jump up into the future oh oh oh oh step out into the future this is "nightline." inside the room where lamar odom's struggle became to a tragic end. his final hours there. the former nba player and "keeping up with the kardashian" star on life support, friends keeping vigil. michael strahan's friends reveal the secret of his success. he may look like he's got it figured out but the nfl hall of famer says he was a chubby kid with insecurities that remain as he grew up. how he turned his life around and says you can too. how to pick a fight with the cast. wins -- >> they may regret this.

behind the scenes of the sexy smash hit. first the "nightline 5." >> it takes a lot of work to run this business but i really love it. i'm on the move all day long. sometimes i just don't eat the way i should. so i drink boost to get the nutrition that i'm missing. >> boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals including calcium and vitamin d and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle, all with a great taste. >> i don't plan on slowing down any time soon.

>> number one in just 60 good evening. as we come on the air tonight, lamar odom is still fighting for his life in a las vegas hospital surrounded by loved ones and the doctors trying to save him.

it all began with an ill-fated trip to a famous brothel. now abc's kayna whitworth is there as new details emerge about what really went on at the love ranch. >> i heard running, screaming. she said, something's wrong with lamar, come quick. >> reporter:? this vip suite, richard hunter, employee of the famed nevada brothel the love ranch, found former professional basketball player and "keeping up with the kardashians" star lamar odom unconscious, barely breathing. >> 911, where is your emergency? >> it's the love ranch. they need to hurry, please. he's got blood coming out of his nose, white stuff coming out of his mouth, they can't get him to wake up, he's almost not breathing. >> reporter: lamar reportedly had been at the ranch reportedly four days. >> i said put lamar in my vip house, which is where i stay, but he's got to understand there's no drugs. >> reporter: dennis hof, owner, said lamar odom seemed like he was enjoying himself.

he wasn't out of his mind, he wasn't speeding around. he was going to bed at night getting good sleep. he was eating healthy. >> reporter: but something changed sunday night. reports allege that lamar seemed distraught over what was on an episode of "keeping up with the kardashians" involving his soon to be ex-wife khloe. >> something about him being on the kardashian show. and not liking the way he looked or something they said. but it upset him. but, you know. the girls worked him through it and an hour later he was drinking his cognac and having a great time. >> reporter: later on, there was a phone call. >> was there any sign of his kind of attitude changing? >> he did get a phone call. and that phone call had seemed to bum him out. the night before he was hospitalized, he had told the girls that he wanted to spend that night alone. >> reporter: while he was at the ranch, nobody really knows what substances he may have been ingesting other than alcohol and allegedly an herbal supplement

sold on the premises. >> he had been taking these -- they're an herbal sexual performance enhancing supplement. single red pellets in a packet. >> you would push the bell bet out? >> right. >> it would be easy to keep track of how many you took? >> yeah. it's called reload. it's something we sell here. it's a legal over-the-counter type thing. >> reporter: the fda has issued multiple warnings about herbal supplements like reload and has asked the public not to buy these types of products. >> when it comes to supplements it's the wild, wild west. they aren't tested to see if they're safe. they're not tested to see if they work. a lot of them that you can buy at mom and pop shops, we have no idea what's in there. some of the things that are found in these supplements are dangerous. >> reporter: dr. richard besser adds that the government agency's hands are tied when it comes to stopping the sale of these dangerous products. >> there's been a battle over the years in congress as to whether supplements should be regulated the same way that drugs are.

should you have to show they're safe? should you have to show they work? but congress has said no. and that's a big problem. most of the people in public health community don't think that's the way to go. >> reporter: during his time at the ranch it's alleged that lamar consumed around ten of these pills. tuesday afternoon, lamar was rushed to a local hospital. he was later transferred to nevada's sunrise hospital where he is being monitored as his estranged extended family has come to visit, seen here on footage from tmz. reportedly at his bedside, khloe kardashian. >> she flew immediately to vegas and has been there ever since. they've been separated two years but she's still attached to her ex-husband, cares about him, she never really wanted a divorce in fact. >> reporter: "people" magazine says it has been lamar's alleged drug addiction that has kept them apart. >> unfortunately lamar's battle with drugs is well known and it did lead to the demise of the relationship. she tried her best to keep him

clean. but he would go and he would go on a bender and actually ended up cheating on her at the same time as well. >> reporter: long before lamar met khloe, he was first a star on the basketball court. his nba career spanning 14 seasons. lamar was beloved by teammates who nicknamed him the candy man because of his obsession with candy. >> hershey's white chocolate cookies and cream. pecan swirls. snickers. >> reporter: but the fun-loving basketball star's life had been riddled with tragedy. when he was 12, lamar was in the hospital room when his mother died from colon cancer. and 11 years later, he lost the grandmother who in turn raised him. in 2006, family tragedy strikes again. when lamar's 6-month-old baby boy jaden dies from sudden infant death syndrome. >> i couldn't really like leave the hospital. i stayed for about three hours. just sat there with him.

