this is "nightline" -- >> tonight, breaking news, as we go on the air. president obama authorizes targeted air strikes in iraq. pledging humanitarian assistance and maybe more. >> today, america is coming to help. plus, yelp help. from online review to online revenge. this unsatisfied wedding guest gave his hotel just one star. and found the bride and groom threatened with a $500 fine. how business owners are fighting back against your yelp reviews. can they actually do that? and meet the usa knights. it's an extreme hobby. >> it's like chocolate, sex, everything rolled up into one. >> would you do this? or this? they say it's all for fun. but what happens when things

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he brings his a-game! the ready for you alert, only at laquinta.com! good evening. as we come on the air, president obama announces that the u.s. is in action in iraq again tonight. he addressed the country's humanitarian catastrophe and

what it would take to trigger military air strikes. >> to stop the advance honor bill, i directed our military to take targeted strikes against terrorist convoys should they move toward the city. we intend to stay vigilant and take action if the terrorist forces threaten our personnel or facilities anywhere in iraq. >> attacks by an al qaeda-based terrorist group have forced the country into crisis. and now, tens of thousands are fleeing for their lives. many of those families stranded without resources, atop of mountains in blistering heat. american forces began humanitarian air-drops there earlier today, delivering critical aid, much-needed food and water. as you just heard, president obama authorizing targeted military strikes if those terrorists continue their advance towards iraq's largest northern city. stay with abc news for all the latest on this developing story. and "gma" will have a full report in the morning. and now, tonight, we turn

our focus back home. if you've ever posted a negative review online, you may think you're safe writing from the comforts of your couch. but now, business owners are going to extraordinary lengths to clear their names. and it could cost you. it was the yelp review. >> there was a musty odor. it smelled bad. we kept the windows open the entire time we were there. >> jimmy: that l >> that led to yelp revenge. the guests fought back. >> there will be a $500 fine for each negative review that we post. the bride and groom overlooked this fine print on their contract. a $500 fine will be deducted from your deposit on your review placed on any internet site by anyone. a collective consumer fury

ensued. and just like that, the star rating on yelp plummeted to a dismal 1 1/2. as users posted angry and facetious reviews about the business. one person calling it the worst hotel in history. >> i don't think i'm going to eat there anymore. >> reporter: over the last few years, the yelp review has taken on a life of its own. immortalized in this actors read yelp video. >> such a disappointment, considering i wanted to come here for a long time. >> reporter: all jokes aside, your yelp reviews have truly become make-or-break for businesses nationwide. >> one bad review can really destroy your business. you can lose thousands of dollars. >> reporter: in fact, over 50 million businesses around the globe occupy a presence on yelp. a harvard business school study finding even a one-star rating increase on yelp translates to a sales increase between 5% and

9%. but watch out. that yelp review trashing a business could cost you. some businesses aren't just threatening fines. some are even threatening lawsuits. >> these lawsuits are a form of bullying. it's a tactic to silence your critics. >> reporter: james owns the landing resort and spa in lake tahoe. he admits to reading online reviews of his hotel all the time. but he took issue with one comment he says went too far. >> in one case, we had an individual who made extremely derogatory ra derogatory remarks, about the manager, the food, myself individually. and we decided to file suit against this person for defamation. >> reporter: court records revealed the case was settled out of court with no money exchanged. what can you do to protect yourself? >> have evidence to support whatever claim you're making. whatever accusation you're making. and if you're going to say your food had a hair in it, put a

picture with the food and the hair in it to support that. >> reporter: business owners say it's the consumers writing the reviews who have all the power. but the hotel owner says it's yelp itself that has the real power. he started to notice something strange about the way he says reviews were filtered on the yelp pages for his businesses. >> i began to notice one of our restaurants, a series of reviews. those reviews were suddenly disappearing. >> reporter: he says that yelp was filtering out legitimate reviews and prioritizing reviews from yelp elite users. >> every service business i know of will have bad reviews. that's part of being in business. it's okay. i'm not asking to remove any reviews. all i'm asking for and i demand, that people get to see all the reviews that are real, that are legitimate. >> reporter: he's now suing yelp in a california court for

misrepresenting how well the site filters reviews. but yelp stands behind their process. >> the reason consumers, 138 million of them come to our site each month, is because they trust the content. and the reason they trust the content is because we take steps to protect them from being misled from reviews that are either purchased by businesses or might be biased because they were solicited from a business owner's friends or families. >> reporter: and regulators say, fake online reviews are a real problem. >> i will write a positive review of your product, website, blog or anything you like. >> reporter: kathy, a teenager from wisconsin, says she's written hundreds of phony online reviews for 4 bucks apiece. do you have reviews nearby that you could read to us? >> i made the appointment over the phone. and the next day, they were working on my bathroom. >> reporter: have you ever renovated a bathroom? >> no. i'm 17. >> reporter: do you feel any sense of guilt or anything? >> no because i feel like these people are going to pay somebody to write a review anyways.

