Viral Video Shows Man Dressed as Ben 10 Proposing, Being Rejected

Maybe think twice before popping the question in your local mall's food court—especially if you're also planning on dressing like your favorite animated character.

A young man learned this lesson the hard way when his unusual proposal went horribly awry, as documented in a viral video that swept Twitter and TikTok earlier this week.

The viral clips, posted in two parts to TikTok by user @TY2LIT, have been viewed over 2 million and 8 million times, respectively.

For the occasion, the man—known on Youtube and other platforms as Matt10— dressed up as Ben Tennyson, the lead character in the animated show Ben 10. He wore the character's signature green jacket along with an Omnitrix, a watch-like device that Ben wears on his wrist.

According to The Daily Dot, the proposal took place in New Jersey's Menlo Park Mall's crowded food court.

In the video, Matt10 gets on one knee and presents his girlfriend with a ring. Meanwhile, the sounds of cheers and claps fill the room.

Things take a turn for the worse, however, when his girlfriend abruptly turns around and walks away. Matt10's face falls in response.

The second part of the saga posted by @TY2LIT shows several people filming the unfortunate scene on their phones while countless others watch from their tables. Two men approach the visibly-upset Matt10 and offer their support.

Many of the comments on the two videos expressed sympathy for Matt10, while others offered support to his girlfriend. "If this wasn't staged," wrote one TikTok commenter, "he has my utmost respect. I wouldn't have dared to do that in public." However, another user pointed out that "she's not obligated to say yes." Others gave Matt10 advice for the future: "Don't propose in places that pressure your partner into saying yes," read one comment.

The video garnered so much attention that even the official Twitter account for the state of New Jersey took notice. On Wednesday, they offered a piece of advice to their 374,000 followers: "Please don't propose to people at the Menlo Park Mall food court."

Matt10 also posted his own videos documenting the event on his Youtube channel and TikTok profile. Based on his posts, it appears the proposal was intended to be a prank. However, his girlfriend's reaction, it seems, was not at all what he had anticipated.