Fans were thrilled to witness the engagement of Luke Broderick and Kristen Doute during Season 2, Episode 12 of The Valley. On a picturesque sunset fishing tour in Hawaii, the couple decided to commit to a lifetime together — a moment that almost didn’t take place, as Luke revealed.

One challenge arose when Kristen was reluctant to shower before boarding the boat. From her perspective, it didn’t make much sense, as she assumed the tour would leave her smelling like fish anyway.

Since Luke couldn’t divulge the surprise that awaited her, he and Zack Wickham had to find a tactful way to encourage her to freshen up regardless.

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.

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