this is "nightline." tonight, backlash. a stunning twist in a story about an alleged gang rape at the university of virginia. and it may be the season of giving, but in the capital of the country, the heat is on and the competition is fierce. how these neighbors are going over the top of the tree in an all-out light fight. and, big waves. little kid. this surfing sensation is only 6 years old.

how does he conquer monster waves? but first, the "nightline" five. number one in just 60 seconds.

♪ good evening. a stunning retreat tonight setting up another fire storm at the university of virginia.

"rolling stone" apologizing for a story they now admit as discrepancies. it had rape survivors up in arms. but tonight, a new round of finger pointing is under way. here's linsey davis. >> tonight, a stunning statement from "rolling stone" about the young woman at the center of their story. >> reporter: tonight, a campus was rocked again, holes appearing in a victim's story. it was a little over two weeks ago when this "rolling stone" sent shock waves through the university of virginia campus. a uva student recounting the devastating story of her alleged gang rape when she was a

freshman. fraternity brothers egging each other on, saying, don't you want to be a brother? one of the first people she shared her story with was this specialist at uva. >> we didn't talk too much about the details of that night. that's common for people coming out of trauma for the first time. >> reporter: in "rolling stone," she said it happened in 2012, and stumbled out in shock. >> i believe she's experienced a trauma and needs help working through it. >> reporter: according to the article, jackie didn't report it to the police. >> women who are raped are very often in a traumatic state.

sometimes they have most traumatic stress syndrome. they don't want to be touched, questioned, or feel like they're being revictimized by the person they're talking to. >> reporter: but she decided to go public in "rolling stone." making headlines around the world. some seeing it as an indictment of greek culture. and one of america's most prestigious universities, founded by thomas jefferson. but today, her story seemed to start to unravel. >> everybody is feeling exhausted and confused. >> reporter: and this reporter chronicled what his reporting says happened. >> facts weren't lining up right. where was the party, when did it

happen? she said it was on september 28th. it looked like there wasn't a party that night. i met her last night, and for the first time, she said, maybe the party wasn't there, and maybe the person that attacked her wasn't a member of the fraternity at all. >> reporter: and the fraternity launched their own investigation. it did not have a social event that week. and that pledges and initiations take place only in the spring semester. and none of its members were lifeguards at the time. >> it's a big problem. the bigger problem is for "rolling stone."

because they are a news organization and presented this as a news piece. this wasn't a fictional narrative. it was presented as fact. >> reporter: today, "rolling stone" apologized, saying in the face of new information, there now appear to be discrepancies in jackie's account. and went on to express regret they never contacted the alleged attackers. >> i don't know what they did. in journalism, you try to get on the record things from every side. i got jackie's side with an incredible level of detail. but one level that was difficult to get from her was the other side. >> reporter: but today jackie told the "washington post" she's standing by her story. >> it's not uncommon for rape

victims to not remember events in a chronological timeline. on top of that, it's the only type of crime where women very often feel like they need to prove they're not lying. there's an assumption of, is this person telling the proof? when a woman tells her story, it may not sound credible because it's not in a chronological timeline, she may not have proof. >> reporter: it's still entirely possible that something awful happened to jackie. >> i can't imagine how it feels to have national media who you trusted and a country

challenging your story. >> reporter: back in 2006, three duke lacrosse players were falsely accused before being exonerated. >> when a false accusation of rape is made, it can change a young man's life forever. >> reporter: and today's revelations were just another blow. alex finkelton says she hopes this doesn't discourage rape victims from coming forward. >> instead of focusing on one incident, we should be looking forward to working proactively to prevent it from happening again. >> reporter: for "nightline," linsey davis, new york. up next, tis the season for festive fun and trying to one-up

your neighbors for a huge cash prize. and later, the fearless 6-year-old surfer carving up waves bigger than he is. i'm all stuffy. i can'tn i take offense to that. i'm not going to argue with a talking ball of mucus. i think you're being a little hasty... he's not with me. mucinex fast max night time. multi-symptom relief plus nasal decongestant. breathe easy. sleep easy. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. [do more than ever before with re-imagineit.uickbooks. make any place your place of business with it. get paid faster with it. run payroll with it. sync this stuff with that stuff with it. turn on only what you need with it. sample from our smorgasbord of apps with it. take in the big picture with it.

