Tonight on 20/20 ` we told you they were good; now J Lo knows it,... BOTH: Jennifer Lopez! ...Vegas knows it,... MAN: The Royal Family! ...and look who wants them now. 'Actually, I'm working on a Cirque du Soleil show. Do you know any dancers?' HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYS You'll remember her from 3rd Rock. Bang! We got 'em by the roasted nuts. Kristen Johnston talks booze and painkillers. SLURS: Hi. It's Kristen. OK, I'll be there tomorrow. From rest home to Rambo. Grannies with guns fight back. Captions by Richard Edmunds. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012 Kia ora. I'm Sonya Wilson. They are a true international success story, all the way from a tiny dance studio in South Auckland. Earlier in the year we brought you the story of 20-year-old Parris Goebel and her dancers. She was auditioning this year's hip-hop crews to compete in the world champs in Las Vegas. Well, they went, they certainly competed, and since then, well, J Lo's on speed dial and the world can't get enough of the crew from Penrose. Here's Erin Conroy. This is it. This is our time. We're The Royal Family for a reason ` we hold the crown. You're tired, and you're sore, but this is the moment. It's been months of preparation. No one can take this away from you except yourself. They're the reigning world champs. No one in the 11 years of this competition has won back-to-back gold medals in the same division. From NZ! Once we hear the music, it's, like, something takes over. It's, like, an out-of-body experience. Will the four crews from South Auckland make history and win back-to-back golds in 2012? ALL: Royal Family! It all started from the day that they all auditioned. That's, for me, when the preparation started. THE TEMPER TRAP'S 'SWEET DISPOSITION' 20/20 has been following Parris Goebel and her dancers. Welcome, everyone, to the Palace auditions for 2012. In January, we joined her as she selected this year's crews. One, two... They were pushed through rigorous routines, brutal eliminations... APPLAUSE ...and before-dawn boot camps,... Go! Push! ...all in the build-up to the hip-hop world champs. Last year we won three golds, one silver. This year we're gonna go for four golds. You're gonna do it, and it starts today. Las Vegas. Parris' crews touch down. They've got just three days to perfect their moves before competition gets underway. HIP-HOP MUSIC I think the experience in itself challenges you in every area possible. And me, personally, I like that. We are training till 10pm tonight. We are training till 10pm tonight. 10. < Are they gold-medal... quality? Right now? Right now? < Right now. Right now? < Right now. No. And they know that, too. So that's the exciting part ` getting there. On three. One, two, three... On three. One, two, three... ALL SHOUT HIP-HOP MUSIC CONTINUES 1 We have to dance with hunger and fight, and we have to put up a... a huge battle and make sure that, if we wanna win, that we're gonna show everyone else that we are the best. THE NAKED AND FAMOUS' 'YOUNG BLOOD' After late-night rehearsals and last-minute tweaks, the crews are ready. They arrive at the swanky Vegas resort prepped for battle and with a pinch of their home-grown Polyswag in their step. We make sure we're very, like, calm and collected. And we stay together, and we're always in our uniform; always in our shirts, so people know, like, we're there; we're not there to, like, muck around. These hallways are filled with the world's top talent. But it's Parris herself that's causing a bit of a stir. Parris has an empire in the US. Like, I don't know if she knows that, but everyone is trying to get on that Polyswag. So, you walk around there, and people want to have their photo with you; they want to touch you. What's that like? > What's that like? > Oh my gosh. (LAUGHS) It's like a love-hate relationship. (CHUCKLES) It's like a love-hate relationship. (CHUCKLES) Is it a bit weird? > It's... It is really odd for me. It's something I don't think I'll ever get used to, and... Don't get me wrong, I` I really appreciate it, because if it wasn't for those people supporting my work, then I would not have my job, because my job is literally based on people flying me out to teach them. You know, that's my job. But Parris' job this week is to get her crews through this competition. UPLIFTING MUSIC It's time for the top adult crew, Misfits, to dance. Yeah, so, our crew, we're in a good space; um, training real good. We're real tired, our bodies are real sore, but we're just pushing along. They take to the stage. Having won silver last year, they want to make it a gold performance. CHEERING HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYS MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING They give it everything. MUSIC STOPS, AUDIENCE CHEERS But when results come in, an early and devastating blow ` Misfits are eliminated from the competition; no chance of going through to the finals. You know you did your best, and that's all we asked, so we're all good. Emotion overcomes Misfits. But Parris and her dad ask the dancers to stay strong for the rest of the crews. We need to put all our support behind our little ones and varsity. Does that make sense? I have to keep it all together. And if I don't keep it together, then it's gonna fall apart. So it's really... a really challenging time for me as well. UPBEAT MUSIC Finals day arrives. The remaining teams ` Bubblegum, Sorority and The Royal Family ` are all here to defend their gold medals. Put your crowns up. NZ in the house! CHEERING First up, The Royal Family. HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYS MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING Bubblegum! HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYS Ladies and gentlemen, Sorority! HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYS CHEERING WILD CHEERING, APPLAUSE Performances are done. Now the wait begins as the judges deliberate. I think we all did our best and that we have a really good shot at winning gold again. Fingers crossed for The Royal Family. It was fun. Every dancer has worked tirelessly to get here, and now results are in. The silver medallist in the varsity division ` Crowns Up from NZ. CHEERING Your 2012 World Hip Hop Dance Championship junior division ` Bubblegum! CHEERING And the gold medallists and our winners are... The Royal Family! The Royal Family! CHEERING I think, when they called our names, it was like... everything we sacrificed as a group of people and friends was, like, worth it. It was a really cool feeling. We won Megacrew! Whoo! Two of Parris' crews have done something no crew in this competition has ever done and won gold two years in a row. All the hard work paid off. But all her dancers will leave with something much more than just the medals around her neck. You're called The Royal Family. Are they family to you? You're called The Royal Family. Are they family to you? Oh yeah. I think, for us, it's like... we're all such different people. And I think, when you're in this world, sometimes you feel like a little bit of an outcast, or a dreamer, or you feel a little bit... feel a little bit crazy for wanting to chase your dream. But when we come together in the studio, training and working hard, or dancing and watching each other and cheering each other on, it's like... all those insecurities you have go out the door, because we're all there for the same reason ` we want to do something great. This is The Royal Family signing out. ALL: Crowns up! Whoo! Don't go away. After the break, while Parris and her dancers were in America, they not only met, but danced with J Lo. And guess what happened next. The first conversation we had was, 'Actually, I'm working on a Cirque du Soleil show. 'Do you know any dancers?' And I was, like, 'Dancers?' We're about to move to Las Vegas to work for Cirque du Soleil in a Michael Jackson tribute show, earning more money than I ever I would earn at 21. 'Yep, that's pretty cool.' (CHUCKLES) # Dr` Drop it low. # Ma` Make it pop. # I could this all night, shawty. I don't wanna stop. I need to go, girl. # ...Vegas knows it,... 1 Welcome back. Parris Goebel is just 20. She and her dancers, since a very young age, have dreamed about making it big as professional dancers. Well, in part two of our story tonight, life is about to seriously change for one of Parris' crews. This is the stuff of dreams seriously coming true. UPBEAT MUSIC Parris and her dancers are fresh back from their success at the world champs. Tonight they're performing for a home crowd. Tickets are sold out. # I'm so excited. # Among the group are Parris' original, all-girl crew, Request. Request girls, can you guys come here? It was the crew she formed when she was just 15, and since then they've been pushing to make it as professional dancers. ...Ngavaine, another Bianca and Malaena. We all know each other really, really, really well. Meeting these girls, I kind of fell in love with them straight away. ALL CHANT: Request! Request! Request crew have toured the world together. < Hong Kong airport. We're in Rome! They've performed on America's Best Dance Crew. And, most recently, you and millions and millions of others may have caught them on this little TV show from the US. BOTH: Jennifer Lopez! HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYS 