A Wheel of Fortune contestant got the shock of her life when her boyfriend surprised her on set with a proposal.
Hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White reflected on the sweet moment as they celebrated the game show’s 50th anniversary on Friday.
In a YouTube video shared on the Wheel of Fortune channel, the co-hosts explained that a man named Robin enlisted their help earlier this week to pull off an epic proposal.
They revealed that he actually tricked his girlfriend, Rhea, into thinking she was returning to the show… just because it was an elaborate setup so he could ask her to marry him.
They opened up about the heartwarming ordeal as they looked back at some of the best moments from the anniversary show.
“We’re celebrating milestones in honor of our 50th anniversary, and there was one event here on set earlier this week,” Ryan said.
“Former contestant Rhea’s friend Robin asked for our help by asking her a big question,” Vanna added.
“With (announcer) Jim (Thornton), we caused a bit of a stir, making Rhea think she was back to celebrate Wheel’s 50th birthday, but look what happened.”
A Wheel of Fortune contestant got the shock of her life when her boyfriend surprised her on set with a proposal
Hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White reflected on the sweet moment as they celebrated the game show’s 50th anniversary on Friday
A former contestant named Rhea (center) thought she was returning to the show just because it was an elaborate setup so he could ask her to marry him.
The YouTube video was then turned into footage of the sweet proposal, which featured Rhea trying to solve a puzzle that read: _ I _ _ Y _ U _ _ _ R _ _ _?
“Will you marry me?” Rhea, wearing a red turtleneck dress, guessed it.
“Nice job,” Jim replied, beaming with pride as she solved the puzzle.
Suddenly, Rhea’s friend Robin walked onto the stage as her mouth opened wide in surprise.
He laughed as she walked towards him, still in complete shock; He then grabbed her hands before dropping to one knee.
“Rhea Susan Mathew, will you marry me?” he asked, as the crowd erupted in cheers.
Rhea covered her mouth with both hands as she began to sob; she shook her head yes and the two kissed romantically before the clip ended.
“I think she was really surprised,” Ryan mused.
She solved a puzzle that said, “Will you marry me?” before her boyfriend, Robin, walked onto the stage
He laughed as she walked towards him, still in complete shock; He then grabbed her hands before dropping to one knee
Rhea covered her mouth with both hands as she began to sob; she shook her head yes and the two kissed romantically before the clip ended
“It was so heartwarming,” Vanna said.
“Very sweet, I love that we get to do that on the show,” Ryan added, to which Vanna replied, “Yeah, you never know what’s going to happen here.”
In an interview afterwards, Rhea admitted that she had no idea this would happen.
“I’m still in shock,” she told Wheel of Fortune social correspondent Maggie Sajak, the daughter of former host Pat Sajak.
Robin added: “I’m so excited. I’m so happy she got this moment. Thank you all for hosting us and making this possible.”
Wheel of Fortune also shared the moment on Instagram, and Rhea rushed to the comments section to thank them for helping Robin pull off the epic proposal.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this a reality,” she wrote. That exceeds even my wildest dreams.’
In a post of her own, she described the moment as “the sweetest, most comprehensive thing anyone has ever done for her.”