One of the most amazing acts you’ll see on the premiere episode of Little Big Shots: Forever Young will be performed by 81-year-old Carla Wallenda of Sarasota, Florida. She will not only climb up an 85-foot pole but she’ll also sway and hang from it like a carefree child on the limb of a tree. “I love attention,” Carla says. Carla has been performing as an aerialist since she was 3 years old with her famous family of circus performers, The Flying Wallendas, which was led by Carla’s German-born father Karl. For years the Wallendas performed with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. (John Ringling hired them in 1928.)
Carla is also known for her “Iron Jaw Hang” stunt where she’s hung by her teeth off a hot air balloon. Her grandson Nik has since performed the stunt and Nik’s wife Erendira just broke her husband’s record (hanging over Niagara Falls!) on June 15. Nowadays it’s a helicopter. See below. Little Big Shots: Forever Young airs Wednesdays at 8pm on NBC.