40 million people in America alone watched the girls dance. And after the Idol final J Lo asked them to be in her video clip as well. # Press my button, yeah, blow the stage. Meeting her for the first time, we were all, like, 'Hello...' You know? It was like... I don't even think I introduced myself properly. I was, like.... (MUMBLES) I'm, like, mumbling to her. I'm, like, 'Oh, shame.' (CHUCKLES) I don't care what people say; what the magazines say. Like, you know, I spent, like, a good month with her, and I can really, like, truly say she's a great person and I learnt a lot from her. # The best night of my life. # And, while Request were in America working with J Lo, one meeting with an international show director and life was about to change. The first conversation we had was, 'Actually, I'm working on a Cirque du Soleil show. 'Do you know any dancers?' And I was, like, 'Dancers?' He was, like, 'Any girl dancers. I need a girl crew.' And I was, like, 'Wait.' I was, like, 'Let me just grab my laptop.' (CHUCKLES) I grabbed my laptop, opened it, and I was, like, searching all our YouTube clips and showing him. And I was, like, 'These are the best girl dancers I know. 'You can try find other ones, but these are the best ones you'll see.' # Dr` Drop it low. # Ma` Make it pop. # I could this all night, shawty. I don't wanna stop. I need to go, girl. # The result of that meeting: Parris herself has been contracted to choreograph for Cirque du Soleil's new show, and the six of her dancers... We're about to go... to move to Las Vegas to work for Cirque du Soleil in a Michael Jackson tribute show, earning... more money than I ever thought I would earn at 21, let alone` she's 18. She's gonna earn the same. I think that's unfair. I should get more money. I'm older. Sisters Malaena and Colette are going; so too is 20-year-old Ngavaine. There's a big opportunity there in front of me, and I'm going there. But, at the same time, to get there, I need to leave home behind. Home for Ngavaine is Hamilton, at her grandparents' house. Since I was 6 months old, I've been living with my grandparents. They mean the world to me, really. So, this is my grandmother, Tia. Hello. Hello. Kia ora. Hello. Kia ora. Lovely to meet you. This is my house. Me and my grandparents' room now. 'It's pretty simple.' So you and your grandma generally sleep in here when you're here? So you and your grandma generally sleep in here when you're here? Yep. 'Space is required for her granddad's medical supplies.' Those boxes are over there are filled with bags that he uses for his dialysis. With my grandfather, he's on the dialysis at the moment. So that's, kind of... diabetes. And, um, his kidneys kind of failed on him. So... he's kind of a sick person at the moment. 'And while the dance mementos have their proud place now,...' Request and J Lo. '...for a long time her talent went unrealised.' So you had no idea she could dance? She's the sort of... sort of person that... that never put herself up there. Are you proud? I am. I'm really proud of my little granddaughter. I don't think she realises... how proud we are of her. Put those inside, because of the wind. But this proud grandma still has some way to go keeping up with all that Ngavaine gets up to. What did you think when she was the American Idol final, watched by 40 million people in America? I wanted to watch that. But my husband wanted to watch the All Blacks, so I didn't get to see it. Do you even know who J Lo is? (CHUCKLES) I really didn't know anything about the lady. Not necessarily aimed at your generation, I don't think. Not necessarily aimed at your generation, I don't think. BOTH CHUCKLE That's another positive thing, as well, going to Cirque du Soleil ` because I can support my grandparents as well, like, financially. So dancing really has transformed your life. So dancing really has transformed your life. Yes, dramatically. (CHUCKLES) Chuck them all in the bedroom, guys. Sisters Malaena and Colette are heading off soon too. The rest of the family is downsizing their home for when the two eldest leave. What's it like dancing with your sister? > I don't know, because I don't really know any different. It's been like this my whole life. Do you get on well? Yeah, I would say we do. Yeah, I would say we do. Yeah. Obviously, we're, like, 'Oh, you're annoying.' But no big deal. Michael Jackson ` have we got a couple of fans here? BOTH: Huge. Hello? Hello? Huge. Honestly, I don't think I'd be that exci... as excited about it if it wasn't a Michael Jackson tribute show. That's, like... Because my whole life, I` we've both wanted to back-up dance for MJ. # Alegria. # Before