>> has the effect of "blackfish" caught on globally, in asia? >> we are making rapid progress in the west, whereas they are going backwards. >> reporter: china has developed a booming appetite for aquatic entertainment with over 40 sites across the country, and more under construction. premier parks have already angered conservationists with their beluga whale shows. recently the company began acquiring orcas captured from russian seas. the live captures are allegedly transported by truck to china where there are no federal animal welfare laws regulating their care. >> these are the ones that actually hunt and kill other dolphins, seals, sea lions, et cetera. when they get caught and put in a tank, they know how to hunt. i'm very concerned about the safety of these trainers. >> reporter: chinese state media releasing the first videos of the orca whales earlier this year.

>> it started with nine at one facility. we know there's four in a second facility. the concern is that if the two facilities are successful, there's going to be another one that's going to be i want an orca, i want three orcas, i want nine orcas, who knows. >> reporter: video and social media, a crucial tool for activists like dr. rose. >> we are doing everything we can to reach as many people as possible. these viral videos are getting literally birdseye views that we've never had of these animals before. >> they are on the top of the food chain, and they are incredibly smart. you can see that by being in the water with them. as a storyteller, we want to share this. >> reporter: dubbed the modern-day viking, andreas' trek to find the killer whales is not easy. >> we sail for seven to nine days along the norwegian coast, covering two-thirds of it. >> reporter: it takes over a week to reach a town in northern norway near the whales' freezing

feeding grounds. >> most of the year these orcas are out in open water where it's very difficult to follow them. >> reporter: andreas captains a sailboat. he invites an unlikely crew mate, floridian and former orca trainer jess cope. for her this trip has a personal meeting. >> i have a picture of me at 6 years old sitting on shamu. fast forward 20 years later. i've got a video of me doing the whale show at the miami aquarium. doing a show like that, it's not about the people clapping and the audience. it really is about the relationship that you have with these animals that you've built over so many years. >> shame, shame, shame on you! >> reporter: she says ones "blackfish" was released, things started to change. >> it was a very sad and disheartening experience to have all of a sudden our career be

negatively viewed. >> reporter: eventually jess transitioned careers and miami sea convey seaquarium stopped orca shows. she couldn't pass up an opportunity to swim with orcas again. >> heading to the airport, bye, florida! >> reporter: she sets off to norway. >> just landed in oslo. i'm so excited. it looks very cold outside. >> reporter: and boards the "barba." >> home sweet home. >> reporter: from there they set off into the freezing waters. they must endure subzero temperatures. navigate through snowstorms and polar nights. >> some of the worst sailing is when you get caught in bad weather. >> reporter: deal with cramped conditions below deck. >> hello! >> reporter: the matter of actually finding the whales. >> two boats, two fishing vessels. no whales yet. >> reporter: but eventually --

they see their black fins over the waves. >> i've never seen anything so beautiful in my life. >> once we see whales, we approach them gently. sometimes we just hang around for hours. and then at some point they will start coming up to the boat once they are relaxed and calm. >> i was so excited. i was like, let's go, let's go! >> reporter: it's finally time to suit up. >> we're ready to go swimming. >> reporter: even though these animals are fierce hunters, they have only wet suits for protection. >> they're exceptionally powerful, they could kill you in a second. they choose not to. >> reporter: they dive in. and come face-to-face with the mighty orcas. >> it was just really incredible to see them there in their natural habitat. i got like so close. >> guiding the human elements to

a documentary. people are to a greater extent able to identify themselves with the story that's being told. >> reporter: putting them one step closer to achieving their goal, raising awareness for the well-being of these gentle giants in the wild. and for jess, giving her a new outlet for the calling she felt all those years ago. >> it sparked back up that enthusiasm to continue to work with marine mammals, continuing to grow that passion, that i can hopefully share with other people all over the world. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm gloria riviera. ♪ despacito >> next, luis on creating his hit song "despacito" and what he loves about the justin bieber collaboration. afi sure had a lot on my mind. my 30-year marriage... ...my 3-month old business...

