Michael Pascuzzi said he had no doubt the answer would be "yes."
He'll take "Wedding Proposals" for $200, Alex.
On Thursday's episode of "Jeopardy!" contestant Michael Pascuzzi of Florida popped the question to girlfriend Maria Shafer, who was sitting in the audience.
During the program's introduction segment, where Alex Trebek traditionally reads a brief bio of the trivia show's contenders, the host looked at his cue card and said he had no information about Pascuzzi.
"I can fill in for you," he told Trebek, then turned to the studio audience. "I just wanted to say one quick thing, and ask Maria Shafer, right there, if she would make me a winner today and marry me?” he said. “Will you marry me?”
The camera cut to Shafer, who was already crying. "Yes, of course," she replied. And then, remembering the crucial rule of phrasing the answer in the form of a question, she added, "That would be, 'What is yes?'"
The audience erupted in applause.
Pascuzzi told InsideEdition.com Friday that he hadn't intended to propose on air. Backstage in the green room, as the three panelists prepared for the July taping, a female show staffer asked how long he had been dating Maria. Ten years, he replied. Well, don't you think it's about time you put a ring on it? the woman chided.
"I decided to do it right then," he said.
"I asked the other two contestants if they would be cool with it, and they were great," said Pascuzzi, the manager of a Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
He had no doubt Shafer would accept, he said. "We were already talking about it," he said. "I know her pretty well."
Did she have any problem with being proposed to in front of a studio audience. "She was like, 'Maybe you could have clued me in so I could have put some makeup on?'" Pascuzzi said.
His appearance on the show was limited to one episode. He finished his first game in second place.
The couple have not yet set a date. "This has gone viral, so we're just dealing with this right now," he said. Shafer, an office manager, is also a wedding reception DJ, so they've already gotten plenty of offers of help, he said.
And, they would like Trebek to perform their ceremony. "We're putting it out there to have Alex officiate," he said. So far, there has not been an official response.
RELATED STORIES