heading to Vegas for the show, the girls are training at the Cirque du Soleil headquarters in Montreal, Canada. But a little study first might be a good idea. What do you know about Canada? I don't know anything about Canada. Nothing. (LAUGHS) I know that there is French people there. Pardon? But it's Canada. One of the girls that's coming was like, 'Wow, so it's kind of France-y?' And were, like, 'Yeah, it's kind of France-y.' (LAUGHS) Now, you've been to Montreal. You've seen the Cirque du Soleil headquarters. What's it like? It is truly, like, one of the most outstanding places I've ever been to. It is, like, a... a magical circus paradise. Like, they have this really... really free-spirited workplace, where it's like you can do and be whatever you want. As departure day draws closer, someone from Cirque arrives in NZ to take all their measurements for costumes. Muscle, muscle. I don't have any! I don't have any! BOTH LAUGH Every inch, every nook and cranny, it seems, gets measured. And, all of a sudden, it gets real. I'm, like, 'Oh my gosh, she's measuring me... 'for my costume... 'for this big show, which is in Vegas, which I'm doing with five other girls for the next two years.' So, I was, like, 'Um,... yep, that's pretty cool.' (CHUCKLES) The six dancers who are going to Cirque ` how good are they? Amazing. Like, I don't even think amazing's the word. Yeah, these girls are, like, phenomenal. And I think they've all worked... worked and earned this spot at Cirque du Soleil. I know they're gonna... they're gonna kill it, so, yeah. Start off with the towels. Do it properly. Goodbyes are just days away. The girls are taking every opportunity to spend time with loved ones. My grandparents are, kind of, the ones who are struggling. So leaving them... is gonna be really hard. Don't. There's microphones on us. For the sisters, it's not only family they'll have to farewell; it's their boyfriends too, who are also dancers in the crews. My boyfriend, Laurence, that's probably gonna be... that's not gonna be fun at all. I'm gonna... definitely... Oh, no, I won't even go there, cos I'll get really upset. ALL: Cheers. I'm going; he's staying. I'm crying; he's crying. That's it. (CHUCKLES) I think, for them, this is the ultimate sacrifice that they're gonna experience to do this show ` leaving their families and friends behind. Going to America was meant to be your opportunity to chase your dream, but it's ended up providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for six other dancers as well. How does that make you feel? It's like a reward, you know? It's like a... It's... It's like your own, kind of, personal gold medal. Is this just the beginning, for you and for them? Is this just the beginning, for you and for them? Yes. This isn't, like, 'They've made it!' It's just literally, like, one stepping stone to a million other things that they're gonna do. Awesome stuff, girls. Uh, next on 20/20, 3rd Rock star Kristen Johnston talks booze, pills and out-of-control celebrities. You wouldn't call anybody after 8pm, because you... you didn't trust yourself to...? Say my name. Well, it's hard when you're wasted. SLURS: Hi. It's Kristen. OK, I'll be there tomorrow. You know? Not good. Johnston writes that she had joined the crowded land of substance-abusing celebrities. Charlie Sheen was the mayor and Courtney Love was sheriff. ANNOUNCER: After waking from hibernation, what can tame the appetite of The Teenager? Finally, something for even the most monstrous appetites. DRAMATIC MUSIC Milo Crunchy Bites? Awesome? New Milo Crunchy Bites. Delivering a big crunchy bite for teenage appetites. And each bowl of Milo Crunchy Bites begins with wholegrain from real wheat, corn and oats. New Milo Crunchy Bites. A big crunchy bite. ...and look who wants them now. 1 Welcome back. What is it about celebrity that seems to spawn alcoholism? Tonight, former 3rd Rock from the Sun star Kristen Johnston speaks candidly about her harrowing experiences of being a young actress whose insecurity and struggles with fame led to an addiction problem that nearly killed her. CLAMOURING This is how the famous want to be seen ` beautiful; gleaming; fit to withstand the gaze of millions. DRAMATIC MUSIC But it seems that every week we're seeing them in another light ` turning up tipsy in the tabloids or the police blotter. Last Sunday, Olympic snowboarder Shaun White's drunken antics earned him several arrest warrants and a black eye. You may remember actress Amanda Bynes from the movie Easy A. This summer, she was charged with a DUI after hitting a police car. MAN: You can't let her get in the driver's seat, bro. She's way