However, viewers were quick to label the broadcast \u201cinsufferable,\u201d \u201ca total joke,\u201d and even \u201cdisrespectful.\u201d One viewer declared, \u201cThe commentary is absolutely ruining this.\u201d It\u2019s fair to say that \u201cSkyscraper Live\u201d was indeed controversial, but not for the reason you might think.<\/p>\n
You may like<\/p>\n
Far from an expert panel<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Netflix)<\/p>\n The backlash largely centers on Netflix\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Duncan and Rollins added\u2026 well, to be brutally honest, I\u2019m 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 \u201cinsane\u201d Honnold\u2019s climb up Taipei 101 was (which was previously the world\u2019s tallest building between 2004 and 2010), they appeared to be clutching at straws to find anything of true value to add.<\/p>\n A quick scan of the Netflix Reddit<\/a>, and you get a sense of how many viewers were unhappy with the commentary team: \u201cI 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Uncomfortable distractions<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Netflix)<\/p>\n On a personal level, I felt uneasy with the overall pageantry surrounding the \u201cSkyscraper Live\u201d 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\u2019t help but feel uncomfortable with how Netflix turned a feat of daring human athleticism into a complete “game day” circus.<\/p>\n Not to keep taking shots at the commentary team, but interrupting Honnold\u2019s climb to ask him nonsensical questions (\u201cHey Alex, whatcha up to?\u201d) 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.<\/p>\n When discussing why he free solos in the excellent Oscar-winning “Free Solo”<\/a> 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s clear from the backlash that Netflix\u2019s broadcast of the event wasn\u2019t quite so successful. Here\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n <\/a><\/p>\n Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. <\/p>\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MPVKe93583cW733CeVbSQS.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/cxbGqf8m2QgSKfDtpgu8YS.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/r3t8zZ5ve4GewFTeoCM3R6.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n