‘Nobody Wants This’ was inspired by Erin Foster’s real-life proposal
Erin Foster is showing where Nobody Wants This’ big proposal really came from — with unseen engagement footage to back it up.
She’s got the receipts — literally. In a new Instagram video, Erin Foster flips through a formal invitation to a “wedding vow renewal” in Napa Valley — dress code, weekend schedule and all — that turned out to be the cover story for her real engagement. The decoy let her now-husband, Simon Tikhman, pack a barn with her family, sneak in a ring via her sister, and line up a pre-trip manicure so her nails were proposal-ready.
Foster says Tikhman framed the trip as work, then steered her to a vineyard where the “guests” were supposedly off on a wine tour. She was relieved to have missed the crowd — until relatives burst out of a barn and the ruse came into focus. That elaborate setup is the blueprint for Noah’s big moment in Nobody Wants This season 3, which uses a fake wedding to get Joanne to the aisle for a surprise proposal.
“So about a month before he proposed, we got this invitation to a wedding vow renewal,” Foster revealed on her Instagram.
“And that’s how I got engaged to a psychotically romantic genius.”
The real proposal
- Foster met Tikhman at a Los Angeles gym in 2018; the series is loosely based on their romance.
- He proposed in August 2019 after sending that faux vow-renewal invite to Napa.
- Her sister Sara Foster flew the ring in from New York.
- Tikhman booked a manicure with Foster’s niece so her hands were camera-ready.
- The family hid inside a barn at the vineyard before jumping out for the reveal.
On the show, Joanne and Noah’s on-again, off-again chaos has run through tense dinners and nosy relatives — a lot of it drawn from Foster’s real-life minefield. Season 3’s proposal mirrors the Napa plan beat for beat, right down to the fake ceremony setup.
Season 4 status
Netflix has not yet renewed Nobody Wants This for a fourth season. Season 3 premiered on October 22, and the streamer typically weighs viewership before making a call.
Co-showrunner Jenni Konner has hinted there’s more story to tell, noting that Joanne and Noah quietly tied the knot and still haven’t faced the family expectations of a more traditional wedding. Foster has also said she wants to explore married life for a couple who found love a little later.
As for the cast, Kristen Bell and Adam Brody have both signaled they’re up for more. Season 3 is streaming now; it debuted October 22 on Netflix.