wasted, dude. > She pleaded not guilty. And country singer Randy Travis took the DUI one step further. Police say he smashed up his Trans Am and was then arrested drunk and naked. That's him leaving jail with only a paper suit. We have some hot messes out there. Let's just put it that way. You know actress Kristen Johnston from the hit '90s comedy 3rd Rock from the Sun,... Bang! We got 'em by the roasted nuts. ...and more recently, from this memorable star turn on Sex and the City. No one's fun any more! Whoa! Aaah! Is there something about acting; about that culture that breeds this...? I think... Yes, I do think it does. I think it abso` this kind of career breeds it, because... if you have someone with low self-esteem, yet a deep-seated need for approval, mixed with a lot of disposable income, that's, you know, a recipe for disaster. In her brutally honest and slide-slappingly funny memoir Guts, Kristen spills about her struggles. Growing up as a self-loathing, maladjusted teen in the Milwaukee suburbs, Johnston, like many kids, wanted more than anything else to be someone else. She discovered two avenues for escape ` one was acting; the other was alcohol. < You say, 'I loved drinking; being drunk.' < You say, 'I loved drinking; being drunk.' I thought it was cool. Uh, you know, I could outdrink the... the basketball team. Fortunately, her acting skills were equally impressive. After making a splash in the New York theatre scene, she was plucked from obscurity in 1996 to star in 3rd Rock. Her career went into orbit. What's that smell? I'm making blueberry muffins. I'm making blueberry muffins. Smells like they're done. I'm making blueberry muffins. Smells like they're done. No, the timer didn't go off. Yes, but` Yes, but` Dick, I've incinerated entire armies. I can handle an oven. With success came the pressure of the red carpet. I feel like an impostor. I didn't expect this. With the pressure came depression and migraines, and that's when her drinking problem went to another level ` an addiction to painkillers. 'This is the answer! Now I'm totally cured of my panic and depression and...' Life is good? Life is good? Yeah. Yeah. CHEERING When 3rd Rock from the Sun ended, Kristen moved back to New York and launched a successful stage career. I consider myself a perfectly good wife. But, beyond the bright lights of Broadway, her life was a slow-motion train wreck. At your worst, what were you drinking; taking? Uh, basically, at the time, a bottle or two of wine a night... Two bottles? Two bottles? Sure. No problem. You wouldn't call anybody after 8pm, because you didn't trust yourself to...? Say my name. Well, it's hard when you're wasted. SLURS: Hi. It's Kristen. OK, I'll be there tomorrow. You know? Not good. Johnston writes that she had joined the crowded land of substance-abusing celebrities. ...where Charlie Sheen was the mayor and Courtney Love was sheriff. It's... It's a crazy land. And the thing is that we all... we all know how to get there. In 2006, Kristen was rehearsing for a play on London's famed West End when, finally, her polluted body said 'enough'. What happened? You were alone in your apartment? What happened? You were alone in your apartment? I was alone in my flat, and... I mean, I literally felt it` my stomach rip open. And I, thankfully, passed out. A lethal amount of pills and alcohol caused Kristen's stomach to tear open, spilling its contents into her abdomen ` a life-threatening condition that required emergency surgery. Finally, Kristen reached out to a friend. I called her and said, 'I'm worried about my drinking.' And she said, 'Well, just go get it dealt with.' It just made it seem like, 'I gotta get my nails done, I gotta go to rehab,' and it didn't make it scary to me. And just the way she said it really saved me; saved my booty. But Johnston opted not to check in to a ritzy Malibu rehab. I think that is why a lot of celebrities can't get the right kind of help. The whole point of learning about addiction is that you're all the same, and you have to understand that to really... get it. Instead, she chose a more modest centre in Arizona. When I walked into rehab, I was, like,... I was a little drunk. It was weird the first couple days, you know? Not a really fun place to be famous. But... You know, gettin' 3rd Rock questions, and, 'Oh my God, I grew up watching you.' 