You’re gonna hear her… sob. Katy Perry and her fellow American Idol judges witnessed a super sweet proposal while filming the show, and their reactions ranged from fist bumps and hugs, all the way to full-on tears.
Matt Zavoral, a student at BYU, told the Sacaramento Bee that he originally wanted to propose to his girlfriend Johanna Jones in San Francisco, but abandoned his plans for an even more thoughtful reason: Jones was auditioning in Hollywood for Idol and he knew he wanted to propose during that integral moment.
“It was 2 a.m. and I thought, ‘If I take five finals tomorrow, I could actually go down to Hollywood to propose,’” Zavoral said. “Johanna always wanted to be surprised.” Zavoral reached out to the show’s publicity and production teams to arrange that magical surprise.
She didn’t even expect him to show up to pop the question, in fact, because it was finals week for Zavoral. “I just remember being so blown away when he showed up, and of course I knew there would be no other reason for him to be there,” she recalled to the paper.
The episode shows Perry breaking down while her fellow judges were more enthusiastic in their reactions. The audience was also surprised by the sudden proposal.
“I had no idea Katy Perry would burst into tears like that, and Johanna’s mom was screaming from the audience,” Zavoral explained. “… Lionel Richie hugged me, Luke Bryan fist bumped me and Katy Perry got tears on my sweater. I don’t know how many actors and actresses that can produce that many tears on demand, she was sobbing.”
While the episode was shot before Perry got engaged to Orlando Bloom on Valentine’s Day, it’s safe to assume that she’s a hopeless romantic. Jones, meanwhile, went on to the next round.
Watch the sweet moment above and secure your ideal wedding vision by starting with The Knot’s Style Quiz, here.