These guys from Oregon State University went around surprising girls at local colleges, serenading them with an a cappella arrangement after using corny pickup lines. Get to know a few of these sweethearts by reading about them below!
HC Oregon State: How did you all meet?
Alex Johnson: I met Trent through the long distance track team, Zach through my buddy Kurtis (because they both played Tennis), then through those two hooligans I met their brothers Troy and Matt.
Trent Toney: Troy, Zach and Matthew are my brothers, but the rest are my good buddies from high school.
HC Oregon State: What made you decide to go out and tape this? Whose idea was it?
Zach Bergthold: This was Trent’s idea from the start. He wanted to do something like this for a long time.
Trent: I was inspired by other YouTubers going out and pranking people, but I wanted to do it in my own unique way by making people happy. I thought it looked like a lot of fun, and it was a blast.
Alex: He (Trent) actually called me the night before he was going to do it and asked me if I could help. It was so strange and crazy I couldn’t refuse.
HC Oregon State: What was your specific role in the prank?
Alex: I sang melody for the verse and chorus and bass for the outro. I also watched Trent for the signal to move everybody in out of sight of the girl we were pranking.
Trent: I directed the project, conducted the interview, and sang along as well.
Matthew Bergthold: I was one of the cameramen. Trent needed help, and I’m not very musically inclined, so I became the cameraman.
Zach: I was the drummer, tasked with starting the beat right when Trent dropped the punch line.
HC Oregon State: What did your preparation process look like for this project?
Alex: For me, I simply had to learn the song really fast as well as make sure my white shirt and black tie were clean and ready to go.
Trent: Since this was my first video, the preparation was pretty extensive. I had to learn about cameras, sound and editing.
Matthew: A lot was just learning on the go. I did a little filming before, trying to learn the camera functions and how to set up shots.
Zach: Most of the preparation came through getting the camera and all the gear. Trent and Matthew did almost all of that!
HC Oregon State: Where there any obstacles you had to overcome in the making of this video?
Alex: Definitely people not wanting to be filmed or avoiding us altogether.
Trent: Quite a few, actually. There was a lot of brainstorming, and a lot of failed attempts when hitting the streets and trying ideas out.
Matthew: The biggest obstacle, for me, was setting up and shooting the shots. Making sure the lighting was good, having a good backdrop, and getting the focus perfect was all part of that.
Zach: We started filming in Portland with a smaller group and it didn’t go as well at all, so we had to redesign the whole idea and come with new approach of using a poll to instigate the filming.
HC Oregon State: Out of all the reactions, what one was your favorite?
Alex: One of the girls at Willamette was just saying how she was having a pretty rough day and that we really turned it around and that’s just kind of special. We loved spreading a little happiness around.
Trent: Probably the girl in the green shirt I dance with in the video. She was really sweet and it made me feel really great inside making her day. Just a real sweetheart.
Matthew: My favorite was at George Fox, the girl in the light blue shirt in front of the tree (1:30 in the video). She was just so surprised and looked so happy, it was great. It was the best feeling, seeing that and knowing I helped cause that.
Zach: Definitely the one where we missed our cue, and didn’t come for almost a minute after Trent dropped the pickup line. The girl was so confused, and in retrospect it was hilarious, but in the moment it was horrible. She was super nice about it, though.
HC Oregon State: Can we expect to see more pranks like this from you guys? If so, can we get a sneak peek of what might be in store?
Alex: Maaaayyyyybbbeeeeeee… expect smiles and singing…
HC Oregon State: What song would you want someone to serenade YOU with?
Alex: “I skate to one song and one song only: ‘My Humps’ by The Black Eyed Peas”. Or really anything by Sam Smith. The dude’s voice is silk.
Trent: “I Only Wanna Be With You” by Hootie and the Blowfish… sang to me by Julianne Hough.
Matthew: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, because I love that song, and if you sound like Kurt Cobain you’re awesome.
Zach: Probably something by Michael Buble’. That or “Let It Go”.
Keep an eye out for these guys around campus and you might be in one of their next videos!