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Man Proposes, Turned Down on Ellen

The Ellen DeGeneres Show is one of the most popular afternoon talk shows in the United States, as the host is a very popular person because of her comedy and her honesty about life. Ellen DeGeneres, the host of the aptly named show, is always one for a great sketch or game. Just last week, she had two built men with antlers and no shirts sit on the stage while blindfolded women tried to find them for a prize. We guess she felt that game was not enough as she allowed a man to propose to his girlfriend on the show, is taped in front of a live studio audience.

The man in question is Jacob Waterdale. Jacob stood up from his seat during the show, got down on one knee, and began telling his girlfriend that he loved her to death. The girlfriend’s name is Jodie. Jodie began to cry in front of everyone, the show aired Thursday, and she wrestled up enough courage to turn down Jacob. Jodie was able to say ‘I can’t’ and ‘I’m sorry’ in between the sobs.

This is when things got interesting. As Jodie was crying, and Jacob was sitting in the aisle stunned, Ellen’s reaction was anything but shocking. This is what started to raise a red flag for some in the audience, those watching on television, and those who have viewed the video since on the internet. Ellen was laughing awkwardly when Jodie turned down Jacob, which forced viewers and audience members to wonder if the proposal indeed was fake. Twitter was abuzz after the show, with millions of people asking if the proposal was a prank.

One report, from TooFab.com, claims that the proposal was 100 percent fake. In fact, TooFab.com went on to say that Jacob Waterdale is in fact a regular staffer for the Ellen DeGeneres Show, one who helped with a prank on an episode of the show last year.

A very confusing explanation was posted on the YouTube page belonging to Ellen DeGeneres. The explanation read as follows:

“[The proposal] didn’t seem to be going too well, but thankfully, it was the 12 Days of Giveaways!”

Could it be possible that Ellen’s awkward laugh was real? That she truly felt embarrassed that a man proposing on her show was turned down in front of a live audience and then the show aired on national television? If so, she did not seem too bothered by it since she went on to hand out her gifts for that day in the 12 Day of Giveaways. We might never know if the proposal was a fake or not, so we can only hope that it was for the sake of the gentlemen, who may or may not have been embarrassed on national television.

Jim Vassallo: Jim is a freelance writer based out of the suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and minor in Journalism from Rowan University in 2008. While in school he was the Assistant Sports Director at WGLS for two years and the Sports Director for one year. He also covered the football, baseball, softball and both basketball teams for the school newspaper 'The Whit.' Jim lives in New Jersey with his wife Nicole, son Tony and dog Phoebe.

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