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hurry in and sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down and a complimentary first month's payment. "despacito" has transformed luis fonsi to an international superstar. he opens up about the song being an ode to his homeland and what he thinks of the justin bieber collaboration. here's my coanchor juju chang. ♪ >> reporter: the inescapable song of the year, dominating the charts, infecting our brains with its undeniably catchy hook. ♪ despacito >> reporter: reaching number one on billboard's top 100, and staying there for 16 weeks.

this song reaching number one in 47 countries. >> despacito! >> reporter: from the latin grammys to the american music awards. >> despacito! >> reporter: now nominated in three categories for the upcoming 2018 grammys. >> i'm very proud that a spanish song was nominated for song of the year, record of the year, huge categories, two of the biggest categories. >> reporter: if it wins it will be the first spanish song ever to win best song of the year. yet outside the latin music world most people had never heard of luis fonsi. you're a 20-year overnight success. >> yeah, that's exactly it. >> does it feel fresh? >> it does. that's the exciting thing, it feels like this is my first album, like i'm new to the game. >> reporter: fonsi is no stranger to seductive, chart-topping hits. a latin grammy award-winning

singer known for ballads like this. ♪ >> reporter: but it was "despacito" that helped him reach an international audience, including none other than justin bieber, who says after dancing to the song in a colombian nightclub, he wanted in. ♪ despacito >> we had a full-on english translation. and vocals recorded in english. and we thought he was just going to do an english version. but no, he took the time to learn it in spanish. ♪ >> people are impressed with bieber's spanish. >> i was impressed. >> it's legit? >> it is very good. >> reporter: fonsi says it it's a dream come true that started with a simple rhyme. >> i wake up one morning and have this melody and word in my head. ♪ despacito i had the rhyme, puerto rico, which is where i'm from. and ibandito. that afternoon i had a writing session with a great friend. ♪

>> reporter: erika ender is a latin grammy award winner herself. >> i grab my guitar and play it for her. we started making the whole thing from scratch. building the whole melody. >> four hours later we had "despacito." ♪ >> we knew that it had to be urban fusion in a certain way because that's what's going on right now. >> reporter: that's where rapper daddy yankee came in. ♪ >> then i tell him, why don't we talk about a man that is trying to get to a woman in a very nice way. because this genre is normally very aggressive with women. and i think this song, it's very respectful. ♪ >> reporter: the video's director, carlos peres, says fonsi had a simple yet poignant idea for the video. >> almost like a day in a life inside the culture of puerto rico. ♪ we're talking about who the lead could possibly be. we all knew that it had to be

someone that felt credible in the environment and above and beyond all really was a true representative of the beauty if the caribbean. >> reporter: if showcasing puerto rico's beauty was the goal, zuleka rivera was the answer. >> they said, i want you to feel the music. i just want you to be here. just walk from here to there. and just feel the music. whatever you feel about the song, just do it. so pretty much i was freestyling. >> miss puerto rico! >> reporter: that's her back in 2006 being crowned miss universe, bringing home the win for puerto rico. the dress she wore in that video a nod to her pageant dress. >> when i saw the video it's like, everybody's having a great time. everybody's dancing. everybody's so happy. and that's what you see in puerto rico. >> reporter: turns out the single most-watched youtube

video of all-time was all shot in one day. and edited here in this small studio in miami. >> this is where it happened. >> reporter: the finished product? ♪ despacito >> this field like a love song to puerto rico. >> it's a very sensual song. but i think the star of the show is puerto rico. it's such a special place. and it's an inspiration behind my music. >> reporter: fonsi who lives in miami was recently named tourism ambassador for his beloved puerto rico. his song being used to lure visitors who are needed now more than ever. >> we begin with that monster hurricane gaining strength in the atlantic -- >> reporter: first hit by category 5 irma. then ravaged by maria. months later, the lingering devastation still a daily reminder of the storm's force. >> la perla, where we shot the video, where you see those beautiful colorful houses, is completely devastated. i've been back twice there. the houses have no roof, people

had to move out, you know. it was just -- still no electricity, no running water. >> reporter: officials say 56 people have died as a result of the hurricane. but that number now being questioned, thought to be over 1,000. ♪ with not enough help coming from the outside, fonsi has joined forces with "hamilton" creator lin-manuel miranda to raise millions in relief. >> we're willing to drop everything to help. use the resources that we have, the connections that we have, to raise money to bring people together. >> reporter: as the island continues to recover, that "despacito" music video serving as a time capsule of what once stood there. >> we might not understand every lyric, you might not know what despacito means, you just want to sing to it, sing along to it and move, and that's good enough for me. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm juju chang in new york. ♪ despacito

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♪ ♪

it has been a joy and a privilege to bring you "nightline" this year. we can't wait to see you again in 2018. as we leave you tonight, we take a moment to acknowledge the many people our "nightline" family who make this broadcast possible. for all of us, happy new year, america.