'Thanks. Do you have a Vicodin?' (CHUCKLES) I'm just kidding. You're on 20/20. LAUGHTER Kristen, now six years sober, is taking full advantage of the life she almost lost. She's an advocate for teen sobriety programmes and is still showcasing that bawdy comedic talent on stage and screen. How different is your life today than it was when you were using? How different is your life today than it was when you were using? It's unbelievable. I mean, I'm on this show, The Exes. Wait till they see us out there on the dance floor. Wait till they see us out there on the dance floor. Mm! Let's do it! This body's craving 'la danse'. I gotta put a plug in somewhere. Do you know what I mean? I gotta put a plug in somewhere. Do you know what I mean? (CHUCKLES) You got it in. Sorry. CHEERING, APPLAUSE I'm a better person. I mean, I'm still crazy, but I'm good-crazy. LOUD CHEERING I'm the kind of crazy you can tell me I'm crazy. Next up on 20/20, senior citizens who have had enough of being victims. They are fighting back. Witness a grandpa slugging it out with a young punk at a sporting event. Others are fighting crime with a purse; a price scanner; even a cane. Now, all this makes for great video, and the term hero is often applied. But is this the best way out of a situation for our silver superiors? (UP-BEAT MUSIC PLAYS) (UP-BEAT MUSIC CONTINUES) Sanitarium Up&Go, with the protein, energy and dietary fibre of two Weet-Bix and milk. ...Vegas knows it,... 1 Welcome back. America's elderly aren't gonna take it any more. Some are even packing heat and are refusing to be the victims of crime. 20/20 talks to some seniors who didn't think twice about fighting back, questions whether it's bravery or foolishness and talks to one old man who says he's developed the ultimate method of defence. Grandparents are supposed to be living the quiet life ` a relaxing stroll on the beach, some fishin'; maybe a little bingo. WOMAN: Bingo! > But, too often, the golden years find our elderly as victims ` preyed upon on streets and in elevators. But these grey lions are not called the greatest generation for nothin'. They are fighting back. Witness a grandpa slugging it out with a young punk at a sporting event. Others are fighting crime with a purse; a price scanner; even a cane. Now, all this makes for great video, and the term hero is often applied. But is this the best way out of a situation for our silver superiors? What's your advice to an elderly person about what they should do in a situation or a confrontation? Keep your head. Try to keep calm. The best thing to do is to try to escape. Ken Brennan is a private investigator and former police officer. He eyeballed some examples of these special senior moments and says it's not as good as it looks. Take the case of 80-year-old Otilia Martins, a tough-as-nails grandma from Portugal who took a fruity approach to stopping a robbery at her son-in-law's Massachusetts grocery store when two bad guys pulled a gun on the clerk. When I looked over here, I saw one next to me, and he told me, 'You cannot scream.' The guy with the gun and his lookout don't see Otilia. Instead of leaving, she does the unthinkable ` she goes for a mango! He come this way, and` and I grabbed another one. Shockingly, it works, and the man with the gun flees the fruit. Most impressive may be what happens next. Otilia gets pistol-whipped by the coward as he exits. Amazingly, she's able to just brush it off. The punks are quickly apprehended, and Otilia, for all her bravado, is lucky to be alive. She would have been best off just getting descriptions of the people and reporting it to the police later. But not all seniors are throwing fruit. Many are actually raising the stakes ` and risk ` with a gun. In fact, 24% of people 55 and older own a gun, according to a 2011 study by the Gallup Institute. Case in point ` July 21st, Ocala, Florida. Two men ` one armed ` enter an online gambling cafe. When the robbers turn their backs, 71-year-old Samuel Williams goes Dirty Harry, injuring both men, who are later arrested. Williams has been hailed as a hero. But Brennan sees plenty he doesn't like. The worst thing that he does ` he has all those machines around him, but he didn't protect himself with any of them. If these guys didn't make the decision to flee... If these guys didn't make the decision to flee... He was in big trouble. Also, take a look at this ` in the heat of the moment, Williams very nearly takes out this woman, who almost moves into his line of fire. When you decide that you're gonna make that decision, you've just made the decision for everybody else ` they're involved in the gun battle too. In fact, while packing heat may seem like a good idea, according to the Brady Center, people with a gun are actually four and a half times more likely to get shot. I ain't prejudiced! What, you think I'm prejudiced?! So it might just be safer going old-school, like this 67-year-old did in a YouTube video watched over 5 million