modern twist on the mail order bride. man can now choose from a huge menu of beautiful women in poor countries. but what's the catch? from ukraine with love. we'll take you on a so-called romance tour where the parties are stocked with ten women to every man. >> i'm going to be in trouble. >> but who are these ladies and what are they really after? and, lost in translation. across barriers of language and culture,e,here is love, romance, heartbreak and an ending we never saw coming. a special edition of "nightline" starts right now. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," august 18th, 2011. >> thanks for joining us, everyone, i'll bill weir. so, early in the spring, i checked into a hotel in ukraine and after unlocking my dingy room, the bellman held up a

well-worn piece of paper which read, "you want woman?" i was there to do a story on america's biggest international match makers the modern term for what was known as a broker of mail order brides. the bellman, pimp, seemed to confirm suspicions about the romance tour i'd come to see, but we found a story much more completion, one filled with expectation and exploitation, love and heartbreak. friday night, odessa, eukraine. this is what a social mixer looks like on a so-called romance tour. you can tell because the local women outnumber the american men about 10 to 1. and right in the thick of it? that's bob. he just spent 4,000 bucks and traveled 5,00000 miles, not to dance with taller, younger women, per se, though he doesn't mind that part. he says he's come here to fall

in love and find a wife. bob doesn't know it yet, half of that wish will come true. but not in the way he imagined. but first, let's explain how a grandfather from pennsylvania winds one a lap full of eastern european affection. >> like high school. >> yeah. >> reporter: there are 21 men on this tour. all of them began this journey with a single mouse click. loveme.com is the internet's largest international match maker, run by a company called "a foreign affair." they sell access to thousands of women around the world and take a fee for every flirty e-mail, every interpreted phone call. but for the man who wants to move beyond pen pals, there is this. >> a foreign afay. >> reporter: the video sells a fairy tale just waiting for any guy willing to fly to a third world country. >> meeting beautiful women. is this a dream?

or is ititossible? >> reporter: at the moment, a foreign affair's favorite hot spot is ukraine. legend has it, there is a serious guy shortage in this area, leaving hordes of young women pining away for mature, loving, western men. guys just like bob wray. >> i like being married. i really do. dafti i dating is fine, but you get to a certain age and it gets a little old. >> reporter: after his divorce, the former college professor hasn't had much luck in harrisburg, p.a. he tried e harmony and match.com, finally decided to expand his search overseas. >> i'm not saying anything against american women, because i have a wonderful daughter. she's beautiful. but the point is, this is not a very big town. and everybody's married. first of all, i'll show you

ruslana. >> reporter: after striking up online correspondent with women, and hiring a russian tutor. >> that's "how you dodog." >> reporter: bob packs his bags for the trip of his life. after a 15-hour flight, the men check in, full of jet lag and nervous excitement. >> already got a message. i'm excited. >> reporter: there are binders of women to owse. dates to arrange. and few speak english, interpreters to make. >> i'm here to help you find your one and only. >> first of all, i want to welcome you guys. >> reporter: that is john adams, the man behind this whole endeavor. he's the founder and sounder of a foreign affair, and every chance he gets, john uses himself as an example of what's possible. >> when i saw her, it was just like lightning struck. the most amazing thing. >> reporter: john met his wife on a romance tour of russia. and 14 years later, they have

two kids and a house in the phoenix suburbs. all this can be yours, he items his clients, if they play it smart. >> that's good. >> reporter: don't fall for the first one to bat her eyes, he warns. and meet as many women as you can. and this will be easier than any imagined, because a foreign affair is constantly refreshing their menu with women who aren't hung up on age or cultural gaps. >> if i like him, i will marry him. definitely. >> reporter: the men arrange as many dates as they can fit into a day. some are just their quick morning rendezvous over coffee, others involve a stroll and a meal. almost all include the english-speaking third wheel. >> you're so tall. i need another chair. for a whole lifetime. >> r rorter: but through three

