love you i'll take you ♪ ♪ ♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> juju: tonight, guilty plea. the latest in the saga of mommy vlogger ruby franke, who pled guilty to child abuse. her business partner, jodi hildebrandt, today doing the same. the horrific details revealed. bachelorette blowout. bachelorette parties going big. >> i wanted my party to be "hangover" style. >> juju: breaking the bank.

>> i didn't know it was going to be this expensive. >> juju: one woman's version of "27 dresses." >> i have a lot of friends and i like to keep them. >> i felt like i couldn't say no to the events. >> juju: what's fueling this new craze? kickmasters. worn out from baking? make it a spectator sport. streaming and tv shows full of replication inspiration. >> i feel like it's inspiration for people at home who are like, i want a little hobby, i can do this too. >> juju: fans can't get enough of this hyper-realistic versions of sugary confections. >> i noticed when i started making the cakes and the more realistic they were, the attention they were getting. >> juju: is this a cake or is it fake? feeling sluggish or weighed down? could be a sign that your digestive system isn't at its best. but a little metamucil everyday can help. metamucil's psyllium fiber gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down

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with qualifying internet. switch today. ♪ >> juju: thanks for joining us. today, jodi hildebrandt, the business popular of mommy vlogger ruby franke, appearing in court a week after franke herself entered a plea deal with prosecutors. the chilling details now coming to light. another chapter closing today on the disturbing child endangerment case that gripped the nation. >> ms. hilderbrandt, how do you plead to count one, aggravated child abuse, a second degree felony? >> guilty. >> and to count three, aggravated child abuse, a second

degree felony? >> guilty. >> juju: marriage counselor jodi hildebrandt pleading guilty of four counts of child abuse. momfluencer ruby franke pled guilty to similar charges nine days ago. prosecutors agreeing to drop the remaining two charges for each woman in exchange for for their guilty pleas. >> one of the toughest things we ask victims of alleged abuse to do is testify against their abusers. we are pleased that in this case and in ms. franke's case, that won't be necessary. >> juju: both plea deals detail how two of franke's children, referred to as r.f. and e.f., were subjected to months of physical torture, outside in the heat, denied food and water. both children were also convinced they were evil and that the punishments were necessary to repent. and in july when r.f. attempted to run away, his hands and feet why regularly bound. often using handcuffs and/or

rope. >> 911, the address of your emergency? >> i just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door, asking for help. >> juju: despite all the physical arm r.f. made another attempt in august. successfully escaping from hilderbrandt's home hours south of his mother's. >> he's emaciated. he's got tape around his legs. he's hungry, and he's thirsty. >> juju: after their arrests many wondered if there were missed warning signs. this 911 call was made in september 2022 by franke's adult daughter. >> my four younger siblings are living in springville, and my neighbors have been telling me they have been left home alone for four or five days. >> juju: franke and hilderbrandt remain in jail as they await sentencing in february, facing a maximum of 60 years in prison. new a new take on the traditional bachelorette party. now often going big ticket and

big budget. what happens when you're asked to attend more than one? abc's zohreen shah takes another look at these bachelorette blowouts. >> me and summer have been close since birth. our moms are sisters. so we grew up together. >> reporter: what was the moment where she said, i want you to be my maid of honor? >> oh my gosh, since very young. >> reporter: how old were you guys? >> 10. i swear. >> reporter: jade has been preparing for this role all her life. as the maid of honor for her best friend and cousin, summer katib. how excited are you right now? bachelor party into wedding? >> so excited. so, so excited. >> come on, girl, let's take a shot! >> reporter: summer's friends have flown to las vegas for her bachelorette party. >> to summer!

>> to summer, cheers! >> reporter: committing to the three-day event, some dipping into savings or borrowing money to foot the bill. >> i told my friends about this a year ago. because they're in the same position as me. just graduating grad school. still in college or starting their careers. >> this is how she really wanted it. super big, super party-like. >> reporter: you keep saying big. when i think big, i think expensive. >> oh, yes. >> reporter: between travel, accommodations, and decor, the tab of some bachelorette parties can be steep. according to the wedding website the knot, the cost has skyrocketed over the past few years. with partygoers spending an average of $1,300, almost doubling in cost since 2019. >> in terms of a financial standpoint, the parties are -- oh my gosh, they're so much more

