>> we all want that. ♪ and i've got such a long way to go >> such a long way to go. such a long way to go ♪ ♪ to make it to the border of mexico ♪ ♪ so i'll ride >> yeah that sound good. like the wind ride like the wind ♪ >> you're nothing like ♪ i was born the son of a lawless man always spoke my mind the wind for those who don't know. >> whoa. that sound dangerous. yeah. with a gun in my hand ♪ ♪ lived nine lives gunned down ten gonna ride like the wind ♪ ♪ and i've got such a long way to go such a long way to go ♪ ♪ to make it to the border of mexico ♪ ♪ so i'll ride like the wind ride like ♪ ♪ the wind gonna ride like the wind ♪ >> oh, yeah. it's getting hot in here! it's a hot wind! is that smoke?

is there a fire in here? by the way, i want to ask one question -- is that atmospheric smoke, or is there a fire in here? oh oh, well, it's too late now. let's get back to the song. ♪ accused and tried and told to hang i was nowhere ♪ ♪ in sight when the church bells rang ♪ ♪ never was the kind to do as i was told gonna ride like the wind before i get old ♪ ♪ it is the night my body's weak i'm on the run no time to sleep ♪ ♪ i've got to ride ride like the wind to be free again ♪ ♪ and i've got such a long way to go such a long way to go ♪ ♪ to make it to the border of mexico ♪

♪ so i'll ride ride like the wind ride like the wind ♪ ♪ and i've got such a long way to go such a long ♪ ♪ way to go to make it to the border of mexico ♪ ♪ so i'll ride ride like the wind ride like the wind ♪ ♪ gonna ride like the wind ♪ >> you feel that, ladies, that's me. okay, that was creepy. i smoked a funny cigarette with christopher cross backstage. let's just say the filter is off! anyway, i feel like i've gone on too long. so i am going to shut up. let's have christopher cross take us out!

whoa. whoa. christopher cross, everyone! ride like the wind! ♪ ♪ tonight on "nightline" -- messy kitchen. nigela lawson made a career as a hot celebrity chef. >> see, look, that is so easy and yet so perfect. >> now it is her reputation and we go inside a spectacular trial

with allegations of habitual drug use and caught on camera marital feud. >> spoiled rotten. from private planes to fast cars and luxurious label. these kids are living the life. and their motto "if you've got it flaunt it." >> plus, duck and cover, duck dynasty patriarch puts his foot in his mouth with anti-gay comments and gets suspended from the show. now the whole family is threatening to walk. au cou >> could the sun be setting

and good evening. court watchers tell us we are just hours away now from a verdict in a trial that has riveted many americans and has

entirely transfixed people across the pond. the case involves nigela lawson, british celebrity chef and domestic goddess, who like martha stewart and paula deen before her is in reputational hot water. lama hasan takes us inside a courtroom showdown. >> reporter: celebrity chef, nigela lawson on the hot seat for the past three weeks, front and center of a fraud trial that isn't even about her. a case that involves her beloved former assistants, accused of embezzling more than $1 million of nigela's money. but a grilling in the courtroom has been spilling some dirty little secrets about the tv cook. forcing her to confess she had taken cocaine. and to use her word, smoked the odd joint. in court, nigela found herself in the witness box as a key witness. >> she strolled in the five inch

heels, knee-high boots. went in meaning business. physically rolled up her sleeves. gripped the box and gave the oratory. >> the daughter of a british politician, nigela started as a restaurant critic 20 years ago. by 1998 she published her first book "how to eat." >> having people around my table makes me really happy. >> reporter: a year later the tv show that made her famous. nigela bites. >> so easy and yet so perfect. >> then this summer making headlines with these pictures. not quite domestic bliss. snapped at a london restaurant with her husband, 70-year-old ad mogul. sarchi brushed it off as a tiff. their marriage soon started unraveling when her family's long term personal assistant, were accused of swindling the company credit card to the tune of $1 million. sarchi alleged she was a drug

user, dubbing her higela. saying in an e mail, you were so off your head on drugs you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked and yes, i believe every word they have said. later, backtracking and claiming that he never saw any evidence of nigela taking drugs. responding to that e-mail which sarchi sent his ex-wife, calling her higela, he said, i was just being nasty. this isn't a very pleasant e-mail. but i was very, very upset. her reputation has also been on the line. >> i actually felt that from a branding point of view, this was someone who was showing confidence. and showing a bit of british, stiff upper lip, kind of idea. going in as a woman in her own right. i think that was a powerful imagine terms of tv. >> for ten hours she chose to stand giving evidence, two days, refusing to sit for the whole

