n this is "nightline." tonight, the fugitive and his mom, caught. ethan couch, the affluenza teen and his mother in custody in mexico. allegedly fleeing the country to avoid arrest after violating his probation for killing four people in a drunk driving accident. investigators claiming the mother and son planned to make a run for it. ethan undergoing a dramatic transformation. plus, it looks like a scene straight out of "mad max." but these crash queens areeady to rumble in real life. we're at the demolition derby with these moms who carpool by day, crash cars on purpose by night. you think you'vee found your ideal hotel? >> he's the guy going viral for hilarious commercials. >> trying to do so many things at the same time?

the world of spokesperson stardom. >> one tuck in, and one tuck out. but first, the "nightline" five. >> what you doing? >> prepping for my boss's party in a couple weeks.

number 1 in just good evening, thank you for joining us. tonight the stunning revelations

run and the takedown in mexico. the afluna teen ethan couch, who killed four people drunk driving and his mother. they're in custody. they may even have had a party before their escape. matt gutman has the latest. >> reporter: the three-week manhunt for the privileged teen ending with ethan couch's arrest on this gritty street in puerto vallarta, mexico. you see him cuffed and loaded into a police van. this photo confirming 18-year-old couch and his mother tanya were detained monday evening. the mother who refused to sit still to be photographed herself, apparently changing her look. the son, dyein his blonde hair black. the trance formation, so different from the childish looking teen who pled guilty to killing four people in a drunk driving krar. >> there's fouour or fiver kids. oh, yes, there's another child in the ditch.

>> in thehe sentencing, his legal team claimed he suffered from affluenza, too rich and too spoiled tonow right from wrong. his sentence, only tenears probation and no jl time. a break for investigators coming on christmas eve, a week after this post was reased, offering a $5,000 reward for any information,n, sayinghat he was on the run in this black ford truck, belonging to his mother tanya, who was also missing and believed to be with him. >> they have probably driven that to the border and crossed over. >> reporter: adding that before they set out on there 2,200-mile trek, ththey evenad something akin to a going-away party before they left town. >> reporter: mexican authoritiess were alerted on december 26th and lastime they got m. >> it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. >> reporter: according to officials when the pair arrived in puerto vallarta, they checked

>> a tremendous amount of tourists down there, so american people were prevalent everhere and they wouldn't be somewhere they would stick out. but then they relocated to this shabby apartment building on a quiet street. but not many americans in this neighborhood where residents said ethan stuck out. eyewitnesses say they were escorted by police out of that door, their hands cuffed behind their backs. they said they didn't resist, didn't struggle. two months ago, we tried to track him down. he was on probation. he'd never apologized for the deathshs. they don't come to work at regular hours. they don't keep regular hours. so it's been really hard finding them. >> but he wasn't looking -- y don't want to answer any questions! he soon surfaced again in this twitter video that went viral.

boozy party, possibly violating his prorkz. it prompted couch and his mother to flee, ditching his check in with his probation officer. tonight he's in custody, but the kid who set off an international manhunt may only get up to 120 days in jail. he'll be out of prison as soon as he turns 19 in april. >> the next step for prosecutors is to try to move this case from juvenile court to adult court. so if there's any other kind of violation here, he could be facing seriousime behind bars. >> reporter: it all started on the night of june 15th, 2013. his blood-alcohol was three times the legal limit when he got behind the wheel of his father's souped-up, red pickup truck after a night of partytying. gunning it to 70 miles an hour, he lost control of the vehicle and swerved into a ditch, plowing into a group of people there. bodies scattered hundreds of feet.

survived the crash. >> you were the sound of metal crunching, gla breaking. >> glass breaking and tires screeching. the car that we were in got hit and we got shot acrosss the road. nailed the tree. the back window was commeel shattered. >> lucas's father pulled up to the crash scene just moments later. >> it was chaos. there were people lying around, injured, hurt, dead. people yelling screaming help me. >> the teen behind the wheel, ethan couch, walked away from that mangled truck. >> once ethan couch was found, the story came together quickly. >> not only was he drunk, but there were traces of thc, val yum and some other drugs? >> right. which were bad enough on their own, but combine those with challenge, just a recipe for disaster. >> the assistant district attorney came onto the case just a day after the crash.

