tonight on "nightline" -- god and sex. it's a steamy, new christian movement. pastors urging their flock to have sex. the men of the cloth who say they're bringing sex where god wants it. in the country's biggest megachurches. and they're off. competitive dumpster diving. freeloading. big box shopping. it's the web reality show where ultimate cheapsters compete to live on a dime. and win major cash. and top dog. this oscar season, it's the award show has gone to the dogs.

where famous fidos walk the red carpet for a chance to win the golden collar. we tell you which of this year's hottest dogs had its day. >> announcer: this is "nightline," february 14th, 2012. and good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. it's valentine's day. hope you had a good one. we begin tonight with a whole, new look at sex and several religious leaders who have strong opinions on the subject. these pastors say, not only is sex not a sin. if you're married, it's an important way to glorify god. and according to them, it's there in the bible. here's abc's dan harris for our series, "faith matters." >> reporter: why is a bed being loaded on to the top of this church in grapevine, texas?

because the devout evangelical congregation is mounting an elaborate bed-in, modeled after the first one in 1969, by the culture icons, john lennon and yoko ono. the stars of this redux, ed young and his wife, lisa. >> we should be bold and audacious talking about it. >> reporter: they're up there for 24 hours talking about one of their favorite topics, sex. >> god is pro-sex. sex began in heaven. >> the first place to have that talk is the home. the second place is the church. >> right here. >> reporter: a few hours in, they invited me to put on a harness. this isn't part of the sex thing? is it? no. take a ride in a crane. and join them. not in the bed but right beside it. hey, guys. i call you john and you yoko?

this stunt is done to publicize their new book called "the sexperiment." they challenge christian couples to have sex every day for a week. do you think there's a hangup? >> definitely. >> reporter: according to the youngs, for too long, christians have been unenthusiastic and unimaginative about sex. they don't call it the missionary position for nothing. >> god is pro-sex. he wants us to talk about it. and for far too long, the church has been shy to talk about what god was not shy to create. >> reporter: they're trying to reclaim sex from a popular culture that's perverted it. >> the sad thing our culture is throwing all these cues, all these words and pictures of what sex is. and it's not working out well for marriages. >> reporter: what a lot of people may not know is sex is discussed all over the bible.

>> sex primarily is for recreation. it's for pleasure. it's for fun. secondarily for procreation. >> reporter: that's what the bible says? >> the bible says that. >> reporter: while the youngs say their book is about improving marriages. it's not a how-to guide. you're not saying, this is where you buy pink, fuzzy handcuffs? >> no. >> reporter: up in seattle, pastor mark driscoll and his wife, grace, have a guide. >> the bible seems to speak of it on a few occasions. and recognizes it as an acceptable aspect of marriage. >> reporter: does the bible say anything about anal sex? >> no, it doesn't. >> reporter: where do you come down on that? >> it's not a sin. it might not be healthy and good. we wouldn't generally recommend it. but you can't say it's a sin because it's not in the bible. >> reporter: where does the book come down on masturbation? >> the bible doesn't say anything about it because it's

interesting because i'm assuming it's an old issue. >> reporter: but not everything is a go, says pastor mark. no pornography? >> no pornography. >> reporter: there's nothing in the bible about pornography. >> it's about lust. if a husband and wife has interest in each other, it's a good thing. if somebody else is involved, it's a bad thing. >> reporter: mark driscoll was considered one of the most controversial pastors in america. >> how dare you? who in the hell do you think you are? >> reporter: with a history of saying things, being criticized as chauvinist and sexist. >> i feel like i'm not easy to lead. grace, do you have any points? >> i definitely have been difficult to lead at times, as well. >> reporter: but this new book is being called the most provocative sex book ever written by an evangelical. this critic writes, this book is

