'Wheel of Fortune' Contestant's 'Worst' Guess Leaves Fans Shaking Their Heads in Disbelief

'Wheel of Fortune' host Pat Sajak

Gwen Hardy’s game of Wheel of Fortune did not go as anticipated.

The recently engaged contestant made a game-losing misstep on the Dec. 22 episode of the beloved game show—and the puzzle was, ironically, about marriage proposals.

At the start of the show, Hardy told host Pat Sajak that her boyfriend proposed at the top of a mountain in the Alps during their 100-mile hike recently, which should’ve meant that anything related to weddings would be top of mind.

Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth, as she missed what many viewers called an "obvious" solve for a puzzle that read “SURPRISE _ARRIA_E PROPOSA_.”

Hardy confidently guessed, “Surprise Carriage Proposal,” but the buzzer—and the painful silence from Sajak—indicated that she did not get it right, which is when she seemed to realize the extent of her gaffe and threw her head down in embarrassment.

“I know… sometimes you get excited, and your mouth doesn’t say what your brain intended. I’m sorry,” Sajak said as he attempted to console her, yet the internet was not as kind, especially considering her own recent engagement.

Ron Panner was next up and correctly guessed the answer: ”Surprise Marriage Proposal.”

“Well, you know you watch the show, and stuff happens like that sometimes,” Sajak said, continuing to console Hardy and suggesting that answering puzzles on the spot is much more stressful than answering at home from the comfort of the couch.

“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,” Sajak added.

The internet immediately erupted in criticism, however, with one viewer taking to X to sarcastically explain the logic behind Hardy’s guess: “A surprise carriage proposal is where someone surprises their significant other by proposing during a romantic carriage ride.”

“Not a recently engaged contestant saying 'Surprise Carriage Proposal' with only three letters missing. Lost $8,250 shocking stuff,” someone else quipped.

Another said that the guess “might be the worst Wheel miss ever,” while a third viewer tried not to be too mean since the “holiday season” is not the time “to blurt out harsh sentiments,” before asking, “what the hell was she thinking?”

One person uploaded a video of someone watching at home and walking away following the bad guess, muttering, “Oh my god, unbelievable,” as they captioned the post, “I’m sorry, what?”

Hardy might never live it down, but she did walk away with $11,150, which is a good chunk of change to put toward the upcoming wedding!

And here's hoping wedding planning goes a little more smoothly!

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