I agree that the audience leveling is pretty cool but I wouldn't even be able to enjoy a game with perma-perma death. Id be a constant nervous wreck.
I still cant fathom how kirottu beat D3 on Hardcore with his mage. I have over 1k hours in my DK, and Im not a schlub, and I die at least once almost every game. I cant imagine losing all that work in a single instance.