duration. >> it was a kitchen. she tells people, directs, tells people what she wants them to hear. she was going to stand for the time to get her message across. >> how would you say she came across? >> she stood up to give her evidence the whole time. she dent sidn't sit down. she seemed very business like. she tried to project her voice. she did a great job of that. she seemed to connect with everyone asking her questions. >> reporter: nigela accused her former husband of a witch-hunt in an effort to save his reputation. and savage hers. he said to me that if i didn't go back, and clear his name, he would destroy me. i freed myself from a brilliant, but brutal man. then adding fuel to the fire. her former assistants turned their back on her in court. claiming she lied abut her cocaine use. francesco, testifying she saw nigela with white powder around

her nose, and bank notes rolled up, covered in powder lying around the house. though both sisters admitted they never saw nigela doing drugs, just evidence of drug use in her home. this isn't the first time a legal proceeding tripped up a domest domestic doyenne. martha stewart was charged with insider trading after a six week trial and media circus. >> what was a small personal matter became over the last two years, an almost fatal circus event of unprecedented proportions. >> reporter: a jury found her guilty of league to investigators. she served five months in federal prison. after her release. >> welcome to martha's cooking school. >> reporter: she went straight back to work and her brand remains powerful. a very different outcome for paula deen, the belle of southern cooking. >> bigger than a tablespoon. that its a good start. >> reporter: who faced accusations that she had used

racial slurs. when a former employee sued for racial and sexual discrimination. a first apology offered on youtube did not go well. >> i want to apologize to everybody. for the wrong that i have done. >> reporter: a judge tossed the racial bias part of the case. and deen settled sexual discrimination charges. >> i love you've. >> reporter: the damage was done. the food network canceled deen's show. she retains a loyal following. deen lost $12 million in endorsements. as for nigela, the question is whether her cooking crown remains intact. >> it is really important in this case. because the the world is watching her. they're watching her to see do we still trust her? scan weep trust this woman's reputation in terms of her brand. now, i believe that -- that so far, that, what has been revealed in, the court proceedings, that this is a

woman who had put forward her case. from her poenpoint of view of i clear way. >> so far the court of public opinion seems to be in nigela's favor. a poll for a british newspaper, found that 39% had more sympathy for her. even the prime minister of the country is declaring he is on team nigela. david cameron was quoted saying i am a massive fan. i am an amateur cook. i like her recipes. the judge asked the jury to disregard sccameron's comments. nigela surrounded herself with a close knit circle of advisers, team cupcake. sarchi in score the by himself. no one to consult with. he reportedly asked a stranger to rae to rate his performance. a verdict expected as early as tomorrow. so far, team cupcake seems to be coming out on top.

but the proof as they say will be in the pudding. >> this is the new competition. >> the next scheduled appearance is on abc's "the taste" early in the new year. lama hasan, in london. >> our thanks l s to lama hasan. when the verdict comes down we on abc news will bring fight you. >> the lifestyles of the young, rich and extremely obnoxious. [knock] no one was at home, but on the kitchen table sat three insurance policies. the first had lots of coverage. the second, only a little. but the third was... just right! bear: hi! yeah, we love visitors. that's why we moved to a secluded house in the middle of the wilderness. just the right coverage at just the right price. coverage checker from progressive. so here's to the bride and... [ coughs ] [ all gasp ] [ male announcer ] robitussin dm max now comes in a new liquid-filled capsule. nothing provides more powerful cough relief.

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it is the dilemma for people who cast reality tv shows. you want stars, brash, provocative. do the very qualities make the people unlikable. does likability even matter when all viewers seem to want is a vicarious train wreck. the questions hang heavily over a new show features young people who say they are extremely rich, talking wash your hair in expensive champagne rich, and hatch no problem flaunting it. here is abc's neck watt. >> it seems to me the rich kids of beverly hills is ignoring one of the oldest rules of entertainment. >> do i look this -- in real life? >> reporter: a leading character to be successful must be just a