extravagant. >> reporter: alison cashed in on the trend, creating a luxury party planning company called "batch to basics" in 2016. >> i used to take clients looking to plan a weekend for roughly $300, $500 a weekend, and now we recommend at minimum spending $600 per person. it's often between $800 to well over $3,000 per person for the weekend. >> reporter: on top of inflation and the post-pandemic wedding boom, for many, the social pressure to attend bachelorettes at the cost of their wallet wins out. >> social media plays a role. whether it's conscious or subconscious. then i also think people are getting married older. and so they have the means to be able to spend on these weekends to make them as extravagant as they are. >> reporter: the team planned the bachelorette. why does the party hold so much

weight? >> hopefully this is your first and last time getting married so a once-in-a-lifetime thing for your friend who's getting married. being invited to be a bridesmaid or part of a wedding is really special. >> reporter: many girls attending the bachelorette parties also have bridesmaids duties. >> are those -- >> no. >> are they bridesmaid dresses? >> none of your business. >> reporter: some are to the plot of "27 dresses" may seem far-fetched. >> i have a lot of friends, and i like to keep them. >> reporter: for j.l. cooper, it's pretty close to her reality. >> total, it's 15 bridesmaids dresses that i've purchased. >> reporter: at 27 years old, she's attended around 35 weddings total, and she's been a bridesmaid in 15 of those. >> i felt like i couldn't say no to the events. that it was -- it was so much

back to back. >> reporter: over the course of one year, j.l. racked up $4,000 of credit card debt from all of her commitments. >> it's the bachelorette party, the bridal shower, the gifts for the bridal shower, the hair, the makeup, the nails for the day of, the dress. even just getting time off work. >> reporter: a 2017 "wedding wire" report found being a bridesmaid can cost $1,200 to $1,800. with her own wedding falling after her friend's, j.l. had to get savvy to pay off debt. j.l. posting this tiktok to get the word out that she was selling her dresses. the video racked up almost 300,000 views, and she said she paid off her credit cards over two years. when planning her epic vegas trip, summer made an intentional choice to try to be up front about estimated costs with her guests before they committed. >> i wanted everyone to just know what they were paying for.

because it's a lot of money for people just getting out of college or just starting their career. >> reporter: why vegas? >> i wanted my party to be "hangover" style. >> nights we'll never forget. >> vegas is the perfect destination for any party, because everything is open all the time. you can walk down the street at 5:00 in the afternoon and get a margarita or 2:00 in the morning or 10:00 a.m. >> a [ bleep ] limo, whoo! >> reporter: the girls let us tag along as they rack up experiences and expenses. from coordinated outfits -- >> got my boots on, my cowgirl hat, i'm ready. >> reporter: to dinner at the sugar factory. >> oh my god, whoa! >> reporter: dancing the night away. on top of that, party planning

fees, the hotel, flights, spa treatments. final price tag for the weekend about $1,700 per person, and $21,000 total. >> i didn't know it was going to be this expensive. but -- i would say around maybe $1,000, so it's double my expectation. it's all worth it. >> reporter: why? >> well, those are the girls that you chose that have impacted your life so far. and you want to be able to celebrate with them. >> juju: our thanks to zohreen. when we come back, bakers faking the cake. to help protect from hiv. i prep without pills. with apretude, a prescription medicine used to reduce the risk of hiv without daily prep pills. with one shot every other month, just 6 times a year. in studies, apretude was proven superior

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♪ >> juju: welcome back. we're taking another look at the masters of cake fakery, causing a sensation on social media, racking up millions of views. the bakers behind the boom and why fans are so addicted. ashan singh takes the cake challenge. >> reporter: one of these potatoes is actually a cake. can you guess which one? is it this one? how about this one? is it any of them? does any of this make sense? why would a potato be a cake? let's step back for a minute. no matter how you slice it, baking is having a moment. >> what do you think of this cake trend? love it or hate it? >> reporter: social media,

