this is "nightline." tonight, inside the model factory. this small corner of the planet gave us gisele and alessandra. >> she's a natural. >> what's in the water here? now everybody's rushing to cash in from toddlers to teenagers. but they can't all make it. plus, ruffled feathers. the patriarchs started this scandal over race and sexuality. now the women of "duck dynasty" are fighting back. >> if one of your grandkids came home and said i'm gay -- >> their answers may surprise you. and instant hero. this cop rescues a cat, and now he's facing a flood of online marriage proposals. but first, the premiere of the "nightline" top five.

who are the world's highest-paid models? find out right now. >> skin looking tired? research shows as you age skin loses energy. wake it up with --

good evening. i'm dan harris. tonight we're going to take you inside a model factory. this is the place that produced gisele, the most highly paid supermodel on earth. and now in the backcountry of brazil parents are literally

lining up, hoping their daughters will be the face of the future. it's become a big business, and model hunters are finding them very, very young. here's abc's mariana van zeller. >> reporter: so many quests to find the most beautiful women on earth have led to these exotic shores, famous for effortlessly stunning women. but even here -- >> gisele! >> reporter: -- this brazilian bombshell stands out. gisele bundchen is runway royalty. a brand endorsement powerhouse. >> dolce & gabbana. >> reporter: and the world's top-earning supermodel. ♪ tall and tan and young and lovely ♪ but it turns out she's not the girl from ipanema. gisele was discovered 1,000 miles away from rio. >> i'm from this small city in the south of brazil in the countryside. and i'm 17. >> reporter: blessed with a

potent genetic cocktail of european and south american beauty that has since produced wildly successful models. >> she's a natural. >> reporter: including victoria's secret superstar alessandra ambroseio. >> in 2000 they were just crazy about the brazilians. the tan skin, the hair, the curves, the sensuality. >> we needed a change in the fashion industry. so brazilians became super popular. >> reporter: ever since these goddesses were discovered model hunters have flocked to the land of gisele and alessandra in search of the next top model. >> we're out here in front of this school. we're waiting for the kids do come out. this is where diego comes here a lot to look for possible potential models. >> no. >> i just asked him there's a tall girl coming out. he says she's too heavy.

[ speak foreign language ] >> reporter: diego is recruiting girls to fill an annual cast call with brazil's most influential agency. >> [ speaking foreign language ]. >> reporter: could diego really find another supermodel just roaming the streets? or is everyone here, including this scout, under the spefl a gisele-fueled fantasy? the day before his big casting event he's come to meet one of his most promising recruits. she may just look like a cute 9-year-old, but in a few years diego thinks she'll be a knockout. he likes the symmetry of aline's

face, her skin tone and hair, and he predicts she'll be a big hit with the agents this weekend. supermodel alessandra ambrosio was also discovered in a rural southern town. she was 14 years old. >> i was way too young. i haven't grown up like all the way. but i knew that's what i wanted. it's definitely better for a girl to wait a little bit, get a little bit more smart, intelligent about life so when they get into this modeling career you don't get exploited as much. >> [ speaking foreign language ].

>> reporter: for a lot of girls in this rural region modeling is one of the few ways out. and that's why aline's single-income family has invested so much to make their dream a reality. this is the hotel where everything's going to happen this weekend. and it's an interesting dynamic because everybody's sort of looking at each other and sizing each other up. >> reporter: ever the operator, diego greets over 100 candidates who pay $1,000 each for the events. both boys and girls from the region. many candidates are aline's arnlgs so age, some even younger. they'll spend the first day with

pros coming in who are preparing them for tomorrow's make or break audition. even the youngest kids are whipped into shape. >> that's the little babies and toddlers. >> some of these babies can't even walk yet. so it's the moms who have to bring them all the way down the runway. he's telling the mom how to walk with the baby. >> reporter: now, i'm no expert. but as i watch everyone train, i notice that most of these girls don't look like top models in the making. so why are they even here?

