Love is in the air at TODAY.
During the Dec. 16 episode of TODAY with Jenna & Friends, a TODAY superfan got engaged on live TV.
Marquita Foster, 30, thought she and her boyfriend, Justin Waddell, 35, who both live in Virginia, would appear on TODAY with Jenna & Friends to take part in a trivia game.
After they came onto the set to speak with Jenna and guest co-host Al Roker, Jenna revealed there wasn’t actually going to be a game. She said Waddell had written into the show to say how much he loves Foster before a recorded package aired in which Waddell discussed how they met, their first date and how much he loves her.
After the package ended, Waddell stood up from the couch in the studio.
“You know I love you more than words,” he said as he got down on one knee. “You’re my heart, and I just have one question ... Will you marry me?”
He then showed her the ring he had while she fought back tears.
“Absolutely,” she said, before they exchanged a hug and kissed.
Waddell then slipped the ring on Foster’s finger before they hugged and kissed again.
“Y’all are engaged!” Jenna said, as she and Al hugged the couple.
“I wouldn’t trade it for the world, after God’s own heart,” Foster said when Jenna asked what she was thinking. “This is my person.”
“She’s my person,” Waddell added.
“I feel like I could run a Spartan race right now,” he continued. “You don’t understand. Just the timing, everything aligned. Even just getting here. It just all came together. And thank you, God.”
The surprises didn’t end there, though. Jenna said they felt badly because they had duped Foster into thinking they were competing in a trivia contest for a prize.
“We thought, ‘You know what? We can’t disappoint you.’ So, what about a trip to celebrate your engagement?” Jenna asked.
She revealed they were also getting a four-night stay at Paradisus La Perla in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Waddell, who says he’s a “huge fan” of Al, got some words of wisdom from him, too.
“You know what the moral of the story is for all the single folks out there? Come down to the TODAY show and show up at the plaza, you’ll end up getting engaged,” he joked.