times. A fellow bus passenger comes at him after a heated argument and learns the hard way to respect his elders. When the guy comes up and gets at him and eventually strikes him, what does he do right? What he does right is he goes all out. He made` made the conscious decision that, 'I'm gonna defend myself. I'm gonna hit him with all I got.' Which is exactly what 69-year-old Clifford Bisek did not do when this gunman attempted to rob the store he was in. Bisek raises cane, literally, and the gunman flees ` a good result, but a violation of the 'go all the way' rule and a near-deadly mistake. To go at somebody with a cane, when they're carrying a handgun... We all know the expression 'don't bring a knife to a gunfight', let alone a cane. But, like I said, if you're gonna make the conscious decision, you're gonna have to know that you can disarm them... with that cane. And Mark Shuey says he can teach seniors to do just that. The 65-year-old martial arts expert developed a self-defence course, specifically for the elderly, called cane fu. That's right ` cane fu. You've spent a lot of time thinking about how to hurt somebody with a cane. I have, yes. So you say that the cane isn't a sign of weakness; it's a tool that can be used as a strength? It's an easy tool to... to learn how to use. And I train people not to get into a situation, to try to get out of the situation first, definitely; then, if they have to do something, take care of business. Sure enough, with proper training, typical attacks can be rebuffed with relative ease ` something I learned the hard way. (MUMBLES) And you're gonna go down. The front assault. The side attack. (GROANS) And the most common ` rear assault. Oof! In each case, 220 pounds of potential bad guy turned into a wincing whiner. CHUCKLES: Ow! Bring the cane in this direction. Oh my God. That's` Now I can take you anywhere I want. Now I can take you anywhere I want. Yes. OK, the more I pull and push, the worse it is for you. OK, the more I pull and push, the worse it is for you. It is all bad for me. So, while we applaud the moxie of our mothers' mothers and fathers' fathers, we give them the advice they often give us: avoid conflict; let cooler heads prevail; and, if you have to take on an attacker, teach them the true meaning of cane fu. (GROANS, CHUCKLES) Next on 20/20, what makes a hero, and what makes a wimp? The perfect recipe for somebody to not behave heroically is for them to be one of several people in a crowd observing an emergency situation and no one's intervening. Like this ` a police officer attacked in Baltimore. The crowd does nothing. Hartford, Connecticut ` a man hit by a car. Bystanders look; even appear to take cell phone pictures. But no one lends a hand. ...Vegas knows it,... 1 Welcome back. What is it that makes one person put themselves in harm's way and another stand back and watch? The Heroic Imagination Project has been studying just that, and they've come up with some interesting findings. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) The most dangerous part of a police officer's job ` the traffic stop. SHOUTING Officer Jonathan Seiter in the fight of his life. The suspect goes for his gun. Enter Angie Pierce ` by day mild-mannered casher, but on this night, a brave crimefighter ` Batman without the cape. I do truly appreciate what you did` You're welcome. You're welcome. ...and my wife does too. Heroism version two ` this summer in New York, a 7-year-old autistic girl out on a ledge. She falls. Not to her death on the hard pavement, but into the soft and waiting arms of a saviour below, bus driver Steven St Bernard. < People here say you're a hero. Do you agree with that? < People here say you're a hero. Do you agree with that? No. A hero's a sandwich. Professor Rob Willer says research now shows heroes are people with a key, perhaps surprising, character trait ` high self-confidence. They feel like if they take an action, that that action will be successful. They're the people that think their behaviours will be effective. For some people, it comes just as natural to stand around and do nothing. You might call them not-so-innocent bystanders. Remember this video? A fiery motorcycle crash in Utah in September 2011. Brave strangers banding together in a superhuman feat of strength, lifting the burning BMW and dragging an unconscious motorcyclist to safety. But even if you've seen it a hundred times, you may never have noticed this guy ` that well-dressed man just standing there, at one point even leaning on the car. He is John Johnson ` Professor Johnson ` a university department head, the driver of the car who, police say, caused the