crossing, reversing the 128-year ban on stunts. The Niagara Parks Commission has specified that such feats can only be attempted once every two decades.

"My great grandfather taught us to never give up. This is just the ultimate story of just never giving up," Wallenda said, adding that the legal battle was the biggest challenge of his career. "I got two laws changed that were over a hundred years old ... now, guess what... Nik Wallenda is going to walk across the falls June 15, live on ABC."

To prepare for his greatest stunt yet, Wallenda trained on land using a wire identical to the one he will walk on over on the falls this summer. In training, he was sprayed with heavy mist from a fire hose to simulate the falls' raging waters, and was put up against a wind machine, generating gusts up to 60 miles per hour.

In many ways, Wallenda has been practicing for this moment for his entire life. The 33-year-old Florida native began walking the wire at age 2 and learned the ropes from his father, Terry Troffer, a retired acrobat who serves as his chief-rigging engineer and safety expert. During the June 15 stunt, Wallenda will be able to talk with his father through an earpiece the entire time.

Though he admits his family is "a little nervous" about this walk, Wallenda said they are proud and happy that he will get to tackle a life-long dream.