he tells me no, not his event. he says he won't sell the illusion of a dream because he can't guarantee it. it all culminates in a few fleeting but critical moments in front of brazil's most influential agents. [ applause ] tony only has seven years in the business. so he's still trying to make a name for himself with a big discovery. this is the first phase of casting. and the candidates have a lot on the line. but the stakes are also high for these agents. their credibilities depend on being able to predict which of these young girls are worthy of a long-term investment. >> being a model, you have to start young. many girls like 16, 17 years

old, they are already like spoiled. and that's all of the reason that now we are choosing kids, because we can maybe have time to shape them the way we want. >> reporter: so do they see potential in young aline? now in a back room, the final evaluation. all those big expensive dreams come down to this moment. >> aline. >> reporter: a flat out rejection from the first agent. but she still puts on a brave face. >> aline, she's a very cute girl. i liked a lot her face. she has potential. >> reporter: good news for aline. tony selects her as a follow-up even though she's too young to work. he hopes to groom her for a

future career. meanwhile, this 14-year-old is hoping to land a lucrative modeling deal. but she's starting to realize the kind of sacrifices she'll have to make to get it. the agent tells her she has to take care of her body now or she'll keep gaining weight and turn into a whale. in all, four agencies select aline for follow-up. but none offer her an actual modeling contract. her chances for stardom may be fading. lately, it's fresh faces from new markets like eastern europe and asia that are dominating the runway. that means model hunters might soon lose interest in brazil. but for now here in the south, business is still driving the dream. >> so everybody's looking for the next gisele here? >> yes.

it's taking too long. like 15 years. >> you're still looking. >> yeah, still looking. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm mariana van zeller in southern brazil. >> fascinating story. our thanks to mariana. and up next here on "nightline," they call themselves the women behind the beards. the wives of the "duck dynasty" stars opening up about their personal lives and that scandal provoked by the family patriarch, phil. oh, are we early? [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, all-new nissan rogue. ♪ there was a boy who traveled to a faraway placeogue. where castles were houses

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be happy! be healthy! that's gotta go too. ♪ hey! must be the honey! [ sparkle ] sweet. if you've ever watched "duck dynasty" you know the guys with the beards aren't the only stars. their wives play huge roles on the show as well. but tonight you're going to hear these women open up about their lives in ways that may surprise you. from intimate moments to infidelity to that uproar touched off by those comments about race and homosexuality made by the family's patriarch, phil.

here's abc's diana golodryga. >> reporter: they are one of the most famous and controversial families in america. bearded louisiana duck hunters who took the country by storm with their reality show "duck dynasty," now one of the most successful shows in cable history. beloved and belittled for their proudly redneck ways. >> ooh! >> now, that is how you carve a pumpkin. >> reporter: the extremely profitable "duck dynasty" franchise almost came krark down late last year when patriarch phil robertson, a born-again christian, told "gq magazine, "start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman." >> do yes phil regret those comments in retrospect? >> reporter: and now for the first time we're hearing from the women who stood by their bearded man. matriarch kay and they are daughters-in-law, cory, missy, jessica, and lisa robertson.

>> looking back did you think there would ever be a period where you would be back on the show if he wasn't going to be part of it? >> no. >> no, it was never a question in my mind. >> it wasn't a question. >> if one of your grandkids came home and said i'm gay, how would you respond to that? >> as far as phil with the gay thing, love everybody that is gay. but yes, because he pointed to scripture that said that, he would do that again because that's just who he is. he's honest. but he loves people. he really does. >> reporter: a&e, which is partially owned by abc's parent company disney, briefly suspended robertson, only to reinstate him after the family threatened to walk away. >> and i think the question people at home, especially those that don't know you that well, may get the sense that this is a racist family or this is a homophobic family. >> not true. >> that's the farthest thing from the truth. and phil said it. and you know, throughout his time with the interviewer and he'll say it with anybody he talks to. you know, his number one goal is love.