socials in three cities, bob and the men seem invigorated by the kind of female attention they haven't enjoyed since, well, ever. >> ask her if she wants to go to america. i'm going to be in trouble. >> reporter: i saw you last night. >> a lot of fun. you saw me with a woman who was 5'9". i'm 5'5". volleyball player. 22. and she didn't want me to come to this city. she wanted me to stay. >> reporter: if you did bring the 5'9", 22-year-old volleyball player back to harrisburg -- >> this is a fantasy. >> reporter: what would people say? >> they would think i was out of my mind. she wouldn't be happy. she would not be happy. >> reporter: so, you're 65. how young is too young for you? >> see, my daughter's 30. and she told me -- you bring

somebody younger than me home, i'm going to shoot you. >> reporter: while bob keeps looking for someone more age appropriate, danny, a home depot employee from oregon is certain he's found the one. what's her name? >> her name is svetlana. i'm very excited. i haven't felt this way in years. it's an amazing feeling to be maybe e t so young and in love but in love. >> reporter: he's 47. she's 23. and they can barely communicate. but after one four-hour date, he's ready to buy a ring. so, what do you have in mind? not going to go diamond? >> no, a hoddest band that doesn't have a lot of flare to it. just a symbol of the commitment to the relationship. >> reporter: what do you think she's going to say? >> we'll find ouou >> reporter: he's clearly head over heels. but does she feel the same way? and what do these women really like? see for yourself, when "nightline" continues.

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each year, thousands of foreign women marry american men through so-called international match makers. many have happy lives, but enough are treatedike sexual livestock that congress and president bush changed the l ls to protect them. as we rejoin our tour of ukraine, can't help but wonder, is it the women or the men who are most vulnerable this time? after a flurry of assorted dates and raucous socials, some of the romance tourists think they may have found a soul mate. while bob danced and dined with more than a couple 20-somethi

20-somethings, a 37-year-old woman alla has been on the top of his wish list. >> i've waited a long time for this. >> reporter: at last they meet. and he is smitten. >> she's lovable and kissable. she can give me a kiss on the cheek. >> reporter: just two hours in, bob is showing her pictures of what might be her new home. >> very quiet and peaceful. i don't lock my doors. but i will if she wishes. because she would be the lady of the house. >> reporter: meanwhile, danny from oregon has fallen hard for 23-year-old svetlana. they p pn to spend the rest of his time here together and he bought her a ring. but then he gets a call from the interpreter. she won't be coming. she also made plans with another man on the tour. >> yeah, it's hard to hear. just in case you call, but i don't have my hopes way high. well, i thought about throwing

it in the bay here, but what's the point, you know? i can always give it as a gift, you know, to one of my daughters. rrl there are hopeless romantics on both sides of international match making. >> translator: i met a man. he's from the usa. maybe it's love. >> reporter: but when it's not love, the men can always move onto the next option. while most women -- they go back to a tiny soviet era apartment to keep dreaming of a way out. do you want to live in america? >> yes. >> reporter: what do you imagine your life will be like there? >> i would like to be a doctor, but -- it is my wish, my dream and it is -- stay a dream. >> reporter: though this is a well-educated country, the average ukrainian makes 300 bucks a month. svetlana works 24-hour shifts at an internet cafe and shares this bedroom with her two kids. it's not just a provider she's after. she goes to the socials

believing american men carry superior family values. >> translator: i heard that in the united states, people are smart. they don't abandon each other. and they are more family-oriented. >> reporter: but of course, there are women who answer a foreign affair's call with less earnest motives. a lot of them. julia says 70% of the women at this social are just here to have a good time. is there any sort of screening apparatus for the women at these socials? i mean, for example, how do you know these aren't opportunistic hookers? >> we aren't giving every woman a polygraf teh test. we've never really had problems with hookers. but you do get problems with people who are being opportunistic, wanting to go out to the most expensive restaurants, get someone to buy them a fur coat. >> reporter: while tourists are exploited for cash, gifts or

