’90 Day Fiancé’: Why Paul Staehle’s Proposal to Karine Martins Is So Awkward

On '90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days', fans are first introduced to the relationship that Paul Staehle and Karine Staehle share.

by Amanda Spence

Published on September 13, 2020

3 min read

Paul Staehle finds the perfect spot to propose to Karine Martins

Paul and Karine Staehle | pauljasonstaehle via Instagram

The time has finally come for Paul to propose, and he takes his future wife-to-be to a fancy resort in Manaus, Brazil. He talks to someone at the front desk to find the right place to propose. Next, Paul heads off with another individual from the hotel to scope out the perfect spot. However, because of the language barrier, Paul is unsure of how he will propose to Karine.

He gets to the beach, and there is already a large chain in the shape of a heart in the sand. It’s almost meant to be, and Paul gets to work on making the shape more accurately portray the curves of a heart.

“I think that the heart was like a sign to me,” Paul tells the cameras. “Was like a sign from God to do it here.” Paul then scrapes out the words in the sand with a stick, but he’s having some difficulty with it.

Why Paul’s proposal to Karine is so awkward

Later, Paul takes Karine to see the sunset, but he’s already having problems with the translator app on the phone, which allows them to communicate. Paul is clearly nervous about what Karine might say, and they head down to the beach.

“This is a huge decision that’s going to affect the rest of our lives,” Paul tells the cameras.

Paul mentions the chain being in the shape of a heart. He asks her what is written inside of it in the sand. “I decided to write the question in the sand in English, and let her use the translator app to figure out what it said,” Paul tells producers about the experience.

Paul says to Karine to “Type it up.” She’s clearly struggling with figuring out what is written in the sand. “I’m confused because I don’t understand what he’s doing here,” Karine tells the cameras. “I’m trying to translate what’s written in the sand.”

Paul says Karine’s phone isn’t working during this crucial moment, and the app is taking forever to decipher the meaning of Paul’s words. “It’s a very awkward moment. In hindsight, I kind of wish I would have written it in Portuguese,” Paul says.

The technology that is supposed to help them communicate is having difficulty, but Paul chooses to get down on one knee anyways. He awkwardly waits there on one knee with the ring. Finally, the phone does the translating, and Karine looks over at Paul. “Will you marry me?” he asks her. “You look in shock.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Karine tells him back.

Some time goes by, and it’s a strange turn of events. “She hasn’t said anything, and I’m sitting on a bent knee for what seems like forever,” Paul tells the cameras.

First, Karine says, “No.” And then, “Yes,” which is relieving to hear in this critical moment. He puts the ring on her finger, and they embrace.

The proposal is awkward because of the language barrier. When the phone fails to translate Paul’s message quick enough, it leads to an awkward moment as Paul just stands there on one knee. However, his waiting wasn’t in vain. Maybe if the proposal had been written in Karine’s native language, it would have been a smoother situation.