he could, including four counts of intoxication manslaughter. he wanted the poor little rich kid to do some big-boy time. we were hoping for and asked for 20 years. >> but he was tried as a juvenile. during the defense team, his defense team dropped that curious term, a influenza. the judge sentencing him to prprobationnd time in a rehabilitation facility. the couches have settled lawsuits without admitting any wrongdoing but not before depositions were taken in one last case. >> ethan couch. >> for the first time, the boy and his parents att the center of this story were forced to speak. >> taken val yum, hidio code own, marijuana, cocaine, xanax. i think i tried ecstasy once. pretty sure that was it.

testifying they allowed the young son a lot of freedom, including driving at the age of 13. >> you understood if he was at any time he was under 16, he was never to be driving by hielf? >> yes. >> nevertheless, you alloweded that behavior to happen, correct? >> yes. >> i just kept asking because i wanted to. eventually they started letting medrive,ust to like the corner store by myself. >> before the deadly crash, ethan was required to complete an alcohol awareness course and eight hours of community service within 90 days of a previous incident. >> we didn't do the community service. >> you understood, did you not, that he was likely to continue the drinking and driving if there weren't consequences? >> i should have known that, yes. i really didn't think that was happen again.

branded in the media as the worst parents ever. >> i don't think we're profoundly dysfunctional. >> did you teach ethan that wealth brought privilege? >> i don't believe that i ever intentionally tried to teach him that. >> do you recall ever disciplining ethan for anything? >> sometimes i would take little things away from him. or we would just discuss the problem. >> when is the last time you recall disciplining ethan for anything? >> i don't remember. >> reporter: but now ethan and his mother tanya are both in custody and said to be deported back to the u.s. within the next 24 hours, to face the consequences. >> suspicion that his mother was assisting him and helping him. which has proven true. >> reporter: so far authorities haven't uncovered any evidence that ethan's father is involved, but they say they have enough reason to p punish the mother. they expect her to be charged

hindering an apprehension. >> amazingly, his mother could face more jail time than him at this point. because he's in juvenile court. he can only face up to 120 days. she's facing the possibility of up to 2 to 10 years behind bars. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm matt gunman, in puerto vallarta, mexico. next, we're going to a demolition derby, where some of the most aggressive drivers might surprise y. and later, meet the trif ago guy.

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talk about a double life. at home the women you're abobout to meet are moms. but at night, they switch from carpool duty to demolition derby, and they're dead serious about winning. here's abc's david wright catching up again with these crash queens. >> a rumbling arena, a roaring crowd, and gladiators gunning gas-guzzling machines. mpetitors ready to destroy each other. this is metal mayhem. $20,000 in prize money at stake. among thos drivers reffing their engines are moms. some of the toughest women on wheels. >> any woman that gets in a dirty car the first time either is hooked or -- >> meet kim potocki, mother to two girls, part-time littltle league coach. >> are you practicing? >> yes. >> reporter: who, when she's no

them up with the best of them. >> it's an adrenaline. it's something different. you don't normally get to go hit people. >> reporter: she's prepping for her biggest competition so far. where she'll be squaring off against 300 top derby drivers, including her husband, chris. >> not the first te that's happened. >> reporter: building the cars from scratchchs a family affair. the kids pitching in. >> the cars are engineered to do one thing on the road and we're doing something different with them to do what you need ito do, to last, that's part of the fun of it. >> that will get me to the floor. >> reporter: they strip out anything that can break or burn. >> he's cutting the oldld motor mounts off because they were welded on the frame. >> reporter: mom's car has to survive crashing i intothis. that's vicki schutte. >> in 15 years, i've won three

>> rorter: a welder by day, a useful trade in this sport. her destructive tendencies have paid off. >> washe only girl that's ever one my hometown derby, so that was a really big accomplishment for me. >> let's start stripping. >> i've bn doing the demolition derby since i was 19 years old. my dadad has donit sin before i was born. >> reporter: her two sons, 14 and 8, already behind the wheel. >> do you have a license? >> not yet. [ laughter ] >> reporter: her uncle runs metal mayhem every year. >> are you ready! >> reporter: demolitionerby can be a dangerous game. after all, the main objective is crashing. >> it's just whichever c keeps moving forward? >> the last car to make a hit.t. >> the guys have pretty much stopped the derby.

