Hunter Johnson and Parris Todd are quickly becoming pro pickleballs’ "It" couple.

With their recent success at the Proton Tucson Open where they both won gold in singles, and the Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl commercial featuring the pros that aired later that evening, this tandem is living the dream both on and off the court.

In a recent interview with Tyson Apostol for the PPA Tour, Johnson and Todd shared their favorite on-court memory from the three years they’ve been playing pickleball. 

“The Super Bowl commercial we did with Michelob ULTRA,” said Todd immediately. “When we first got the call to do it, they told us who the celebrities were, and since they were a little bit older, we knew their faces but we didn’t know their names.”  

The leads in the commercial were actors Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara, who Johnson and Todd played opposite for an ULTRA. 

“We saw them and we thought, 'Oh, this is big,'” added Johnson.

Filming the commercial was a great memory for the couple because they got to do it together - and they felt it was a huge win for pickleball as a whole.

“We got to showcase pickleball as a sport in the biggest sporting event in the world,” explained Johnson. 

“The fact that we can say we were in a Super Bowl commercial because of pickleball is surreal for us,” added Todd. 

But off the court? Todd shared her favorite memory involving a little getaway with just the two of them.  

“Two years ago, we went to Napa for my birthday after a tournament. I had just won and he had gotten to the finals, so we were celebrating that. And it was just amazing. We just got to unplug and unwind. And it was just fun to get to spend some one-on-one time together,” she said. 

For Johnson, one of his favorite memories off the court was when the two of them went on a hot air balloon ride. 

“We were in New Mexico for some clinics. I grew up there, so I’ve seen the hot air balloons a thousand times, but I’ve never done it. And I’m a little scared of heights, so I thought it would be too high for me,” said Johnson. “When we got in the balloon, we got about 200 feet up and I was getting freaked out. I had a blank stare and I wasn’t looking at anything. And she grabs my arm and starts telling me, 'It’s okay.' And all of a sudden, I got out of my head and I looked around and eventually we got so high everything just looked like specs of dust down there.”

And he was able to fully enjoy the incredible view. 

“We did it together, and when we got up there we just realized how lucky we are. Look at these experiences we get to do because of pickleball. It was just an awesome experience,” added Johnson.  “It’s the best life ever.”