little bit likable. >> let's check the selfie lighting in here. >> the audience has to empathize, even just a little bit. >> i am dorothy wang. my dad is a billionaire. he has a fear about me being a princessy person. >> that is morgan, dorothy's bff. >> people label me. it does bother me i am misunderstood. >> reporter: deep down is she lookable. >> have we had a conversation about how good my hair looks. >> why do e! executives, think this show launching next month will be a block buster. >> it is great tv starring bad people. >> reporter: or at least people behaving badly. tapping into the massive market for voyeuristic, aspirational shows all the way from "million dollar listings." to the "shaws of sunset." >> you or i may not have the

money that the people do. it is fun to see how they live. >> reporter: apparently that is healthy, a degree of aspirational daydreaming is good for us. >> they can afford to be more interesting than we are. half the reason why we look to watch them, right. their bad behavior is multiplied by the amount of dollars they throw at it. >> turns out the shows are, a barometer of the times. during the economic downturn the glitzier shows like the "housewives" of whatever, slumped a little. and along came extreme couponing and the show about pregnant teens on mtv. >> and a little later, honey boonen. >> mama. >> who gave us the viewers a chance to look down as well as up. the launch of the rich kids of beverly hills its an economic indicator. like the nasdaq. telling us we are now an an

economic upswing. >> have you ever partied to party your eyebrows off. i have. there are more rich young people than ever before. >> you have your facebooks, twitters, with every single ipo you are creating hundred if not thousand of new millionaires overnight. then of course you have the steady stream of -- some of college's best and brightest into finance. people are becoming very rich quickly. >> reporter: i see rich kids of beverly hills as a new virulent drug resistant strain of rich reality tv. launched off the back of the equally nausa lly nauseating ri instagram. posted by kids barely old enough to shave. >> the kids have no humility about their money. they're willing to brag. show you everything they have got. based on what i have seen from the proposalos. i feel like the rich kids of beverly hills.

more in your face, obnoxious than what we see of the kardashians. >> yes, an element of empathy mixed with aspiration in a show, keeping up with the kardashians. watching the privileged deal with life problems we struggle with. kardashian arguing with her mom. >> mom? >> what? >> you spent $4,000 on a dress. >> or real housewife arguing with a real man. >> you are disappointing our family? >> i am. >> shame on you. >> a common bond. we like that. they're very relatable. >> might the rich kids of beverly hills, move beyond the humanity. so far, we have seen a promo clip and by yoeps released by e. dorothy describing herself as fun emplumeria oyed. which means up employed. >> i think the timing might be

hard. for viewers coming off the holidays. may be hard to look at people flaunting their wealth while we at home may be struggling to pave off their bills. >> if you are the sort of person who believes in the american dream. still believes that this is something that you, yourself, can obtain if you continue to work hard and try hard. then it is more aspirational than obnoxious. >> maybe don't need to be a little bit likable anymore. maybe that's just so last century. i'm nick watt for "nightline." in los angeles. >> deep questions from the world of reality tv. our thanks to nick watt. turns out there may be even bigger problem brewing in the world of reality tv. up next on "nightline," why the stars of duck dynasty issued a

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news from the intersection

two of great american preoccupations reality tv and the culture wars. just hours ago, the stars of the mega hit duck dynasty issued a statement strongly indicating that they may be welling to walk away from their show. it is all part of an uproar over questionable comments about gays and african-americans and abc's matt gutman is on the story. >> phil robertson patron saint of so many hunters known for his grace in the back woods and that duck call. seemed to blow it for real this week when he preached to gq about what is sinful telling the magazine, start with homosexual behavior and morph out from there. beastality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman. the patriarch didn't stop there, robertston who grew up in louisiana, tells gq, the african-americans he knew then were happy. i never with my eyes saw the mistreatment of any black person. preentitlement, prewelfare. you may were they happy?

they were godly. they were happy. no one was singing the blues. in the two days since those word were publish aid cascade of recriminations have ricochetted. one possible casualty is a & e's crown jewel, duck dynasty itself. the family tonight threatening to call it quits. this is the patriarch of the most watched unscripted cable television show in history who preside over a $500 million empire, the bush-bearded sons of duck dynasty among the most highly recognized americans anywhere presenting at country music award, rubbing shoulders with the nation's top politicians at the white house correspondents dinner. they have their own christmas cd out this year. >> christmas cookies are a treat. >> duck the halls anyone a? >> when i hung out with them for a day this year, they preached the gospel of their love for all good things. guns, fried frogs legs, family.