crash. Witnesses at the scene say he appeared to be in shock, but many YouTube commenters had another explanation in their outrage, calling him a 'coward', a 'selfish jerk' and speculating he didn't want to get his suit dirty. There's a variety of reasons why people don't intervene in emergency situations. Sometimes they might not feel personal individual responsibility. they might feel that other people already are taking care of the problem; that they'd be in the way. SIREN WAILS No one would have ever known if Billy Cretan had decided to remain a bystander when this Bronx apartment building caught fire in 2009. Cretan is in his store on the ground floor. He spots a little boy trapped four storeys up. A firefighter inside rescues the boy, but needs help, handing the child out to Cretan, who carries him down the fire escape to safety. What's inside you that's different? What's inside you that's different? I cannot live with myself if I don't do something about it. Cretan says his heroism comes from deep inside ` a childhood trauma ` his own father, back in Romania, trapped and died in a fire when neighbours refused to brave the flames and rescue him. When I saw that happen, I will do everything in my power to be able to give somebody their life back if I could help. If nobody's around, I will do it. The story of what makes someone a hero is probably a complex one that's a product of many forces ` personal, situational, and, uh, and also developmental. 22-year-old Keena Williams is a force of nature. She proves it on San Francisco's highway 101 in October 2011, when a chain-reaction crash lights up the sky. And then the truck flipped over, and then it skidded, and I stopped right exactly, like, around here. Williams who was driving in her pyjamas at this early hour, tells her daughter to stay put in the backseat while she runs toward, not away, from the flames to rescue truck driver Mike Finnerty. And I ran to him, and I dragged him, running backwards. What was going through your mind as you're pulling him away? What was going through your mind as you're pulling him away? Please don't let the truck blow up. The first enemy of heroism is what scientists call 'the bystander effect' ` a diffusion of responsibility. The perfect recipe for somebody to not behave heroically is for them to be one of several people in a crowd observing an emergency situation and no one's intervening. MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY Like this. A police officer attacked in Baltimore. The crowd this nothing. Hartford, Connecticut ` a man hit by a car. Bystanders look, even appear to take cell phone pictures, but no one lends a hand. And Americans don't have a monopoly on apathy. Police in England released these photos to shame no fewer than 80 drivers caught snapping pictures as they passed a horrific wreck this summer. China ` disgraced on YouTube by the video of a little girl run over in the street. More than a dozen people walk right by and do nothing. Fortunately, there are plenty of heroes on YouTube too. The Heroic Imagination Project in San Francisco says their research shows some surprises. City folks may be more likely to be heroes than their country cousins. Yes, they study this stuff. African-Americans were eight times more likely to have done heroic deeds than Caucasians. Hispanic men, but not women, were twice as likely. So now we're trying to follow it up and say, 'How come?' For more research, the Heroic Imagination Project will have to look no farther than their own offices. They now have a hero on staff. They hired Keena Williams. We took her back to the scene, where we arranged for her to meet Mike Finnerty,... Hi, Mike. ...the driver she heroically pulled to safety. How are you? How are you? How are you? Good to see you. How are you? Good to see you. Good to see you too. I just was praying as I was running over there. I'm glad I did. I just was praying as I was running over there. I'm glad I did. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. Me too. That particular moment I was fortunate that she was there. I called her my guardian angel, and I still say it today. She's my guar` (BREATHES SHAKILY) Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. I don't look at myself as a hero. I just look as I'm a good person. And if I was in that situation, I would want someone to help me. If you want to see any of tonight's stories again, head to our website. You can also email us at... or go to our Facebook page, of course. We're at... Let us know your thoughts on tonight's show. Well, thanks for all your feedback over the past week. 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