the first commandment is love god and love your neighbor. and that's how he lives. >> reporter: the family just wrapped its fifth season. their most controversial and high-profile to date. >> the robertson men have been wrestling for generations. >> i picked him up and then slammed him on the can of flour. >> reporter: the season finale pulled in almost 6 million viewers. the show has made the family celebrities. walking the red carpet at the country music awards and the white house correspondents dinner. as well as exceedingly rich thanks to their lucrative merchandising deal. >> selling like hotcakes. >> reporter: in their new book "the women of duck commander qus they share the most detailed and intimate look inside the family the country can't get enough of. >> why write it now? >> why not? people want to know about us. people say why do you like us? i ask people all the time. they say because you're real. >> if anyone has any reason why these two -- >> reporter: the strong marriages in the family are the

centerpiece of the show. phil and kay even renewed their vows. >> you may kiss your bride. >> yee-ha. >> reporter: but their marriage wasn't always so easy. the two had a shotgun wedding. kay admits in the book she was pregnant with their oldest son alan before she was married. >> it is so easy for me to be honest now. and i feel like god loves me, my fans love me, my family loves me, so i tell it all. >> reporter: kay was only 16 when they got married. phil was unfaithful and drank too much. >> he kicked you out of the house, you reveal in this book. >> yeah. wasn't he a jerk? wasn't he terrible to do that? but you know, my -- i think he knew i wasn't going anywhere. i had stayed with him for ten years and him behaving so badly. so why he decide all of a sudden right then that we were running his life, i said, well, you've been messing my life up for ten years, buddy. >> reporter: but all that changed once he found god.

>> amen. >> reporter: today the robertsons say their family is stronger and larger than ever. kay is now a great grandmother. >> let me just say you're the best-looking great grandmother i've seen. >> reporter: and when it comes to bringing the expanding robertson clan together, there's no better lure than kay's cooking. >> always changing my recipe. >> reporter: and when the robertson men aren't out on duck calls. >> cut him off there. [ gunfire ] >> well, i got that one. >> reporter: you can find them at the locke food mart. >> thanks. nice. >> reporter: missy's husband jay crashed our interview carrying in grocery bags. >> thanks for joining us. there's a lot of estrogen in this room now. >> reporter: speaking of estrogen, those beards have attracted a lot of it. >> last year a lady asked for a picture with jeff. and her husband was like let me take a picture of y'all. and during the picture he said she grabbed her rear end. and i'm like who does that?

the husband's take the picture and she grabs your behind. i wish i was there. i would have told her you better step away. >> reporter: but for the women of duck commander their fame and fortune are not what matters most. >> i said if i had to go back and live in the little old places we lived to start with we would have each other. we'd have our faith. we'd have our family. and i'd rather do that and give up anything i've got in the bank or anything before we'd lose the most important thing and change our family. >> reporter: i'm diana golodryga for "nightline" in west monroe, louisiana. >> and their tell-all book "the women of duck commander" comes out tomorrow. coming up next here on "nightline," the story behind this picture of a cop and a kitten going viral tonight. you've reached the age where you know how things work. this is the age of knowing what needs to be done.

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cats as we all know are huge on the internet. so are good-looking people. so imagine what happens when you combine a kitten and this dude. meet baltimore police officer jon boyer, a cop with a soft spot for abandoned animals. check out this picture of jon in

uniform with a kitten he rescued and then adopted. after an organization called "show your soft side" posted the picture to their facebook page, boyer became a viral sensation. now he's in ads for animal abuse prevention, featured on buzzfeed, and there are thousands of fans who joined a page called i love jon boyer. some women are even sending him marriage proposals. and speaking of heroes, captain america is killing it overseas right now. 9 next big marvel studios blockbuster doesn't even hit theaters in the u.s. until friday, but this past weekend the rest of the world enjoyed "captain america: the winter soldier" to the tune of $75.2 million. pulling in 80 million or more here this weekend. and we should say marvel is owned by our parent company, disney. we also want to say thank you for watching abc news. tune in to "gma" first thing in the morning. and as always, we're online at abcnews.com.

good night. >> every day more americans choose abc news. america's number one news source.