This man got friend-zoned on live TV and it is brutal to watch

Imagine being friend-zoned on national television.

This poor guy, who goes by the Instagram handle @steveheiss, doesn’t have to; last week, his on-air misfortune went viral after writer Chelsea Lockwood shared a clip of him being rejected on CBS game show Let’s Make A Deal.

The short video shows host Wayne Brady ask Steve and his show partner Jessie - also known as @rainbowbrite - how long they’ve been together. A fair question to ask, given that this was the show’s ‘prom edition’.

When he responds with “about six months”, she quickly intervenes, laughing, and clarifies:

We’re friends. We’re just friends, but he wants it…

Steve looks visibly embarrassed as he responds:

Can we talk about this, not in front of everyone, please?

Jessie continues laughing and clarifying that she’s single in the meme-worthy moment, but some have speculated it could be a stunt.

They’ve both taken to Instagram to argue otherwise, with Jessie stating that she’s been subjected to online criticism since the episode went live.

Whether real or not, the look of intense disappointment in poor Steve’s eyes is one we can probably all relate to.

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