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if you care about keeping up with the joneses, don't move to decker heights. they get serious about putting up lights. it's not just about the giving

spirit, there also a whole lot of money up for grabs. here's david wright. >> reporter: if you had any doubt about it, put on your best christmas sweater and have a gander at youtube. there's a taylor swift house that may give you seizures. and this year, there's plenty of "frozen." ♪ let it go >> reporter: and enough mannheim steam roller for the whole year. and when it comes to spreading christmas cheer, this is a nutcracker theme.

nobody outdoes this woman in brooklyn. >> those are soldiers. they were brought in here by a crane. and put in place. because they're three pieces. >> reporter: this is christmas central. >> i like my whole house filled up. it's got to look like santa's house. >> reporter: you have a space there. >> that's not my house. >> reporter: over the years, the neighbors have caught the christmas spirit. >> this was a funeral parlor until i moved here. then it came back to life. >> reporter: now such a sensation, they bring in tour buses. slice of brooklyn does tours of

this neighborhood. we got a private tour. >> there are cars lined up the block. sadly for some of the homeowners that live here, it can take 45 minutes to get in. >> reporter: what is it that separates the good from the bad? bearing in mind that beauty is in the mind of the beholder, abc has a new reality show coming monday night. "the great christmas light fight" is kind of like extreme home makeovers, christmas edition. families competing for a $50,000 prize. families like the weavers, transforming their home from before to extravagant after.

the judges, sabrina soto and michael maloney. >> we don't like a hodgepodge. >> like they put their decorations in a cannon, and shot them at the house. not so much. >> look up there. >> reporter: wow. oh, my gosh. this is like las vegas in brooklyn. and one house certainly stands out. the owner, known as sam the greek. >> yup. one of the largest houses in all of brooklyn. >> reporter: every inch of it, twinkling with christmas cheer. >> and there's lights on the house and on the plants. he puts the wires underneath the cement. everybody is good, nobody is tripping over wires.

>> reporter: he's serious about his christmas cheer. >> absolutely. >> reporter: take note, all of you clark griswolds out there. he puts up his lights all by himself. everything sink ronized with the music. that's you every year, right? >> yes. >> reporter: he has some vintage ornamen ornaments, and some new ones. >> he made the reindeer and the sled. it's about $250, which is the

same as when i run my air conditioners in the summer. >> reporter: a small price to pay. >> i sell funeral supplies for a living. all day at work, i'm very morbid. so sorry for your loss. then i come home, yeah, christmas time! >> reporter: and she says her display will continue long after her funeral. >> it's in my will. nobody gets the house unless they decorate. it's specified. >> reporter: in your will? >> yes, it is. >> reporter: david wright for "nightline," in brooklyn. >> "the great christmas light fight" starts monday on abc. up next, would you let your 6-year-old brave shark-infested waters to pursue his dream of becoming a professional surfer?

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so, the 6-year-old you're about the meet is being hailed as a prodigy. his mother may wish he was a little bit less fearless. he can surf the gnarliest of waves. >> reporter: check out the latest surfing sensation. it's not laird hamilton. it's a 6-year-old.

yeah, 6. this pint-sized prodigy is making a splash in the surfing world by shredding waves as big as he is in maui. he's known for co-inventing a new method called toe-in surfing. but he has only one priority. >> i like having fun. >> reporter: goes by baby "c," but he's no newbie, even at 6. >> i like it because it's fun. >> reporter: he's been riding waves since the ripe old age of 2. and he can hold his own alongside surfer five times his age. no wonder he got an early start. it's something of a family

sport. >> i like surfing with my brothers but not when they're talking to me lifor like 24 hou. >> reporter: he says the waves don't intimidate him. >> i always know that god is with me. >> reporter: but what about mom? >> it was nerve-racking, but now i'm so proud of them after so many years. >> reporter: he's just getting started. as he grows, so will the size of the waves he conquers. >> i will surf for the rest of my life. when i grow up, i want to be a professional surfer. >> laird hamilton better watch his back. thanks for watching abc news. tune in for "gma" tomorrow. and we're always online at

abcnews.com. good night, america, and have a great weekend.

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