>> over the past 15 years, this stage has seen a lot of great moments, and nothing would make me happier than to make some more history here today. right here, right now on "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause] [dramatic music] ♪ welcome, to "who wants to be a millionaire." we have a great show already

under way 'cause she's our returning contestant who's been living paycheck to paycheck. from brooklyn, new york, please welcome back ren peir. [cheers and applause] >> [laughs] >> and we're right in the middle of your game. you're at $10,000. right now you're unemployed. >> yes. >> living paycheck to paycheck. you don't have a paycheck. >> yes--no, yeah, exactly. i don't. >> so this means a lot. $10,000 could be life-changing. >> yeah, i mean, you're gonna make me--mm. um, yeah, it's life-changing. i mean, i've dealt with a lot of financial struggles in the last couple years. i got laid off from both my last jobs... >> very sorry. >> um--one exact year apart. and so it's just been really tough and all my money goes to paying my rent, and this--i've never seen this amount of money in my bank account, so this would be life-changing. >> well, right off the bat today, you're gonna get a chance to double that money. right now you're at $10,000. you are halfway. 7 away from that $1 million. just 3 away from that next threshold of $50,000. only down note here,

no more lifelines. >> yes. >> just you and i out here to walk through this. but we can do it. >> i got this. >> you can do it. are you ready? >> yes. >> let's play "who wants to be a millionaire." [dramatic musical flourish] ♪ all right, ren, as i said, a chance to double your money right out of the blocks. $20,000 question, and here it is. going by the u.n.'s official spelling, which country is one of only three in the world whose capital city starts with three consecutive consonants? >> okay, um... cambodia's capital is... ooh. ooh. it might--i think it's-- okay, okay, well it's phn-- i don't know how to pronounce it. i always ask and i always forget 'cause someone tells me and then i don't remember. it's pnong pang. pn--phnong phang.

one of--p and p. um, the czech republic's is, um, budapest. i think it's c. >> how sure? >> [laughs] um... >> that is the $20,000 question. >> yeah. i mean, i'm not, like, 100% sure. i'm also not 90% sure. ren's bank has $10-- >> $10,000, yeah. that's yours to walk away with. >> that'd be cut in half. yeah. >> but i know you wanna keep going. >> i do. it's p... no, maybe it's not spelled-- p-n... o-h-m? [laughs] okay, i'm... i'm gonna say... $5,000 will be more than i came here with anyway. >> that's true.

>> right? so i'm gonna say c... cambodia. [whispers] final answer. >> that's your final. $10,000 would have changed your life. that's hard to walk away from. what will $20,000 do? that's what you got. [cheers and applause] you got it. [laughs] >> you. you. >> you got it. >> ah. >> phnom penh. you were right. p-h-n-o-m. tears in your eyes. >> that's a lot of money. >> it is a lot of money. >> it may not seem like a lot to other people, but it's a lot. >> that is a lot of money. [cheers and applause] i know, but we're not done yet. >> okay. >> we're not done. >> we're not done. yes. >> we're not done. >> okay. whew, get it together.

ugh, okay. >> good job. that was-- >> [sighs] i'm very emotional. i'm a cancer. it was just my birthday. it's a lot going on right now. >> lot going on. well, there's a lot of money going on. >> okay. >> and you just got to $20,000. >> uh-huh. >> you're 2 away from the $50,000 threshold, but the next step is worth $30,000. you ready? >> yes. >> okay, here's the question. [dramatic musical flourish] ♪ according to the canva design school's blog, the most popular instagram filter in the u.s., which is the first choice to the right of the "normal" setting, is what? are you on the instagram? >> oh, i'm on the instagrams. i am. i am. um, but i'm, like, a snob with filters, so i don't like to go with the presets and i like to

do them myself. >> of course. >> you know, like, choo, choo. >> okay. you know, to each of, like, the clarity and the contrast and whatnot. um... [groans] >> $20,000. >> yeah. >> that is yours to walk away with. >> yeah. um, $30,000 would be cool. >> an amazing amount of money. you have no lifelines. >> [laughs] >> so right now it sounds like you'd be taking a guess. >> yeah, it would be a guess. like, i feel like i could-- yeah, if this was at home, i'd be like, "eh, this is what i would guess." um... but it's not... >> right. >> enough to know it confidently. yeah, i think i'm gonna have to take that life-changing money that's already in ren's bank. >> and walk away with it. >> [laughs] i think so, yeah. >> is that your final? >> it's my final. >> congratulations. $20,000! [cheers and applause] what would you have guessed?