I expected a degree of backlash when Netflix announced “Skyscraper Live.” The live broadcast, held over the weekend (Jan. 24), saw one of the world’s best climbers, Alex Honnold, attempt to scale Taipei 101, a 101-floor skyscraper completely unaided. It’s a stomach-turning feat; one momentary slip and Honnold would fall to his death. I figured some viewers might feel uneasy about turning a daredevil stunt into a live spectacle.
What I didn’t expect was “Skyscraper Live” to be controversial, not because of the ethical question of whether a platform should broadcast an event that could have ended in tragedy, but rather because of the streamer’s chosen commentary team. After being delayed 24 hours due to weather conditions (climbing wet steel is a no-go!), Honnold’s climb went off without a hitch in “Skyscraper Live.” He reached the top in around 90 minutes, even showboating along the way. In fact, his biggest obstacle turned out to be technical issues robbing him of his in-ear rock music.
However, viewers were quick to label the broadcast “insufferable,” “a total joke,” and even “disrespectful.” One viewer declared, “The commentary is absolutely ruining this.” It’s fair to say that “Skyscraper Live” was indeed controversial, but not for the reason you might think.
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Far from an expert panel
(Image credit: Netflix)
The backlash largely centers on Netflix’s chosen panel, which was comprised of sports presenter Elle Duncan, WWE star Seth Rollins, and professional climber and personal friend of Alex Honnold, Emily Harrington. The latter added much-needed expertise and a few interesting morsels of insight into why Honnold continues to free solo, which is a discipline of climbing in which the participant climbs without any rope or assistance.
Meanwhile, Duncan and Rollins added… well, to be brutally honest, I’m not entirely sure what either panelist added to the broadcast. Neither appears to have much experience covering professional climbing, and aside from continually noting how “insane” Honnold’s climb up Taipei 101 was (which was previously the world’s tallest building between 2004 and 2010), they appeared to be clutching at straws to find anything of true value to add.
A quick scan of the Netflix Reddit, and you get a sense of how many viewers were unhappy with the commentary team: “I shouldn’t have to mute the commentators and miss out on Alex talking just to avoid listening to them say ‘oh my gosh, this is so scary’ for the millionth time, They’re not adding drama or stress or tension, they’re annoying,” said one user.
Perhaps the lowpoint came when YouTuber Mark Rober was added to the mix, explaining to viewers why climbing a man-made skyscraper is quite different from scaling a natural rock face. Perhaps some viewers needed this extra context, but the lack of deeper insight into the hurdles Taipei 101 threw up was stark. It was like watching a Super Bowl broadcast anchored by a panel with only a vague knowledge of the football fundamentals.
Uncomfortable distractions
(Image credit: Netflix)
On a personal level, I felt uneasy with the overall pageantry surrounding the “Skyscraper Live” broadcast. To his credit, Honnold has claimed the large crowd at the foot of the tower gave him extra motivation, but considering free soloing is all about being extremely present, completely focused on each move, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with how Netflix turned a feat of daring human athleticism into a complete “game day” circus.
Not to keep taking shots at the commentary team, but interrupting Honnold’s climb to ask him nonsensical questions (“Hey Alex, whatcha up to?”) was, at best, grating, and at worst… well, I would rather not think about the worst-case scenario had these needless interjections resulted in Honnold losing focus for even a split second.
When discussing why he free solos in the excellent Oscar-winning “Free Solo” documentary, Honnold describes the sense of complete focus the activity provides, and I wish that Netflix had leaned into this aspect. Just watching such an expert in his field in the zone would have made for compelling enough television. Netflix didn’t need to try to add more spectacle via a commentary team or with cheering crowds on each floor, which forced Honnold to pause to wave to the public mid-climb.
Still, Honnold completed his climb successfully, and whether you believe that free soloing is a climbing discipline that should be encouraged or not, it was undoubtedly an impressive feat. But it’s clear from the backlash that Netflix’s broadcast of the event wasn’t quite so successful. Here’s hoping that next time Honnold has the itch to climb, the big red streaming service goes back to the drawing board and rethinks its approach to presenting it.
One Reddit user, Person-546, perhaps sums it up best: “I hope that they publish a second version of just him climbing with his audio. It’s like the producer didn’t understand what people find interesting about climbing… it’s watching the climb. I can’t believe I just spent 2 hrs locked in but feel like I didn’t even get to watch him climb.”
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