tiktok, youtube, or on tv -- >> the texture of your flapjack -- >> it looks a bit wet. >> because it's not baked yet. >> ah. >> reporter: i mean, who here hasn't binged "the great britain baking show" on netflix? wherever you get your sugar fix, one thing is clear. all these videos of people stacking, icing, and crafting cakes are here to stay. what do you think it is societally about baking that we love so much? i mean, it is just a cake, at the end of the day, right? >> i feel like it's inspiration for people at home that are just like, hey, i want a little hobby. i can do this. >> a little hobby? >> reporter: big numbers with millions of views online, it's transforming ordinary people into culinary superstars. michigan mom and former schoolteacher mirivat whose channel, bake my day, has millions of followers and hundreds of millions of views. at what point did you realize

this is bigger than just running your own small business? >> it wasn't until till took, to be honest. and just all of us under covid, everything locked down. it really started to explode. and i was like, there is no way all these people are this interested in watching cake decoration or the cake s pro, whatever it is. wow, this is great, let's keep going. >> reporter: of all the cakes out there, the craziest cake trend has got to be hyper-realistic cakes. now, i could just tell you what it's all about, but i'd rather show you. let's take a field trip. we're in austin, texas, right now. and it's known for its famed texas barbecue. brisket, pulled pork, you name it. today we're here for something a little different. a little sweeter. a little weirder. so real, it will have you doing double-takes.

as far as baking goes, there are cake artists, and then there are cake artists. there's no doubt that natalie sidesur is the cream of the crop. natalie is the queen of the hyper-realistic cake. that is a cake. that does not look like a cake. which came first, for you, baking or the art? >> the art came first. i've been making art since i was a kid. and i studied it -- i actually studied hyper-realistic art in college and a little in high school. making the dishes dirty is totally a side sur cake detail. with the background to make realistic art, i found a way to use edible materials in cake and make it hyper-realistic too. but i also noticed, when i started making the cakes and the more realistic they were, the attention that they were getting. >> reporter: it's really hard not to look at this and wonder, that is a snake?

or is it a cake? whatever it is, in the last few years natalie has made cake out of everything, from basic everyday essentials to the truly insane. you must be getting those reactions all the time. does it get old? >> no. it's my favorite. i get to prank people. >> reporter: today, we're going to look to turn something, anything, into a cake. now, when you're at the grocery store, are you constantly racking your brain, what could be a cake? >> yes. so my husband, dave, does all the grocery shopping. i sit there and stare at items. could this be a cake? could this be a cake? >> reporter: think you can make cake out of a sweet potato? >> absolutely, i can definitely do that. >> reporter: want to give it a shot? you like eating cake? or is this just a canvas for you? >> it is a canvas, but i also eat a lot of cake.

>> you kooint kind of forget this is a cake, at a certain point. it kind of feels like you're working on a cup of tour. >> yeah, definitely. >> reporter: before my eyes, the cake really starts to turn into a potato. >> there's certain areas that i want to color match a little better. >> reporter: to get the full effect, my producer brought out real potatoes to try and trick me. >> you're looking at them. you have to pick one potato and that one has to be the cake. otherwise, you lose the game. so dramatic. >> reporter: oh my god. i'm going to get this wrong. oh my gosh. all right. let's try this one. >> here, i'll pull it. >> reporter: yep, that's the one i want to pick, yeah. >> right here? are you sure that's the one that you choose? >> reporter: yes. >> feel good about it? >> reporter: i don't feel good. but moment of truth. we've got to see if my potato is actually a cake or if it's a potato.

and that is not a cake. i got it real, real wrong. so i'm feeling like a dummy. now we're going to cut into this, right? i've waited all weekend for this, just so you know. >> now the pressure's on. >> reporter: this is a cake. i'm so excited. this is the thing. oh my gosh. what is it about cake and baking? >> i think that throughout history, cake is this way to celebrate. you're celebrating grade wayses or weddings or birthdays. that to me is great. i love that i get to work with something that has a history of being celebratory. >> reporter: you cool if we actually eat some of this cake? >> absolutely. >> reporter: cheers. awesome. that's the best-tasting sweet potato i've ever had. >> i agree. >> juju: our thanks to ashan. remembering tom smothers

when we come back.

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♪ mourning the loss of television legend tom smothers.

best known as one half of the smothers brothers with his brother, dick, and cohost of their occasionally controversial show in the late '60s. the smothers brothers tested the limits of television at the time with sometimes political comedy. and they gave a platform to up-and-coming musical acts like the who. >> hey, dick. i'd like to borrow your bass for a minute. >> juju: tom smother was 86. he'll be missed. that's "nightline." watch our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.