‘There’s something to be said when, 5 minutes before you go on air, someone slides you a card of what you’re going to say if a person falls off a building and dies,’ Skyscraper Live host responds to criticism of anxiety-filled broadcast
Maybe watching a man climb a skyscraper isn't the right pick for a TV event
· TechRadarFeatures By Hamish Hector published 30 January 2026
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Reactions to Skyscraper Live – Netflix's live event following Alex Honnold’s ascent of Taipei 101 – weren’t all that positive, with many viewers laying blame on the commentary. One of the hosts, Elle Duncan, has now responded to the criticism, saying “I totally get it”, and hearing her explanation, I can’t see anyone in her shoes doing a better job, so maybe Netflix shouldn’t try this again.
She explained on the Awful Announcing podcast that her delivery came out poorly because “I was anxious, and when I get anxious I talk faster and I’m trying to talk through the anxiety.”
This wasn’t Duncan’s first-time hosting gig; however, she’s a professional who has appeared on many live sports broadcasts before, but the big difference here was the stakes of Honnold’s climb.
“I’ve never been part of a broadcast where it wasn’t just an afterthought that someone could be severely hurt, or die,” she admitted.
Honnold of Free Solo fame is a climber whose specialty is, well, free soloing – widely regarded as the most dangerous form of the sport. Climbers can rely on chalk and climbing shoes, but they don’t use ropes, protective equipment, or assistance from another climber.
They’re also climbing at heights from which falling would be fatal. This includes Honnold’s climb of Taipei 101 – a 508m /1,667ft tall building.
As Duncan explained during the podcast interview, “There’s something to be said when, 5 minutes before you go on air, someone slides you a card of what you’re going to say if a person falls off a building and dies.”
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