Kristen Doute Reveals the 1 Regret She Has About Luke Broderick’s Proposal

Kristen Doute says she wishes her first word during Luke Broderick’s surprise proposal hadn’t been an expletive. “The Valley” star reflects on the moment—and what she would’ve done differently. Instead of a fairytale reaction, her shocked “What the (expletive)?” made the trailer and the memory a little more awkward than romantic.

Kristen Doute Didn’t See the Proposal Coming—And Let Her Shock Slip

Doute may have been thrilled to get engaged to Broderick, but she wishes she had handled the big moment a little more gracefully. On “The Valley After Show,” both Doute and Broderick reflected on the now-viral proposal, which aired during episode 12 of “The Valley.” While standing on a boat in Maui, Broderick dropped to one knee—and Doute dropped an (expletive).

“I didn’t think the first thing [Kristen] was going to say was ‘(expletive)?” Broderick admitted during the After Show. Doute agreed, saying, “I wish I hadn’t said (expletive). What a moment ruiner.”

The Vanderpump Rules alum also addressed the moment during a March episode of Tori Spelling’s podcast misSPELLING, where she admitted she was caught completely off guard. “The only thing I hate is, like, it’s on the trailer in the very beginning and the first thing I say is, ‘Oh, (expletive)’” she said. “Why wasn’t it this “Bachelor”-style moment? No. My response was, I turn around having no idea that he’s on one knee on a boat. And I’m just like, ‘That’s so romantic.’”

While the couple laughed about it later—especially the line Broderick used, “Will you be the catch of my lifetime”—Doute confessed she had no clue what was happening that day.

“We were on a fishing boat. So in my mind, I’m like, I’m not even putting makeup on,” she explained. “I’m vegetarian, I don’t fish… I was picturing Bubba Gump shrimp with fish guts all over.”

The moment was even more surprising because Doute, who’s known among friends as “Detective Doute,” didn’t pick up on any clues—even when she searched through the bag where the engagement ring was hidden. “It blows my mind,” she said. “There were times I would go through his bag and the ring’s in there. But I didn’t know to look for a ring.”

Luke Broderick’s Proposal Faced More Than One Hurdle

As fans saw, planning the proposal was anything but simple. Only a few cast members on the Maui trip knew what Broderick had planned, including Zack Wickham, Nia Sanchez, and Danny Booko. But keeping Doute in the dark came with challenges—starting with convincing her to shower.

“She didn’t want to shower before the fishing trip because she said she’d just get ‘fishy,’” Broderick said. Wickham helped nudge her along, and Sanchez even sent her subtle outfit inspiration photos to help elevate her look without blowing the surprise.

Even then, there were close calls. At one point, Doute was fixing her makeup while literally sitting on the bag with the ring inside. “We’re at the finish line, and she’s sitting on the ring,” Broderick recalled.

Finally, when the group pointed out imaginary dolphins to distract her, Doute turned around—and Broderick got down on one knee. Despite her shock—and the expletive—she said yes.

“She was actually, actually surprised,” Wickham confirmed on “After Show.” Broderick agreed, saying, “Kristen could have seen the writing on the wall… I think she just truly didn’t believe there was any way I would propose that soon.”

Tell us! Were you surprised by Kristen Doute’s reaction to her proposal? Let us know in the comments below.

New episodes of “The Valley” air Tuesday nights on Bravo.