it might as well just be me. >> reporter: and what about that other claim? made by some business owners that purchasing ads on yelp will improve your business ranking or feature more positive reviews? just yesterday, a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of some yelp shareholders, alleging they were doing just that. yelp says they have not been served with in suit. but say the allegations are without merit and will be vigorously contested. a handful of businesses claim that yelp is skewing the results to reflect advertising money. you're saying that's not true? >> absolutely not. businesses purchase advertising on yelp and nothing more. our recommendation software is designed to protect consumers. >> reporter: back in the quaint village of hudson, this story is the talk of the town. >> the way things are now, there's one piece of pie. and there's only so many slices in that pie. the slices are getting to be

slivers. >> reporter: barry owns a b&b around the corner. >> the firestorm has erupted. who's going to win? i don't know. who's going to win. but all the money and power is on the side of yelp. >> hello. >> reporter: when our cameras approached the front desk at the union street guest house, the attendant wouldn't comment on any specifics. >> right now, i'm just filling in for the owner, who is out. >> reporter: but earlier this week, the owner expressed embarrassment and regret in a statement. saying, its response to negative reviews was intended as a joke. now, realizing it was made in poor taste and not at all funny. but contrary to what some business owners may think turns out negative reviews are the exception, not the rule. >> i think the biggest misperception about yelp is it's a site where people go to complain or whine. in fact, 80% of all the reviews

on yelp are three stars or more. and that's because most people's experiences with small businesses are positive. and that's really what comes through on yelp. next, why are people with day jobs fighting in a medieval combat tournament? [ terri ] my antidepressant worked hard to help with my depression. but sometimes, i still struggled to get going, even get through the day. so i was honest with my doctor. i told him i'd been feeling stuck for a long time. he said that for some people, an antidepressant alone only helps so much and suggested we add abilify (aripiprazole). he said that by taking both, some people had symptom improvement as early as 1 to 2 weeks. i wish i'd talked to my doctor sooner. [ female announcer ] abilify is not for everyone. call your doctor if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking abilify have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor if you have high fever,

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meeting the usa knights can feel like a trip back in time. the modern-day warriors sport old-fashioned gear to fight

enemies. but to join team usa, you have to fight for a spot. and the competition is fierce. tonight, we're storming the battlefield with a soldier who is a first of her kind. here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: on this battlefield in spain, the weapons are real. men are knights. instead of cheering from the ramparts, women are competing for the very first time. it's the ax-wielding, bone-crushing part of medieval combat. the usa knights, america's team, fighting for gold at the world championships. >> we few who kneel in the dust have traveled far for this singular task. may we be great. or may we be not. >> use your strengths and your weaknesses. individual tactics. what do i do? how do i knock somebody to the ground? >> reporter: "nightline" was granted unprecedented access to the team, following them for

five months as they prepared to take on the world. >> once you step outside the borders of this country, you are the united states team. >> reporter: leading this army, team captain andre, his military background infects the team with the courtly values of a bygone era. >> you are the national team of the united states of america. that's something to be proud of. >> reporter: there's 70 asperants. this is your olympics? >> yes. >> reporter: you get emotional. >> i cry at every patriotic song. it gets to me. >> reporter: don't mistake her pride for weakness. amy wears real armor and carries steel weapons designed to kill. >> these are two of the most preferred weapons when you're out there to do some damage. >> this will bury itself through your flesh. >> it stops at the bone. you hear a little -- noise.

