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In Season 2, Episode 12 of The Valley, viewers were thrilled to witness Luke Broderick and Kristen Doute’s engagement. The magical moment took place during a sunset fishing excursion in Hawaii, where they both committed to a lifetime together. However, Luke revealed that there were a few close calls where the proposal could have easily fallen through.
One hurdle they faced was Kristen’s reluctance to shower before boarding the boat. She argued that it was pointless as she would likely end up smelling fishy during the tour anyway. Unbeknownst to her, Luke had a surprise in store that required her to be fresh and clean for the occasion.
Luke found himself in a tricky situation, unable to disclose the planned surprise to Kristen. Alongside Zack Wickham, they delicately tried to persuade Kristen to freshen up without giving away the secret.
Then, Nia Sanchez Booko sent subtle text messages to Kristen about wanting everyone to dress up for the night out. “I love her ‘inspo photos,’” Kristen said to Luke, but didn’t think dressing up was necessary because the boat wasn’t a fancy one. (Specifically, she was concerned about “gross fish smells,” which Luke had to assure her would not be part of the night.)
As for Luke, he admitted to feeling both “excited” and “anxious” in a confessional interview.
RELATED: Luke Reveals the Real Reason Brittany Wasn’t Involved in His Proposal to Kristen (EXCLUSIVE)
“The boat’s reserved, Danny Booko and Nia are coming, and Zack’s handling everything at the resort,” he added. Suffice to say, he was prepared for everything, except “Kristen not wanting to shower.”
“That was not on my radar,” he said, looking visibly amazed that he pulled off the proposal that night at all.
Aboard the boat, Luke pulled Danny aside for one last run-through of the plan. It included Luke pretending to go get his hat and Danny preventing Kristen from following him. Simple enough, right?
Of course not. There was the problem of Kristen “not feeling cute, at all” when Nia asked her to take photos as a distraction.
Another obstacle that surprised Luke: When prepping for the photos with Nia, Kristen was sitting on his bag.
“We’re at the finish line,” Luke recapped in the confessional, “And she’s sitting on the ring.”
But thanks to help from Danny, Nia, and a little white lie about dolphins, Luke managed to get down on one knee at sunset.
Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick reflect on his proposal
Sitting down with Danny during The Valley After Show, Luke admitted that above everything else, “I didn’t think the first thing [Kristen] was going to say was ‘f–k.’”
In a chat with Nia, Kristen confessed that she wished she had said something else.
She also revealed that Luke, looking back on the moment they got engaged, can’t believe he made a “catch of my lifetime” pun in the moment.
“He was like, I have no idea why I said that!” said Kristen. “It’s so cheesy and so cute.”
In his defense, they were on a fishing vessel, and in Kristen’s, she was truly caught off-guard.
Zack added that he had “never seen Kristen be so genuinely surprised” as she was in that moment.
Despite the “hurdles” to get there, as Luke put it, Danny said that “It all worked out like it as supposed to.”
Details on Kristen Doute’s engagement ring
Luke commissioned Kristen’s ring from Kyle Chan for $14,000. It includes a 14K white gold band and an elongated 4.27-carat emerald-cut diamond, with further white diamonds on the band and halo setting.
Get more details on Kristen’s engagement ring here.