of his son, lamar tattooed jate den's face on his chest and eventually returns to the than ever. >> i kind of had the -- had to get control of myself. you know, i really had to be strong. i really didn't have too much time to weep. >> reporter: honoring the memory of his loved ones lost, lamar writes their names on his sneakers. >> it's more important to me to keep those people close to me. because it's easy to forget. >> reporter: he went on to win two nba championships with the los angeles lakers. during those years, lamar met khloe kardashian and found new family at the same time. >> when they first got together they were this blissfully happy couple, met, married just a month later. >> you are husband and wife. >> reporter: exchanging vows on the reality television show "keeping up with the kardashians." the ups and downs of their marriage, fodder for their own

reality show "khloe and lamar." the couple called it quits two years ago. in this season's "keeping up with the kardashians" khloe showed customeroncern for lamar's well-being. >> lamar's stuff will weigh on me the rest of my life. lamar's stuff, the rest of my life i'll worry about him, think about him, want just to protect him. >> reporter: the last few years have been rocky for the former nba star. in 2013, lamar was arrested on dui charges. he pled no contest. >> it really seemed like lamar was just aimless. he didn't really have a purpose. he'd been working out recently and getting in shape and praum plea was going to try to restart his career but it wasn't looking good. >> reporter: less than a year after the dui lamar was cut from the knicks after three months on the team. this past year brought more tragedy. >> two close friends died from drug-related causes. >> reporter: tonight as lamar fights for his life kylie jenner posting, let's dance again

together soon, along with this video of lamar dancing. for "nightline," i'm kayna whitworth in las vegas. next, a crash course in contentment. michael strahan takes us to his happy place. in the crafty hands of nick watt, an interview with the cast of "how to get away with murder" goes hilariously, intentionally wrong.do what i'm doing. use crest whitestrips! crest 3d white whitestrips... remove 14 years of stains. i knew i recognized that smile. crest 3d white whitestrips the way to whiten. i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy?

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so, i needed to deposit a check. i was about to head to the bank, but out of nowhere it just started to rain.

[clap of thunder] i did not want to go out. [clap of thunder] but then i was like duh, just use your phone. mobile-deposit-techno-thingy to the rescue. i'm rayna. and i bank human at td bank. now we bring you a day in the life of michael strahan. everyone wants to know the

tonight he's teaching us how to wake unhappy every day, revealing the personal challenges he faced to get this. you'll never guess who he credits with helping change his life. here's abc's chief anchor george stephanopoulos. >> michael strahan! >> reporter: it's not always ease being michael strahan but he makes it seem that way. cracking us up on "good morning >> dance! >> reporter: bring the nose on "live with kelly and michael." hamming it up with legions of fans. michael's day starts hours before the sun comes up. >> take a look at this. >> reporter: he rushes between two different studios to work on two different shows. three hours of live tv all before 10:00 a.m. somehow the guy's always in a good mood. >> thanks so much. nice to meet you. >> reporter: michael's new book "wake unhappy," part memoir, part roadmap to happiness, starts with a much different look at the star.

smiling and happy. and you say, "wake unhappy." sounds like an order despite your smile. >> i'm ordering you, wake unhappy. i was not always happy. people say, he's doing this, that, has success, sports, other areas. but i wasn't happy a lot of the times i was having success. i have to change the way i wake up and approach every day, be excited about it. >> reporter: it wasn't always red carpets and super bowl success. >> i was a chubby kid. my brothers called me b.o.b., which meant booty on back. my booty was so big. i grabbed my wallet like that. >> reporter: helped getting in shape from a surprising source. jane fonda. >> are you ready to do the workout? >> jane fonda saved my life, george. jane fonda got me on track. she did leg lifts and all these things that worked your butt off. and i found these tapes and i would pop them in and watch them and i would work out to them every single day. and my dad saw that.

and then he started to take me to the gym. he realized how committed i was. and it was the first time in my life that i saw through my attitude or just through my desire that i can change something that i wanted to change. and it was awesome. i credit the nickname b.o.b. to everything. without that it wouldn't have happened. i wouldn't have been an athlete, so on and so forth. >> reporter: the athletic career takes off. michael grew up in germany but returned to his home state of texas to play high school football his senior year. b.o.b. no more. michael became an all-american at texas southern university. >> mike strahan from texas southern, he could go head to head with the best offensive linemen in the country -- >> reporter: selected by the new york giant in the second round of the 1993 nfl draft. but was racked by insecurities. >> i think playing the 49ers i had two sacks that game, ten sacks on the season, going to another pro bowl. i was miserable. and i was in my head thinking, i'm not that great. i'm not a good football player.