green cards, most lawmakers worry more about women like katariri brunot. after marrying a romance tourist and moving to the atlanta suburbs, her prince charming turned into a monster. he hit you with his fist? >> with a fist. and just because -- >> reporter: he told her she was there for sex and house work. after she fled to a shelter, he stalk and terrorized her for years, until the day he died in a shootout with police. but john adams says these cases are dark exceptions to the romantic rule. >> i don't agree with the premise that if a woman comes from a foreign country, she is more at risk for domestic violence. >> reporter: one study said she's three times more -- >> and i'll show you other studies that say she's not. >> reporter: you have a guy from the first world bringing a woman from the third world over who can't speak the language, doesn't know the laws, can't

support herself and you're really going, which is the same recipe for human trafficking. >> that's just insulting right now, bill, i'm sorry. but that is insulting. is anybody doing anything against their will? >> reporter: since president bush signed the international marriage broker regulation act, criminal records are supposed to be checked. adams says he opposed that law because domestic dating sites like match.com aren't held to the same standards. how important is the promise of sex to your business? >> we emphasize over and over again that this is about serious relationships and marriage. this is not a sex. >> reporter: what do you think are the biggest misconceptions of people that look at this arrangement? >> two things. sex. you're just coming over there to, you know, have sex with these poor women or something. number two, scam. you're going to get scammed. and people do get scammed. >> reporter: and people do have sex.

>> well, of course. i didn't come over here for that purpose and that has not occurred. i don't mind saying. >> reporter: bob's first day with alla went so well, her mother took the train from odessa to meet him. >> a thorn between two roses. >> reporter: and she doesn't seem to mind that her potential son-in-law is older than she is. >> translator: no, he's young at heart. if god willing i have such a son-in-law, i would be in seventh hechaven. >> reporter: bob's tour has come to an end, though he's planning to come back in just a few months -- >> come here, baby. >> come here, baby. >> reporter: leaving alla will be the hardest thing he's done in years. >> what happened here could never happen in america. i mean -- she's 38. i'm 65. and -- it means absolutely nothing to her. it means nothing to her mother. her mother is thrilled.

you know? i mean -- what can i say? i'm sorry. >> reporter: but after all this emotion, will there be a fairy tale ending? "nightline" continues in just a moment. another good thing about geico is, they've got, like, real live people working there 24/7. so like say you need to report a claim, alright. a real person will be there to help you. then you can use geico.com to view photos of the damage, track your claim, print an estimate. you want an english muffin? they literally hand you a toasted muffin with butter and jam. (sigh) whaa. tasty. that's, that's a complete dramatization of course, but you get my point. vo: geico 15 minutes could save you u % or more on car insurance. it gets stuffed up and that means i stay up all night. good mornings? not likely! i've tried the pills, the sprays even some home remedies. then i tried something new.

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for beautifully clean carpets. resolve easy clean. don't just vacuum clean. resolve clean. when the romance tour ended, bob tore himself away from alla and went back to pennsylvania to plan their future. >> bittersweet. >> reporter: but a few weeks later, she asked him for money. he didn't reply and never heard from her again. but despite all the emotional

turmoil, bob was not done hunting for love in ukraine. >> as a matter of fact, my plane lands at 5:45 and i have a date with a woman at 8:30. >> reporter: in fact, four of the men we met on this tour all felt they were taken advantage of, yet all of them chose to go back to ukraine and try it all over again. danny was left holding that ring on the black sea, took another tour with a foreign affair and struck out again. cary was head over heels for helen after she asked him for an ipod, a juicer and medication for her mother. still, he sold all his belongings in phoenix and moved to ukraine. he told us women are a lot less interested in american men who don't have an american home. in the end, howow often does reality really meet expectation in your world? if o >> quite often. but it doesn't happen right

away. you have to open yourself up to the opportunity that's there. you go over and you meet someone, you may fall in love, but it may not work. that's love. that happens here, happens there, happens everywhere. but if you keep going, if you keep trying, sooner or later, you can find the right person. >> as long as there is loneliness, fantasy and global income disparity, that sales pitch will probably work. we've got an very strong opinion on my twitter stream @bi stream @billweirabc. love to hear what you think. thank you for watching abc news. "gma" will have the very latest in the morning and i'll meet you back here tomorrow night. >> dicky: up next on an all-new "jimmy kimmel live" -- >> jimmy: been a turbulent few weeks for the stock market. it went down 500 and went up