an astoundingly unbelievable work of sex for women. what is he basing his argument on? your argument that the bible says the man is the leader in the household? >> i would guess so. but if it goes on to say that the man is a leader, like jesus is a leader. humble, sacrificial, patient, loving and kind. you have to say all of what the bible says. and it gets better. >> reporter: in the first chapter, the couple shares a searing account of our unhappy and largely sexless early marriage. and they learned because due to a sexual assault that grace suffered as a teen. this is a quote. grace is often cast as the damaged sinful wife that withholds sex from her husband. >> i had brought baggage from my sexual assault in the marriage. i perceive things a certain way. >> reporter: you don't believe, then, that sometimes has been imputed to, that a wife should

be available to do pretty much anything that the husband wants? >> no. marriage is about lovingly serving one another. but when there's one domineering over the other, you've really got an abusive situation. that's exactly what we want to avoid. >> reporter: the youngs, too, insist this is not about women being forced to be more sexually available to their husbands. it is, they say, about starting a sexual revolution. and the way this revolution would look like from your view, is married men and women, having a lot of sex. >> having great sex. >> reporter: i can't believe i'm sitting on top of a church, listening to somebody talk about great sex. this revolution may be a little awkward. but it is high time, they say, to bring god back into the bed. for "nightline," this is dan harris, in grapevine, texas. >> fascinating. our thanks to dan harris. and just ahead, the web reality show where extreme penny-pinchers compete to see who can live the cheapest for a cash prize.

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to help fund the payroll tax cut. it's simple. more spectrum meansore freedom. for everyone. >> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city, with cynthia mcfadden. well, they call themselves cheapsters. college students and 20-somethings, determined to live on a budget, others dismiss as impossibly small, using tricks and techniques most wouldn't dream of. at a time when the job market for adults is at historic lows, is this the way to go? here's yunji de nies. >> welcome to cheapsters. >> reporter: meet eric, jessica and lori. they're contestants on a reality competition unlike any you've ever seen. they're fighting tooth and nail

for the title of ultimate cheapster. >> jessica is already out. >> reporter: a web series for college students on a budget. in a battle of extreme penny-pinching, they go dumpster-diving, looking for the most valuable item. >> your toilet seat is worth $5.27. >> reporter: grocery shopping for a cheap dinner challenge. >> you've had a lot of experience with top ramen. >> reporter: and bargain-hunting at a thrift store. >> i really like this one. but it's $20. this one's $6. i'm going with $6. >> reporter: which culminates in a frugal fashion show. >> jessica, you're our favorite because of the yellow heels. you did really well. >> reporter: cheapster, is a seven-week contest to give 20-somethings an incentive to start saving early. the winner gets a $10,000 cash prize. >> there's so many expenses that are coming at me at this time. and the economy, we know how the economy is. >> reporter: tough economic

times are already changing how these contestants live their lives. eric richardson, who is a junior at utah state university, keeps most of his food on campus. that's because he ditched his $350 a month apartment, for a tent in the wilderness. >> right here is where i usually sleep. and this is the sleeping bags we use. they're negative 20 degree rated. >> reporter: extreme downsizing also means creative cooking for he and his tentmate, tyson. this meal is costing them 5 bucks. no rent. no utilities. no cable tv. it equals tremendous savings. >> we've saved a lot of money already. thousands of dollars. >> a dollar for a candy bar? no way. >> reporter: contestant jessica dansie, a junior at the university of utah has also made frugality part of her daily life. >> for me, it's a game.

see how little money i can spend. this is where i go shopping. >> reporter: she doesn't bother with car payments or auto insurance. and she never, ever pays full price. >> they're having clearance. most of the things are $3. ♪ >> reporter: at a consignment shop, she trades in her old clothes and actually gets money back. >> i can offer you $62.32. >> reporter: a day's spending after buying a few duds, jessica comes out ahead $28. >> i never spend more money than i have. >> reporter: contestant lori thompson, a senior at utah state, has also learned to embrace simplicity. >> it really is a shameless thing. everyone's jealous of a cheapster. >> reporter: she lives in a cheap basement apartment. is an obsessive couponer. >> if there's a problem, we can fix it. >> reporter: and does her own car repairs. >> we are all paid for for