and i went and met with somebody who really helped me just realize, hey. you're going to be hard on yourself than anybody else. it's up to you to be nice to yourself. you have to stop with the self-doubt. >> reporter: he went on to be a dominating defensive end. a seven-time pro bowler. nfl defensive player of the year. the all-time record holder for most sacks in a season. >> downfield, broken up -- >> reporter: part of the unrelenting defense that took down tom brady and the undefeated new england patriots in super bowl xlii. >> we got confidence. you know, my guys are the best in the world! >> reporter: in 2014, inducted to the nfl hall of fame. but to get to this apex of his football career, michael had to mend fences with the man running the show from the sidelines, giants head coach tom coughlin. >> you know, tom coughlin and i, when he first got there, we hapted each other. i'm not talking about dislike, i'm talking about hate. >> i can't imagine you hating anybody.

tough. but, you know, listening to coldplay. in one of the songs, it basically says you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. you have to choose which one you are. and i heard that. and i'm like, i've been a part of the problem. because i'm going back and forth with him. instead of being a part of the solution. and you cannot change the way people act. only thing you can do is change your approach to the whole situation. how you act towards them. i changed my alive and because of that, it seemed he had changed his approach as well. and i love him. i love him to this day. i'll do anything for him. he's an amazing man. >> reporter: off the field michael would do anything for his children. >> how do you think you can pass on the lessons to your kids without pushing them in the other direction? >> i think your kids learn from example. i could have retired as a football player, 36 years old, and did nothing. played golf every day. told my kids, work hard! look at this tape, your daddy used to do this! life is about commitment,

putting in the work, desire, grit. most of all, finding something you love to do and go for it. >> giants haven't had that much pass rush -- >> reporter: since retirement from football michael has tried so much, from anticipating plays on fox's "nfl sunday" -- >> i think the giants, both teams have bad pass coverage -- >> reporter: to debuting his own line of suits. he's hit the big screen. costar channing tatum calls him the real-life magic mike. >> seems like another big secret to your success is you have to be a little fearless, be willing to try just about anything. >> oh, yeah. i'm scared 90% of the time. but i have to -- i do things. i push through it. we're all intimidated. we're all scared about things that come along in our life. i was scared to go back to college. i was scared to play football. i was scared the first time i did live. i was scared to come on gma. >> scared? >> you scared me, man. you're an intimidating guy, george. i was scared, then i rrlsed you

have to get out of your comfort zone. you're not doing something because you can't do it or because you're scared to try. every day on set i'm working, watching you, watching robin, watching the way you talk, the way you interact with each other. i'm studying that every day. may not look like it but i am. >> we're going to visualize pebble beach. >> we're visualizing pebble beach right here. >> reporter: the hard-working michael strahan always remembers to play. >> i think we all get so tied up in what's going on, work, all these other things, that we forget that life is supposed to be fun. life is about that. -is life is about enjoying every day. at some point in your day you need to play. if you can make work play you. >> utahputting for biddy, that's pretty good. >> reporter: for "nightline," george stephanopoulos in new york. >> our friend michael strahan's new book "wake unhappy" is available now. nick watt up to no good as usual.

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i'm bobby flay and new york is my home. there's no place like it in the world. come fall, i like to get a taste of everything the state has to offer. like this famous winery nestled in the hudson valley. or the award-winning vineyards of long island. this cooperstown brewery

you can even try new york's exceptional cider and spirits. this fall, drink in the beauty of new york state. plan your trip at iloveny.com. there's something for everyone. finally tonight, between the sex and blood and all the illegal activity on the show, you'd think it would be impossible to rattle the cast of "how to get away with murder." could anything still faze these seasoned emmy-winning actors? our nick watt decided he was up to the task. >> reporter: we are behind the scenes on frankly the most outrageous smash hit series of the year. >> she is dangerous! she is good at it! >> reporter: murder. mayhem. sex.

and then more. intrigue is addictive in this show, named for what a bad-ass law professor calls her class. >> this is criminal law 100, or as i prefer to call it, how to get away with murder. >> and action! >> reporter: it's a closed set but they've let us in. they may regret this. >> she's a violent kill history wants to violently kill again. >> reporter: viola davis just bagged the emmy for this meaty, murderous role. >> why do people like me sit and binge watch this? >> i think it's the salacious aspects of it. sex, murder, intrigue. all of those things. >> stop being so damn sensitive and get on board. >> tomorrow each of you -- >> reporter: in her class she is the legal queen bee flanked by her hive of associates and student hangers-on who fight real cases. >> do you even like your character? >> i don't know if annalise would be my friend. i think i'd share a drink with her.

>> reporter: today on set with