>> reporter: do you think about someone could get seriously hurt when you're out there? >> of course. we do everything we can. all the edges on these weapons have to be at least two millimeters wide. the tips have to be rounded out. there's no sharp edges that can puncture. >> reporter: the steel armor can cost up to $10,000 and weigh 80 pounds. but anything can happen in the heat of battle. >> i've seen individuals with their helmet caved in along with their head. i've seen fingers cut off. guys take their helmet off and there's no teeth left. >> reporter: at the last tournament, amy suffered a bruised hip and a scary concussion, fighting lisa, her most experienced rival. before their rematch, women are fighting together. an exhausting group battle called a melee. it's the best of three, long, burning rounds. where the winner is the team with the last person standing. >> it's a big ball of adrenaline and blood lust.

something that most women don't get the chance to experience. it's like chocolate, sex, candy, everything all rolled up into one. >> reporter: for amy, this is just the latest challenge on her own personal odyssey. this is what she looked like seven years ago. >> i was over 450 pounds. i stopped weighing myself because i couldn't find a scale heavy enough for me. >> reporter: where are you now? how did you get there? >> i had a gastric bypass seven years ago. i can eat two ounces at a time, which is hard for this sport. i run out of fuel much quicker than any man here. >> reporter: but the sport has helped you to continue to lose weight. >> yes. when they announced that women were going to possibly be able to fight, i started training two hours a night. >> reporter: what has it done for your weight loss? >> i dropped 40 pounds just by doing this. >> reporter: damian is another unlikely combatant. a colombian and harvard grad, damian suffered a broken back in army training. >> i was a measure for a year. on pain pills and walking with a

cane. it seemed like my life was never going to get back together. >> reporter: after lengthy rehab, you would think he would be more cautious. but he's inexpublicibly drawn to the carnage. >> we have doctors, college students. guys that work at gas stations. this is truly the united states team. >> reporter: nearly 800 spectators crowd the illinois state fairground cattle yard to cheer on damian and the others, broken up into melee teams, as they battle for their spot on the national team. damian's team, the first swords, marches through the competition. and makes it to the finals. >> now, it's us against shocking eagles. >> reporter: they face off against a team stacked with the best fighters. now, it's time for the finals. our friend, damian. his team made it. they have the red outfits with the white swords. they're about to head out to the battlefield. >> this match is on.

>> reporter: first swords lose round one. and in the second, damian gets cornered. >> big hits in there. i was like, man. and into the back. if i didn't have my armor, all of my bones would be broken. >> reporter: his gritty display wins him a spot on the team. then, amy faces off against lisa. >> lisa is a technical fighter. >> reporter: the same opponent who gave her a concussion. and she struggles to hold off the more experienced fighter. battered, but not broken, amy is gracious in defeat. and before calling the winner, a huge surprise. >> she didn't win in tournament. but i'm making you the captain of the melee team.

you will be leading this team in spain. congratulations. >> it was an absolute total shock. i had never been so proud of anything in my life. >> may we live these next few days like men and women of knightly spirits. >> reporter: emotions still raw a month later, as proud knights take the battlefield in spain. amy, damian, and the usa knights turn away challenge after challenge. cheered on by a crowd of 10,000, and many more watching on spanish tv. >> this journey teaches very well that there are some that are stronger than us. >> reporter: and one by one, they capture the trophies. >> braver than us. more skilled than us. >> reporter: they've all battled through so much to get it. >> but none will be more worthy than us. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm alex perez, in springfield, illinois. next, get ready to go into

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storm that has ever been. >> reporter: "into the storm" hits box offices tomorrow, depicting a devastating category 6 tornado. winds higher than anything ever recorded. >> this movie is just kind of roughly based on different storms that have hit the united states throughout history. ultimately culminating in an ef-6 tornado, which has not ever hit the united states. but in this movie, it's what would happen if one did. >> reporter: well, our chief meteorologist says not so fast. >> category 6 or an ef-6. these are something we don't have in science. >> reporter: why does it seem as though storms are getting more severe? >> a big part of it seeming like there are more severe storms is how we see them. we have technology. we have cell phones. we share every hailstone and every tornado. and everybody sees it. >> reporter: but nothing quite so dramatic as a wet storm going up in flames. >> when you have a tornado, all

that condensation, water and fire don't go together. that would not be scientifically possible. >> reporter: for now, feel free to enjoy the not-so-natural visual spectacle. >> special effects were awesome. >> it's all real natural phenomenon that is horrific, devastating and yet beautiful all at the same time. >> reporter: you can relax and grab the popcorn. thank you for watching abc news. as always, we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com. good night, america.