‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Contestant Gushes About Recent Engagement Then Misses Puzzle About Marriage Proposals: “What The Hell Was She Thinking?”

By Samantha Nungesser @samjnungesser
Published Dec. 29, 2023, 12:04 p.m. ET

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Love was not on the mind for Wheel of Fortune contestant Gwen Hardy, who flubbed a puzzle about marriage proposals even though she recently became engaged herself.

On the Dec. 22 episode of the long-running game show, Hardy, who works as a flight surgeon for the U.S. Navy, revealed the romantic way in which her now-fiancé popped the question, telling host Pat Sajak that it took place on top of a mountain in the Alps while they were on a 100-mile hike, per TV Insider.

Despite gushing about her engagement moments before, the contestant was unable to correctly guess what should’ve been an easy puzzle for her given the recent events in her life.

In the “Event” category, three letters remained in a puzzle that read:  “SURPRISE _ARRIA_E PROPOSA_.” While the answer was clearly, “Surprise Marriage Proposal,” Hardy incorrectly guessed, “Surprise Carriage Proposal,” resulting in a loss of $8,250.

Quickly realizing her mistake, Hardy dropped her head to the podium while Sajak attempted to console her.

“I know. Sometimes you get excited, and your mouth doesn’t say what your brain intended. I’m sorry,” he said, before later adding, “Well, you know you watch the show, and stuff happens like that sometimes. But here’s the rule, and you know this, Gwen, as a flight surgeon, put that behind you. That’s done, nothing you can do.”

Meanwhile, viewers of the show weren’t as comforting as Sajak as they took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to blast Hardy’s snafu.

“Sorry, I know it’s the holiday season, & not the time to blurt out harsh sentiments, but that woman on Wheel of Fortune…what the hell was she thinking?” one wrote, while another added, “I was embarrassed for her but sorry, you can’t miss that low hanging fruit!”

A third person said, “So the medical school girl on #WheelOfFortune just showed everyone that just because one is educated, doesn’t mean they’re smart. ‘Surprise Carriage Proposal’? Really?”

Someone else quipped, “Can anybody recommend a good carriage counselor?”

Wheel of Fortune airs on weeknights at 7:30/6:30c. Check out your local listings on the Wheel of Fortune website.