Charles Esten Won His Wife's Engagement Ring on a Gameshow: 'Lucky'

Charles Esten reminisced about how he won money and prizes on a game show over 30 years ago including his wife’s engagement ring.

The Outer Banks star, 58, remembered that after graduating from William and Mary College in Alexandria, Virginia, he was broke after moving to Los Angeles in 1988.

“I’d been in L.A. for 3 months and I was already out of money when I found an ad looking for contestants for Sale of the Century,” Esten wrote on X on Monday February 19.

“Long story short: I got on, and 5 days later walked away with $34K in cash and prizes that included the engagement ring that my wife wears on her finger today,” he wrote. “None of that happens without this lucky speed round.”

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Esten posted a throwback video of him competing during the speed round of trivia questions. With time running out and behind by two points, Esten, competing under the name Chip, rallied to answer the final question and win.

“Time is up and Chip has won it by 3. Wow,” the announcer declared. “A great comeback for the champion.

With the ring secured, Esten married his college sweetheart, Patty Hanson, in 1991. They have three children: daughter Taylor, 28, son Chase, 25, and daughter Addie, 24.

In addition to acting, Esten is also a singer, and he released his debut solo album, Love Ain’t Pretty, last month. He sang in college, and it was music that brought him together with Hanson, now 58.

I’d been in L.A. for 3 months and I was already out of money when I found an ad looking for contestants for SALE OF THE CENTURY. Long story short: I got on, and 5 days later walked away with $34K in cash and prizes that included the engagement ring that my wife wears on her… pic.twitter.com/xkUXP9Kdds

— Charles Esten (@CharlesEsten) February 19, 2024

They met on campus, but at the time, she was in a relationship,

“I knew I had seen her freshman year, just the most gorgeous girl I’d ever seen.She was frequently riding by on a moped,” Esten told Country Now in March 2023.

“She had come from Italy, although she’s a blonde and her maiden name Hanson, but her mother was from Naples. She was actually born in Naples and raised in the States, but went back there for high school. So I would hear this moped arriving by, and that would make my head spin,” he shared.

Eventually, Hanson broke up with her boyfriend, and then Esten used a song to ignite their romance.

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He was playing in a band named N’est Pas, and when he spotted Hanson in the audience at a campus fundraiser, he changed their planned song to Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet,” according to Country Thang Daily. Esten sang the song to her, and they two started dating. Now he calls her his biggest fan.

Last year, Esten explained while talking with other songwriters how his wife inspired the song “One Good Move” on his album.

“I was just saying how I didn’t envy them, being so young now. I said I would not have survived everybody carrying around a video camera in their pockets. I was a foolish guy and I made a lot of bad decisions, but then I just corrected myself,” he commented.

“‘You know what?’ I said. ‘I made one good decision, honestly. I somehow managed to hang onto this wonderful woman that is my wife. I guess she was my one good move.’”