>> they happen. >> we have a list of rules that we have to build the car to, so they're looking to see that everything is built properly and that the car is safe. >> reporter: kim's passing with flying colors, but vicki's car has a problem. >> the spray foam. >> i don't know. you're kind of a b ass, aren't you? >> reporter: which leads to a frenzy of modifications as fast as possible. >> i need you to pull out as much foam as you can. >> reporter: her car is ready. >> i'm hoping not to have a small error take me out. >> reporter: meanwhile, kim is getting revved up for battle. they may call this the powder puff heat, but there's nothing soft and dainty about it.

exactly what she was worried about. her drive shaft fails. her car is a sitting duck. >> the minute before he said go, i made one hit and was done. i was devastated. my eyes filled up with tears, bebecause itas a lot of hard work was put into that car. >> good job! >> reporter: kim, muddy but victorious, moves on to the finals. >> $20,000 for first place. >> reporter: but there's no time to celebrate. >> this point right now is the most pressure, it's the biggest. everybody trying to work to get the other and make it back out. >> reporter: having already survived some serious scrapes, her car has to be fighting fit for thehe main event. >> the wiring we're trimming and clearing, we're getting everything done, but this is it. it won't be pretty,,but she'll be funconal. >> reporter: and her former

>> vicki's helping. she didn't make it and now she's helping. >> reporter: the sisterhood kicking in, because that final heat is all men except kim. 50 drivers, a lone woman, against 49 men. >> do the men go after the women? >> it can be. i mean, we're easy targets, apparently we don't know what we're doining, so- [ laughter ] we like to prove them wrong, that's for sure. >> reporter: t the main event. >> come to michigan, girl. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: once they put on those helmets, it's tough to tell the men from the woman. it's a free for all. the last, not kim's day. she may be back to driving the carpool tomorrow. but already she's thinking about

i'm david wright for "nightline" in illinois. and next, around the world with the trivago guy. how he literally stumbled into fame. abc news "nightline," brought to you b by pfizerry ellen, and i quit smoking with chantix. i have smoked for thirty years and by taking chantix, i was able to quit in three months. and that was amazing. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it absolutely reduced my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms.

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>> finally tonight, think of your favorite commercial and you'll probably think of a favorite spokeerson too. the right face can make or break an ad campaign, andrivago definitely lucked out with their guy. his off-beat appearance in the first t commerci will have you laughing all over again.

so many prices out there for exact same room? >> reporter: tim williams is known as the trivago guy. >> when i shop in miami, i need to be connected. >> reporter: lots of people want to know what his deal is. >> i come from houston, texas, and made my way to new york to study acting. i working on my so-called life with claire danes. then the sopranos. >> reporter: but it's commercial success that has women and men obsessing over his laid-back look that also comes wh a little criticism. >> tuck in your shirt, you badly dressed trivago guy. okay, is that enough? >> reporter: joins the ranks of progressive's flow. the most sbrg man in the world. >> stay thirsty my friends. >> making a career out of

>> my agent's in new yorksaid, are you crazy! you don't speak german. i said i'll learn it. and then i ended up on a tv show translated to good times bad times. i had to shoot on monday and on thursday and friday i had to shoot trivago. and then we realized that okay, none of the belts seem to be fitting the belt loops. so we went out without the belt. >> trivago does the work for you. >> reporter: a wardrobe malfunction. put him in the world of the advertising elite. >> speaking of celebrity, it was the late american politician in newspaper editor horace greely who said fame is a vapor. riches take wings. only one thing endures and that's character. thank you for watching. tune in "good morning america"

and as always, we're online 24/7 on our "nighine" facebook page and on abc.com. did he want to go on tour with you? >> oh, yes. >> now new reports that rocco wants off momma madonna's wild ride. is he her trophy son? >> stop it. >> down! >> inside the custody battle with guy richie that is getting personal. >> madonna is very angry. >> then hollywood's already