school, for our cars, everything. no debt at all. >> reporter: with average college tuition skyrocketing, the $35,000 a year, room and board topping $8,000, and a dismal job market on the horizon, it's not just the cheapsters who are coming up with inventive ways to save. like many college kids, university of north carolina senior will thomason eats constantly. >> that's the bad part. >> reporter: but he doesn't pay a dime for any of it. >> cutting corners every chance we get is almost necessary. leftovers from rehearsal. >> reporter: i feel a little embarrassed to go up there and take food. >> that's exactly what they want. >> reporter: his goal, eat free for an entire year. each day, he checks an online listing of campus events offering free food. >> chocolate pumpkin oatmeal sliders. >> free? did someone say free? >> reporter: it's a sentiment shared by the cheapsters.

>> is that yours? >> reporter: after slugging it out for seven long weeks of cheapster challenges -- >> the ultimate zions bank cheapster is -- >> reporter: it's finally time to declare the winner. >> lori. >> reporter: lori thompson. all her penny-pinching paid off. >> i was so excited to be crowned ultimate cheapster. and i'm going to put this money to good use. >> reporter: eric, jessica and the others were slightly disappointed. but in the game of cheapster, the losers are also winners. >> lori may have won $10,000. but i made $2.50 in quarters. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm yunji de nies, in chapel hill, north carolina. >> and you can take that to the bank. next up, the biggest night of the year for pretty pooches. but who came away with the prize?

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and finally, on valentine's day, in good times and in bad, who can you always count on? the dog. the biggest dog show of the year just concluded tonight. >> best in show at the 136th annual westminster kennel club, america's dog show, is the pekingese. >> not since 1990 has a pekingese won. this furry little fellow is named maliki. congratulations, little guy.

westminster isn't the only show going. last night, hollywood rolled out the red carpet for canine screen stars. and for abc's david wright, that's got to be a "sign of the times." >> reporter: when it comes to deciding who is top dog, there's always been just one game in town. the westminster dog show. canine supermodels, walking the catwalk. think new york fashion week with fur. the best in show doesn't necessarily translate as best in showbiz. for that, you have to come out to the coast. >> who are you wearing? >> reporter: last night, here in hollywood, the red carpet went to the dogs. first annual golden collar awards. is this the oddest red carpet you've ever been on? >> absolutely, the strangest. >> i've never made out on a carpet before. and i made out with three or four different dogs today. >> reporter: stars of the big screen and the small one. >> how are you? >> reporter: including reality show dogs. >> can you believe it? i mean, all those years as a young actress. and then, the only award

ceremony i'm ever invited to as a nominee is my dog. >> reporter: and lucky little spokesdogs. >> this is guido, the bud light dog, from the bud light commercials. >> reporter: all hoping to get the oscar. the academy awards maintains a strict humans-only policy. and it's rynn tintin's fault. >> 1929. when the votes were tallied up, legend has it that the best actor award went to rynn tintin. >> reporter: but he didn't get the oscar? >> he didn't. he was robbed. >> reporter: ever since, the oscars has snubbed four-legged stars. there's kozmo, in "beginner." blackie, on "hugo."

on set, martin scorsese started calling him citizen canine. >> he's a hack. i told you he's no good. normally, i've worked with rats in my movies. >> reporter: perhaps the biggest buzz this year is all about uggie, the jack russell from "the artist." former oscar nominee, james cromwell, is one of uggie's co-stars. >> there's a scene where i bring george back and i drop him on the bed. and i look down at the dog. and the dog sort of looks up at me. and i sort of indicate to the dog, what do you think we should do? he goes, i got it. okay. >> reporter: last night, the golden collar went to uggie. >> he's like the brad pitt of dogs. all the right ingredients in there. >> reporter: he's now a top dog in hollywood, even though, like brad pitt -- >> bow. >> reporter: -- he's never won an oscar. i'm david wright, for "nightline," in hollywood.