One Wheel of Fortune contestant may not have walked away with a cash prize, but rather a sparkly engagement ring!
As part of the show’s 50th-anniversary celebration, hosts Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White helped a couple celebrate a milestone of their own.
Rhea Mathew is a former contestant who last appeared on the iconic game show on Oct. 9, 2023. A long time fan of the show, it was a dream come true for Mathew to join the ranks of its many contestants when she shared the news on Instagram.
"LOL anyone who’s ever talked to me on a day-to-day basis knows that my family congregates every single day at 7:30pm to watch Wheel of Fortune for as long as I can remember."
When she was asked to return to the show, Mathew thought she was simply joining the anniversary festivities. Little did she know she was set to solve the puzzle of a lifetime.
Behind the scenes, Robin Kuriakose, Mathew's boyfriend, had been working with the Wheel of Fortune team to plan the ultimate surprise. During an episode recap posted to YouTube on Thursday, Seacrest and White shared how the proposal came together.
“With Jim [Thornton], we created a bit of a ruse, making Rhea think she was back to celebrate Wheel’s 50th,” White explained. “But take a look to see what happened.”
Cue the moment of truth: Mathew stood at the puzzle board, staring at the letters “_I_ _ Y _ U _ _ _ R _ M _ ?” As she confidently solved the puzzle—“Will you marry me?”—she had no idea what was about to unfold.
To her shock and delight, Kuriakose emerged from backstage, dropped to one knee, and asked, “Rhea Susan Mathew, will you marry me?”
The heartfelt moment left the couple overjoyed, surrounded by a frenzy of applause from the audience.
Sharing an emotional post on Instagram about the moment with her now fiancée, Mathew dubbed it, "the sweetest, most elaborate thing anyone has ever done for me."
